•Cassidy

I slipped through the front door of Calum's house to exit it quietly, hoping not to wake anyone else up. Although this sneaking around thing is kind of fun, I was actually nervous about getting caught and the consequences that would follow.

The cool air tickled against my face as soon as I hit the outdoors, making a shiver climb up my spine. It was approaching midnight, but I was wide awake since my internal body clock had been tampered with.

I went inside my home momentarily in order to grab the keys to my car that I always kept in the garage. Driving was one of my favorite pastimes. For some reason I found the roar of the tires against the paved roads to be a soothing sound and it always helped relax me.

My butt planted itself in the driver's seat, which felt odd since I've been used to driving in America, and I twisted the key into the ignition. My palms gripped tightly onto the leather steering wheel as I placed the vehicle and reverse and backed out of my driveway.

The neighborhood presented the same picturesque feel that I always admired. Everyone had kept up with their landscaping and the houses were still painted the same colors that I recalled. Visions of myself as a child running down those sidewalks filled my brain with every mile I drove.

I finally parked at the diner that I used to always eat at, since I was growing hungry and this was the only place that was open. The fluorescent lighting of the "open" sign was flickering and their seemed to be only one cluster of customers huddled into the booth in the back.

A bell hanging from the ceiling chimed as I took a step into the lonely diner. All heads turned towards me in an instant, with several of those people curled up in the booth whipping out their phones to take a picture of me. I sucked in a deep breath, suddenly regretting my decision of stopping to eat so late at night without any bit of security nearby.

"Hi Cassidy! Are you back in Sydney?" The hostess asked as she clutched onto the laminate menus. She chuckled nervously. "I mean, obviously you are since you are here. But, I uh, I meant like I didn't know you were coming back."

Typically when I would come home I would try to stay as under the radar as possible. I appreciated the fact that so many of the natives here knew who I was and were proud that someone in their community had became successful, but I really only wanted to spend time with my family and some friends.

I smiled at her sweetly. "Yeah, I came home for a little bit."

"Awesome," She replied quickly, grinning up at me with awe. "You can sit in this booth right here, if you'd like?"

I nodded, sliding into the cushioned seat and grasping the menu as the hostess handed it to me. I scanned over the page for barely a second before instantly knowing my choice. I was craving scrambled eggs and bacon, and that was exactly what I intended on getting.

As I waited for someone to take my order, my phone buzzed with a new message, which thankfully pulled me out of my dreary state of sitting alone.

To: goldilocks- parents are asleep now. come over

To: Cal- they were asleep last time too

To: goldilocks- sassy cassie strikes again

To: goldilocks- please come over baby i can't sleep without you

To: Cal- i'm at the diner right now :(

To: goldilocks- wtf it's late come home

To: Cal- i wanted eggs

To: goldilocks- i'll make you some if you come over

To: Cal- calum you burned eggs last time you cooked them

To: goldilocks- cass just please go home i don't like you out this late alone

To: Cal- calum i'm fine we went to the diner this late when we were kids

To: goldilocks- yes but we were together & that was before you were famous

To: Cal- i'm just getting my eggs and then leaving

To: goldilocks- fine. be careful cassidy

To: Cal- okay cutie

To: goldilocks- stop i'm blushing

I put my phone away after reading his last message. The waitress scurried over to me suddenly and I explained my order to her as she jotted it down onto a piece of paper. I waited several minutes until my eggs were prepared, then they were sent over to my table, along with a glass of water.

I scarfed down the eggs quickly and nibbled away at the strips of bacon. It cured the rumbling in my stomach, but I still felt incredibly awake. Maybe I would need to sleep over at Calum's and risk getting caught.

I paid the bill, leaving a nice tip on the light blue colored table top. The bell jingled again as I exited the painfully quiet diner.

As I was walking back towards my car, I could hear loud screams coming from behind the building. My curiosity got the best of me and I tip-toed over to the alleyway to get a glimpse of what was happening.

One man, dressed in all black with a knitted hat on the top of his head, had another guy slammed up against the wall. The other man was scrawny and frightened and was screaming out for help.

I hid behind the brick wall of the dimly-lit alleyway to investigate.

"Your brother owes me five hundred bucks! I need my friggin' money!" The guy dressed in black shouted, pushing him even further into the concrete wall.

The other man's face was being squished and he was gasping for breath. "I don't have it! Go ask my brother! Please, let me go!"

"Your brother doesn't have it either!" The villain in this situation huffed, punching the apparent innocent man in the back and making him whimper in pain. "Pay me the money or I'll kill you and your brother."

The man gasped loudly, tears suddenly beginning to roll down his cheeks. "No! I have a family! I have two kids! Please don't do this! I promise I'll help him get you the money soon!"

He shook his head, snickering in a condescending manner. "I need my money now!"

I couldn't take viewing this any longer. My heart was beating rapidly against my chest. I've always been the type to help those in need, regardless of whether or not it was a good idea. What I was about to do definitely wasn't a good idea, but I would regret it for the rest of my life if I watched some father get murdered right in front of me.

I jumped out from the wall I was previously crouched behind, waving my purse in the air. "I have the money!" I called loudly. "I have the money, just let him go!"

The two heads instantly turned towards me. The guy dressed in black let go of the scrawny man and slowly approached me. I gulped. "What did you just say?"

