Chapter Seventeen: Family Meeting aka Sabotage the Do

I sat feeling nauseous like I was about to vomit my heart out as it thumps loudly inside my chest. I am here, right now, sat inside the Hood's Residences, awkwardly trying not to bite my nails.

Calum was sat beside me, he wasn't even paying any attention when mother and I arrived their not so humble home. His mother was really nice but intimidating but she was kind to me. His father was not much of a talker, he just stares a lot which creeps me out. His mother was doing all the talking.

"So, Tatum. I hope you like salad, I made them especially for you. I am pretty proud of my cooking so I hope you try some and enjoy it." Mrs. Hood exclaimed smiling in my direction,

"Oh Joy, you didnt have to bother yourself, my Tatum loves salad so much, I am pretty much sure that she will infact enjoy it!" My mother butts in before I had the chance to blink my eyes and answer.

"Its not that big of a deal." Mrs. Hood answers.

Mr. Hood havent stopped staring at me since the moment we arrived their house. Its been almost an hour and he looks at me like I am some meat. I am so uncomfortable.

"Tatum-" Mr. Hood starts, "belated happy birthday, sorry my wife and I didnt got the chance to celebrate your birthday with you, we were busy that day with all the work we are having in our company. It was very rude of us not to have come." He finishes after drinking half of the red wine that was in his glass.

"That's fine, Sir. I am sure I will have more birth days to come where you can attend to." I simply say. I dont even know these people, were definately not even close with each other, I dont think I have fucks to give weither they attended my party or not. This is the first time I am meeting them for fucks sake! Why does he have to say something like we have known each other's families for years?

My mother looked at me like she was so proud of how polite I am today, that I didnt even ask her or beg her not to take me here this morning. She doesnt even know what is about to come but nor do I.

I looked my way towards Calum who was still busy scrolling with his phone.

I tapped my heels repeatedly on the floor, getting impatient and still waiting on Calum to do what he is about to do just to sabotagge whats going to happen.

The adults continued making their talk, arguing about the things for the wedding.

I didnt listen to what they were saying, Im very sure I am not interested with their fucked up opinion about the arranged marraige. I never wanted this marriage anyway.

"Calum" I whisper, nudging him by the knee with my leg.

He didnt flinch, not even look at me, he ignored my presence.

What the actual fuck?!

I rolled my eyes, I peeped thru his phone to see what he was doing.

Twitter.

Fuck, seriously? Who the heck uses twitter? Is he gay?!

Without hesitation I grabbed my phone from my purse and started typing in my passcode, hiding it under the table since my mother cannot know about me having a gadget. In just a few moments, I was already waiting for my phone to successfully install the application.

I peeked again on his phone only to see his @ name.

@yaboicalum96

I almost choked on the water that I was drinking, coughing like a dog.

All eyes from the adults and maids were on me.

"Im fine dont worry." I exclaimed trying so hard for them to ignore me.

"Are you okay?" Mrs. Hood asked,

I nodded more than I can count.

After thousand more of reassuring words that Im okay, that Im fine, they finally cut me some slack; just in time that the application got finally installed in my phone.

I opened it and signed up.

Username? I dont even know what username is good!

I rolled my eyes and just went with it.

@Tatum_Mxlory

It didnt look that bad.

Once I got signed it and followed a few celebrities that I have never heard off, I started tweeting.

@Tatum_Mxlory: @yaboicalum96 whAT THE HELL IS FUCKING WRONG WITH YOU?! WHATVR U HAVE TO DO TO STOP THIS, DO IT!

Fuck, I hate this 140 characters only shit, I wanted to type more and nag him but I couldnt, it wont fit in!

I decided to send him the tweet.

After a few moments my phone vibrated on my hand, I had a notification.

@yaboicalum96: @Tatum_Mxlory can you chill? Im just waiting for a certain moment! *devil emoji* *smirking emoji*

I replied, @Tatum_Mxlory: @yaboicalum96 do you think that this is a game? have you not paid any attention? theyre already talking about churches!!

