once // calum hood

22

I immediately try to call Calum but it goes straight to voicemail. Same for the second and third time. I call Mali, but she doesn't answer either. A sob escapes my lips before I can stop it, my tears are a steady stream down both sides of my face. Where is Calum and why won't he pick up?

I scroll to find the other three boys in my contacts, calling each of them once but they don't answer either. "Damn it boys, the one time it's important!"

Exiting my text messages, I open safari and type in 'plane crash lax'. Soon enough, there are multiple articles that have been published within the last couple of hours. I'm almost too scared to open one of them, but with no answers from the boys, I know I have to. 

"The plane that was headed to London only made it to an unpopulated area of Arizona. The plane had been operating on one jet for the first half of the flight to save gas while they were over the North American continent. That decision became fatal when an unknown object came in contact with the jet, causing it to explode. Everyone on the plane has been identified, but unfortunately, there are no survivors. We will be releasing names once all of the families have been notified."

My chest tightens and I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes again. Oh god. Our last conversation from just hours ago replays in my head. I need to talk to Calum. He was closer to her than anyone else was and I can't even imagine how horrible he's probably feeling right now. I can feel my heart aching for him. 

I try calling him and the other boys one more time but I don't get any answers. The only other person I know to call is Hayden, so I do. 

"Teagan? Oh my god, have you heard the news?" I can tell her voice is tired, like she also has just woken up but it's around 9 am at home. 

"Y-yeah I heard. I woke up with a few missed calls from Calum and then he texted me but that was late last night and I can't get ahold of him. You haven't heard from him, have you?" My words are rushed and my heart falters when I hear her sigh on the other end.

"No, I haven't. Maybe he got on a plane and he hasn't been able to get messages. They're showing pictures of the victims on channel four right now." Hayden sniffles and I immediately shoot out of bed to rush into the living room. It takes me a minute to find the remote but when I finally turn it on I see them. 

One by one, photos flash across the screen. A mom, a dad, a sister, a brother, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a wife, a husband... all of these people meant something to someone and they're all gone now. Then Mali's face is up on the screen for just a couple of seconds, not nearly long enough to honor how great she was. "Oh my god."

My hand comes up to cover my mouth as I can't contain my cries anymore. "Teagan?"

It feels more real now that I've seen her and heard her name being spoken by the news reporter. At least they pronounced it right because not many people ever took the time to do that. 

"I wish someone would answer their fucking phone. I need to know where Calum is and if he's okay. I can't sit here in the dark!" I yell. My frustration comes out towards Hayden but she knows it's not towards her. Duke jumps next to me at the volume increase so I reach out to run my fingers through his fur. 

"Twitter already knows. There's a hashtag trending and everything. It's crazy how fast news travels." 

"Well not to me it doesn't. Of course, all four of them go ghost. I know I'm not part of his family but I still feel like at least someone should call me back." I sigh to myself and when I reach up to push my hair out of my face, I realize how shaky my hands are. 

"Hey don't do that to yourself. You know that Calum considers you family. He wouldn't have called you last night or asked you to move in. His parents are all the way in Australia and since he's her only family member in the US he probably had to fly to Arizona to identify her. Just be patient, this is going to be hard on everyone."