Arms||Cake AU||

Chapter 33

Calum's fear of hurting Luke faded as he spent more time with him. He couldn't focus on fear when Luke's laugh rang around his room or when a bright smile spread across his face. Thoughts of Luke consumed his mind, leaving no space for anything else.

That was until the beginning of October.

Perhaps if Calum had had time for his morning cigarette it wouldn't have happened. Or if Mali hadn't reminded him that he ought to be locked up for the millionth time that morning. Or if he didn't know how Jake had treated Luke in the past. If one thing had happened differently, things would have been okay.

Calum cursed under his breath as he sat outside the principal's office, holding his head in his hands. He'd lost control. He'd let his anger take over.

He'd fucked up.

He had been doing so well. He thought he'd finally managed to gain control of his temper. He has tried so hard to keep calm, thinking of Luke's eyes, Luke's laugh, just Luke. But details trickled away from him as anger pulsed through his veins, leaving him seeing red and only red.

He glanced down at his bloodstained shirt, feeling a stab of guilt knowing where it came from. The door opened and the principal stepped out with an unreadable expression on his face. Calum got to his feet, keeping his gaze on his shoes and followed him inside.

"So, Mr Hood," The principal began, keeping his voice irritatingly even. Calum wished he would shout. "I trust you know why you're here."

Calum nodded, knowing that if he opened his mouth, no sound would come out.

"All I want to know Calum, is why?" Blood pounded in Calum's ears. Why was the principal so calm? He wanted to be yelled at, kicked out of school. He didn't deserve to be there anyway.

You got that right. Mali hissed in his head. He clenched his fist, trying to force her out of his brain.

"Calum, I need you to cooperate. We can't solve this issue without your help."

"What is there to solve?" Calum muttered monotonously, not removing his gaze from his knees. "There isn't an issue Sir. I beat someone up, it's as simple as that. Shout at me, phone my parents, kick me out - I don't care-"

"That is the issue Mr Hood," the principal said as calm as ever. "You don't seem to care how much trouble you get into. You seem to have shut down completely. I want to help you Calum. I can tell that this isn't who you are."

"You don't know who I am. I'm just one student of thousands. Just a statistic," Calum replied, looking up at the principal with an expressionless face.

"I can remember what you are like in Year 7 Calum. You were the least confrontational 12 year old I've ever taught. 12 year old you would never have even thought about punching someone, let alone beat someone almost unconscious." Calum felt his anger rise once again at the principal's words. He took a deep breath before he answered bitterly.

"Things can change in 5 years Sir."

"I am aware of what happened to your younger sister Calum. I know you haven't had the greatest couple of years. I want to help you because it wouldn't be right to kick you out after everything you've been through."

"Carmen is not the reason I hit Jake." Calum said shortly. The principal looked at Calum with a calm smile.

"Then what was?" He asked.

Calum just wanted out of the offie. He wanted to run away from the principal's calm gaze and even tone. But he didn't want to talk about himself. Or Carmen. Or any of his personal issues. He just wanted out.

"We can sit here all day if we need to," the principal continued. "But I can't let you walk out of this office without doing something about your behaviour."

"Then kick me out. If it was anyone else they would have been long gone," Calum said angrily. "I don't want to sit here and talk to you about my problems. Stop wasting your time and just suspend me."

"The reason I'm not going to suspend you is because you want me to," The principal said. "You have two options Mr Hood, you sit here all day or you tell me why you hit Jake Peters."

Calum swallowed hard and glared at the man sitting in front of him. He stared back. Calum sighed loudly and looked down at his knees.

"I lost control," he mumbled. "I tried but I couldn't contain my temper. It was like something snapped and I felt nothing. Just anger."

"Did Jake provoke you?"

"Yes. He said some stuff about ... a friend and I was already irritated. I was running late for class and I'd had an argument with my older sister before I left. Everything built up and it was too much. I haven't lost control for months," Calum practically whispered, avoiding the principal's gaze as tears filled his eyes. He was fighting to keep his voice even. Everything he'd been bottling up for months about Mali and Carmen were threatening to spill out with his tears.

"Do you struggle to keep your temper often?"

Unable to open his mouth without crying, Calum nodded. He stared at his bloodstained fingertips and felt a painful lump rise in his throat.

He was dangerous.

The truth shot through him like a bullet, and his tears finally fell. He, Calum Thomas Hood, was a danger not only to himself but others. What if next time he lost control it was Luke, or Michael, or his mum or dad or even Mali he attacked. He couldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't let his temper pull his family apart further. He couldn't allow himself to be around the boy who made him smile more than anything.

Because there was a slight chance that one day, it could be Luke's blood on his hands.