Devil On Both Shoulders [Calum Hood]

Chapter 18

I sucked in a sharp breathe as the elevator made the familiar noise, indicating I was at the top floor. My heart pounded as the sound of masculine yelling bounced off the sides of the elevator wall

I ran out, and saw a mess of black curls swept up into a red bandana; Stella's wine glass dangling in her slim fingers as a steady laugh left her lips. I stood beside her, immediately claiming all of her attention.

"Max!" She greeted me, a lazy grin sliding across her face. "Let me get you a drink, your two little boy toys are having a scrap over there. It's quite amusing, you'll think so." Stella winked as she strolled over to the weapon display, underneath was a wooden table with alcoholic drinks strewn across it; she grabbed one and handed it to me.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Stella smiled smugly, swatting at an abnormally large man who was in the way.

Suddenly, I could hear everything the two boys were saying, they were screaming at eachother since I'd got here, but it was only now that I could see Calum and Luke that I actually acknowledged what they were saying.

"Where did she get this?" Luke demanded, his voice shaking noticably, but it was in anger rather than in fear. I saw my gun in his hand; how the hell did he find it?

"I'm not her fucking guardian, Luke, I don't know. You're the one that lives with her." Calum snapped.

"The only one who'd give her a gun is you, I told you to leave her alone. You took her away from her family, you forced her to steal, Calum. SHE HATES YOU!" He screamed.

What I expected was for Calum to punch him, or for him to shout something even more spiteful. What I didn't expect was for Calum to fall silent, stepping away from Luke so he was slumped against the wall, and darting his eyes to the floor.

"I know," He whispered; "I know." The second time he said it his voice cracked noticeably, and it had to have been the light because Calum Hood was most definitely not crying.

But he was.

"Do you?" Stella leaned over and mumbled into my ear.

"Do I what?"

"Hate him?" She repeated - she wasn't even looking at me.

"Of cour- of course not." I answered.

"Tell him that, then."

If Stella was expecting me to actually go in between the two and tell Calum I didn't hate him - she was crazy. Luke was my friend and I wouldn't dare do that to him, plus Calum was an asshole.

Stella saw the denial in my eyes that was preventing me and said, "If you don't get in there then I will."

I didn't know if she was genuinely serious, but I didn't want to find out. I sighed, roughly pushing through the disgusting criminals, and when two pairs of brown and blue eyes landed on me, I knew it was too late to back out.

"Give me that," I hissed, snatching the gun from Luke. "I think if I hold on to this there won't be any more issues."

The boys opened their miiths to protest but their attention was focused on something behind me. It was a person, because I could hear the slapping of their shoes against the wooden tiles.

"Max!" I squeezed my eyes shut upon the mention of my name. It was Michael.

My train of thought immediately went all out on imagining ways in which Michael could've gotten out of his house; which was fun, but irrelevant.

"Max? What the fuck are you playing at? Locking me in my house? You could've got hurt." He snapped once he was inches away from me.

I shook my head in disbelief, "I'm not a child okay?" I stated.

"I know-" Michael began.

"Then why can't I come here on my own? Why can't I have a gun?" I interjected, and I wasn't sticking around to find out why. I casually walked into the elevator like I hadn't said anything - it didn't matter - they'd all forget it within a day.

I snuck the gun in the inside pocket of my jacket on the way down in the elevator. I wasn't sure of whether I enjoyed the sudden solitary or if the claustrophobic tension was proding at my furious state like the seven year old boy on the plane kicking at my seat.

I heard a ding and stepped out. Pathetic fallacy was not siding with me today, as I saw the rain pelting at the windows, trying to worm its way inside. Ben and several others were crowded around a chess table; the whole room was silent beside the noise of my arrival, but they didn't care that I was here - good. I didn't want them to care.

I left the building and pulled my hood up so it shielded my head from the wet, although it wasn't the best protection I was somewhat glad I had it.
I began to walk home, the sky was grey despite it being morning, and the clouds covered all of the the blue in the skies. I scuffed my trainers on the tarmac, and kicked the occasional McDonald's packaging out of my path. I didn't know what was going to happen with my gun - Luke was going to search the house and my clothes to look for it.

Once I did arrive back at Luke's house, I scurried around the place in search of a hidng place. I pondered over sticking it onto the ceiling, but it'd be too hard to get down if I was in a rush, I even thought about smuggling it in my arse - but that idea left my mind as quickly as it came.

My timing today was awful, because the front door clicked open.

"Luke fuck-" I began, but it wasn't Luke. "Calum?"