"Somebody catch my breath. I wanna be known by you..."

___

Royce wakes up the next morning to her alarm.

It's 7:15, and the hook of Beyoncé's 'Pretty Hurts' is playing through the speakers next to her bed.

And Royce groans.

But, her eyes instantly widen because as she groans, someone else groans.

A boy groans.

A.

Boy.

Groans.

Next.

To.

Royce.

She blinks, as Beyoncé continues to sing.

She remembers, as she reaches for her alarm and shuts it off.

Calum spent the night.

She can feel his warm breath on her neck, hand still hooked around her waist. It's early and she's sleepy, but she also has school.

She turns to face him, and she's met by his closed eyelids and even breaths and slight pout.

She finds herself grinning, as she props herself upon her elbow and shakes him.

"Calum," she whispers. "Calum, get up," she says softly, because her brother and sister will be waking up and getting ready now, too. "Calum," she grins as his brows furrow.

"What?" He groans.

"C'mon, Cal," she whispers. "You've got to get up."

He cracks an eyelid.

And finds Royce.

She's grinning at him, her long hair over face as she gently lifts her hand from his arm.

His heart starts beating fast -- too fast for morning.

"You slept through my alarm."

"Yeah..." He frowns, rolling over. "Shit...What time s'it?"

"Like," Royce grabs her phone. "Seven-twenty."

"Fuck," he groans, hands on his face. "It's early as shit."

"Not really," Royce sings, throwing the covers from the two of them. "And," she turns, rising from bed, "how the hell are you going to get to school, Mr. My-License-Is-Suspended?"

And she frowns. "How'd you get here last night, anyway?"

"Michael dropped me," he replies, although that was kind of a lie because Michael dropped him a few blocks away and he walked so not to be teased. And he sits up in bed. "Why?"

She shrugs, walking towards her closet. "No reason."

And she searches for a clean skirt and shirt. "But, really. How're you getting to school, today?"

"I-" Calum falters. "Shit."

She tosses her clothes beside him on the bed. He's got his face in his hands and he looks kinda stressed...and pretty hungover.

Royce stands, hands on her hips. She's got to shower and change, but she's also got to get this boy out of her house without anyone being suspicious.

"Need a ride?"

Calum looks up at once. "Huh?"

"Need a--"

"No, no," he shakes his head, "I mean, like..." He pauses. "Paige drops you off."

Royce shrugs. "My mom doesn't work on Fridays. I can borrow her car."

"Yeah?"

She nods.

"I've like..." He rubs his hand across his neck, "I've gotta shower and shit, though..."

"Yeah, obviously."

He rolls his eyes. "You're not gonna make Calc on time."

"Yeah," Royce nods, a smile playing upon her lips. "I know."

He hikes a brow. "And you're like, okay with that?"

"I mean..." She shrugs, rushing to the door. "What other choice do you have?"

To that, he nods.

"I'll be back, okay?"

Calum nods, because what did she do with the Royce Greene he knew who couldn't miss class?

"'Kay," she nods, pulling her lip between her teeth. "Be right back."

And Calum waits in the bedroom, screwing his fist against his tired eyes as he waits for Royce to--

The door opens.

"Good news," she says, "I got the ca-"

"Royce!"

She halts, pulling up the door as Calum freezes on the bed.

There's no mistaking that voice.

And it isn't his favorite Greene, Tobe.

It's Paige.

"What're you doing still in pajamas, Poppy? C'mon, girl. We've gotta go."

"Oh," Royce chuckles. "I'm taking Mom's car today," she says. "I've gotta pick up something before school, and I'm already running late, so..."

And Paige nods. "Okay," she smiles. "See you later, then."

"Yes, ma'am."

Paige rolls her eyes playfully, uniform skirt swishing as she jogs to the stairs.

"Don't forget," she calls, and Calum can hear everything from inside the bedroom, "about our dates tonight! The boys'll be here to pick us up at seven."

Royce forces a smile. She shoots her sister a thumbs-up. "Wouldn't miss it, Paigey."

And Paige grins happily. "See you at school, Pops," and she turns, jogging down the stairs and yelling, "Tobe, c'mon, let's go!!"

Royce only sighs, turning back into her bedroom and closing the door.

Calum is standing, leaning against her desk with folded arms.

"That's it."

Royce looks up from her shoes on the floor. "What's it?"

"Your new name for my phone," he smirks. "Can't wait to put you in my phone as Pops."
___
It's 8:10 when Royce sits on the edge of Calum's bed and waits for him to get out of the shower.

She can hear music playing, All Time Low, actually, and Royce is humming along as the texts start coming.

