10:53 [calum hood]

09

➸ c a l u m

I stared at Mickey and Mickey stared at me. I was afraid to rip my gaze from her because I thought I was going insane.

"Hi, Calum," she finally said, giving me a half smile. Her hand was over her mouth so her words came out muffled and quiet.

I gave her a small wave, but the look on my face was one of utter confusion. "Hi?" I said, but it came out as more of a question. I shot her a "We need to talk" glare and she nodded her head slightly.

"You guys know each other?" my mom asked, and for a second I completely forgot that she was in the room. Mickey cleared her throat and turned to Mom.

"Yeah, he stopped by the shop the other day. Bought a really nice bass and acoustic," Mickey said lightly, speaking quickly. My mom shifted her gaze to me and tried to stare me down.

I shifted uncomfortably and placed my folder on her desk, inching backwards. "Well, I better get going," I mumbled, motioning behind me towards the door. "I have to, uh, finish homework."

Mom nodded and I spun around to leave when Mickey suddenly shouted, "Wait!" I turned to look at her and her eyes were pleading me to stay. "I need to talk to you. Please let us, Joy."

I hardly ever heard anyone call my mom by her first name, so her and Mickey must have been good friends or something. My mom sighed and pursed her lips, eyeing the two of us wearily. "Fine, but make it quick."

In one swift motion Mickey bounded out of her chair and grabbed my arm, pulling me into the hallway with her. She shut the door behind us and leaned against the wall casually, crossing her arms.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, giving her a strange look.

Mickey sighed, looking down at the carpeted floor. She looked as if she were struggling to find the right words. "I've been seeing your mom for a while now," she started, and I urged her to continue. "I knew you were her son at the music store because of all the pictures in her office. I was scared to tell you that I knew your mom; then I would've had to explain the reason why I'm here."

I cocked my head to the side and arched my eyebrow. "Then why are you here?" I knew it was a very personal thing to ask and that I should've kept my mouth shut, but I needed to know why such a beautiful girl had...mental problems.

Once again, Mickey was at a loss for words. "My life isn't exactly the ideal life that someone would ask for," she said simply. I stared down at her blue eyes and saw that they were nervous and afraid.

"You can tell me, I won't judge you or anything," I whispered, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. I was suddenly aware of how close we were in proximity and the thought made me feel tingly inside.

"It was one night when I was 16. I was driving home from this party and I was totally drunk off my ass. I was being stupid and decided to drive home." Mickey paused and her breath shuddered. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes and her mouth twisted into a frown. "I got into an accident on the way home, and the alcohol spoke for me. The alcohol told me that it was no big deal and the person was probably fine, so I drove off. Oh god, it's all my fault. They died, Calum, and it's all my fault!"

At this point my lungs were aching for her and I watched this gorgeous girl fall apart in front of my eyes. I pulled her into a tight hug and she sobbed into my chest. I felt her tears soak through my shirt but I didn't care. "Shh, it's alright," I soothed, stroking her hair. "It's not your fault. You were drunk, you made a mistake. The point is that you would've never hit and ran if you were sober."