Loner City // a.u Calum Hood

two

Two // J

 Karren laughs at the sound of his name.

“I’m sorry but your name is hilarious.”

Calum blushes and shakes his head.

I wrinkle my nose.

“Okay, Calvin lets go.” I say and turn on my heels.

“It’s Calum.”

“So sorry!” I exclaim turning back towards him.

“Yeah, Yeah Preppy Pants lets go.”

I laugh off his joke and take him on a tour of the store and show him how to properly fold the clothes and go over the rules.

“And no smoking on the premises.” I say. “Don’t worry we smoke all the time in the back room it’s not a big deal just don’t get caught. I haven’t yet.”

I mutter to him.

“Oh really?  You smoke?” Calum raises his eyebrow.

“Uh yeah!” I say but realize he’s onto me. 

“What’s your secret then? Because I noticed… all the other models smell like smoke but you don’t! And I honestly can’t believe a word you say with that fake voice of yours gosh.”

I look at him and do my best to look appalled but inside I felt guilty that I lied and he caught on.

He almost snorts at my reaction.

“You’re a terrible liar.” He says with a smirk.

“If I’m such a bad liar why does everyone, but you, believe me?”  I shoot back.

“How do you know so surely they do?” Calum raises his eyebrow at me.

“Who the… who the heck are you?” I ask.

“Oh no cursing either or is that just an act? I’m not some dumb stuck up model I can tell when I person is being genuine which is something you’re not.”

“I’ve known you 5 minutes you don’t know me at all!”

 But I knew he was right. But who was I supposed to be? Someone everyone hated or someone who’s like everyone else that people like.

“I know that you’re a phony.”

“Phony? Really? That’s the best you can come up with?”

Lilah rushes to Calum’s side after hearing us bicker awhile.

“Jamie! No need to yell at our newest employee! Calum, right?”

She asks.

“Julia…” I mumble and walk away as Lilah starts to flirt with Calum.

I didn’t even know Calum, why was he judging me and giving me the cold shoulder so quickly?

 I shake off the thought and continue on with my work day, avoiding Calum as much as possible.

It starts pouring about an hour before I left work. Getting a taxi would be a mess so I decide to walk home.

I buy an umbrella from a shop next door and start my walk home. The rain patters all around me as I shove my way through a crowd of grumpy and unfriendly pedestrians and tourists.

I like to watch the way people walk. It shows there mood, how they feel about where they are going. I little girl runs past me, splashing in a puddle as her mother rushes behind her. I smile to myself as I keep walking.

A gust of wind turns my umbrella inside out. I fumble with it, people swarming around me as I try to fix it. The rain picks up again and I run for cover under one of the bus stops. I sit down on a bench and decide to wait for the 5:30 bus that stopped two blocks from my apartment.

I sat on the bench for 45 minutes until the bus finally showed up.

I give a huge smile to the driver and pretend not to care that the bus was 20 minutes behind schedule.

“Thank you!” I say climbing on the bus. I sit in the back of the bus next to a boy who had his headphones in and hood up, facing the window.

“May I sit here?” I ask in a sweet voice. The boy turns to face me, pulling out an ear bud.

“Huh?” he says before realizing it was me.

“$h!t.” I mutter as I sit down next to Calum Hood.