Loverboy || Malum

Chapter Four

M I C H A E L ' S P O V 

June 2006

We got to know each other as time went by. I was closest to Calum and Ashton. Luke still wasn't really okay with me. At least, I always thought that. He just barely ever spoke around me, and always looked at me weirdly. I didn't know why. I just wanted to be friends with all of them, without worrying about any of them not liking me, but it felt almost impossible with Luke around. 

School was ending today, and I was so, so, so happy. It meant I got to stay home, and feel nice. When I was at school, I didn't wear the new nice clothes my mom got me. I couldn't in front of all these people. Dad told me many stories where he had to go to a school because there was that one person who felt like I did. He told me how the person would get badly hurt and I didn't want that to happen to me, so I kept the clothes to myself. My parents were fine with it. They said as long as I felt happy, they did not mind the way I dressed; it was my body after all.

The boys and I were walking home. They were all talking about football. I didn't know what they were on about though. I had no interest in things like that. They asked me what I did when I went home, and I would usually say that I studied or read, which was true. I loved to learn about things I did not already know. Most of the times, I'm checking out some new things that have happened. It didn't have to be something new that's happened around the world, but more of something new that's happened in things that's interested me, like sciences. If I'm not doing that, I would usually be reading new things we will be doing in class. The teachers didn't like it when I did that. They said they were paid to teach me, not for me to do everything on my own. Truth was, I enjoyed doing things like that in my free time.

When I told them I was interested in my studies, they all looked freaked out and confsued. Ashton asked me how could I like to learn new things in my free time. I shrugged, I didn't know why I liked it, I just did. 

Calum told me that Luke and Ashton's birthdays are coming up really soon. Luke and Ashton usually celebrated their birthday on the same day and it was always so big! Apparently, last year, they got a clown to their birthday. Calum explained how the clown did some of the coolest tricks there were. The way he explained everything made me feel giggly. He would throw his hands around everywhere, and make things sound so nice. 

As usual, we dropped Ashton and Luke first since they lived closer to the school than we did, then we walked the rest of the way alone. 

"Bet I could win you in a race," he said, playfully. 

"You're on," I reply.

"First person to get to the end of the block wins!" he said. "Okay, read--"

He said before I began to run. Calum and I both knew he was going to win in the end. He was one of the fastest players on the soccer team. I heard him scream, 'Hey! That's not fair," while I was running. I didn't stop. I just kept running and giggling. About half way through the run, Calum caught up to me. He was twice as fast as I am and I knew he was going at his fastest speed because he would have won by now. Calum stuck his tongue out and ran ahead of me. I giggled at his silliness and kept running, even if I knew I lost.

The smile on his face when he was at the end of the block was massive. When I got to where he was, he tugged me in for a massive hug. He was slightly taller than me, but made me feel so little when we were hugging. 

"You're my bestest friend," he said to me. I smiled.

"You're mine too."

We continued the walk to our house, with our hands intertwined, swinging our arms. Calum also bursted out a song on our walk. He wasn't singing it, it was more screaming it. I laughed, watching as the older boy embarrased himself in the middle of the streets. But he didn't seem to mind and I wished I didn't mind like he did. There was always a small part of me that was so afraid of what people thought, mainly because my dad told me so many stories about what happens in high school, and I didn't want any of it to happen to me. 

When we got to our houses, Calum pouted and gave me a hug. He said he'll wait for me at the window, I nodded. We usually 'spoke' to each other that way, so even if we weren't together, we were still talking some how. I hugged him back and waved, walking to my house. I was greeted by my mum who was in the living room, smiling at me. She was watching some film that old people watched. I had no interest in those types of movies whatsoever. 

I walked upstairs to my bedroom to see Calum standing there, grinning. He waved his hands madly causing me to laugh. He was always so hyper and happy, it made me happy. I waved back, with a smile on my face. 

Calum disappeared for a minute and appeared with the book he used to 'speak' to me. We didn't open our windows and yell because then the entire street could hear us and someone might come and complain to our parents again.

When we first we could see each other's room from our own, we used yelling across the street as a way to talk to each other when we were home. The old lady from two doors down came to our houses and yelled at us, telling us we shouldn't be yelling and to find another way to talk to each other. Calum was so sad that day but when I asked him why don't we just write to each other, he beamed.

"r u doing anything 2day?" was what Calum had wrote on the paper. His writing was not the neatest but I didn't complain. I shook my head to answer his question and he smiled.

"wnt 2 hAng out??" I nodded my head and he smiled even wider, if it was possible.

- - - 

The way Calum is writing is like those kids who just learnt how to write where half their letters are massive and the other half are smaller. 

If there are any mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me and jazz :D