"I-I have the money," I repeated, opening up my purse to grasp five one hundred dollar bills. It was just one of the perks of being a Hollywood actress. I didn't need this money, but this man obviously did. "Here, take this cash and let the poor guy go."

The scary guy stared at the bills, eyeing them carefully. He did not touch them. Instead he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a shiny, silver gun.

I sucked in a deep breath, beginning to panic. "Oh my God, please don't-"

"This doesn't involve you. I don't need your charity," The man spat, lifting his gun up to face me.

I could feel every part of my body began to shake and my lips begin to quiver. I glanced up at the man with pleading eyes, only to spot a pair of green irises I could never forget. I knew who this man was.

"Joey," I whispered.

•Calum

As soon as Cassidy told me she was at the diner, I hopped into my car and began driving straight there. We used to go there all the time as kids, but everything was different now with our recent accounts of fame. I just wanted to make sure my girl was safe.

It only took a few minutes to get there (I may or may not have been speeding) but when I stepped inside the familiar diner, I didn't see anyone except a group of teenagers in the back booth that I used to always inhabit.

I sighed with relief, figuring that she must have finished eating already and was headed back home safely. But as I turned my head swiftly, I spotted her vehicle still parked in the parking lot.

Where the hell is she?

My feet scuffed against the dingy pavement as I strolled around the building to see if I could find her hanging around here for a bit of breath air or something. I could faintly hear voices coming from behind the building, and sure enough that head of blonde hair was easily seen.

With further inspection I saw a guy standing in front of her, with a gun held in his hand, pointed directly at Cassidy. I instantly gasped loudly, running straight towards them with a new burst of adrenaline.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I screeched, leaping in front of Cassidy and knocking the gun out of his hands. The man stood there in shock as I swung at him, punching him square in the nose and watching as blood immediately began pouring out of his nostrils.

Cassidy's palms gripped onto my bicep tightly. I was fuming, my jaw clenched together tightly, but I was mainly just scared out of my mind. "Calum, stop! He has a gun!"

I kicked the gun that was laying on the ground as far as I could. "Not anymore," I yelled. I started to dash away, but Cassidy was still frozen in place. "Cass, run! What are you doing? Get out of here!"

"It's Joey," She mumbled, motioning towards the gunman who was holding onto his broken nose in pain.

My eyes widened. It was Joey. The one she was head over heels for back in high school. The one I wrecked our friendship over. The one that must have turned down the wrong path and became a heartless villian.

"Joey?" I screamed down at him. "Why were you going to shoot her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He coughed, standing up to his feet weakly. "I didn't realize it was Cassidy! I wasn't going to shoot her after I found out who it was!"

I punched him in the face again, since my anger was still building up with rage. "Yeah and you better not ever scare my girl like that again," I yelled in my best form of intimidation. "You used to be such a good guy. Go to Hell."

Cassidy was still shaking nervously, almost completely frozen with shock. She threw some money onto the ground before shuffling over towards me. I intertwined our fingers together and started to run, tugging her away from the scene as fast as I could.

I helped her get into the passenger seat before buckling up my own seat belt and driving away from the parking lot. My knuckles were throbbing as they gripped the steering wheel and I was nearly panting for breath.

"You didn't have to do that," She murmured, her gaze fixated on the road in front of us. "You didn't have to come all the way out here."

"Bullshit," I said in an irritated tone. "You almost got freakin' killed, Cass! You know what would have happened if I didn't listen to my gut and I didn't show up? We would be attending your funeral tomorrow because some idiot with anger issues would have shot you. Nice choice in men, Cassidy. Real nice."

Cassidy swallowed. She picked up my hand that wasn't holding the steering wheel. Her thumb traced over my bruised knuckles and she lifted it to her lips to kiss gingerly. "Calum, please don't yell at me. I just had a gun pointed to my face. I can barely breathe."

"And who's fault is that?" I shouted, not even being able to contain my fury. I was taking all of my anger towards Joey out on Cassidy, which I felt bad about, but I couldn't stop myself. "I told you to come home and that it wasn't safe this late! I told you!"

"I know, baby. I'm sorry," Cassidy spoke timidly.

I cracked a small smile as her lovely voice uttered those words. I could never stay mad at her. "You called me baby."

"Would you rather I called you Daddy?" She teased, somehow managing to giggle at a time like this.

"Cassidy," I warned, and I saw her smile at me through the corner of my eye. "I'm sorry for yelling, okay? I just don't know what I would do if you were gone. That's why I'm so protective. I never want you getting hurt."

She kissed my hand again. "Can you tell me what even happened back there?" I questioned, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"I'll tell you when we get to my house. You're sleeping over tonight."

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author's note: lmao joey came back in the story all like surprise mothafuckaa !

i honestly have no idea what just happened tbh but i think i like it??? hopefully you guys like it too otherwise ill be all embarrassed oh man

HEY CAN YOU ASK DO ME A FAVOR AND COMMENT SONGS THAT REMIND YOU OF THIS STORY AND WHY THEY REMIND YOU OF IT PLS! im gonna try to make a playlist but i need a little help :)

thank you so much for reading this its almost at 1million reads like wtf how omg you guys are literally the best and cutest and nicest things and i love and appreciate every single one of you for taking time out of your day to read this wow i love you so much thank you have a nice day babycakes

dedicated to horanhoes for leaving a super sweet comment saying that my stories are "literally life" and that i give her major feels and that im "v funny" which is actually like the best compliment ever im not even that funny on here hahah but thank you ilysm