C H A P T E R 5:

The Consolation Price.

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Throw myself to bed, look at the ceiling, sulk at the moment, roll out of my bed, throw myself to the bed again, look at the ceiling (again), sulk again for a moment, tried to count sheeps but none of them worked. This explains my situation in my bed last night, slowly going crazy in the world that I am living.

I stood in front of the mirror seeing my hair sticking up everywhere. My reflection shows me how bad my status is. I got big black rings around my eyes knowing that I haven't been able to sleep well last night. My face is also so pale that I might be mistaken as Count Dracula's daughter, Mavis. I only need to cut my hair in to a bob cut then have fangs and actually turn in to a bat whenever stupid humans cross my way.

Due to my lack of sleep, I don't feel like dragging myself downstairs and just fake it that I'm sick. I don't want to go to school today because I badly need my 10 hour sleep again. Lately, I haven't had any of it since it was cut short in to 3 to 6 hours. And it would be such a shame to get myself-this one that my mirror reflects- inside the school grounds. I would definitely love to save myself from so deep humiliation in front of many people.

But I still drag myself downstairs anyway.

"Morning dad," I groaned as I let my eyes fall down against my eyelids, finally feeling that someone just gave me a sand dust to sleep.

"You okay hun?" he asked, I shook my head no.

"Could I just sleep in dad? I don't really feel like dragging myself to school today. I feel utterly sick."

"Wait, lemme check you." he said as he checked my forehead, then my neck. He backed away and convinced that I just need to rest. He continued to eat his hash browns and sip his coffee. "Do you think you can handle yourself? If you can't I'll skip a day off. Or maybe if you want, I'll convince one of your friends to stay over tonight. I'm afraid I won't be home after three days." he said as he sat down the chair and his lips curled in to a frown as his eyes gloomed.

"Dad, I could handle myself." I said with my eyes being watery in the background. "I can call Calum or Jessie or Kristen to take care of me. I promise."

"Calum? You sure you want him to take care of you? I don't know bud, he's a guy. How can I assure him that he won't do anything to you?"

"Why won't you talk to him instead? Bet he would chime in any moments later. In 5...4...3...2...1!"

The doorbell rang and I was alerted. Dad smiled and shook his head while he pats my slightly fixed hair.

"Good morning Mr. Hansen," Calum piped out too enthusiastically. I assume that he feels okay now. "Is Mackie going to school? I could offer her a drive like I always do."

"Good morning too Calum, why won't you go inside to know the answer?" Dad said as he pointed in my direction, Calum nodded as he entered his long legs inside our house. "I have something to discuss to you a little bit after you see her."

"Sure Mr. Hansen."

Calum turned around to see me in my blankets, just like what he is exactly looking like yesterday.

"Hi..." I tried to smile but looked away immediately. I am shy of what I am looking like today, I think I can't face him.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked as he sat down beside me, trying to look for my face. I smiled but faced the other way as I felt my nose just fucking sniffed. Oh gawd. "Oh no. You have a flu too! Oh gosh. You got it from me."

"Yeash. I need resht." I said as I stuff my nose with my blankets to sneeze. Calum looked at me and stood up.

"Do you want me to stay over? I don't mind missing school today. Or I can call over my sister, Mali to take care of you for the mean time I am not here."

"Call your sister for the mean time while you're gone. That's safer that way." Dad chimed in, I rolled my eyes and looked at him.

"Dad, it's embarrassing! I don't even know his sister yet and I know she have tons of papers to do. You know... College stuffs? Achoo," I complained but dad looks stern enough.

"I could pay your sister for taking care of her," he said, then looked at me. "I just can't leave her alone."

"No sir, it would be okay. She took care of me yesterday and it would be the favor I can give her. And if it would make you comfortable enough I wont do anything bad. I promise it. I could even please my mom to let her stay in the guest room to make sure that she'll have great care."

"Trust him dad, I knew he won't do anything bad. And besides I can take care of myself. Calum don't need to call his sister over or even let me stay to their guest room. That's so embarrassing."

"It's okay, really." Calum insisted as my dad arched his eyebrow, I rolled my eyes and faced them both.

"Guys, really. I just ne-"

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✉ Calum's POV ✉

I grabbed my books from my locker as I started to walk to my next class. Well, I survived the Chem class without questioning the Periodic Table of Elements and stuff, but all I worried about is Mali and Mackie.

After knocking out, Mr. Hansen brought Mackie in her room and just left her there. He went back to me to make me run to our house and please Mali to stay over and get her studying in their house, if it would be any help, feel free to eat their food on their fridge. Mali just said yes after I told her that I was sick yesterday and Mackie was the one who took care of me and now it was all on her.

I continued walking until I reached the stairway, to see Michael with Jessie. They are really hanging out together as often as Mackie and I would. I just don't know yet if Michael knows that Mackie likes him. I approached the two familiar people walking slow together, with matching colored shirts.

