XX

Jackie's POV:

"Okay, sorry, let's go." I say, slipping the blindfold back down on my face. "Can you at least tell me if I'm dressed all right?" I gesture down to my black skinny jeans, Blink 182 t-shirt and chuck taylors. 

"You look beautiful." he replies then surprises me by placing a quick kiss to my lips. Not like I could see that coming. I have a damn blindfold over my eyes for Christ's sake.

Getting in the car proves difficult so I pull the blindfold off for a second.

"Hey, hey!" Calum jokes, pulling the blindfold back down.

I huff as I buckle myself into the car.

Does it really matter if I'm blindfolded while we're still on his street? Apparently it matters to him.

"You like Green Day, right?" he asks and I hum my response as he plays the band through the radio.

I feel the car accelerate, slow, stop, turn repeatedly. Then a while later the car stops and I hear him shift the gear to park.

"Okay, ready?" he asks and I nod vigorously.

He pulls the blindfold up and off of my head and the world seems extra bright for a few seconds.

Then I focus on the giant building in front of us. The Staples Center.

"Hm?" I say confusedly.

He sets two pieces of paper onto my lap.

Green Day tickets. Green day tickets? Green Day tickets!

"What?! I thought these were sold out! How'd you get these? Oh my God, I can't breathe." I say inhaling deeply despite my excitement.

"Do you like it?" he asks me.

"Are you serious? Of course I do, this is amazing! Thank you." I say, leaning over to kiss him before turning my attention back to the tickets, inspecting them. "This is the best present ever, seriously."

"We should go get in line."

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go." I say, jumping out of the car at record speed.

"Eager?" Calum laughs.

"Maybe." I grab his hand and drag him behind me as I run to the entrance.

We're pretty far back in line and it's damn near freezing outside. Sunny Southern California has its non-sunny days. Today is one of those days. It's overcast and the sky looks volatile, like it's about to spill rain at any moment.

Calum notices me shivering and starts to take his flannel over shirt off, exposing his Green Day t-shirt underneath.

"Dressed for the occasion, I see." I tease as he wraps his flannel around my shoulders.

I rip the gray beanie from his head and put it on my own.

"You look cute." he says and suddenly I don't feel so cold.

Calum's POV:

My hands are sweating. Am I really about to ask her this? Should I ask her this? Will it ruin it?

Just do it, I command myself.

We're down in the front and the tickets were bloody expensive.

While we're waiting for the band to come on stage I turn to Jackie. I need to remember to breathe.

"What are we?" I ask.

"What?" she looks confused.

"What are we?" I repeat.

"Humans, Cal. We're humans." she says sarcastically but I shoot her a look so she says "We're friends?" but it comes out as a question.

"Okay." I say, breathing out a sigh of relief.

It feels like more than friends, I want to say to her.

But deep down I was hoping she wouldn't say boyfriend and girlfriend. I can't handle that label and my mum made me paranoid that Jackie thought the same thing as she did - that she was my girlfriend.

It's good to know we're on the same page.

Green Day comes out and the roar of the crowd ends our conversation abruptly.

It was worth it every penny to see her smiling and laughing how she is right now - so entranced and absorbed in the music.

I watch her more than I watch the band.

By the time the concert ends our ears are ringing and Jackie's voice is so coarse and worn from singing and screaming that she refuses to talk because I laughed at her.

"Don't laugh. I might sound like this forever. It might never go away." she pouts raspily.

"I'd still like you." I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulder as we walk into my house.

"Ditto." that seems to have become our thing now.

She runs off to the kitchen and peers into the fridge, looking for cake.

She pulls it out and cuts us each a piece.

"How'd you know chocolate's my favorite?" she asks with her mouth full.

"Ashton." I answer.

"He knew?" she gasps and I nod slowly in response "That asshole." she giggles.

"Speaking of - " she starts nervously.

"Go on."

"I need to get the rest of my stuff from my parent's house soon so I can move into Ash's."

"Okay." I reply.

I'll see her even less. I won't be able to hold her at night.

"You'll spend the night sometimes though, right? And I'll still see you?" I ask shakily.

"Of course you will, Cal." she says and spreads a fingerful of frosting onto my nose.

