(Sur)realism • Calum Hood

s i x

The next day I had school. I hadn't gotten up from my last break down and I was feeling shittier than I ever had before.

I rolled over, and looking at my phone, I saw my reflection with makeup smeared all up and down my face. I was hideous.

Clicking the home button, I saw I had an explosion of messages.

"Calum - RECEIVED 9:02 PM - hey, i hope you're okay."

"Calum - RECEIVED 10:31 PM - you're probably asleep. sorry."

"Calum - RECEIVED 12:05 AM - please reply when you wake up so i know you're not dead or something."

"Calum - RECEIVED 12:06 AM - sorry lol."

"Calum - RECEIVED 3:08 AM - okay but seriously when you wake up let me know you're alright."

"Calum - RECEIVED 4:00 AM - are you alright?"

"Calum - RECEIVED 5:48 AM - i need to get a life."

"Calum - RECEIVED 6:04 AM - please victoria, i know you'd be waking up soon. did i do anything to annoy you?"

I checked my phone's clock. 6:30 AM, I had to catch the subway in roughly an hour. That gave me a time crunch for showering.

"Me - SENT 6:31 AM - I'm alright(:, thanks for the messages. I have class today though so I can't chat for too long. But don't worry, you're not annoying."

I sent it and sighed, walking over to my bathroom. I looked in the mirror and attempted to scrub the mascara residue off my face before showering.

* * *

Sitting in my required English course, it donned on me that I am still unemployed. "Fuck," I whispered.

"Are you alright, Valerie?" The girl sitting next to me whispered in response.

"It's uh, Victoria, and yeah. I just remembered I'm kind of fucking broke."

"Oh," she winced.

"Yeah." I ended the unwanted conversation.

A few minutes passed of my scrambling thoughts before my phone vibrated quietly.

"Calum - RECEIVED 8:07 AM - hey are you busy?"

"Me - SENT 8:08 AM- Yeah I'm kind of in the middle of class. Why?"

"Calum - RECEIVED 8:10 AM - oh. i wanted to show you something. can i pick you up?"

"Me - SENT 8:12 - I'm in the middle of class!!"

"Calum - RECEIVED 8:13 - tell them it's an emergency. please."

I sighed and pulled on my eyelashes, forcing tears to come out. "Oh my god," I cried softly.

"Ms. Birde, what's wrong?" I heard my professor stop the discussion and draw attention to me.

"I'm sorry, Dr. McKinley, but there is a f-family em-m-mergency happening right now." I stuttered for effect, wiping my eyes.

"Go," she said giving me a look of sympathy.

I gathered my things from my seat and rushed out of the hall and into the parking lot.

"Me - SENT 8:22 - Where are you? I'm out!! Hurry please!"

"Calum - RECEIVED 8: 24 - it's taylor avenue, right? i'm right around the corner."

"Me - SENT 8:24 - I don't see you!"

Just then, Calum's car pulled up rather violently to the curb.

He rolled down the window. "Do you see me now?"

"Funny!" I called, rolling my eyes and slamming myself down in the passenger seat.

"What was your excuse?" He asked, taking off again.

"I told them it was a family emergency."

"Nice."

"Okay, but what are you making me miss English Literature for? We're studying Sylvia Plath."

"While that does sound very captivating, Victoria Birde, I have something even better than Stephanie Plath."

"Sylvia."

"Sylvia Plath."

"Anyway, what is this thing that is so much more remarkable than the works of Sylvia Plath?" I asked.

"You'll see."

"Hmph." I sighed, rolling down my window and sticking my hand out of it.

What seemed like a few minutes passed, but I later learned it was about an hour.

"We're here!" He cheerfully announced.

My eyes met with a rundown looking bar.

"What is this?" I asked suspiciously.

"My band is playing here in an hour, I wanted you to come."

I furrowed my brow. "You took me out of class so I could watch your fucking band play? At 10:30 AM? What kind of band plays at 10:30 AM?"

"One that's not very good," he admitted. "But hey, can't you just appreciate the fact I wanted you here?" He gave me a cheesy smile.

"Fine, but it better be better than Sylvia Plath."

"Deal."