5SOS Book of Imagines

CTH // Friendzone (2)

*The day before*

You were jumpy as you sat just outside your father's log cabin, waiting for Calum.

It was a special day. You were excited and sad at the same time.

As you sat on the wooden bench, the surroundings making you feel nostalgic, you remembered that day. The day you met Calum, and the day your father died.

You were eight years old then, walking along the usual trail into your father's log cabin in the heart of the woods.

Halfway there you heard someone crying, out of curiosity, you followed the sound. A few yards away the trail led you to a boy your age, sat in the ground, head in his knees. You notice that one of his knees was bleeding, you approached him.

The boy was Calum. He was sniffling, saying he was lost, that he only went inside the woods to retrieve his ball that rolled here (well, because the woods was beside the town park) and he tripped, scraping his knees.

As a hunter's daughter, you knew it was dangerous. Leaving him here wounded, add up the fact that it was hunting season. You were young yet smart, you heaved him to stand up, getting your bandana and quickly wrapping it tightly against his wound. Calum complained but you said, "The bears will smell your blood. They will come for you."

That made him shut up. You kept tugging the curly haired wounded boy named Calum into the woods, to your father's cabin and just when you can almost see your father waiting for you outside the cabin, you heared rustling leaves behind you two.

You ignored the sound and smiled at your father. Wait, something was wrong. You knew as you saw your father's eyes widen in surprise and terror. He rushed inside the cabin, confusing you.

You were half-running, wanting to know what was wrong, tugging the boy behind you. Your father went out again, his shotgun in his hands. Why?

You were about to shout and ask him why when you heard the deep, bone-wrenching growl behind you. You span, taking the boy behind you, he was having difficulty to walk and was only using you for support.

The bear.

"Run,Y/N!" You heard your father wail. You quickly followed, the log cabin only a few feet away from you and the boy. Your father, charging to the bear. You feel the bear's heavy steps, chasing you two.

You were both almost to the cabin, but the boy tripped again. He went face first in the forest ground. You went back for him but the bear was almost there.

It was twice as large as your father, brown fur, sharp almost claw-like nails and black eyes. It was terrifying. You held the boy in your arms in a desperate attempt to heave him up.

The bear charged as it growls menacingly, echoing around the whole clearing. You closed your eyes in surrender, waited for the first slash of the bear's nails. Your heart beated loudly against your chest, then.. A deafening gunshot followed by two heavy thuds in the ground.

As you didn't feel any attack from the bear, you slowly opened your eyes. The first thing you saw was the curly haired boy's face in your arms, his face in complete terror, eyes shut with tears flowing and hyperventilating.

Then you went to glance on where the bear was charging to earlier.

In its place were two bloody things in the ground.

A dead bear. A dead hunter. Your father.

You gasped in realization, quickly letting go of the shaking boy, crawling to your father. His chest was covered in blood. You shook him, tears brimming your eyes, "Dad! Dad! Wake up!"

Tears fell from your eyes, the memory still so vivid and never fails to make you cry. The only thing Joy would tell you every time you cry is that, "Maybe you lost your dad, but you still got us, Y/N. You also earned yourself a new family. We're your family now."

You knew Calum felt guilty. The asian looking clumsy nine year old cried as his family came into the scene, seeing you crying beside your lifeless father. You knew he felt responsible for your dad's death.

In his serious days, he'd say sorry to you for being fucking clumsy that day which costed your father's life.

After that, the promise. A lanky nine year old, standing up and offering his pinky finger to you.

His words rang in your ears.

"Y/N.. I'm sorry for your dad's death. I know somehow it was because of me. So.. Starting this day, I promise to be here with you. To protect you as your dad would. I will be your own hero, I promise not to be clumsy. Not anymore."

You laughed while crying then, the funeral just ended. Seeing the sincerity and deter!ination in his dark eyes, you stood and intertwined your pinky in his.

"Do well with your promise, clumsy boy."

Then, it started. The great friendship that rolled comfortably with it. Being best buds. Soccer matches. Sleepovers. Middle school pranks. And every year, on your dad's death anniversary, you'll both go here in the same forest, the same log cabin. Pray in your dad's grave, which was here just outside the cabin, and intertwine pinkies, renewing the promise every year.

But as he started up the band with Luke, less time with you. You understand it all, though. Of all the times you're together, growing up, you saw how high his dreams were. You knew how passionate he is of them. The sparkle in his eyes as he talks about banding, and writing songs and performing. He was born for this. But as he got busy, he still find time to go back here every year, to see your dad's grave. His lifesaver's grave.

6 pm.

The sun was almost set. Darkness filled the sky, the forest slowly morphing from a place full of life and birds chirping into a dark, scary mysterious realm. The candles by your dad's grave unlit, one was supposedly for Calum, the other, yours.

You hesitantly lit them and started leaving, tears brimming your eyes. He has never bailed. Never. This is a special day.

As you drove back home to your apartment, you called him.

"Cal?" You tried to keep the pain from your voice, maybe he forgot because he was busy.

And as you heard him from the other line you figured yeah, he was busy.

Busy getting wasted.

"Y/N!!" He slurred on the other line, his voice almost drowned out by the loud party music and indistinct chattering.

"Don't you..remember what day it is?"

"Uhhh, I know! It's the day.." He dragged, almost making you hope he remembered, then he added, making you slouch, "the day to partaaaaay!"

Then you heard people, most likely girls 'woooo'-ing.

"Calum it's my dad's death anniversary! Don't you remember?!" You couldn't help not raising your voice. Unconsciously hurt by the thought of him surrounded by girls. Through the years, you've learned to love Calum but you're trying not to show it as you value your relationship as best friends.

"Oh, that geezer, huh?"

You gasp in shock. What did he just call your father?

"You know, Y/N.. I'm so fucking fed up with going with you there every year, he's dead, he's gone okay? Accept it!" He hiccuped, slurring and stumbling on his own words while you just stayed silent, shock overwhelming you.

You hear people cheering him on the other line, to which he continued with even harsher words, "And you really actually believed that promise I did as a nine year old? Promises are made to be broken, Y/N. Accept that, too! I won't protect you, you're 18. You can live on your own."

Then he hung up.

You cried inside the car, parked outside your apartment. The pain consumed you, drowning in your tears, you silently wished you can hang up in real life, too.