Mess is Mine // Calum Hood

Chapter 11

April 2018

I shouldn't have been surprised that my communication with Calum had been pretty strained since they boys left two weeks ago, but I was surprised nonetheless. Especially after our conversation at the party. He told me I was important to him, but his actions weren't really lining up with words. I was trying to cut the guy some slack considering they were all the way in Europe, and the time differences were significant. The boys were also super busy doing promo for their new single and upcoming album. However, my heart sunk just a little bit more each time notifications popped up from Ashton and Sierra. If they could reach out to me despite the massive time gap, couldn't he?

I knew I needed to get out of my head, and sitting in my apartment alone like I'd been doing wasn't going to help my situation. I had barely left the place in days, only really getting up to get work done, get food, and use the bathroom. Three of my friends from high school had recently moved out to LA, and they messaged me a couple of days ago asking to meet up. I hadn't responded yet; I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.

I rolled over in bed and grabbed my phone from my nightstand, pulling up my texts.

Cameron Nichols

Sorry I didn't answer earlier, been busy! Brunch today?

Emma Parks

I'm down!

Maya Reyes

Yes please, I need a mimosa.. or 5

Isaac Hunt

Send me your address, I'll pick you up!

I smiled to myself and quickly sent my address to Isaac before pulling myself out from under my warm sheets to get myself ready for the day. This was the first time in two weeks I had actually been excited about getting out of bed. I stepped into the closet, grabbing some ripped jeans, a green t-shirt, and some boots. I quickly changed, tossing my pajamas to the floor. I spent more time on my makeup than my hair, wanting to actually feel like myself for once. I smiled at my reflection once I was done. Today would be a good day. It had to be.

My phone vibrated against my bathroom sink, telling me Isaac was outside waiting. I threw my bag over my shoulder, heading towards the front door.

"Hey!" Emma said excitedly from her spot in the passenger seat as I opened the door to get into the back of the car with Maya. However, Emma shoved her door open and popped out of the car, throwing her arms around me. I let out a laugh and returned her embrace, giving her a tight squeeze. I hadn't realized how much I had missed her until now.

Emma, Isaac, and I met our freshman year of high school and were pretty much instant best friends. We did everything together as a trio until junior year when Maya transferred to our school. She fit in with us pretty well, so our trio became a quartet for the remainder of our high school years. I hadn't seen any of them in a long time, but I had seen Emma and Isaac much more often than I had seen Maya since we graduated four years ago.

"I missed you so much," I told Emma, pulling her closer to me again. She returned the squeeze before letting go and giving me a bright smile.

"Let's go eat," she said as she ducked her head to get back into the passenger seat. I slid in next to Maya, and we exchanged an awkward, seatbelt-restrained hug as Isaac pulled away from my apartment and towards downtown.

We arrived at a cute little restaurant pretty quickly. I had been here a few times in the past with Sierra, but I hadn't tried their brunch yet. We walked in together and were greeted by a sweet old man who led us to our table and took our drink orders. I sat next to Isaac across the table from Emma and Maya.