Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life // malum

chapter seventeen

"Hey."

His locker shut and he looked up to see Michael standing there with his hands in his pockets. He seemed distressed, his hair messier than usual and eyes more void of emotion than he remembers.

"Hey." He replied, and Michael sighed as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Listen, we-we need to talk."

Calum nodded, and Michael looked around before grabbing his arm and leading him to a familiar closet. Other students definitely saw, but neither of the two seemed to care as their bodies were smashed together in the small space. Thighs against thighs and chest against chest, Calum's lungs were failing and he even heard Michael's breathing hitch and stutter.

"I wanted to apologize in person." He murmured and Calum looked at him. "You didn't deserve that. I guess I kind of liked the positive attention after being the basket case for so long."

"It's okay." He replied, honestly having burned off the last of his anger when he broke down for a second time the other day. "Just don't feed into it."

"If anyone says something about it, I'll make sure they can't say anything." He promised, and was it wrong for Calum's heart to jump at his words?

"What did you mean?" He asked as he attempted to look for eyes in the darkness of the room. "Yesterday, on the phone, what did that mean?"

"You crying, or me trying to comfort you?" He teased, clearly trying to avoid the conversation, but Calum wasn't having it.

"Don't be fucking dumb. It's not cute." He immediately snapped.

Michael sighed, and a hot cloud of mint and syrup pushed into Calum's face. He scrunched his nose up at the uncomfortable heat.

"I didn't meant it." He answered. "No! I-I mean, I meant it when I said I wanted you around me, but I didn't mean to say it."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I'm not good with feelings. I-I never had people who cared about me that wasn't my family. I never had a friend. Call me selfish, but I want to cling to whatever we have because it's all I've ever had." He admitted and Calum wanted to hold him, grab him, embrace him, but he refrained.

"You want to try?" Calum whispered and Michael was silent. "We shouldn't. We should let it go -"

"- what do you mean?"

Calum sighed. "I mean this isn't healthy. Our back and forth isn't good for us... but I want you."

He felt a hand enclose around his, and his stomach twisted and the cruel feeling of Michael holding him. The heat of his hand was unbearable, and his chest clenched as he tried swallowing down the lump in his throat.

"I kinda of like having you around." A compliment in its finest.

He leaned his head against Michael's chest, not answering or replying to his previous comment as he tried sorting through his thoughts and emotions.

He really wished he wasn't so weak sometimes.

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