Kenn: Imma be late to this class today so...

Royce texts her back.

Roycie G: sameee

Her phone buzzes again.

And again.

And again.

Kenn: good

Paigey: lemme know when you get here mmk?

Tobe: you good fam?

Chris: call me roycie bc what I have to tell you is gonna piss you off to read through text

And Royce pauses momentarily, debating whether or not she should just get this shit over with with Chris and call him back, now, but she can hear Calum's song change over the rushing water and she pauses because one, she loves this song and two, Calum is singing to it.

He's singing to it and Royce stops and locks her phone and listens.

"I lost my way
Oh baby this stray heart
Went to another
Can you recover baby?
Oh you're the only one that I'm dreamin' of
Your precious heart
Was torn apart by me and you..."

And Royce has her teeth clamped on her bottom lip.

She's smiling.

Like, she's smiling so big because the voice coming from the bathroom is...

Royce turns to her phone.

She's still smiling.

"Oh my god...Calum..."

By the time Calum steps from the bathroom, he's got on a towel and water is dripping from his hair, but his music is still on and Royce is sprawled out across his bed, flipping through something on her phone.

She's laid out, tucked against his pillows and for a moment his thoughts skip to all the times she'd been there before when they'd snuck back to his place for a quickie during lunch or free period or after school. It's weird and it's funny and it's mostly weird, though, because now, as he stares at her, watching her lounge upon his bed, it's like he isn't even thinking about wanting her for the sex. It's like he felt when she'd shown up to bail him out of jail. Like, he wanted a long hug and a kiss and to play with her hair.

That was so creepy, he thinks. God.

She's singing to his music, like she hasn't realized that he's standing there in the doorway of the bathroom, staring at her.

Her voice is low and sultry and Calum didn't know she sang.

"No time to search the world around
'Cause you know where I'll be found..."

He joins in:

"When I come around."

Royce looks up at once.

"When did you--?"

"I keep forgetting you like Green Day."

She nods, willing herself to stare at his face and not the hard lines of his chest and abs and arms. "Why's that so hard to remember?"

He shrugs, stepping into some boxers and flinging his towel onto a nearby chair. "Everything about you surprises me," he turns, ducking his head, "I guess..."

Royce watches him curiously. "Oh," she says.

Calum take a greater interest in searching for a clean uniform. "Yeah."

And the song goes off, and Royce turns back to her phone. It's like, 8:30 by now and she knows good and well that she's going to miss all of AP Calc.

As the next track plays, Royce looks up, her brown eyes trailing Calum's movement as he paces back and forth in his bedroom.

"I thought you didn't have this song," she says, eyes bright all of a sudden. "Remember?"

Calum nods, pulling a shirt over his head because he feels the warmth spreading up his neck. "I..." He nods again, as Yellowcard's 'Light Up the Sky' plays through the speakers on his phone. He'd bought the album after she said she liked it, all the way at the beginning of the semester, and he'd kind of been hooked, "Yeah."

Royce is smiling at him. "Told you this was their best song."

He smirks. "Still not as good as--"

"Shh," Royce grins. "Just save it. I already can tell you're lying."

He chuckles, turning away as he slips into his black skinny jeans.

And this time, the silence that settles in the room isn't awkward like it had been all morning. It's like, kind of comfortable, Royce thinks. It's nice.

It's fine.

She's fine.

Honestly, she thinks, as she scrolls through Instagram as Calum finishes getting dressed, she could stay like this all day, curled up against his pillows...

"Hey, uh..." He rubs his neck, "Royce?"

Royce pauses, looking up from the last picture Tobe put on the 'Gram. "Huh?"

Calum opens his mouth and closes it, only for him to open it again.

She giggles. "You look like Tobe's beta fish."

Calum can feel the warmth spread up his cheeks.

"For the record, I didn't have sex with her."

Royce's heart starts beating, brows pinching. "What? With who, Calum?"

"That girl..." He shakes his head, inhaling sharply. "That night...When I told you I--"

"Fucked that other chick?" Her eyebrow arches immediately, and she sits up, less comfortable all of a sudden. "Yeah," she nods. "How could I forget."

Calum winces, watching as she crawls to the edge of his bed and searches for her shoes.

He crosses the floor, approaching her. "Wait, Royce, wait," he says.

She turns to him, staring at him through angry, narrowed eyes. "What, Calum?"

"Royce," he says, bending at the waist and placing both hands on either side of her thighs, "that day in the hall, I lied, okay? I didn't have sex with that girl like I'd said, I--"

She snorts. "I know. You lied. Yeah," she rolls her eyes. "When aren't you lying to me?"

