(Sur)realism • Calum Hood

s e v e n

I walked into the bar and the inside was definitely cleaner than I anticipated. The carpets were a pretty shade of maroon, and all the furniture was made of nice looking dark wood. There was a small, rather pathetic looking stage in the back of the bar.

It was fairly empty, about six other people that I could the whole venue. I was surprised it was open at this hour, and I surely didn't think those six people would be here.

"Over there," he pointed, where I saw three more boys come into view. It clicked. They were in H&M the day I met Calum. Six plus three, nine with us two. Eleven people were here. That's quite impressive, I thought.

"Who's your lady friend, Cal?" The one with lilac hair yelled at us.

The rest of the people in the place looked at him disapprovingly. My face went so red it almost matched the shirt I was wearing.

"Victoria," he sighed. "Michael. Michael, Victoria."

Michael reached his hand across to me and held it out to shake. I took it for a brief moment and immediately dropped it.

"I'm Luke," he pushed passed Michael and the first thing I noticed about him was his height, and then the ring in his lip.

"Uh, that's Ashton." Calum pointed to the only remaining boy - he had headphones pushed into his ears and looked rather unapproachable.

Michael. Luke. Ashton. I could remember this.

Calum glanced down at phone. "Hey, we have about thirty minutes."

"We should warm up," someone added. I didn't bother to look up, so I didn't catch who.

"Victoria, you can sit over there," he pointed to an empty table close to the stage. "We'll be on in a few, I promise."

I nodded and walked over to the table, slowly sitting down in one of the chairs.

Fifteen minutes passed and about ten more people piled into the venue. Twenty one. Hm, for an early show, this wasn't too horrible of a turnout I guess.

There were a few crashes backstage before they began carrying a drum set and a few microphones onstage.

"Hi," the boy I recognized as Luke tapped the microphone. "Uh, we're Five Seconds of Summer and uh we're gonna play a few songs I guess."

Quality intro.

I felt bad, because the first few original songs I didn't pay much attention to. I clapped when I noticed everyone else was, but other than that, I found my mind elsewhere.

"Okay, um now we're going to play a cover of Never Let Me Go." I jerked myself up and forced myself to pay attention when I heard Calum say this.

I didn't recognize it as the first guitar chords, but as Luke started singing, I realized that this was infact, some punk-popesque rendition of Lana Del Rey's Never Let Me Go.

"Hold me in your arms,

love me like your best friends did.

Promise I won't hurt you, kid.

Hold me 'til the stars look big,

never let me go."

I smiled at the stage as he stepped back and Calum took his microphone. I swear to God he looked right at me.

"Oh the world is ours,

like they say in scarface, kid.

You can push your drugs and I can make it big.

Sing at CBGB's have a real good gig,

Hey you never know."

That light headed feeling washed over me again and I felt as if I was going to pass out.

"If you love me hardcore, then don't walk away."

I stood up, and my vision was spinning.

"It's a game girl, I don't want to play."

I looked around the room and pressed my thumbs to my temples. This feeling was worse than it was last night.

"I just wanna be yours, like I always say-"

I was going to throw up. I was going to vomit.

"Never let me go."

I felt the reminisce of whatever I had eaten in the last couple of days rise up my stomach. There wasn't time for me to search for a bathroom, I had to get out. I ran out the main exit that I came in, and pushed through the heavy metal doors. As soon as the daylight hit my face, I vomited. I vomited and sobbed, and I probably looked like a drunken mess to any car that drove by, standing outside the bar crying and puking like this.

Twenty minutes passed and I was collapsed in a puddle tears sitting next to my own vomit. The doors opened to reveal a frantic Calum, and his eyes got even wider as he looked down to find me sitting on the pavement.

"Oh god," he muttered. "What happened?" Calum knelt to my level.

"I just didn't feel too good."

"Yeah, I see that." He paused and sighed before helping me up. "Alright, let's get you home."

* * *

We were in the car for about half of the trip back until I finally decided to speak up. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" He shifted his eyes off the road for a brief second to look into mine.

"I ruined your gig." I shrug.

"You did not, you made it interesting." Interesting. There's that word again.

"Whatever euphemism you choose." I said, leaning my head out the window.