savior

thirty eight

DAY TWENTY SIX; FIVE DAYS TO GO

"I want to take you on a date, Armel," Ashton said into the phone. I was sprawled out on my bed, wishing he was here to hang out with me. Kaitlynn had been spending time with her friends before we leave to Florida, so the house has been quiet. Mom has been going out a lot more recently, so I had the apartment all to myself. "Like, right now. Or, you know, tonight, I mean." 

Changing my position to having my legs lifted up against my wall, I nodded, although Ashton couldn't see me. Everything was so strange now that we were dating. Saying words like "date" and "kiss" were weird now, because we had been spending so much time as friends before. We could do whatever we wanted with each other now.

"Pick out something nice, and I'll pick you up at seven?" he instructed. I told him I'd see him then, and then the two of us hung up. 

There was still nothing in my closet. I don't know why I didn't unpack everything. I mean, as much as I wanted to go see my dad, I didn't want to leave Ashton. When I was packing in the first place, I never thought about the consequences of leaving him behind. Now I was fully aware of them, and I didn't really want to go anymore. Maybe I could visit sometime in the future, but Pennsylvania was my home, and I couldn't just leave my boyfriend behind. He was already caught up in so many problems now even though I was with him, and if I left, I don't think he'd be able to handle long distance. 

I had about an hour to ready myself. So, I rolled over the side of my bed, almost knocking my head on the board on the end. That probably would've hurt. I made my way over to the suitcase that was sitting in between my dresser and my trashcan. Luckily the dresser was taller than it, so if my mom decided to come in, she probably wouldn't see it. Sure, not all of my clothes fit in the suitcase, but I had bagged up all of the other clothes that didn't fit me, and I was planning on taking them to a thrift shop or something. 

From the suitcase, I plucked out a nice, flowy blue dress that came down to about my mid-thigh. I also managed to pull out a coat and some warm socks. Then I pulled my boots over my feet. My hair wasn't a really big problem. Most of the time, it just naturally stayed straight, so all I did was pull a piece of my bangs to the side, to keep them out of my face. 

When I was about to start my makeup, someone knocked on my apartment door. I figured maybe it would be Ashton, but then I looked at the clock and it was only a quarter passed six o'clock. Hiding behind the door was Calum. "Um, can I help you?" I asked. He moved passed me, pacing back in forth in the hallway that led to the door. It looked like he was biting his nails. 

"I don't know what to do, Regan," Calum said, sitting down in Dad's recliner. Because he looked upset, I didn't bother telling him to get up, like I normally would have if it were someone else. "I know we haven't talked very much, or at all, really, but I need your help." 

"It's about Anna, isn't it?" 

"Yeah. How'd you know? 

I took  a seat next to him, but instead of on the recliner, I sat on the couch. It was kind of awkward being here with him, while wearing a really pretty dress, because he was my (ex) best friend's boyfriend. Maybe ex-boyfriend? I wasn't sure. Plus, I was supposed to be getting ready for a date at that moment and he was getting in the way of that. 

"I know a lot," I said calmly. Even to me that sentence sounded weird, but I just rolled with it. "I know that she cheated on you with Michael. Have you not noticed the harsh glances he throws at you, or am I the only one who sensed something was wrong?" 

Calum looked down at his lap. He bit his lip, then released out a sigh and fell onto the back of recliner. I had a clue that he knew what was going on between Anna and Michael, but wasn't sure of what to do about it. If I were him, I would've dumped her in a heartbeat when I saw Anna run after Michael. It was all too obvious. I'm surprised I never knew it before.