Torn

CALLIE'S POINT OF VIEW

I check my skinny jeans and oversized black hoodie again in the mirror. I feel so insecure lately, I have to second guess everything. I put my head down, and walk straight for the front door.

"Where are you going, idiot?" Jonathan asks, a beer in his hand.

"I'm going to school." I say as simply as I possibly can.

"Yeah well hurry up, I have a couple buddies coming over, I'm sure they'd love to meet you." He takes a drink of his beer. No, no, no. Nothing ever good happens with his friends.

"Okay." I don't look at him, I just walk out, and out to Calum's car.

"Hey, how are you?" He asks, looking at the purple mark on my neck.

"Fine." I whisper, staring at my hands. He just looks at me for couple seconds, and without saying anything more, starts driving. I look out the window, picturing my death. Well, why shouldn't I? I'll probably be dead at the end of the week anyways. "You should go to that party."

"What?"

"I know you're not going because of me." I pause. "You should go."

"What if-"

"I die." I mumble.

"W-Well I was gonna say what if something happens, b-but do you think you'll actually-"

"I'm certain of it." I look at him, tears sitting in my eyes.

"Can't we call CPS or something?" I shake my head.

"It'll get worse." I sniff. He stops the car, and I wipe my eyes. I'm about to get out, when he grabs my arm. I flinch. He looks like he's about to say something meaningful, when he lets go of my arm.

"Nothing." He says, and we get out of the car. We walk to everyone else, and while he talks to them, I just stare intently at the ground.

MICHAEL'S POINT OF VIEW

How the hell am I supposed to tell Morgan I love her?! DO I even love her?!

I see Luke staring - like, staring - at Morgan, and... I don't know what this is. Jealousy? I kinda just flick the back of Luke's neck, and he flinches - FLINCHES, HE FLINCHES. HAHA, WHAT A WIMP - and looks at me like I'm crazy. I just shrug.

MORGAN'S POINT OF VIEW

DID YOU SEE THAT? IT WASN'T JUST ME, RIGHT? MICHAEL SO JUST GOT JEALOUS.

CALLIE'S POINT OF VIEW

When the long, blurry day is done with, and I'm sitting in Calum's car, he locks the doors.

"What are you doing?" I ask flatly.

"What are you not telling me?" He asks.

"What?"

"All day, you've been acting worse and worse than you have been." Calum explains.

I roll my eyes. "Jonathan is just... Having a couple friends over." I shrug. I immediately regret telling him though, because I forgot he knows the shit I have to go through when they've been here.

He nods, looks out his window, then back at me. "Do you want to stay at my house?"

I shake my head. "He said to be home right after school."

"So? Blow it off." He shrugs.

I just look at him. "You know I can't do that."

"Callie, you said it yourself, he could literally beat you to death. Now you want to be around his friends?"

"I don't WANT to Calum, I just-" I take a deep breath."I just don't think it'll get better if I do the wrong thing.."

"I thought you were done doing the right thing?" Calum questions. I don't say anything. "If you hate what's happening so much, just fight back."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I already tried that five years ago, and the outcome? My mom is dead." I snap. He looks at me with sad eyes.

"Callie." He pauses, looking at the gash in my lip, then looking at all the marks on my face. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Something already DID happen to me." I huff. He bites his lip, not saying anything. "Can I go now?"

"What if- what if something else happens." He says quietly.

I shrug. "I've been through a lot. I think I can handle it."

He bites his lip again, his teeth slowly scraping over. Oh damn.

CALUM'S POINT OF VIEW

She looks so sad and helpless. I've only ever seen her like this two times in the entirety of knowing each other, and she had good reasons. She's usually so reckless and confident. Now, she's sitting in front of me, purple, brown, and blue bruises covering her face and neck, a scratch on her cheek, and a cut turning into a scab on her lip, and her eyes glossy like she needs to cry. She isn't okay. It's so obvious she's trying to scream out for help, I don't understand why when someone offers it she says she's fine. She's always been like this, actually, it's part of her independence. It's like Callie thinks if she accepts help, she's less than the person or something.

I bite my lip, scraping my teeth over it. Her eyes fall to my lip, and lust immediately appears on her face.

How badly I want to tell her I love her right now, is ridiculous. I unlock the doors. She smiles weakly at me, and walks over to her house. I huff, and rest my head on the steering wheel.

"Please let her be okay." I whisper, my eyes closed.

ASHTON'S POINT OF VIEW

"I don't know, Jess, I just don't think I'm in the position to be in a relationship right now." I lie.

She frowns. "Okay. Erm." She looks at the floor.

"Sorry.."

"No, it's okay." She shrugs, "I get it."

SARA'S POINT OF VIEW

I slide the brush of white nail polish on my nail, when my phone rings, and I flinch, getting nail polish on my finger.

"Fuck." I mutter, and reach for my phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Luke." Luke says. I nod, then remember he can't see me.

"What's up?"

"I think we might've been wrong about Callie and Calum."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they've both been single for a while now, and they aren't dating yet." He says.

"Or they just aren't telling anyone. It's not like Callie needs more drama."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that she's probably scared of her dad more than ever now, since he killed her mom." Oops.

"What?!" I hear him yell. Shit, shit, shit. I don't say anything. "Sara. Tell me now."

"She told me not to though."

"Yeah, well, you told her not to do anything with Calum and she did anyways." He points out. I sigh.

"In fifth grade,"

CALLIE'S POINT OF VIEW

It's like midnight when his friends are still here. I'm sitting in my dark room, on my phone, trying to get my mind off of all of it.

I hear the knob on the door jiggle, and my heart starts pounding. I mean, I locked the door, but it still scares me.

"Jon, it won't open." I hear a male voice say.

"Tell her to open it then, if you really want some." He says, annoyance in his tone, then he and his other friend laugh. W-Want some? I sit there, listening to the knob turn into pounds, before realizing how idiotic I'm being. I stuff my phone in my pocket, and open the window as quietly as I can. I climb out, and run as fast as I can over to Calum's house. I pound on the door, whether his parents are sleeping or not, I don't care. A couple minutes of fear later, and he opens the door, his hair all messed up, and his eyes puffy. He's shirtless (hot damn, am I right?), wearing only a pair of low hanging gray sweatpants. D-A-M-N.

"Are you okay?" Is the first thing he says. I shake my head. He doesn't bother asking more, he just opens the door more for me to walk in, and then shuts it, locking it again. He just looks at me, like I should be speaking. Oh, right.

"I think. Um." I cross my arms. "I think one of his friends was going to try and... Rape me?"

"You're staying here, at least for tonight." He commands.

"But what if-"

"Callie, a lot of shit has gone down with us, but you're my best friend first, and there is no way in hell I'm letting you go back there tonight. Now come on." He says confidently, leading me up the stairs to his room. I know this is just terrible timing, but god I love when he gets all bossy. I mumble an okay. We used to do this a lot in fifth grade, when things are the worst with my family, so there isn't any awkwardness.

He gets under the blankets of his bed, and I do the same. I go back to my phone.

Luke: your dad killed your mom??

I freeze.

"Uh. Calum?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you tell Luke about my mom?"

"No. Why?"

"Er. He knows."

"Do you think Sara told him?" He asks.

She fucking better not have.

Notes