Wrong Number (Cake Hoodings)

73 *

{ s e v e n t y t h r e e }

Everything goes well for a few days, which should be a bad sign in itself because things are always rocky for Luke and Calum. The school term is slowly coming to an end and they're both already sitting their exams, Calum studying like hell and Luke not even bothering because he knows he'll fail them anyway. It should come as a shock when things go bad, really, it should, but Luke was just waiting for it, so of course it doesn't. 

Since the Ashton thing, they'd actually been somewhat civil, all hanging out in music because they didn't need to do anything and Luke was done with the whole revenge thing. He was, and that's another reason that it should come as a shock when something goes wrong, something big, but it just doesn't. 

Michael, Luke and Ashton were all sitting in silence in the practice room, a tense silence that hung heavily over the room and clung to the walls. Calum hadn't arrived yet, and Luke wondered if he even would. Honestly Luke is half expecting Calum to break up with him. He can't dwell on it though. 

The small rumor had been simple enough. Calum Hood had sex with Luke Hemmings. Seven words that had been blowing up for about an hour, since the start of lunch. Calum wasn't answering his texts and had disappeared, Luke wasn't shocked, and the football team had no idea what to say about the rumor, most of them were sticking up for Calum though, saying he'd never do that, and Luke was actually thankful for that- surprisingly. Calum's dad had been looking for Calum since about halfway through lunch, Luke had turned and speed-walked away from his glares twice. 

An hour into the two hour lesson, the door painfully squeaked open, all three boys looking up from their phones. Luke froze, looking at Calum's bruised and swelling cheek. He leant against the door and locked eyes with Luke, bringing his hand up to put his finger against his lips, signalling Luke to keep quiet. 

"Luke Hemmings, right?" Calum asked. Luke's color drained from his face, because no, somebody was listening to Calum right now. Somebody had punched him and somebody was listening to him. Luke was ready to throw up. He nodded anyway, muttering out a small yes. "Could I... speak to you for a second?" Say no, he mouthed straight afterwards. Michael and Ashton stayed silent and Luke was glad of that. 

"No." Luke deadpanned, but he couldn't get the worried look from his face. "Since when do you want to speak to me anyway?" He improvised. 

Calum gave him a forced smile and with that, his face was hardening and he was walking out of the room, giving Luke a longing look that Luke couldn't understand. The door slammed behind him and everything went silent again, Luke looked down at his phone, forcing himself not to text Calum in case somebody would see it. Another fifteen minutes of silence passed before the door opened again, this time Luke's teacher smiled warmly at him. 

"Coach Hood wants to see you in his office, sweetie." She said to Luke, and then walked back out of the room nonchalantly. Luke's hand twitched by his side as he continued staring at Calum's contact on his phone. He bit his bottom lip and slowly stood up. 

"Luke..." Michael said quietly. 

"No," Luke whispered. "I can handle this, it's fine, I mean... Fuck, I'm going to cry, but it's fine. I can act." He began with the act, mumbling to himself. "I hate Calum Hood. I don't see him, I don't know him, he's not fucking gay, that's ridiculous and wrong." 

"Luke!" Michael scolded, hearing his words because the room was so fucking quiet. 

"What?!" Luke snapped. "You don't get it Michael! If I don't say what he wants to hear then god fucking knows what he'll do to Calum, and I don't mean emotionally! This... Michael, this is not good, this is everything we needed to avoid. He could lose everything, he could... fuck, he could lose his life if his dad even thinks that Calum has looked at me that way, okay? Why do you think we hid it, huh? We don't give a shit about what people in school think! So just shut up, and let me prepare myself!" 

Michael went silent after that, and Luke wasn't even giving the satisfaction of looking Ashton's way, because someone had to have started this rumor. 

"I'm not dating Calum, I barely know him..." Luke mumbled, grabbing his bag. "Michael?" Said boy looked up. "Be my boyfriend?" Michael blinked a few times and Luke took that as a yes. "See, I'm dating Michael, how ridiculous that I'd cheat on him. Calum's not even hot." Luke took a few shaky breaths and walked out of the room, leaving the silence behind him as he padded down the hallways, going towards the sports department where he knew Calum's father would be waiting to speak with him.

The shock still doesn't come, because it was only a matter of time that something big happened, really. Something like a rumor that could potentially destroy Calum's life.