k a r r i s

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I don't think I've ever spent more than 45 minutes getting ready for school. It wasn't like I never cared about looking decent, it just never took this freaking long to decide what to wear, how to do my hair, or if I wanted to wing my eyeliner. And I had nobody to blame but Calum.

"I think I'm gonna go with this," I declared, opening my bedroom door and sauntering into the room to showcase the outfit that adorned my body in hopes that my best friend would agree.

However, when I stepped into my sleeping chamber, expecting Berkley to be sprawled across my bed reading magazines, I walked right into a scene that only garnered shock. My best friend, who I loved and would never judge, stood before my vanity mirror taking a photo-- half naked.

"Oh my God!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs, rapidly slamming the door behind me.

Berkley screamed just as loud, dropping her cellphone in terror. She glared at me with both fear and embarrassment etched on her face. But while this familiar scowl was something I grew accustomed to, what I wasn't used to, were my best friend's perky boobs within perfect eye level.

"Karris, what the fuck?" Berkley shouted, shock still radiating all around her.

"I should ask you the same thing!" I retorted, "and oh my gosh, cover your boobs! They're staring at me!"

Berkley groaned, turning around to grab her bra off of the floor. She mumbled angrily to herself, a slew of Spanish words escaping her mouth, and I knew nothing of what she said.

"Why the heck were you taking a photo of yourself shirtless?" I finally asked, once the initial shock wore off. "Is this one of your before and after transformation thingies?"

"No, it wasn't," Berkley threw on her white tank top.

"Well, what's going on?" I raised an eyebrow, waiting for Berkley to respond.

She just stood there, biting her bottom lip and darting her eyes around my room as oppose to looking me in the eyes. Berkley was silent, letting out exhales at random times as if contemplating how to string words together. And that's when I figured it out.

I narrowed in my brows with a quizzical expression, "you're not sexting, are you?"

It didn't take long for my best friend to admit defeat. She let out a mammoth of a groan, clearly irked, before face planting right into my bed. I chuckled, shaking my head before plopping down in the same manner as her.

"Don't judge me," Berkley's voice was muffled against the bedsheets.

"I would never," I promised, turning my head to face her.

Berkley shifted her head to face me before finally looking me in the eyes, "it was for Luke."

"Nuckin' futs! Are you serious?" I wailed, gawking at Berkley with hysteria bubbling throughout my entire being.

"Don't judge! You said you wouldn't!" Berkley sat up, pointing a stern finger in my direction.

I followed suit, "I'm not judging, I swear to you! I'm actually pissed!"

"What? Why the hell are you pissed for?" It was Berkley's turn to stare at me with puzzlement.

"I'm pissed at Luke! Why would he solicit nudes? Did he pressure you?!" I ransacked my best friend with questions, hoping I would get some sort of legitimate explanation for Berkley's sudden desire to send photos of her body.

"Look, Luke didn't pressure me at all. He didn't even ask for nudes," Berkley confessed.

I sighed with relief, "then why would you do that? And when the heck did you two start talking?"

Berkley looked guilty again, "it's only been about two weeks."

"Two weeks?!" I jumped off of the bed, pacing around my room in response to the bomb Berkley decided to drop on my face. "You've been talking for two weeks and you failed to tell me?!"

"It wasn't that serious!" Berkley explained, "he just started flirting with me suddenly, and then asked for my number."

"I'm your best friend," I reminded her, "we tell each other everything."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Berkley got up from my bed, and walked over to me with a pout, "I didn't think anything of it. I've known Luke since freshman year, and since then he's had a tendency of playing with girls' hearts."

"Yea, I know," I grumbled, my mind filling up with memories of the times I caught Luke flirting with different girls each day, or how I'd overhear his conversations with the hockey team about which girls he's done the dirty with.

"There's something different about him when it's just one on one," Berkley continued, "I can't pin point it, but he makes me feel a certain type of way."

"If he's so special and different, and if he didn't ask for them, then why would you send Luke nudes?" I questioned.

Berkley shrugged, "I didn't want to lose something I never had."

I knew exactly what she meant. Growing up, Berkley was always confident. Even if she faked it, she kept her chin up and strutted through the halls like a queen. She was also very independent and empowering, but when it came to men, that's when things never added up.

"You're not your mom, you know," I mentioned, and even though I hated doing so, I had to remind my best friend.