"Hey Jessie!" I called over as I hurried my way to them. They stopped walking and Jessie smiled.

"Hey Cal!" she chirped, Michael waved at me. "Wassup?"

"Mackie's sick," I told them as I am still catching my breath. Running has no problems with me, it's just I still feel sick.

"What? And you leave her all alone?" Michael asked as he raised his eyebrows, I sighed.

"No, I leave her on my sister." I said and Jessie smiled.

"Wow, you have a sister!" she said, I nodded. "How is it like? I always wan-"

"Cal? I think we're getting late on our next class. See you later Jessie! Bye!" Michael chimed in as he dragged me to the hallway, next to our room.

"Do you think I should show up to Mackie's house today? Should I buy her fruits?"

"Michael,"

"Does she have flu? Does she love soups? I can make one if she really loves it,"

"Michael,"

"I think I should skip class and make sure that she's safe."

I held both of his pale arms, and directly looked at his brown orbs. Michael really needs to listen to me. I have an assumption that he likes Mackie, but what's with him and Jessie? So I better clarify things just first.

"To answer all of your questions, we need to go to class and sit down and talk about it." I said sternly as I felt his arms softened, his gaze averted somewhere. "And I have a very important question."

Michael suddenly raised his eyebrows at me and I smiled. I let go of his hands and I saw how tight my grips were. I can see the red marks on it and quickly apologized.

Michael and I continued to walk in silence, my hand is in my pocket as i slid my thumb out, fiddling with my jeans. Maybe I took it out on him.

"Calum do you like Mackie?" he asked as we sat down on the very back of the classroom where few people sits down. It was quite quiet back here and also has the squeaky chairs that must be really really old. But we sat down anyway. But as I heard that question go inside my head, I didn't answer quickly.

I mean, I like Mackie. She's my best friend. At least to me she is. She have a beautiful laugh and good sarcasm. She is beautiful, but I am already serious with my feelings towards Georgiana. I know it's so fast like I just had moved in here, Third week to be in fact, but I guess as I get to know Geo everyday, the more I ignore Mackie.

So in conclusion, I DON'T LIKE MACKZ.

"Yeah," I said, Michael tensed and I felt his piercing stare. But I smiled and pat his tensed shoulders. "But as a friend. You know how much I like Geo."

"Good joke." Michael said as he rolled his eyes and heard his low sigh of relief. I want to laugh at it but my mind told me not to do so. "Because I like her. Like really really like her."

I felt my arms suddenly tensed as I studied Michael's strong emotion. His jaw was so tight that any moment, I can see it break. He was looking out of nowhere but his emotion and presence challenges me. Staring at him makes me gulp in sudden distraught. I don't know if I felt so threaten or just want to smack him in the side of his head. But I kept on listening.

"The day you came out of Chemistry class with her chasing you, I felt threaten. Who would've thought that a newbie came to humiliate the girl that I respect so much? Though I don't hold anything against you, I am just threatened of your newfound closeness. But I guess it was my fault. I should've made a move before you even met her." he mumbled.

"I started liking her since we were ten. She is the one that I only laid my eyes on. She has the beautiful blonde hair before and actually sings in front of many people. She was never afraid of it, but afraid to socialize. By the time I heard her sing, I felt like I was just vacuumed from the ground up to the cloud 9. But I am still afraid to make a move."

"Then this bad news happen to her when we were 13. Mackie's mum lost her battle with cancer, and that made her stop singing, even shut herself at socializing and colored her hair brown. Jessie says that it was her eay to not remind her of her mum."

"But not photography. Even though it has the memories of her mum, both of them loves photography so much. And that's the only vital signs that we see in her. Glad that there's photography program Mr. Wasserstein made. She joined there and grabbed the opportunity to show life in her photos. I tried doing photography too, just to impress her, but I guess she never looked at me that way. So I just sit on edges, trying to catch a glimpse of her and pay her respect unlike any other girls in our school."

"I never heard that she actually dated someone, or even have a physical contact with guys. And that made me like her more."

I was actually fascinated how Michael looks up to Mackie. He has strong emotions towards her. But I felt no sympathy towards Michael. All I ever think about was Mackie.

All this time I was thinking that she grew in a broken family, her mum and dad split up and her mum had found another family and abandoned her. I really feel bad about it, especially that I had mentioned mum all the time.

All I think of Mackie was just the regular girl, the girl who loves bands too much but not in a way she wears thick eyeliners and black line of clothing. The girl who would trade everything just to have dates with guys. The typical party girl. But all of I think was wrong. All about her was wrong. I am wrong.

