Deal // Calum Hood

Parents.

Calum.
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The cereal in my bowl is the only thing I'm interested in as my spoon slowly swirls around through the sugary mixture. To say I was stuck in the deepest depths of boredom was a giant understatement.
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The groggy and disoriented feeling that was lazily swarming inside of me faded slightly at the sound of the doorbell.
Half of me being annoyed at having to get up, and probably for a silly sales thing , but half feeding on the chance to do anything more interesting than what I had been doing.
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Opening the door caused a biting winter wind to blow across my face, making the hairs on my arms raise slightly. It was only then that I realised that I didn't just get up for some sales caller.
I got up for Annabelle.
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"You just can't get enough of me, can you?" I teased, attempting to lean casually in the doorframe.
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She had only left here a few hours ago.
Even in the dim lighting I could see her face flush. But then her face came properly into view and I noticed the red blotches scattered across her face and neck. She had been crying.
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My heart hurt at the view before me as the wicked grin on my face immediately disappeared. 
". . . Annabelle?" I almost whisper, she remains silent and looks at the floor as I whisk her inside, already beginning to panic. I want to help, more than anything in the whole world I want to help, but I just don't know how.
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Bravely, I move my hand from her shoulder to her own hand, intertwining my thick fingers with her delicate ones. I gently guide her up to my room and I can hear her soft sniffles behind me. It makes me panic more, I have to make her feel better, but how do I do it?
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"I'm sorry." Is the first thing Annabelle blurts when I've firmly shut my bedroom door. I peer over at her, confused as to why she was apologising.
"I just didn't know where else to go." She mumbled, her voice cracking near the end as another tear rolls down her flushed cheek.
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It absolutely shatters my heart.
"Hey." I mumble, dashing over and sitting next to her. "Hey, no. Listen." I wrap my arm around her fragile shoulders. "You don't have to apologise for a thing, okay? I've told you before, you are always welcome here."
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More than anything I wanted to know what was wrong, but my mother had told me some time ago that sometimes talking about it isn't the best thing, and I didn't want to upset her further.
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She smiled weakly and I attempted to think of ways to cheer her up.
I think about it so fiercely that I actually end up mumbling.
"Ways to cheer people up, what ways are there? Come on, Calum."
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She doesn't seem phased by anything that I do. I try showing her some new music, it's normally one of her favourite things. I show her old, embarrassing photos of me, that got a giggle but not much else. I even tried watching one of my sisters stupid films with her, but twenty minutes in she asked if we could watch it later.
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I glance over at her briefly, and then panic and focus everything on her when I notice her eyes beginning to well up again.
"Hey." I breathe, gently touching her arm. "I'm here, okay? You can talk or not talk about it but I'm here."
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She nodded slowly, giving me a small but grateful smile. I waited patiently but she remained as quiet as ever.
"Okay no." I said, desperate to know. "Please talk about it. I want to help."
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She smiled sadly and began to fiddle nervously with her fingers.
"It's stupid." She began and I went to protest because it couldn't be that stupid if it made her feel like this, but she continued.
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"I was just so proud that I got that B, and I thought my parents finally would be too. I showed it to them straight away and you know what they did? They yelled at me. They kept asking how I could be pleased with anything less than an A. They said it was embarrassing and told me I should be more like my sister who was always a straight-A student. I just wanted for once to be good enough for them, you know? I wanted them to be happy for me, maybe even a little proud. I don't know, I told you it was stupid."
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"That isn't stupid." I defended angrily. How could her own family treat her that way? "You have plenty of reason to be upset, that's absurd. You're so clever, Annabelle. So full of talent, how can they just ignore that?"
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She shrugged glumly.
"I guess it's quite easy when you've already had the perfect child."
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"Don't say that."
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"But it's true." She said, her voice cracking as her face crumbled and tears began to trickle once more down her delicate cheeks.
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I wrapped my arms snugly around her small, quivering body. Gently stroking one hand down the back of her soft hair. "I'm proud of you." I promised honestly. "So ridiculously proud. You did amazing "