"But, this is me being honest," he says, gaze wide as he follows her glare, trying now to get her to look at him. "Please? C'mon, Royce, please?" He begs. "Please, Royce? Ask me."

She sighs. "Ask you, what?"

"What happened," he replies. "Ask me what happened that night. Remember? Remember we were texting? Remember how you called me?"

Royce absolutely remembers.

She frowns. "Why should I?"

"Because," he implores, repeating himself, "this is me being honest," and Royce turns and Calum's heart sinks. "Don't you want to hear the truth?"

Royce isn't so sure she does, but she shakes her head.

She sighs loudly, wondering how her good mood seemed to dissipate so fast. "What happened, Calum?"

"I," he pauses, "I was drunk on some shit, and..."

He licks his lips as Royce rolls her eyes. "Right. What's new?"

"...and," he forges on, "and there was this weird chick, and she came onto me and..."

Calum decides to leave out the part where Camila also hung up on her, because, well, he was already in shit.

"I mean, she started to jack me off but I stopped her. Like, I told her I'd had too much to drink, and I wouldn't get hard, and honestly, if she kept going I would'a probably thrown up on her face..."

Royce folds her arms, shrugging as if these details aren't bothering her. "What's this got to do with-"

"She thought I had a girlfriend," he adds quickly, not knowing why he's chosen to tell her that, exactly, but also not wanting her to be mad at him still. "She uh...she thought you were my girlfriend."

Royce lifts a brow. "How'd I even come up?"

"I-" Calum falters, eyes falling to the floor. "I called her Royce." 

She chokes. "What?"

"I, uh..." He murmurs, "I called her your name."

Royce is silent.

"What?"

He gulps, Adam's apple bobbing. "Yeah, I..." He shakes his head as that weird, hazy night comes back to him.

With Camila in his lap.

And both of them in the tub.

"Kinda turned her off," he blushes furiously. "Y'know?"

And Royce shakes her head, staring out into the space of Calum's room.

She's in shock.

She almost doesn't believe him, but he's blushing a bright red and she can't help but think he's actually telling the truth.

Calum? Calling some other chick her name? Right before...Royce's eyes are wide and her mouth is open in a perfect 'o' because she's staring at Calum, now, eyes bright and full of mirth again and she is too shocked.

She punches his shoulder.

"Ow! Royce!" He exclaims, rubbing his arm. "Shit--"

"Shut the fuck up."

Calum's eyes snap to hers. "What? Why?"

She's frozen, smiling. "You--Calum, shut the hell up, you didn't."

"I..." He's frowning, because that wasn't exactly the reaction he was expecting. "I mean..."

And Royce begins to laugh.

She's laughing, still staring at him with her mouth frozen in a wide, open-mouthed smile, and her eyes close and she clutches her chest and Calum thinks back to that night he drove her home from that party and she was drunk as shit and wouldn't let him see her phone.

She's laughing, and Calum kind of can't help the smile spreading slowly on his face because she's laughing, and all the tension in his room seems to have dissolved, and even though she's kind of laughing at him, he'll take it.

At least she doesn't hate him.

He pushes her lightly, and she falls back upon his bed.

"Shut up, Poppy."

"Not okay," she gasps, staring up at him. "That was a low blow."

He shrugs. "I play dirty," and he rubs at his arm. "God, why the fuck'd you punch me?"

She attempts to sit back up, and he only pushes her back down.

Her hair splays across his bedding as she scowls. "For lying, asshole."

He pauses, staring down at her on his bed. "I guess I deserve that."

Royce pushes herself back up. "You guess?"

He opens his mouth to respond and quickly closes it. Instead, he continues to watch her, his brown eyes narrowed, head cocked sideways.

And she stares back at him.

Calum fights the smile breaking through his lips. "We should go," he whispers, and he reaches forward and squeezes her cheeks. "Don't want my little Poppy to be late, do I?"

"Ha ha," she replies, slapping his hand away. "Shut up."

And Calum laughs, grabbing his things and watching discreetly as she slips back into her shoes and picks up her phone.

She smooths her skirt, meeting him at the bedroom door.

He's got his backpack slung over his shoulder, and he's leaning against the frame with that same lidded look.

Royce shakes her head. "What?"

Calum only shakes his head. "You're wrong, y'know," he says, turning to leave the bedroom.

Royce follows behind him and down the hall.

"Wrong about what?"

"Yellowcard," he replies simply, pausing for her to catch up so he can reach without warning and slip his hand into hers.

