Innocence

XIX

The moment Sadie pulled up at Calum's house, I jumped out, ignoring the fact that the car was still moving a little bit. I pushed past the little gate and it decided to be difficult, refusing to open. I cursed under my breath, flicking the lock and walking up the footpath.

I jumped up the three stairs in one leap and pounded my hands on the door until my fists started to hurt. "Calum!" I called.

After like, a minute more of knocking, the door finally opened and it was Calum. He was shirtless, wearing jeans, and his hair was slightly wet, signalling that he'd just gotten out of the shower. In any other circumstance, I would start thinking something along the lines of "damn he's hot" but now wasn't the time.

"Crystal?" he asked confusedly. I pushed through the doorway. "And Sadie?" I completely forgot Sadie was with me. I noticed a new couch, it was brown and soft looking, and it blended in well with the old house.

"Crystal!" Zoe cheerfully greeted, waving. I waved back distractedly and dropped onto the couch, staring intently at the couch sidewards to me. "Oh, serious talk going on," Zoe picked up. "Sadie, let's go,"

Surprisingly, Sadie and Zoe linked arms like best friends and they walked out of Calum's house. So we're alone... great.

"Why are you here?" Calum asked. "Not that I'm complaining, I just... I wouldn't go to the guy who dropped me in the middle of the highway."

"Those were my thoughts too," I muttered. "But I know about your girl. I found out some things, that kinda shocked me,"

Calum's eyes widened. "You know about her?" I closed my eyes. I had been suspecting this for a while but I needed to get it out.

"You need to stop trying to find another her," I stated. "I know, she had blonde hair and blue eyes. She's a great DJ, whatever," Calum's looked bewildered. "But I'm not her Calum. I'm not her, and I never will be."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "You're just so like her, it hurts,"

"Is that the only reason you came to my house a few weeks ago?" I asked quietly. "Because I looked like her?"

"No, I came because of the dreams. I found out you looked like her later on," Calum sighed. At this point, he was still shirtless, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was really distracting. But in a good way, if you know what I mean.

I was silent, as I just stared at pretty much nothing. The wall that I punched in, there was a hole in it. It made me feel upset about how semi-normal things used to be around here before Calum's ex girlfriend came into it.

"But how did you find out about all this again? I don't remember telling you..." he mumbled, running a hand through his usually spiky hair.

That reminded me.

"Was her name Penny? Or do you know a Penny?" I asked. "Or was her name Emily? As in the same Emily who spoke to me yesterday... or... actually, our date thingie was today wasn't it? My bad, today."

Calum frowned, staring directly into my eyes. It made me instinctively self-conscious and I wrapped my hands around myself, feeling awkward.

"I know an Emily, but I don't know a Penny, sorry," he murmured.

"How do you know an Emily? Tell me about her," I demanded. I then realized how rude I sounded. "Sorry,"

"This is kinda like the night we met. You were demanding answers out of me then too," he smiled weakly. "But nah, I wasn't close to Emily. She was good friends with my girlfriend, actually, she was my girlfriend's best friend."

It made me feel awkward how he said his girlfriend and not his ex girlfriend.

"Oh, really? Why the hell did she talk to me then?" I asked, confused.

"She probably thought you were-" he stopped, as if regretting something. "She probably thought you looked like her."

"Oh," I frowned. "How alike are we? Like twin doppelganger alike?"

Calum shrugged. "I can't remember,"

Lies.

"I don't get why you lie to me," I mumbled. "I just want the truth about everything. Tell me your story, I want to know."

"My story?" Calum questioned.

"Yes, your story! Mine's an open book but you don't say anything about your life. I'm supposed to be your friend Calum, and friends tell each other stuff," I sighed. "But you are the most secretive person I've ever met. You don't tell me anything while I spill pretty much all of me to you, I just don't find it fair,"

Calum stared at me with huge eyes, as if he was shocked at my outburst. But then he let out a short sigh, before running his hand through his hair again.

"Those are all very good points," he mumbled. "But I don't think-"

"You don't think? Well excuse me, I've been waiting patiently-" okay, maybe not patiently. "-and I'm beginning to think you don't want to tell me."

"Maybe I'm scared," Calum snapped. "Did you ever think that?"

I was silent. Why would he be scared? What was there to be scared of?

"Okay, to be a Dreamer, you have to have the Dreamers Curse, it's not something to be happy about," Calum growled under his breath. I felt myself choke a little on the air I was breathing. "The curse isn't made so we can be happy, Crystal,"

"Curse? Why the hell would I be cursed, I haven't done anything wrong!" I panicked, my breathing growing faster and faster. "What does this curse do?" I whimpered.

Calum stared ahead. "The worst of it's been done to you already," he answered blankly.

Give a girl some answers!

"What happened to me?" I asked in a small voice. "Can you tell me?"

Calum got up swiftly and made his way up the stairs. I didn't exactly know what he was doing so I didn't move, feeling awkward. I bit my lip nervously as I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He had a shirt on now.

I don't know why, but because he had a shirt on, it kind of made me sad. But I didn't tell him that of course.

I then noticed a white envelope in his hands with the neat handwriting on the front. Calum. I recognized it straight away. When we were playing hide and seek, I found this letter. The letter that Calum didn't want me to see.

"You never did tell me who it was from," I murmured in a small voice.

"It's from her, my girlfriend," he put it on the table in front of me. I realized I could grab it and run away. But what if this was a test? I leaned back into the couch and pretended to be interested in a vase that I think was new. "But you asked me a question before, and I think I have an answer."

I've asked so many questions! Which one?

He must've noticed my confusion because he stated. "You said, and I quote; what happened to me? Can you tell me?"

I remembered now, nodding my head. "Let me just rephrase that so it feels like we're doing this normally," I took a deep breath. "What happened to me?" I asked. "Can you tell me?"

Calum sighed, a small smile on his face. "You make this whole thing seem so innocent..."

"It is, as far as I can tell. Because someone I know is scared to ruin my innocence," I murmured.

"Fine, ask again, because the answer is locked in my head," Calum sighed, shaking his head.

Third time lucky.

"What happened to me? Can you tell me?" Calum looked right into my eyes as he spoke the next words which kinda shocked me.

"I happened."

Author's Note: I've decided to forget last chapter's challenge, this chapter dedication goes to katykravchenko!! She has some really cool stories that you must check out!!! Soooo good!!! And wow, twentieth part to this story, I'm proud. Love yous and next chapter should be out soon!! The GIF on the side is Calum about two seconds before he says I happened. Lyric challenge!!

When I'm fat and old, and my kids think I'm a joke.