Deal // Calum Hood

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Calum.
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I said I'd meet Annabelle at the end of her road the next morning. Why hadn't I suggested before that we walked together everyday? She only lived at the end of our giant street.
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The moment I saw her, my stomach filled with a whole new rush of excitement. She felt the same way. She wanted to be with me too. Her grin mirrored mine as our eyes connected from down the busy pavement.
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"Hey." I stuttered out feebly. Suddenly nervous, a feeling I rarely found myself lost in with her.
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I watched as her cheeks warmed.
"Hi." She smiled back.
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We shared a shy giggle and began walking. What was I doing? I kept on asking myself. Why was I acting like a thirteen year old? I should take her hand. I took it. She smiled. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. Somehow it was the most magical thing in the world.
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At lunch Annabelle and I met in the baron library, there we sat hidden away in a corner lost in our own world.
I started into her eyes as she spoke and my heart thumped harder against my chest every time she giggled. 
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We shared a comfortable silence as both of us took everything that had happened between us in.
"Everything you said yesterday, did you mean all of that?" Annabelle nervously queried.
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"Why is it so hard to believe?" I smiled, shaking my head.
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She looked at her hands, her fingers twiddling about.
"Because," she sighed. "Nobody's ever felt that way about me before. You've had relationships, not to mention every other girl here who is madly in love with you." I looked at her, really looked at her, and finally understood why she was so insecure about this. She'd only ever been put down, by everyone. Even her family. Of course she didn't believe that she was worth this.
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I took her hands in mine making her look up at me.
"But you have my heart, Annabelle. Low key. Actually, high key. I mean . . . I'm crazy about you." I blustered out, nowhere near as smooth as I had hoped.
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She seemed to relax before me.
"You won't hurt me?"
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Shaking my head, I squeezed her hands gently. "I won't hurt you." Annabelle grinned and my insides felt warm and fuzzy. She certainly made me feel things I had never experienced before.
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"Are you doing anything tonight?"
I wondered aloud.
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She raised her eyebrows quizzically. "No, why?"
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"Will you go on a date with me?"
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Her face immediately filled with joy.
"Of course I will! Where are we going?"
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"Well, I hadn't told you because we were fighting, but the other day I got invited to this dinner thing with all the other people who are hoping to get football scholarships to that university. I know it sounds boring, but maybe we can still have a good time?" I asked hopefully.
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"I have a good time whenever I'm with you." She admitted and I couldn't help but lean forward and kiss her.
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We were forced apart by an incredibly loud gasp. "Annabelle Clarke!" A nerdy looking, tall figure looked disapprovingly at Annabelle.
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His fragile glasses began to steam up as he shook his head, causing his dirty blonde hair to bob quite amusingly from side to side. Annabelle rolled her eyes and I chuckled internally.
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"Calum this is Andrew, Andrew this is Calum." She sighed.
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I held out my hand and he glared at me. My hand fell back into my lap.
"I know who he is." He scoffed. "What are you doing?" He focused his attention on the poor girl opposite me.
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"Having lunch with Calum."
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"Oh for goodness sake, Annabelle! Is he the reason that you stopped coming to science club?"
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"We have a science club?" I asked, never being aware of that information.
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His green eyes glared at me in such a way that it seemed he was trying to make lasers shoot from them and burst me into flames. I raised my eyebrows, ready for the challenge.
"It's special invite only, it's not a place for slackers who only care about intercourse and popularity." He grunted, steam almost propelling from his ears.
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I nodded but he was already laying back into Annabelle.
"I knew something was happening between you two after that fight. I never should have let you run into the principles office afterwards." He looked up at the sky as if this was the worst thing in the entire universe.
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Annabelle and I made eye contact and she mouthed an "I'm sorry." And I just held back a laugh. When Andrews head eventually fell back down, it was now my turn to be interrogated.
"Is that why you're with her? Because she lies to the headmaster so that you don't get in trouble?"
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My bushy eyebrows furrowed at what he was saying.
"She did what?" I turned to Annabelle.
"You did what?"
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The roles reversed as Annabelle glared at Andrew this time. "He didn't know about that, Andrew."
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"What did you tell her?" I panicked, why would she take the fall for me? Things all clicked into place from the day that the events occurred. I would never want Annabelle to risk getting in trouble because of me.
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"I just didn't want your scholarship to be ruined." She mumbled.
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"She told her that Sam had been bullying her for years, which is true, but then she said you were defending her. She said that you told her to run whilst you set Sam straight."
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I laughed slightly in relief.
"Annabelle, that's pretty much exactly what was happening anyway. The only lie was that you were there."
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She looked at me, confused.
"You were defending me?"
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I nodded. "Of course I was. I hate when he's mean about you."
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She smiled warmly and I smiled back.
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"Hello?" Andrew almost yelled, pulling is out of our world all over again.
"Are you forgetting the real issue here? You guys can't be together! You're clearly using her, and Annabelle I can't honestly believe you'd be this foolish."
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"Excuse me?" I began to grow impatient with this boy.
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Andrew ignored me completely.
"So come on, spill. What's in it for you? Is it to annoy off your parents? Oh god please don't tell me it's to be popular . . ."
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"It's because I like him, Andrew! I like him a lot actually." She blushed adorably.
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Andrew couldn't wrap his head around the situation at all. "And I feel the exact same wa-"
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"Oh don't lie to me, Calum. I'm too smart for that."
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My blood boiled as I began to loose my patience. "Look, okay. Annabelle and I, like it or not, are dating. We've been hanging out since the start of the year and if you really were that smart you would have figured out that we liked each other a long time ago. I'm not going to hurt her and I'm certainly not using her. I promise."
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He huffed and walked away without another word. "Is he in love with you or something? Why the hell would he just accuse me -"
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Annabelle leaned over and kissed me softly. "He's annoying. I'm sorry, but thank you for everything you said." The bell went cutting us off. "See you after school." She smiled.
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"See you after school."