Mirrors | Malum

13

Calum

"Care to explain where you were last night, young man?"

My mother's words were loud and harsh. She never raises her voice at me unless it's necessary, and I knew it'd be inappropriate to tell her that I was out with a boy. So of course, I lied and told her I was too caught up in my artwork to realize that I was late for my curfew.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I was just drawing and you know how it's a way for me to escape time."

She smiled, at least she somewhat understood that I wasn't really comfortable with the atmosphere around me. Joy is a good mother in my opinion; she's just overprotective and wants the absolute best for me. She doesn't know about my insecurities or my disorders and she most definitely doesn't know I've been depressed for three and a half years. But that's okay, because I know that sometimes life isn't going to be perfect but for some reason, Michael is starting to make it feel perfect.

"You and I both know where you really were," Mali spoke casually as she held a tube of Sephora Concealer in her hand. She really loves makeup. I remember a time when she willingly put mascara on me and I felt pretty but makeup isn't my thing so I haven't worn it since. I do paint my nails though and there's a shelf in my room of around fifty black polishes just sitting there next to my window.

"Where was I then?" I quirked with my eyebrows furrowed. She was absolutely nosy and it irritated me. I love her dearly, but sometimes she gets on my nerves to the point where I could push her in front of a car in the nicest way possible without actually harming her.

"With Michael." How did she even know I was with him, again?

"I was not."

"Your eyes say otherwise."

I rolled my eyes at her comment, getting ready to be the sarcastic guy I am. "Last time I checked, eyes can't talk. Only mouths can."

"Calum, I'm being serious. Stop being sarcastic for a moment and just open up to me."

"Okay, fine. I was with him but we didn't do anything bad. We aren't even friends, just acquaintances who happen to do things together."

"Things?"

"I know what you're thinking but its nothing sexual. He just wanted someone to go to the market with; the one next to the gas station. And then we stayed in the empty lot for a while to just talk."

"Talk about what?" Mali pursed as she sat down in front of one of the mirrors on the wall, applying it slowly and beautifully. I wish I was good at doing makeup, or doing anything really. I'm as unskilled as a rock.

"I don't remember. He was super nice though."

"For a guy with an eyebrow piercing and colored hair, nice wouldn't be the definition people would use to describe him the way you did."

"Well, I'm different."

"That's a good thing," Mali smiled. She was finally satisfied with her winged eyeliner and how you couldn't see her eye bags because the concealer worked that well.

"So Cal, how about you and I go see that movie?"

"When?" I questioned, knowing that she had somewhere to be in less than an hour and that I was practically wasting her time by answering pointless questions that wouldn't help her out in any shape or form.

"Right now."

"But you have a date."

"It can wait. I'd rather spend time with my little brother than go on a date."