I seriously want to strunggle him. He's just sitting beside me, poker faced.

@yaboicalum96: @Tatum_Mxlory what Im about to do might get myself to jail. Im going to kidnap you ;) x.

WHAT?

Before I was given a chance to answer, he stood up and grabbed my hand.

"Where do you think you are going?" His father asks,

"I think its none of your fucking business" He smirked and my eyes widened at his foul words, my mother looked shoked as hell and Mrs. Hood looked like she was about to collapse on the floor.

He dragged me out of the dining hall and into the parking lot.

"Calum, stop! youre hurting me!" I exclaimed almost our of breath.

"You said you wanted to stop this fucking marriage, right? you've been pestering me all day, giving me looks and even created a twitter account to even stalk me! you wanted this to end and now that we're here you want to stop?!" He shouted furiously.

"Calum I-"

"You dont know shit! You dont know shit, Tatum!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I fucking hate myself!" He was trying to pull his dark hair out, kicking on the grubble under his feet.

I held on him, trying my best to stop him.

"What's going on with you?!" I asked, my voice worried about him.

"Cassie and I broke up, I told her about this fucking engagement. She didnt take it well." He was almost sobbing.

"Oh, Calum" I pitied him, I wrapped my arms around him.

"I love her so much, I dont know what to do. I tried explaining things to her but she wouldnt listen, I cant deal with anything right now." His cheeks were now stained with tears.

I've never seen a boy cry before, I've never been this close to a guy either.

What are you saying you havent been this close to a guy before? what about the things you do with Mr. Hemmings-isnt that more...

SHUT THE FUCK UP!

I hate my subconsious, this is not a time to be a bitch to me, things with Luke are different, it wasnt this affectionate, it was full of lust.

Not that I mean Im affectionate with Calum, ugh fuck..all Im saying is that I have no feelings for Calum. I just feel pity towards him, he's still an asshole.

"Calum!" A deep manly voice called out to us, it was Mr. Hood. No doubt.

"Shit!" Calum mumbled before grabbing me by the wrist again, "C'mon!" He dragged me towards his car.

"I will disown you once you start the car!" His father's voice was so angry.

Calum opened the passenger door for me before running to the other side of his car and climbing in, starting the engine.

"Calum, where are we going?" I asked as I panickly wore my seatbelts.

"This is a stressful, depressing day for the both of us. We might as well get drunk and be friends." He exclaimed before speeding off.

After an hour of Calum driving and me spacing out of the window, it was now just 15 minutes after sunset and we arrived this ghastly club full of girls almost wearing nothing but their underwear and bras and their ridiculously high, very high heels and pantyhoses.

"Calum, why are we in a strip club?" I asked whispering, a little bit anxious and scared. This is my first time to be in a place like this, lets say I just dont go out much.

"I told you were going to have fun and trust me, this place is relaxing." He answered trying to untighten his tie.

Relaxing? How is this place relaxing? the only place I know which is relaxing is the SPA if not the SPA then the cemetery since its quite there and the breeze is fresh. I dont really get this guy, I swear to god if he wasnt breaking down in front of me hours ago I couldve threw a fit, right here, right now.

We walked right through the front door pass the two huge bouncers and I swear I know and I can feel that everyone's eyes were on me because of how underdressed I am.

I was wearing a white tube laced dress that was just right above my knee and a simple gold necklace to accessorize my look. I was dressed for an engagement meeting not a stripper club. The people in here is most likely showing almost every part of their skin they have in their body. It was totally inappropriate to dress like that in public, well that is what my mother say.

"Here-" Calum exclaimed and I obliged looking at him as he help me sit on the bar stool.

"I'd like a bourbon, please?" He exclaimed looking at the bartender who was busy opening three bottles of beers.

The bartender looked at him with a bored expression and handed him a glass with three ice in it and filling half of it with the pungent liquid.

"How about you, ma'am what would you like to drink?" He asks me.

"I would like coke, if you have any?"

"As a matter of fact we do," The bartender's green eyes lit up as he stares at me.

