g w e n:

The rest of the first day of classes went by ten times better than the ten seconds of awkward in homeroom that morning. Though Calum did have a few more courses with me during the day, when his name was called out, he was not there to raise a hand or share a snarky quip. I wondered where he went off to for the rest of the school day, but at the same time I was relieved that he wasn't in class. I ended up having the same lunch period with both Luke and Charlie which meant that I wasn't eating all alone at a corner table. Granted, I would've tried to make some friends, but it seemed like everyone was already dispersed into their own cliques after knowing each other for years.

Luke's crew was a little... indescribable at best. They were in no way rude nor unwelcoming. They were the opposite. They were kind people who gave me all the insight when it came to surviving Mesa Vale High. However, there was something about these people that was a little off. I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there were fragments of this close-knit group that made me feel slightly uneasy. I could tell Charlie felt it too by the way she kept closed off from the group.

"May I ask you a question with the hopes of getting an honest answer?" I stood with my shoulder pressed up against the lockers as I waited for Charlie to grab textbooks and folders from the top shelves of her compartment.

"Depends," Charlie smiled, "you're not asking for my social security number are you?"

"No, nothing like that," I chuckled. "I was actually wondering about Luke's group. I noticed that you were a little indifferent around them during lunch and I felt something kind of off about them."

"Don't worry, you're not the only one who feels that way when it comes to Hot Shot Hemmings and his Mesa Vale cronies," Charlie assured, slamming her locker door shut, "they're somewhat of a dangerous crew. For the most part they're nice, only keeping to themselves. That is until they want something. They can be powerful kids when need be, and you never want to be on the opposite end when they want to launch a missile."

"How many missiles have they launched?" I air quoted.

"Has Luke told you about Janet Riley yet?" Charlie asked.

I nodded, "just that she was Mesa Vale royalty and that she's the ex-girlfriend of Calum Hood."

"You got the basics, that's good. But what Luke has failed to mention is his ties with Janet Riley," Charlie hinted.

"Was there some kind of a love triangle going on?" I guessed.

"I don't know all the details but what I do know is that Janet was part of Luke's crew, and the moment she started dating Calum, she slowly started to drift away from them- I think it just took dating Cal to realize that Luke's crew wasn't the best people she could've been spending time with. No matter how many times Janet tried to get her friends to accept Calum, they refused. The night Janet died she was apparently leaving one of Luke's house parties. There's been an ongoing rumor that Luke was also in love with Janet and tried to win her heart at that party. Everyone was drunk out of their minds so no one could really confirm or deny any rumors of what happened that night," Charlie informed, biting her bottom lip.

My jaw dropped. When I asked Charlie for more information about Luke's crowd I was expecting small details, not an entire controversial plot point in Mesa Vale history. I definitely didn't want to believe every single word that came out of Charlie's mouth because even she was on the fence about all this information.

"Thanks for telling me all this," I said. "I guess I'll keep a look out when it comes to those kids."

"No problem. So what are your plans now? Going home?" Charlie asked, changing the subject.

"I'm actually going to the Youth Outreach Center... it's kind of the reason why I'm here in Australia," I told her, starting for the building's exit. Charlie followed next to me.

"You some kind of juvenile therapist?"

"Something like that. I counsel young teens, motivating them to see the brighter things in life and channeling any negative energy into improving their lives,"

"Well look at you Dr. Phil," Charlie teased. "Do you need a ride? I promise I'm not a horrible driver."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine taking the bus," I gestured for the bus stop at the corner of the campus' street.

"Public transportation over an air-conditioned car?" Charlie raised a brow, "come on, let me drive you. The center is on the way to my house anyway."

"I mean, if it's not too big of a bothersome,"

"Too big of a bothersome? Really Gwen? Your sweet-girl act is cute,"

"It not an act, it's called manners,"

"Whatever... come on, my car's this way,"

Charlie drove a silver sedan with a slew of bumper stickers decorating the back of the car. She had everything from Apple logos, to Harry Potter references, and even band stickers. She unlocked her car and I accidentally slipped into the driver's side. I still wasn't used to everything being on the opposite side in comparison to America.

"Still on an American mindset I see," Charlie chuckled.

"Sorry," I laughed, climbing out of the diver's seat and rounding the front of the car to the other side. After sitting in the correct side of the car, Charlie started it, cool air blowing from the plastic vents.

The drive to the center from school took no more than ten minutes, even with the stop and go traffic on the roads. Charlie blasted music and introduced me to bands I never thought I would actually like. She dropped me off to the front of the building and after bidding each other a goodbye, I turned around to face the center. It was then did I remember about the artwork that apparently came from the hands of Calum Hood.

