Tagg

Tears

Tagg

I move the palm of my hand over my mouth as I stand square next to Niko, dad's uncle and aunt Evelyn's dad.

"Should we bomb it?" Niko asks, looking ahead.

"Give it a minute" I move my hand.

"Wish your dad were here, we'd be done and over with this" Nick clears his throat.

"Give. It. A. Minute" I say word for word.

He puts his hands up in defeat.

"Why did they let us three out together?" Niko shakes his head and a bullet goes right through the campus window, causing everyone to scream and run.

"Told you" I wink before pulling out my gun, running and shooting men as they jump in the window.

I decapitate a man and cut another's hands off.

He screams in pain right before I stab him in the heart.

All of a sudden, a huge group of dogs run in, ripping apart men.

My eyes widen as I only have to fight off three men since the dogs have the others.

"Hey Nick?" I say as I look ahead at the dogs.

"Yeah?" he replies, looking as well.

"I think I wanna get a dog"

"I think I do too"

"Let's go one"

**

"Let's go to the beach beach, go to get away, they say, what they gonna say!" Nick sings.

"Shush" Callie lays on the couch in her phone.

"No but uh, we actually are going to the beach" I throw her her coat and sigh. "Bringing Peter?"

"No" she sits up. "Isn't it too cold to go to the beach?"

"We're just walking" Nick says.

"So we're driving all the way down to Savannah to walk on the beach?" Callie raises an eyebrow and we nod. "Well, guess that's a way to get me out of the house"

"What's wrong?" I push my eyebrows together.

"Nothing" she fakes a smile.

I know her.

I know her and that look at in her eyes.

Nick clears his throat. "Let's go, shall we?"

"Yeah" Callie's the first one out.

Nick and I look at each other.

**

"Why didn't you bring Peter?" I stop in my tracks.

"I just know you and Nick don't like him" she shrugs and looks at me.

"You've been with him for week, of course we're not warmed up to him" I say and she frowns. "What's on your mind, love?" I rub her arm.

She bursts out crying and my eyes widen. "I can't do it, Tagg!"

I try to form words. "What? Do what?"

"My relationship with Peter!!" she hugs me tightly, soaking my hoodie.

I wrap my huge arms around her petite body. "What's going on, love?"

"He just makes me so uncomfortable! I thought I liked him, but I don't! He's obsessed with me and I have completely no feelings for him anymore! I wanna end it, but I wanna hurt his feelings" she cries.

I rub her back and kiss her head. "Tell him you wanna end it... say it's not working out on your end, yeah?"

"It's gonna break him" she pulls back.

"You're suppose to be happy too, Cal. If you're not happy with him, fuck his feelings, you're suppose to put yourself first. He's gotta get over it. I know you, Cal. You're heart is so much bigger than your chest and you want everyone to be happy, but you need to care for yourself" I place my hands on her shoulders and she frowns. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy about this, because I never liked him. And it's not a best friend brother thing, he's just, weird"

"Is that all, Tagg?" she asks and I tilt my head. "I know your looks and the way you look to Peter is anger and jealousy-"

"No it's n-"

"We've been best friends since we were kids" she crosses her arms and I shake my head. "You hate him. You're so jealous of him, why?"

I put my hands in my pockets and throw my head back, huffing. "Honestly, Cal? This past year I've grown so in love with you" I start and her eyes widen. "So in love. But we're just best friends, Cal. I ignored these feelings, especially with Nick's jokes, but once you grew feelings for someone, I couldn't anymore. I want to you be happy, but I want you to be happy with me"

She tries to form words and immediately hugs me. "You're so amazing, Taggle. I've watched you grow into the amazing man you are today. You're so respectful, kind, and a huge mommas boy! Which I love! I've always had a little crush on you growing up, then it faded, then I caught real feelings and didn't know what to do. I had a crush on my best friend. Hell, I still do, but I've tried to get away from that since I doubt you felt the same. But I was truly infatuated by Peter-"

"Will you go out with me?!" I spit out and rush.

She frowns and my heart shatters. "I need to figure things out with Peter, Taggle"

"Know I'm always gonna love you, Cal. And you're always gonna be my best friend, yeah?" I frown, resting my head on her forehead.

"Yeah" she smiles and closes her eyes.

"If you work things out with Peter, I won't be mad. I'll be jealous, but I won't be mad. Not anymore. You're my priority, Calster" I kiss her temple and pull away. She goes to speak, but I got her off. "Let's go find Nick. He's probably lonely" I laugh and walk off.

play it off, tagg.

play it off.