She stares down at their interlocked fingers. "What about them?"

"Their best song," he replies, rubbing small circles upon her skin with his thumb. He grabs his keys with the other hand. "It's not 'Light Up the Sky,'" he says, "It's 'Only One,'" he snorts. "I thought you had better taste, Royce."

"Oh yeah?" Royce asks, as he leads her outside, locking up his house.

"Yeah."

They head towards Royce's mom's car, and Royce tips her head, scrunching her nose to stare up at him.

"Sing it for me, then."

Calum laughs, leading her to the driver's side and opening her door.

"Sing it for you?" He asks.

"Yeah," Royce replies, sliding behind the wheel. "Prove it to me, Cal. I wanna hear how good it is."

He points his laugh towards the foggy grey sky.

He drums his fingers upon the hood of the car.

"Maybe some other time," he grins.

She cocks her head. "Maybe?"

He nods, before walking around the hood and sliding into the passenger side.

"Maybe."

___

"Welcome," Kennedy grins mischievously as she and Royce sit beside Lola at a table in the cafeteria, "to the Dark Side."

Lola looks up from her copy of Seventeen and her salad. "Que?"

"I saw you with Ashton," Kennedy smiles smugly. "We all saw you flirting mad heavy with him last night."

Lola shrugs. "So?" She flips nonchalantly through her magazine and snorts, "You know I've got a thing for man buns."

But, as Royce and Kennedy continue to smile between themselves, Lola lifts her bright eyes to her friends. "Anyway," she says, "What about him?"

Kennedy scoffs. "As if you aren't into him."

"As if you aren't all over Luke," Lola replies, eyes falling back to her article. She laughs, "I thought you two didn't have anything going on, Kenn."

"We don't. And do not turn this around on me!"

"Puh-lease, girlfriend," Lola snorts, still flipping through the magazine. "I've got eyes. I knew you liked him, I just didn't know you were practically dating."

"Dating?" Kennedy scoffs, as Royce sits back and looks between her friends, amusement evident in her eyes.

This is why Royce didn't tell her friends shit about her and Calum.

"I am not dating Luke Hemmings."

"Yet," Lola sniffs. "'Cause I'm wrong--Actually, you two act like a married couple, already."

Kennedy laughs out of shock. "Lola!"

"Look," she closes the magazine, "Is Ashton hot? Yes. Am I attracted to him? Absolutely. Would I do him? In a heartbeat. Do I want to get involved with a boy I know has fucked a shit ton of girls like me?" Lola taps her chin. "Hmm...Is that even a question?"

And she rolls her eyes, scoffing loudly. "I broke shit off with Harry, remember? What makes you two think I wanna be fucked over by Ashton?"

"I heard the two of you were gonna 'hang out,'" Royce adds, jumping in, now with the facts and the air quotes. She lifts a brow. "Isn't that what you told him last night?"

Lola rolls her eyes. "I say a ton of shit I don't mean."

"Really? 'Cause it sounded like you meant it last night."

"C'mon, Royce," she sighs. "I told Perrie her makeup looked good this morning. Sometimes, you lie to spare people's feelings."

___

"Going out tonight, ladies?"

The girls turn from the conversation they're having in front of the cars parked in the lot.

It's Ashton, and he's with Luke and Calum and they're waiting for Michael so he can drop them all off and he can return his mom's sedan.

Lola and Kennedy shake their heads, and Calum is staring at Royce, leaning against her and her mom's car.

Luke lifts a brow. "You going out tonight, Royce?"

Kennedy grins with a nod. "Without us."

Lola grins. "'Cause of your date."

And Luke and Ashton both fall into conversation about Royce with Lola and Kennedy, and she's just shy of saying, "Remember, I'm right here," when Calum tugs on her hair.

"Have fun," he says impassively, before tugging on her hair again. "Or not."

She snorts. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You'll probably want to kill yourself," he shrugs, "I hate to break it to ya."

She rolls her eyes. "You are the very definition of 'extra.'"

"Fun," he adds, before he leans close enough for her to feel his lips on her ear, "Call me tonight, though," he whispers, righting himself. "'Cause your date's gonna be shit."

And Royce folds her arms as Calum smiles cutely back at her.

"Sorry, Roycie," he says before she can respond. "The truth fucking sucks."

Just like her date.

And he was gonna make sure of it.

___

have i used this gif before? because if i have, i'll probably use it again hehe.

calum's about to crash this date y'all

also songs they sing are 'stray heart' and 'when i come around' by green day fyi. who could tell tho?
Let's see how long i can keep these updates rolling.

goner || twenty-one pilots