c a l u m:

Baby dumpling was weird as hell.

I smoked my cigarette from the inside of my car at the end of the school's car park as I watched Gwen Guzman from my rearview mirror. In a haste, she sprinted past my car, through the gates and out onto the street where the bus stop was. Unfortunately for her, she was a few seconds to late.

I flicked my cigarette out the window, turning the key in the ignition as I watched Gwen catch her breath and mentally kick herself in the nuts. I backed my car out of the stall and exited the car park, driving towards the polished, petite girl. I stalled the car next to her, several cars honking at my sudden stop.

They can go fück themselves in the asshole.

Gwen glanced my way and I saw the color drain from her face. I was obviously the last person she wanted to see right now and I don't blame her. I wasn't exactly as sweet as apple pie to her this morning.

"Need a ride?" I asked her, peeking my head out the window. She just stared at me with her eyebrows furrowed, clearly confused with my offer.

"No thanks," Gwen declined, walking away. I pressed the gas pedal lightly, following her down the sidewalk.

"Come on baby dumpling, what are you going to do? Walk to the outreach center? Don't be stubborn," I taunted.

"How do you even know that's where I'm going?" she threw her hands to her hips, sass dripping from her words.

I smirked, "I'm not a complete idiot Gwen. Of course that's where you're going. Bus 450 stops right in front of it."

"I'm not getting into a car with you," she declared. "I don't trust you!"

Ouch.

"Understandable," I agreed, "but let me make it up to you for this morning? Let me give you a lift."

"I shouldn't even be talking to you, let alone riding in a car with a criminal," she justified.

"Listening to that dickface Luke Hemmings I see," I observed and she sent a death glare my way.

The car behind me honked its horn several times, annoying the shit out of me. I stuck my head out the window and faced the driver, an older white guy in some convertible.

"Can't you fucktard see that I'm trying to have a conversation with this little lady? Drive around me you idiot!" I yelled angrily, causing the man flip his middle finger at me before pulling out from behind my car.

"Delinquent!" he bellowed as he drove pass.

I rolled my eyes, turning my head to look at Gwen, but she wasn't there anymore. I frantically searched for the little geisha, scanning the area carefully, only to see her a few yards away at the corner. She was among a crowd of people who were about to cross the street. The walk light flashed, cueing those on the corner to start their trek to the other end. I revved up my engine, whipping the car around the corner and stopping it in the middle of the street, barricading the people from furthering their endeavors to the other side.

"What the hell?"

"Are you crazy?"

"You could've killed someone!"

A slew of bellows and obnoxious profanities came hurling my way but I didn't really care. Their words were nothing to me-- they couldn't hurt me. Not when I've already been so hurt in the past, that there was absolutely nothing that could possibly break me down now.

"Gwen!" I screamed out the window as she marched towards my car with a scowl etched on her face.

"Calum what is wrong with you? Are you out of your mind! You could've seriously hurt someone!" she raged, waving her arms in the air for emphasis.

"Look, I'm sorry," I wasn't lying, "about this morning. But please, just get in the car and let me drive you to the outreach center. It's hot as balls outside and you'll get a heatstroke in that uniform of yours."

I flashed her a smile, waiting for a response. Gwen scoffed, rolling her eyes at the same time-- that sass of hers slightly turning me on. She grasped the door handle, swinging it wide open, and with a huff, she plopped into the passenger side seat. I smirked, perfectly satisfied with her choice. She threw the seatbelt around her body and crossed her arms, still in a pissy mood.

"You're kinda cute when you're all riled up like that," I chuckled, stepping on the gas pedal and driving out of the intersection.

"What is your deal Calum?" she turned to face me. "Why are you so cruel to me one minute and the next you're offering to drive me places?"

I shrugged, "it's just the way I am."

"That's a terrible excuse," she stated. "You don't have to be so rude to people. I'm pretty sure you'll still get the same amount of respect if you're nice to them."

"Nice means people will step all over you," I told her, "I refuse to be stepped on; to be taken advantage of."

"It doesn't have to be like that," she grumbled under her breath. She sat forward in the seat, looking straight ahead. She was done with my fuckery.

"So what's your deal anyway? Why are you in Sydney?" I questioned, changing the subject.

"I was here since the beginning of summer, volunteering at the outreach center's American summer program for my school back home," Gwen informed.

"It's not the summer anymore. Why are you still here?" I asked.

I took a moment to look at her. She looked down at her hands, playing with the rings on her fingers. She didn't answer for a while, and she had this concentrated look on her face-- like she was trying to come up with something to say.

"Ummm, I just didn't want to leave, that's all. Just here for the school year," Gwen replied. I could tell there was more to that answer than what she was letting on. "So what about you?"