I walked up the concrete pathway to the main glass doors, and I pushed it open. I was greeted with yellow tape barricading off the area where grafitti still caked the wall. White sheets were placed on the floor adjacent to the ruined wall, while workers in jumpsuits carefully erased the spray paint.

"Terrible isn't it," I turned my attention to another counselor Evan, who stood next to me.

"Yea, can't believe someone would actually mistreat us like this," I breathed.

"Us?" his brows furrowed.

"That motto is more than just a string of words. It actually means something to a lot of us here," I explained, "whomever messed with the wall, means they're messing with us too."

"Well said Gwen," Evan smiled and I smiled back.

Evan Schneider has been a youth counselor for a year and became my first friend upon arriving in Australia several months ago. He was tall with a slight tan, dark brown hair, and dark eyes to match. He easily made myself, Ryan and the rest of the U.S. volunteers feel right at home. It was actually his father who was driving the car the night of the accident. His father was unfortunately the other deceased victim.

"Gwen!" I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist and I looked down to see one of my favorite young girls smiling brightly at me.

"Hi Lauren, how are you?" I asked, giving her a side hug.

"I'm alright," she shrugged.

Lauren Irwin was a beautiful thirteen year old girl, but refused to see the beauty herself. Her mother enrolled her into this program in hopes that Lauren would be able to stand stronger from the bullies that plague her school. So far, she seemed to be getting better since becoming her counselor during my first week.

"Is your mom here?" I questioned, looking around for the familiar woman.

"Nope," Lauren shook her head, "my brother Ashton dropped me off this time."

She pointed across the lobby to a boy in black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a black bandana wrapped around his messy, light curls. As he spoke to his friend, his arms moved and the sleeves of his shirt would lift slightly. I noticed tattoos decorating his light skin, reminding me of Calum Hood. However, the moment I was reminded of the dark-haired delinquent, was the same moment that I realized who exactly was the friend that Lauren's brother was talking to.

Calum.

He was out of his school uniform and wearing an outfit similar to Ashton's. Dark skinny jeans, a ripped shirt, and a black beanie. Calum's eye caught my wide ones and immediately he sauntered straight for me. I wanted to runaway into one of the back offices, lock the doors, and turn off the lights. I wanted to pretend that I didn't see him looking at me, maybe even pretend that I didn't know him. But running away and pretending wasn't going to work in this situation.

"Gwen Guzman," he stated. He was in my bubble, his body only a few inches away from mine, and I looked up as he loomed before me.

I turned to look at Lauren, "sweetie, why don't you go into the usual room and I'll meet you there in about five minutes?"

"Uhm okay," Laurent nodded before scampering away.

"How did you have my wallet?" Calum asked.

"You dropped it," I answered, taking a step back.

"Where did I drop it?" Calum smirked, taking a step forward back into my bubble. He knew what he was doing. He could sense that his presence was making mer nervous and he used it to his advantage.

"Over there," I turned my head to glance at the grafted wall, "after you marked your territory."

"Marking my territory?" Calum took another step towards me, his chest only a breath away from touching mine. I could smell the mint from his breath and the light spray of cologne on his shirt. "What am I? A dog? Did I piss on your precious wall Gwen Guzman?"

I stepped back, "vandalism is a crime Calum Hood."

"It's only a crime if you get caught. You gonna tattle-tail?"

"No, I won't," I answered truthfully, "but you should know that what you did was wrong. This place may not mean anything to you, but it means something to a lot of people."

A snarky grin formed on Calum's face as he let out a light chuckle, "this place is bullshit Gwen Guzman. You're feeding fake positivity into the people that come here which is cynical and far worst than my little art project."

"Excuse me?" I was appalled by his words; disgusted that he even had the guts to say something of that ire to my face.

"You heard me baby dumpling, loud and clear. This place a bull," Calum stepped away from me, "oh and thanks for returning my wallet. I'll see you at school Gwen Guzman."

With that, Calum turned on his heel and walked back to Ashton, not looking back at me once. I was left disturbed, uncomfortable, and yet still intrigued about him. He was in no doubt the bad boy my parents, the movies I watched, and my new friends warned me about. But the more I learned about Calum, the more I wanted to pry into his mind. Part of it was curiosity and the other part was my inner-need to help people. I wanted to tap into his head and figure out what made him work. I didn't know what exactly was drawing me into this resident bad boy, but it was as if some higher power kept working their magic to keep me lured into Calum Hood's gravity.

//

Look's like Luke's got some secrets of his own. And Calum is still rude.

I hope you liked this chapter! Please, please, please vote if you did! Leave me any feedback, and let your friends know about RUN BABY RUN if you think it's something they may enjoy! I could use a few more views. Thanks again! <3