Deal // Calum Hood

I'm sorry.

Annabelle.
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I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight of Calum loitering by the only other exit. He knew. He knew I would try and avoid him. Avoid him like I had been for an entire week.
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With a heavy heart I sighed deeply, turning to leave and escape the way he and I normally would walk. But I simply wasn't quick enough.
Heavy footsteps clambered closer and closer behind me, and somehow I just knew they belonged to him.
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"Annabelle." He breathed, standing in front of me and blocking my path. "We need to talk."
.
And somehow, that's how I ended up taking pity on the boy who is oh so embarrassed of me, and how I ended up sat on his bed helping him reply to an email the football university had sent him.
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"Would you say I was a kind person?" He though aloud, his everything completely focused on his computer screen.
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"That depends." I grumbled. "You're kind if you aren't spotted by one of your friends."
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My harsh words took him aback slightly as he groaned, dragging a tired Palm down his face.
"Don't you think I hate it too?" Calum whispered fiercely. "Don't you think it's the last thing I want?"
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He watched over me with great intent as I rolled my eyes. "I don't understand you." I mumbled, half to him and half to myself.
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He slammed his laptop shut at that point. Finally giving up on apologising.
"Look, I have said sorry at least a hundred times, and that's only today! I don't understand what else you could possibly want."
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"I want for you to mean it." I snapped. "Or, if that's too difficult, tell me why you were embarrassed to be seen with me when you are the one who asked me to go to the mall with you."
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"Why I was embarrassed? Seriously?" He growled, his brown eyes darkening.
Suddenly, I deeply regretted saying anything at all. The look on his face was beginning to make me incredibly nervous. I shuffled uneasily in my place.
"I was embarrassed because I have a reputation. My friends know me as the bad guy, the scary guy. How do you think they will feel if they see me prancing about with some goody-goody, utterly pretentious, spoilt brat?!" He hissed venomously.
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A hot lump rose in my throat at his words, and tears began to pool at the bottom of my eyes. We watched each other momentarily before I got up to leave. I couldn't believe he had just said that. I really couldn't.
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Calum sighs heavily, and I know he's running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Annabelle, wait." He caught up with me, clasping my wrist to stop me from going any further.
His eyes desperately search mine for forgiveness as his anger completely fades away. "I'm really sorry."
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My mouth remained clamped shut. He tried to place a hand on my shoulder but I jerked away from his touch. Despite it being what I wanted more than the world.
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"I know you aren't those things. I don't know why I felt embarrassed to be seen with you. To be totally honest, Sam scares me a little and I'm not sure I can handle fighting him again. I was just afraid of what he would think, and I know that's ridiculous . . ." He trailed off as he searched for the right thing to say, but he didn't know he had already done the right thing.
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I moved away slowly, causing Calum to stare at me with panic. But then I sat at his computer and carefully opened the screen. "Come on then." I shrugged. "Let's finish this letter."
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I felt as he stared at me, dumbfounded.
When I looked up and gestured to the space on the bed next to me he let out a short chuckle.
"And you say I'm confusing." He laughed, slumping next to me as we began talking like nothing had even happened.