"Thanks." I muttered as he handed me a can of coke and a glass with a lot of ice and a straw.

"He likes you." Calum exclaimed taking a sip on his glass whilst he stare at me.

"He doesnt," I rolled my eyes trying my best not to spill some coke on the counter as I pour some in my glass.

"He does, he's obviously hitting on you"

"Shut up, he doesnt."

"Look here," He pushed his glass of alcohol towards me, "I only have three ice in my bourbon while you have like more than 10 in your glass and my drink is more expensive than yours."

I laughed at how silly our conversation became, "You talk to much you know that?" I rolled my eyes and tried to look at my ambiance.

There was a pole in the middle of the bar and a half naked girl was dancing, more like humping the cold metal, as older men watched her like she was some piece of meat.

I looked away, feeling a little flushed.

"Do you always go here?" I asked facing back to Calum.

Might as well just talk to him rather than looking around and be corrupted by the inappropriateness of this place.

"Nah, this is my first time in this place, I think. I dont know. Maybe I already went here once but I was just you know..too drunk to remember." He finished his glass and ordered another one. "You sure youre just drinking coke? its a wonderful night to have some fun since all of this bullshit is happening to us."

"I dont really drink." I muttered,

"Well, there is a first about everything right?" he tries to hand me the new glass of alcohol he just asked for.

At first, I was hesitatnt but when I smelled the liquid it felt like it was luring me to drink it so I did. The cold but stingy liquid went down as I drink it making my throat and stomach feel like it was burning. It hurts a little but it felt good. I felt so rebellious and badass.

"You like it?" he asked amused.

I nodded, "Yeah but, is there something you know..a little less stingy, I mean strong?"

"You drink beer?"

I shook my head.

"Vodka?"

"I dont even know what that is."

He started laughing, "Well, its one of the best and I think you could use a lot of vodka right now."

"Uh-" Before I could even speak he cut me off by calling the bartender.

"Can you get this lady some sour cherry vodka?" He asks and in just a jiffy the bartender came back holding a tall glass that looks like a glass where scientist put their chemicals when experimenting but the only difference is that there was this cute mini umbrella that was attached to a cherry that was inside the glass.

"Here, lets make a toast" Calum laughs, "To our horrible famly, life and injured heart."

"Cheers!" I exclaimed giggling as we gently hit our glass.

4 glasses of sour cherry vodka, some tequila shots and cigarettes later everything started to make sense besides the fact that the room is spinning and Calum looked like he has three brothers behind him and the colorful disco light all over the place is not helping my vision and I am definetly hallucinating things. I realized how shitty life could be.

"So, where did you meet Cassidy?" I slurred,

"Its Cassie not Cassidy" Calum exclaimed laughing as he raise his glass high, I dont even know what he was doing but it looks fun so I raised my glass as well.

"Whatever, tomato potato" I laughed,

"What?"

"I said where did you first meet Cassidy?"

"I said her name is Cassie not Cassidy!"

I laughed and he looked at me, "I met her in a coffee shop she works at. I was drunk well, sober and I didnt want to come home, I needed something to remove my hangover so yeah, she helped me out and thats when it happened, I fell for her. I shouldnt have but I know I had to and now...everything doesnt make sense again, for me atleast. I wasnt really supposed to be the guy she fells inlove with. Im no good for her. She's better off without me." He stared at his glass as he tilts it every now and then to play with the ice that was in it, "What about you though? Who gave you the hickey I saw?"

"You dont know him, and you might get the wrong idea." I exclaimed,

"Well, can we just pretend that we dont hate each other just for tonight and be open minded about things? I fucking told you everything about me and well I cried infront of you, I feel so fucking used" He laughed, "Wait, hold that thought, I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back just stay here." He stood up from his chair trying so hard to make his way towards the bathroom across the place.

I looked at him as he dissappear and I drank the last drop of vodka from my glass before standing up, I need air.

But Calum said that you should stay put! My subconsious was trying to be active as ever.

I rolled my eyes at the thought and still stood up.

Before I could even take a step everything went black and that was the last thing I remembered.