Berkley shrugged again, not looking so convinced, "like mother, like daughter."

I shook my head, "your mom had a baby to try to keep her boyfriend and--"

"And look where it fucking got her," Berkley interrupted, enraged as she flailed her arms in the air, "four kids, no control, and an abusive husband! My mom had me, to keep the wrong man around and it's fucked us over!"

"You obviously know the mistake your mom made, so why the heck would you go and do the same?" I asked, "naked photos will only keep a man around for so long until he gets bored."

"Luke is different," Berkley justified. "He's not my father who--"

"Exactly!" I yelled, causing Berkley to cease her speaking, "Luke's different, so he won't need nudes to be kept around. You've got a great personality, and you're hot and confident. The girls at school might have to supply Luke with naked pictures, but you don't have to do that. You have so much more to offer."

Berkley stood there thinking about my last statement, mulling over my words and I hoped that she understood. Her dad was a piece of bat crap and it sucked that Mama Ramos, who was a beautiful and caring woman, had to endure so much to keep Mr. Ramos happy.

"I feel like an idiot," Berkley's chin fell to her chest, "Luke probably has the wrong impression of me, now. He probably thinks I'm like all the other girls he fucks around with."

I giggled, opening my arms to pull my best friend into a tight hug, "aw, at least you know you're an idiot. Some idiots don't know they're idiots and then they don't grow from their mistakes."

"I'm totally screwed," Berkley's head rested on my chest, clutching onto me like a safety blanket. In the years I've known her, it was always Berkley protecting me, and now it was my turn to do the same.

"I hate to break the moment, but do you think we could talk about it as you drive us to school?" I glanced down at Berkley with unabashed guilt, "we're already late."

The two of us were out the door in five minutes and on our way to school. Berkley drove at a normal speed, as oppose to zooming through the streets of Arden Heights to get to campus-- we were already late, so there was no point in risking our lives.

"You look cute by the way," Berkley complimented, looking over to me quickly before returning her attention to the road, "sorry I couldn't help out more with your outfit, but I like what you decided on."

I smiled, looking down at my clothes. It wasn't anything too special, just a little something extra than my normal casual style. A denim button up tucked into a pair of white high-waisted shorts. I threw my hair in messy bun at the top of my head and wore a little more eyeliner than preferred to accentuate my eyes behind my glasses.

"I hope Calum likes it," I sighed, suddenly feeling extremely nervous.

I hadn't seen Calum since Saturday, but the texting never stopped after he dropped me off. It was a perfect weekend and the emotions inside of me couldn't be contained. It was like I was riding on a high from going to a concert; it was bursting in every which way and I had no control. I for sure didn't have a crush on Calum-- it was much deeper.

Berkley and I made it onto the school campus with fifteen minutes left into homeroom. According to Willowridge protocol, all late persons must drop by the main office for a tardy slip, but that system was only used if there was legitimate reason as to why one was late. For Berkley and I however, we had no bona fide justification, so we decided to hide out in her car before first period.

"He hasn't responded, yet," Berkley informed, sinking deeper into the seat before tossing her phone into my lap. "I'm doomed! He probably didn't think my boobs were worth replying for."

I looked at her with a twisted expression, "are you demented? I've seen your boobs, they're great, I promise. And you're not doomed."

"Well, what should I do?" Berkley gazed at me with pleading eyes, desperate for an answer I wasn't sure I had.

"I don't know, dude," I shrugged, "I'm horrible with boys. Honestly, I think you should just talk to Luke."

"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed," Berkley repeated over and over again, smashing her forehead against the steering wheel in emphasis.

Then, at that moment, the bell rang. Even from the back of the school parking lot, we could distinctly hear the loud bell. Berkley and I turned to face each other, letting out an exhale, ready to take on high school-- kinda.

Berkley and I stepped out of her car, rounding it and meeting each other at the trunk. We linked arms, sauntering through the lot and onto the main part of the school with tenacity that was surely fraudulent, because in our hearts, we were nervous as heck. Our peers scattered the campus-- some going to class, some at their lockers, some taking their time to chat with friends, and others like Calum Hood however, stood surrounded by his entire clique.

"You got this," Berkley squeezed my hand in assurance, and when I looked over to her, she smiled and shot me a wink, "now go over there and make Calum yours."

I narrowed my brows in confusion, "you're not coming with?"

