Who do you love?

12

As much as Calum had wanted his friends around for his birthday there were really starting to get on his nerves. He had planned to play one game of beer pong and then slip off back to talk to Teal but every time he made an excuse to leave so he could speak to her one of his friends pulled him back. It didn't seem to be a conscious thing but it was becoming exceptionally frustrating.

He could see her from where the beer pong table was set up just outside the backdoor. He could hear her too, her loud laugh carrying through the now mostly empty house, it was nearing two AM and the girls had turned in for the night to prepare for filming the next dismissal ceremony the following day. He found himself constantly looking in her direction, wondering what Roy had said to her to make her laugh like that and if there was a way he could hear her beautiful laugh more.

His friends' girlfriends had migrated inside as the night grew cold and finally he convinced his bandmates to join them as well. The DJ had left at midnight and now the only straggler guests remaining were his crew friends, his bandmates and their significant others, and the twins. Pete, Anthony and Lorenzo seemed to see the move from outside as an excuse to head out and they wished Calum a happy birthday one final time before waving to the others and leaving out the front door.

"God we can clear a room." Ashton giggled as he plopped down on the sofa next to Kaykay and Luke.

"It's just late and everyone has to work tomorrow." Teal spoke up, her voice slightly higher pitched than normal and Calum smiled to himself. She was drunks, or at least tipsy, and yet she was still just trying to make his friends comfortable. It was a habit he had noticed from her whenever she was in big groups. She always went out of her way to try and put others at ease.

"Do you not have to work too?"

"Not early. I don't have to be on set until eleven, besides if I get really desperate I can just send Navy in my place."

"Fuck can you imagine." Navy laughed from her place beside her.

"Have you guys done that before?" Michael asked, "Traded places, I mean?"

"Oh absolutely. Especially back in school. I was terrible at English and Teal sucked at Math so we almost always took each other's tests for those." Navy said practically beaming with pride.

"Did you ever get caught?" Sierra probed.

"Nah, our principal got suspicious a few times but they never had any real proof." Teal replied, sipping on her cocktail, something fruity that Calum could smell from his seat a few feet away.

"I can't believe you guys did that!" Kaykay said, sounding both amused and impressed. "I'd never have the guts."

The conversation continued but Calum didn't hear it. He was much too focused on the girl in front of him. The girl with the beautiful dark brown hair and clear blue eyes identical to the girl who sat beside her but whose beauty was her own. The girl who had so easily stolen his attention and fit so seamlessly in amongst his friends. He didn't notice the passing of time, almost an hour of it, until his friends stood, saying they had best be going and moving towards the exit.

His mind raced desperately searching for something, some way, to get them to stay, to get Teal to stay but he was drawing a blank and he hugged her bye as he had the others and watched somberly as she headed for her own room at the crew house just out of his view.

"Shit! You go on ahead, I forgot to give Cal his present." He heard her say and he quickly lifted his head, his shoulders straightening as she turned back around and headed towards the door where he still stood waiting at the threshold.

He did his best to look indifferent, hoping she couldn't sense the absolute giddiness running through his veins at the thought of just a little more time with her. He'd been denied time alone with her all day but now he would get at least a moment.