"That was rude." I say between laughs as I pick up a chunk of cake and smear it onto her cheek.

We're both laughing like maniacs but Jackie's sputters because of her post-concert voice.

"I'll miss you."

I can't believe I just said that.

"I'll miss you too." she says seriously as her eyes burn into mine. "But I'll be around, pinky promise."

We link our little fingers and I jokingly say "This is sacred. This promise cannot be broken, Jackie."

"Yes, sir." she grins.

Jackie's POV:

Calum holds me closer than usual that night.

I can't believe he admitted that he'll miss me. I'm going to miss him too. Miss the little things. Like him laughing as I stumble out of bed in the morning. Or him carrying me to bed when I fall asleep in the living room. Or eating the food that he cooks which is always inevitably burnt.

In the morning Calum drives me to my parents' house.

I wouldn't bother but I need more clothes than the one suitcase I've been living out of and I really don't want to spend money on fancy attire right now.

So I need my clothes and I need my laptop.

And, and, and.

Basically I need the contents of my room.

I take a deep breath then unbuckle the seat belt.

"I'm coming with you." Calum says sternly.

"Okay, thank you." I say offering him a weak smile.

I open the car door and walk over to the front door slowly. I really don't want to see my parents.

I order myself to do simple tasks to minimize my anxiety as much as possible.

Hand on the doorknob.

Inhale.

Twist doorknob.

Open door.

Exhale.

Walk.

Breathe.

My dad's in the living room with his back to us so I walk up the stairs and into my room quickly, pulling Calum behind me.

I get a couple suitcases from under the bed and start to shove things into it carelessly. I'll worry about organization later. Or never.

I get to my dresser and set a suitcase at the end of it on the floor then sweep my arm across the surface of the dresser and let the stuff fall down into the suitcase.

Band posters are ripped from the wall and laid haphazardly on the bottom of the other suitcase.

After a few minutes everything's packed. Packed sloppily, but packed nonetheless.

I stop and look back at the room. Walls bare, closet empty, dresser drawers disheveled, and generally cold.

Empty of me. But it's been empty of happiness for a long time.

I don't live here anymore. It's over. My childhood's gone. I don't miss it. But it still hurts.

"Do you have everything?" Calum asks me. He's been standing guard by the door the whole time. I appreciate that.

"Yeah. Let's go." I say and pick up a suitcase.

Calum picks up the other one and starts down the stairs.

I catch a glimpse of my mum sitting at the small round kitchen table. She's back?

I notice how dirty the house is. I used to clean it whenever both of my parents were out. No one cleans it now I guess.

Then I hear my dad shuffling into the hall.

"Where're you going?" he asks. He doesn't seem as drunk as he usually is, but I still hear a slight slur.

"I'm moving out." I say weakly from behind Calum, avoiding my dad's critical gaze.

"Why?" he asks, cocking his head to the side.

"Really? You're really asking that question right now?" Calum interjects.

"No. No, I'm not." my dad surrenders. What the hell? I guess Calum intimidates him. Works for me.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Come on, Jackie." Calum says as he grabs my hand guiding me past my dad and out the door.

I hear the shouting coming from behind us as soon as the door shuts.

"Fuck." I say under my breath as I furiously wipe the tears from my face.

"Are you okay?" Calum asks as he puts the suitcases in the backseat.

"Yes." I answer truthfully.

I am okay.

I am okay.

The tears stop quick after we pull away from where I used to call home.

Soon we pull up to Ashton's house and he comes outside to help carry the suitcases.

"Hey there, roomie." he calls out.

"Hi." I smile as I hug him.

Calum clears his throat.

"So, uh, I'll see you soon? Like really soon, I hope." he says, studying his chuck taylors.

I put my hands on his face and lift his gaze to mine.

"Yes, Calum. We pinky promised, remember?" I joke. "And thank you for the concert. It was amazing."

A wide grin moves onto his face and he nods in response before leaning in to kiss me.

"You guys! I'm right here." Ashton chastises as he points to the ground dramatically.

"Text me." Calum says once we separate and I agree as I pick up the other suitcase and follow Ashton inside.

A/N:

Helloooo! How are you?

Thank you so much for reading!

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