"Luke's over there," Berkley shook her head, "I can't deal with him now. I'll be at my locker."

I nodded my head as I pulled Berkley in for a hug. When we disconnected from our embrace, she lightly pushed me towards Calum. As I began my pursuit, she quickly backed away, disappearing into the slew of students. I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself. This was just Calum-- we were friends; we felt comfortable around each other, and after the weekend's events, I was confident that he and I were on our way to something more.

I approached Calum, wishing he was alone instead of being surrounded by his friends. He looked cute, again, and I didn't know if I could handle it this time, or combust into all the feels. He held onto something, as a strap embellished the back of his shirt. As I got closer, did I realize that it was in fact a guitar in his hands.

"Karris!" Michael waved frantically, a massive grin planted on his face.

I suddenly felt less nervous when I saw Michael and some of the other hockey players-- it was like an unofficial team meeting in the hallway and my mind was at ease. I caught glimpse of Ashton, who had his arms crossed above his chest and a displeased scowl etched on his face. His piercing stare was a nuisance and when our eyes locked for a moment, I felt his anger stroke my spine with an uncomfortable chill.

"Glad you're here," Michael said, pulling me into a side hug, "Calum is about to put on a show."

I looked up at Calum who was blushing and I couldn't help but to giggle-- he was just so dang cute.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"Remember when I asked you how to tell if a girl likes you?" Calum brought up and I nodded, "well, I'm for sure she does. We've been talking all weekend, and I finally want to ask her to be my girlfriend."

My heart dropped into a dark nothingness and breathing became hard. I stared at Calum, who just stood there with a nervous smile on his face as he held onto his guitar. He scratched the back of his head and shrugged, as if prepping himself for whatever was to come next.

Oh. My. Gosh.

Was this it?

Was it actually happening?

Was Calum about to ask me to be his?

I waited, standing there for Calum's next move. The move however, didn't belong to him, and instead came from Ashton. He grumbled something under his breath, shook his head and stormed off. The entire group rolled their eyes at the hockey captain's exit before returning their attention to Calum and I.

"Don't mind him, he's an asshole," Luke chuckled as I glanced at him for a second, suddenly remembering that my best friend's half naked body was somewhere in his cell phone.

"Calum, pay attention, pep squad coming through," Michael head nodded towards the opposite side of the hallway.

I saw a rush of nervousness envelop Calum as he let out a breath. He looked at Michael, then to Luke, and then to his other friends as if asking for approval. They each nodded, subtly altering a part of Calum's look-- tugging on his shirt, fixing his hair, or wiping his chin with a napkin.

I was stationary as I observed the exchange, clearly confused as to what the heck was going on. Was Calum going to ask me out in front of a bigger and more significant audience? He finally turned to look at me with a grin on his face. He leaned over to give me a little hug and I took the chance to inhale his yummy scent.

"Thanks for everything Karris," Calum whispered.

He stepped back and I took a deep breath in. As I, myself, prepped for what was to come next, Calum instead turned around. I stared in puzzlement at Calum's behavior and as I was about to ask Michael what was going on, my question was soon answered-- in a way that made my entire soul shatter.

Tegan and the rest of the pep squad-- a mix of both cheer and dance teams, strutted down the hallway as if they were in a music video. My peers parted like the Red Sea, staring in awe at the Tumblr-like squad that quickly approached.

Calum began to strum his guitar, the soothing tune filtering into the halls and reverberating off of the walls. This seemed to be the cue that told Tegan to smile happily-- and it was this very cue that made me sick to my stomach. Was Calum seriously swooping in on Tegan? Didn't Ashton not only date her, but just breakup with the pretty dancer? Wasn't there some kind of bro code he was breaking?

I felt like looking away, but I couldn't. I had to keep watching, and the more I did, the more I realized I was wrong-- so wrong. Calum wasn't serenading Tegan in front of the majority of the student body, he was crooning Mollie Santos. I knew this because the smile that was plastered on Tegan's face wasn't for herself, it was on behalf of her friend and fellow dance mate.

"And please don't tell me that I'm dreaming, when all I ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you..." Calum sang, his vocals, which I was unaware he had, were beautiful so say the least.

Mollie was pushed by her friends, causing her to walk towards Calum, who stepped closer to the stunning and shocked girl. He and Mollie were only inches apart, as he stared deeply into her eyes. The entire hall of students chirped delightedly, gushing at Calum's romantic gesture.

