Hoodwinked | Calum Hood AU

15.

Dad and Alfie ditched me to go to the movies.

Is this what my life has come to? I can't even get my own flesh and blood to hang out with me on a Saturday night.

To give them credit, they did try to get me to go along with them. Well, Dad did. I could tell Alfie was really excited to spend some time with just Dad, which is why I faked a smile and told them to go and enjoy themselves. Alfie deserves it.

After watching the car headlights reverse out of the drive way and down the road, I think to myself that this will be good for me. No one to fight over the tv with. No interruptions. Maybe I'll even have a read of the course catalog I downloaded from the uni's website this morning.

I sit down the couch and begin flicking through the channels. There's nothing on that grabs my interest, of course. There never is. Isn't that why Netflix was invented? I settle for a Will & Grace repeat, but having never watched it before, I have no idea what's going on.

My phone is unusually quiet in my lap because the only people who really text me are Dad, Luke and Joss. The movie is probably just about to start, and Luke would just be getting to Joss's party now. I shift my weight around the couch, trying to get comfortable and check my phone again.

It feels a little strange that Luke went along to the party without me. Maybe if I'd told him that I didn't want to go, he wouldn't have gone either. Joss isn't that accepting though. I texted them both earlier today saying I had a stomach ache and wouldn't be able to make it. At this point, what was one more lie?

It wasn't like Joss wouldn't give me a complete play by play tomorrow, so I try not to worry about missing out on anything. Instead, I wonder what Calum's doing tonight. Maybe he's having a quiet night in, curled up with his favourite book. Or maybe he's sitting on his bed listening to music, a concentrated frown etched into his brows.

Maybe he's at another party somewhere, laughing until his eyes crinkle, like he was at school on Friday.

My stomach does a weird flip when I think about the girl who could be making him laugh right now, and what they could end up doing before the night was over. My stomach turns over again. I guess they call this jealousy. 

Leaving the tv on to fill the silence of the empty house, I go upstairs to my room and sit on my bed with my laptop. The catalog of degrees is already open and I start scrolling through, hoping I'll have more luck here than I did with the tv.

I remember what Mrs Mackey said about narrowing down our passions, and with that in mind I start making a list in my head: I like people, I guess. I like helping people too. Though they're hardly passions. Right?

I'm not really one for writing or art, and unlike Luke who has the voice of an angel and fingers that were crafted to play guitar, I'm certainly not musically gifted at all. I can't sew. I'm at best a mediocre cook and that's only because I've had to learn.

The words are blurring together to create one giant university degree when I hear a knock at the front door and I shut the lid on my laptop, heading down to let Dad and Alfie inside. There's some satisfaction that when I go to the careers workshop next week, I have at least one thought in mind. That I want a career where I'll be helping people.

I'm asking how the movie was as I open the door but instead of Dad and Alfie, I see Luke's tall frame standing on the front step. He's wearing all black and holding a six pack of beer in his hand.

"I didn't expect to see you here," I say, moving to let Luke inside. "Aren't windows more your style?"

"Your dad's car isn't in the driveway. Figured the door was safe."