After the class, Michael moved out of his chair a little bit sooner and waited for me outside the door. With his serious face on, I was really thinking that I should shut him out before anybody does. Mackie would be mad if she knew that Michael likes her, but actually dates her friend instead of her. And I think she's in the state of moving on and accepting the fact that they're just friends. I think that's better that way.

"Cal," he spoke as I moved out of the door, Michael blocking the possible ways to get out. It was the last subject and I need to go to the field to find out if I passed it or not. Besides I need to be home early to see Mackie. "Can you please give me her address? I badly need to see her right now."

"Why won't you ask Jessica about it?" I said as I pushed him with all of my force, hearing him scoff after his stumble. "And by the way, tell Jessie that you like Mackie if you really like her. You know, just to make sure that your life isn't messier in the future."

I headed out to the field to see the coach. In fact, he will be anmouncing the result today. Even though I'm beyond excited today, I feel anxious of Mackie's state. I wonder if she's getting along with Mali. And to add an agitated Michael in the background makes it all worst.

My legs immediately worked their way to the field with my heart sinking three inches down. My eyes are focused on the goal to be early so that I would leave early. I feel like I could eat a whole horse today because of my excitement and nervousness. My palms are getting sweaty, and if Mackie was here, I know she will cheer me up.

Once I reached the door that leads to the field, my head felt a whirling sensation in my head that makes me want to stumble in the ground. And to make it worst, my heart synched with it and it started to pulsate with abnormal force or rapidity. I guess that is how it goes when something big is about to happen.

When I reached the door, I saw a familiar girl with a long brown hair standing on the opposite side of the field, pompoms are in her hand and really does have a sexy body. She's so white and tall, so slim and fit. But that's not the reason why she made me admire her so much. She's so intelligent and even has the heart of gold. She never date jocks and usually have a thing for nerds. Well, that's what they say. But whatever that is, I like her because she is she.

Georgiana McKinney.

Georgiana and I held our stare, her brown orbs met mine. Her pink pouty lips started to curl up that made me look in her beautiful white pearls. Her smile is worth to die for everyday. I may sound sooooo corny, but I knew in my heart I like her so much. She waves at me, and I raised my hand back. I waved a little but someone just brushed my arm that made me clumsily stumble on the doorframe.

I looked at the guy, he is tall, and has rose colored skin when he hits the sunlight. He have a blonde hair that just lays on his head down to his neck, he looks so dull. But what makes me irritate the most is he get to walk near Geo and waved at her. Geo blushes and tucks her hair to the side.

Seriously?

I walked to the bleachers where everyone is waiting. I sat on the first row, waiting for the coach to come in and call all participants. That rose colored boy sat just two people away from me and I swear I saw him wink at Geo. He fuckin winked at Geo!

I turned out and looked at Geo who is now readying herself for their dance. Geo just laughed and gave him a thumbs up and mouthed something I can't even get to decipher. Deciding not to be a creep than I already was, I just looked at the coach approaching and introduced himself in front of us.

That blonde guy didn't stop flirting with Geo. Even though there is a big distance between them, he didn't even mind. He continued to smile and make face for her to giggle. I really have the urge to punch him in the face.

"So listen up you Goal diggers! I will be your new coach. Jack Wilde. Many of you shown your talent in keeping the ball on your feet and eyes on the goal. Many of you impressed me, and I made sure to get them." then he motioned Luan to step aside him and gave her the board. "She will read the list of people who are qualified to play for our team. Good luck guys." then he pats her on her shoulder and she started reading the list.

The player who are called stood up and walked to the center to grab their official uniforms. There are already 18 of them and I haven't heard my name yet. The qualified members are only 20 and I don't see a possible spot for me.

Now, the rose colored boy was sitting beside me, eyes on the price and also the girl who flirts with him.

"Luke Hemmings!" Luan called and grinned. The guy beside me stood up, did a victory dance to us and rolled his eyes on me. Sure this boy has some attitude! So his name is Luke huh?

Luke went down the field and hugged Georgiana, coach Jack made them let go and shoved his uniforms in his fit arms. Luke went to the side and looked at the bunch of losers waitinh for their names to be called.

Don't get your hopes up.

"Calum Hood," Luan said and laid her eyes on me. From the distance, I can still feel her body shivering and kept her eyes on the ground. Glad she's intimidated. I never want anybody hurt my friends. Emotionally or physically.

I marched down the bleachers with my heart thumping in excitement. I can't wait to tell this to my parents and Mackie. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be able to recover quickly and claim my uniform today.

When I reached the field, Coach Jack smiled at me and Geo was smiling too. Unlike from Luke, she gave me a thumbs up and a genuine smile. I felt like winning this game is just a consolation. Her smile is just a consolation prize because Luke already won her.

"Welcome to the club, dimwit." Luke muttered as I stepped aside, with him blocking all possible seat that I could occupy.

Gawd forbid me to hit this idiot.

QOTC:
What do you think of Luke?

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