"If I roll over when it's over, I'll take this Cali sunrise with me, and wake up with the fondest memories..."

Suddenly, the rest of Calum's friends approached the two, each with roses in their hands. Where the flowers came from, I had no clue, as my eyes never left the scene. I felt my heart constrict and my lungs were giving out. I knew tears were viciously forming behind my eyes, and those tears were about to ferociously cascade down my face.

When Calum got on one knee, looking up at Mollie with the biggest smile on his face, did it hit me that the pain I felt in my chest, was my heart shattering into a zillion tiny pieces. I couldn't handle the sting anymore, and I didn't feel like watching the rest of Calum's plan because judging by the extremely blissful reaction of Mollie, I knew exactly how this would end.

I ran.

I ran down the hallway, trying to rapidly escape and leave the hurt behind. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going, until I found myself in a particular corridor. I entered the campus library, quietly yet quickly running down the aisles of books and up the stairs to the second level. I headed towards my favorite couch near the window at the back of the building, hidden by bookshelves. However when I approached, eyes red and tears streaming down my cheeks, was I faced with someone I refused to be in the same room with.

"What the Hell?" Ashton looked at me with curiosity, the vicinity around him scattered with paper.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry," I stammered, turning on my heel to run in the opposite direction.

In my rush to escape, I didn't notice that my shoelace was loose, causing me to trip and tumble onto the floor. I didn't try to get up, because while falling onto floors were normally embarrassing for me, this couldn't compare to the massive amount of embarrassment I felt from seeing Calum today.

I stayed on the floor, finding myself helpless and held captive to my emotions. I cried, and cried, not caring that anyone could walk by, and especially not caring that Ashton was only a few feet away from me. None of that mattered because all I wanted in that moment was for the pain to stop and for my heart to be mended.

"You know Karebear, you're gonna have to learn how to tie your shoe properly,"

There was a tug of my right foot, and when looked up from the palm of my hands, Ashton was down on one knee tying my pesky shoelace. I wiped my face with my hands, the tears slowly subsiding.

"I told you not to trust Calum," Ashton brought up, finishing up the loop and dropping the shoelace.

"Ashton, I'm n-not in the m-mood," I whimpered, "I-I-just w-want to be alone."

Ashton sat there for a moment, staring at me while I stared away, trying hard to suppress the memories of Calum. Then Ashton stood up and walked away. I assumed he went back to the couch to leave me alone. I heard shuffling of papers and then shuffling of shoes to carpet.

"Get out of here," Ashton sighed, holding his hand out towards me.

"What?"

"Get out of here," Ashton repeated, only this time he grabbed my hand, pulling me off of the floor.

"I can't leave," I told him, "I already missed homeroom, and I'm already late for first period, and--"

"--and Calum is in a few of your classes," Ashton interrupted, "I really doubt you wanna see him, so leave campus, and take this."

Ashton flashed me a yellow piece of paper, and with hesitant hands, I took it. I examined the document, finally deciphering what it was. The school's insignia was to the top right, and with the official mumbo jumbo, it came to me that this in my hand, was an absent slip.

"Go home, go to the mall, go buy a new calculator, whatever," Ashton quipped, "then when you come back to school tomorrow, you'll be excused. Simple."

"Why are you helping me?" I questioned Ashton's motive, and I had every right to. He hasn't exactly always been the nicest guy towards me, and even though he did warn me about Calum before, I still didn't see him as the boy-next-door.

"Because it'll give me a chance to coach the hockey team without your annoying suggestions," Ashton explained and my jaw dropped in response, "and," he rolled his eyes with a bothered sigh.

I waited for him to continue, gesturing for him to continue, "and what?"

"And because I know what heartache looks like," Ashton's tone was soft, like he understood exactly what I was feeling. "So go, get outta here."

I nodded my head, "thanks... Captain."

✖

So there's that. Karris is heartbroken by none other than Calum. He didn't do it on purpose though-- guys can be clueless sometimes and miss all the hints. But Ashton, in his own way, came to the rescue. Also Berkley sending nudes to Luke, can't wait till that all unfolds too :)

Hope you all liked this chapter! If you did, please vote. Comment and let me know how you feel. Also, share this story with all your friends! The more the merrier. Thank you again for all the support. As a writer (even if its just on Wattpad), it means a lot.