Night Train || cth

t h i r t y - f i v e

The thought of Luke's lips on Rachel's drove me insane from the moment I saw them together up until I met Calum. Every night I went to sleep, I had the recurring nightmare of the scene that broke my heart. I always thought that I'd never be able to get over the fact that he cheated on me, but all of that changed the moment I saw Calum standing at the sight of the train tracks.

At the time, Calum was only a stranger - a mere mystery that I desired to solve. The boy with chocolate brown eyes and coal black hair of which filled my dreams late at night. Without any warning at all he came into my life and managed to override all thoughts about Luke or Rachel. He was my getaway, and soon enough he became my favorite place.

His power to consume all of my thoughts has only intensified in my time spent away from him. I can't eat, sleep, or function what-so-ever without his smiling face flashing in my mind. I close my eyes and I picture him in the same room as me, but the moment I open them, he's gone.

I've seen him around school - which is inevitable - and every single time I can tell that he's not the same. His eyes are a dull shade of brown, his infectious smile has diminished, and black circles rest beneath his bottom eyelids. The vibe that radiates off of him is one that I've come to hate because I know that I'm the cause of it. I've taken away his happiness and mine as well since he is my happiness. He's all I've ever wanted and needed and with one stupid mistake I've ruined it for the both of us.

"Hey, Tay?" I suddenly snap out of my thoughts to see Claire standing across the room from me. With one glance towards my mom who is walking into the kitchen, I conclude that Claire has just arrived.

"Hey, Claire," I smile as I stand up from the couch. She greets me with a tight hug since I haven't seen her in a couple of days. Ever since Thanksgiving break started, I've been spending all of my time with family. Unfortunately, this means that I've been spending time with Rachel - way too much time that is.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" She asks the moment we pull out of our hug. I look at her suspiciously as I try and decipher where she's going with this. I'm praying that she isn't about to invite me to some stupid party.

"Depends on what you're doing tomorrow." I walk away from her and situate myself back on the couch with my legs pulled up beneath me. She takes a seat in the recliner across from me with a smug look on her face. Usually if she's thinking about a party, she'll have a mischevious smirk, so this is a good sign.

"Well, I'm going on a picnic at the park tomorrow with Mikey, and was wondering if you'd like to come along."

"I don't really feel like third wheeling," I groaned, leaning my chin on my hands.

"Oh, you won't be," She reassured with the long awaited mischevious smirk I've been waiting for. Okay, I think I would've preferred the party scenario because this is getting creepy. I have no idea where she's going with this, and to be honest I'm quite scared.

"I don't kn-," I begin to protest, but Claire takes the opportunity to cut me off. She abruptly stands up from the recliner and rushes over to me, her long hair bouncing up and down as she runs.

"Don't you dare." She places a hand over my mouth before continuing. "Even though I was being polite in asking you to come, I'm actually here to demand your presence." Her eyebrow raises at her statement and something tells me that she won't leave until she gets what she wants. I sigh into her hand and slowly nod my head in confirmation.

"Yes!" She jumps up and down and pulls me up to cheer along with her. I pretend to be excited when in reality I'm still scared as to what's up her sleeve. "Okay, so you have to be ready by three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Got it?"