Deal // Calum Hood

Truth.

Annabelle.
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Stacking another heavy book onto my neatly organised pile, I filled my locker with precisely the amount needed.
A hand landed on my shoulder, causing me to turn and find my old science club partner; Andrew, standing before me.
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"Hello, Annabelle." He nodded, pushing his fragile glasses up the brink of his long nose.
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I forced a small smile. "Andrew."
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"Science club haven't seen you in quite a few months . . . Is everything okay?"
He raised his bushy eyebrow. Andrew was the type of typical nerd who had to know everything about everyone. In addition to this, he always had to be right. He wasn't the greatest company, at least not for me anyway.
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I turned back around to finish up my locker arrangements.
"Yeah, I decided to quit."
Andrew gasped dramatically causing me to roll my eyes into my locker.
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"What, why?" He exploded, I could see him gripping a handful of his dirty blonde hair in distress out the corner of my eye.
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Shutting my locker, I turned to respond. Only I got distract mid-swivel because of him. Calum. The guy I can't stop fricking thinking about.
The strong hand of our deputy-head was placed firmly on his broad shoulder, directing him to the principles office. He looked guilty. The teacher seemed furious. My stomach dropped. He can't get in trouble! What will happen to his scholarship?
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"Seriously, Annabelle. You were our star student! Our teacher could have written you brilliant recommendations and all kinds of outstanding references.
Why would you . . ." Andrew trailed off mid-interrogation once he had followed my gaze. "Oh, Annabelle." He sighed.
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I finally turned to look at Andrew once Calum was out of sight.
"What happened, do you know?" I almost yelled, my hazel eyes probably as crazed as they felt.
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He gave me a sympathetic yet disapproving look.
"He and Sam got in another fight. Apparently this one was quite brutal. Fighting is such a ridiculous waste of-"
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"Thank you, I'll catch you later, Andrew!" I called, racing down the same hall that Calum had just been led down.
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Finally I was at the principles office and I quickly came to rapid halt.
What am I doing?
Was the only thing going through my mind. I can't just barge in there.
What would I even say? No. Instead, I decided to seat myself on the three fuzzy, blue waiting chairs outside. Calum won't be able to see me when he comes out, and our head will be surprised when I go in.
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My foot taps annoyingly against the hard floor for the entire time.
Without even realising it, I was leaning forward. I just wanted to hear what was happening. Maybe that way I would know if Calum had an excuse story that I could back up or something. I was anxious, ridiculously so. It felt as though if I were here any longer, I'd begin to sweat drastically, or have a heart attack. Though personally, I'd prefer the sweat.
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Finally Calum leaves and I wait a good minute or two once I've seen him exit. He was angry. Very angry. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw tensing scarily hard. I couldn't see his knuckles properly from the quick glance I received, yet I know he was clenching them. 
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When I'm sure he's gone, I scramble up in a fluster and sprint into the office before she can leave.
I fly in, totally breathless. She's visibly shocked. We stare at each other, the only sound being my heavy breathing, as my chest rose up and down.
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Her already wrinkled face scrunched up and I knew she was trying to put a name to my face. Finally she figured it out and relaxed into her seat a little.
". . . Annabelle? Annabelle Clark?"
I took a step forward. She raised a thin eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?"
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I swallowed, perhaps harder than I should have, and thought it over in my head. What was I doing here?
Oh god. Why had I just sat there without a plan? Why didn't I think of something? Any plan was better than no plan! For goodness sake. I was hopeless.
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She watched me intently as I fought inwardly with my self.
Eventually, her mouth opened to speak and I knew if I wanted her to believe me I would have to speak right now.
"He was defending me!" I eventually blurted.
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She sat forward in her chair, ready for me to explain.
"Calum, I mean. He wasn't fighting for no reason, I swear."
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I would feel insanely guilty for lying, I still felt a teensy part bad, but I didn't hate the feeling too much as Sam had bullied me for years. And unlike Calum, he did scare me.
My head teacher pursed her deep, cherry coloured lips. "Go on."
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"Sam has been quite horrid to me recently, and today he tried to take me with him, I'm not sure where exactly, but I certainly didn't want to go.
Calum came and tried to tell him to leave me alone, and Sam just hit him out of nowhere. After that it just got out of hand."
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She was silent for a good second or two, thinking over what I was telling.
"How come the witnesses of the fight claim that Calum threw the first punch?" She pressed her eyes heavily onto me.
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But I was on a roll, there was no stopping me now.
"There was nobody there when it started, and of course people rolled in once the fight was properly underway."
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She nodded, tapping her nails against the chestnut desk.
"And nobody saw you at the scene because . . .?"
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"Because Calum told me to run. He said I should leave before I got hurt."
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She was silent once more, trying to weigh up my story, presumably with the others she had heard.
"And why didn't Calum tell me this?"
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"Because." I sighed, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"If people knew he was defending a nerd like me, his reputation would be completely ruined. You know his type, they'd rather save face than themselves." 
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Our head teacher sighed, her head lolling back from stress before eventually, she brought her head to face me again, and rolled her eyes.
"Okay." She nodded. "You've always been a good, honest student, Annabelle and I have no reason to not believe you.
Calum is still in trouble for fighting back, but I will lift his charges."
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I bit my lip to hold back my giant grin.
I had done it! I really had done it!
"Thank you." I squeaked, suddenly loosing my confidence.
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She nodded. "Off you go now then, wouldn't want your father irritated that you weren't in lesson."
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I nodded, thanking her again before scurrying away from her office, never wanting to be back in there again.