Wrong Number (Cake Hoodings)

90 *

AN// people seem mad and I'm not even sorry, this has been the plan all along and I've foreshadowed the ending literally so, so much and only like three people have picked up on it! Anyway, this (long ass) book is coming to an end now, so I just want to ask you all what you want tied up in the last chapter(s) and epilogue, because I always seem to forget stuff :')

Anyway my loves, enjoy the chapter and have a fabulous day .x

{ n i n e t y }

  "We need to talk." 

"Are you breaking up with me?" Luke asks immediately, biting as his lip. 

Calum sighs and takes off the sunglasses, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Can I at least come in?" Luke stands aside and lets him in, staring wide eyed at him. He toes off his shoes as Luke just watches him. 

He kind of expected this, really. When Calum blocked his number and didn't come back from the talk with his father, he really did expect this. But it doesn't mean it hurts any less.

Luke wishes Michael would hurry up now, is glad that the boy is already on his way so he doesn't have to call him. Luke silently leads him into the living room, sitting back into the seat that he's been in all day and turning down the TV. Calum sits at the other end of the sofa, sitting rigidly. He's not even taken his coat off, Luke notes, but doesn't say anything. 

"Look," Calum sighs again. "We had a good time, yeah?" 

Luke can't quite believe his ears, but he finds himself nodding, waiting for the 'it's not you, it's me' to come around and put him out of his misery. 

"I just don't want to be with you anymore... I don't think." He says quietly- and that- Luke was expecting anything but that. "I got a scholarship," He says then, avoiding Luke's eyes, "for football." 

"You don't even like football." 

Calum looks up. "It's a scholarship, Luke. A full ride. To NYU." He explains like Luke is stupid for not understanding, "The letter came yesterday morning, and my dad said he'll still let me accept it, so that's good of him." He shrugs.

Luke thinks back to when Coach Hood was getting ready to beat his son to a pulp two days ago and his eyes widen, his mouth dropping open a little. 

He chooses not to say anything this time though, he feels quite light headed as it is, and he really doesn't want to argue right now. All they've done since that party is argue. He knew this was coming. 

"I want a clean slate when I go there, you know." Calum says finally. The real explanation. 

"That's it?" Luke says, a bitter tone edging his voice. "You're going to go back to pretending?" Calum says nothing. "Jesus Christ Calum! How long are you going to let him control your life?!"

"Don't be so jealous that I'm going to college and you're not." Calum spits suddenly, standing up. "What? Are you surprised that not only can I get into college, but I can get a full ride too?" If Calum had punched him the blow would've been softer. "Some of us can get somewhere in life." 

Luke curls into the couch, making himself smaller as Calum towers over him. If this were a cartoon steam would probably be coming out of Calum's ears. 

Luke gulps, Calum sighs and drags a hand through his hair. 

"Why don't you ever fucking stick up for yourself?! Are you not even going to fight back?" Luke bites at his lip. "Tell me what you're feeling, Luke." 

There's a small hesitation where Calum just looks at him. "I feel like you're setting yourself up for failure." Luke whispers. "I feel like you're going to live your whole life to his expectations and resent him for it. I feel like if you go along with this now you're never going to embrace who you really are." 

"You're so fucking dramatic." Calum says bitterly. "I'm doing what's best for myself right now." Luke almost feels as if he talking to Calum's father right now, the Coach's words coming right out of his son's mouth. 

"Then do whatever it is you're doing, Cal, and get it over with." 

Silence stretches out in the room for a long few minutes that almost feel like hours. Calum is staring at him emptily, Luke frowning back at him. Luke feels numb to the entire situation, like its happened a thousand times before on replay. It already feels like a memory. 

"We're done." He says eventually, final. "For good this time, we're done." 

"Do you promise?" Luke asks quietly. Calum looks surprised but nods slowly anyway, staring at him again. Luke nods too, the promise forming through silence. "Okay." 

Calum doesn't seem to know what to do with that answer, just shoving his hands further into his pockets. Luke just looks down at his feet before sighing and looking back up at him. 

"You know where the door is, Cal." 

They both walk over to it, Calum toeing on his shoes as Luke leans against the door frame. Calum opens the door and Luke steps forward, grabbing onto it before hovering in the doorway as Calum steps onto the path. 

He turns around suddenly. 

"We can... can still be friends though, right?" 

"We were never friends Calum. We're from different worlds." 

Calum seems to accept that answer, and walks to his car as Luke shuts the door and locks himself in. He text's Michael and tells him that he's gone out and not to come over, and curls up on the sofa, turning up the TV again.