"What?"

"What's the deal with you? Who are you?"

"This isn't about me," I declared, "I'm the one driving, so you're in the hot seat, babe."

"That's not fair!" Gwen exclaimed, "how come you get to interrogate me but I can't ask you questions?"

"Life isn't fair baby dumpling, haven't I already told you that?" I mused.

She let out a growl, "must you call me baby dumpling? Where did that even come from? I'm not even that kind of Asian! How would you like it if I called you baby tim tam? Or baby dingo?"

"Baby dingo? How prejudice Gwen Guzman," I laughed at her, but she wasn't amused. "Come on, lighten up a little. Have you been out once since being in Sydney?"

"Yes," she answered.

I glanced at he with a raised brow, "you're lying through your teeth. princess."

"I am not!" she pressed. "I went out once. A couple of weeks after arriving,"

"Once? Really Gwen Guzman? Did you have such a horrible time that you swore to never have fun again? What the hell happened? Someone die?" I joked. I looked over at her as I pulled up into the center.

Gwen grew quiet again, her cheeks beginning to flush. She undid her seatbelt as I brought my car up to the curb, and I was still waiting for an answer. I stepped on the breaks, putting the car in idle. Her entire body turned away from me, her hand grasping the door handle.

"Thanks for the ride Calum," she softly said, pushing the door open.

"No problem," I said, looking her way, still waiting for her turn in my direction. She climbed out, shutting the door behind her and proceeded up the pathway to the main doors.

"See you around baby dumpling!" I yelled after her.

Gwen turned around, her face a little puffy and her eyes glossy. What the hell? Did she cry in the minute it took for her to race out of my car?

"See ya... baby dingo," Gwen waved, giving me a head nod before turning back on her heel.

I watched her walk through the glass doors and joining the other volunteers inside. I watched as she greeted everyone with a wave and a hug. Her face lit up as she said hi to the kids who roamed the main lobby.

Was it anymore possible to be totally disgusted by that amount of happiness that seemed to exude from Gwen's body? She was such a naive, little girl that it was slightly annoying and almost endearing at the same time. Is a crime to want to corrupt her a little? To dip her feet in the dark waters in hopes that she'd grow a backbone. She's going to need it if she's spending all her time with Luke Hemmings. He was a bitchass wigger with horrible intentions and if there was anyone little geisha shouldn't trust, it was Mesa Vale's own hot shot.

Then it hit me.

Revenge has yet to strike my tongue, giving me the sweet taste of it. Hemmings owed me big time. It was his own damn fault that she was gone-- that Janet was no longer here with us. He was a selfish son of a gun and thanks to him neither of us could have her. But I wonder how it would feel if Gwen Guzman totally turned against him. If the nice girl who saw the good in everyone, suddenly saw the bad in him?

After a year here Gwen is out-- back home in America. I had to stay here, stuck in a city filled with horrible memories; stuck in a city with Hemmings. I don't want to say I'm using Gwen, but it's not like she has any spiritual ties to this place. If anything, it's an Australian holiday for her. She won't get hurt-- as long as she keeps spending time with me, I'll teach her how to stand up to herself. And maybe, she'll be able to standing up to Luke once she finds out what an asshole he really is.

I put my car in park, climbing out of my seat and slamming the door shut. I jogged up the pathway to the glass doors, swinging it wide open. The air condioning hit me in the face, its breeze pushing my hair back. I walked in and immediately recieved disgusted stares from everyone in the lobby.

"What the hell are you looking at? Never seen a beautiful man before?" I voiced sternly at an older man, who I then realized was the rich fucker in the fancy convertible from earlier.

"You are an insolent, rude young man," he scolded. "It's delinquints like you that need a place like this to be saved."

"Excuse me, sir?" I sauntered towards the man, "saved? Saved from what exactly? Why don't you mind your own--"

"Calum!"

I turned my head to see Gwen standing a few yards away from me. Her uniform jacket, tie, and button up shirt were off and in replace was a white polo with the center's insignia on the left side. She walked towards me, looking in my direction with utter confusion.

"Cal? What are you still doing here?" she questioned.

What was I doing here? Uhm, hang out with me so Luke gets mad?

"Your number," I hastily spat out, "give it to me. So we can talk about our English project."

"Uhm okay?" she slowly said, taking out her phone from out of her skirt pocket and handed it to me.

I placed my number into it and quickly shot myself a text message, feeling a vibration in my own pocket right away. I handed back her phone to her and bid her a goodbye.

You're going down Hemmings.

//

Oh dear. Calum Hood has a plan. He's using good girl Gwen for his evil plans!

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