Okay, Chapter 30 is a little short, but this is a full Mack/Calum chapter (with a little Mrs. Boucher)...Well, Chapter 30 with over 300 reviews, that's awesome! Hope you like it.
Karen smiled as she watched Mack snuggle deeper in Calum's loose embrace. She had been watching them for about an hour, just sleeping, but it felt really good to her to just sit and watch. Her eyes kept landing on Calum's broken arm. Calum's eyes fluttered open and immediately looked down at Mack. He smiled before looking around the room. "Mom?"
"Hey sweetie."
"How's Cam?"
"He's with your father." She shuddered at the word father. She hated that man now more than ever for what he had done. "I'm sorry he did that to you."
"You know?"
She nodded. "I don't know the details, but I know he did it."
"So you know about Cam then," Calum said, not looking his mother in the eyes.
"What about Cam?"
"Dad hurt him too. After he came home, when you went to go get the ice." Calum searched her face and sighed. "You didn't know did you?"
"No," she whispered as she shook her head.
They were silent for a few more minutes. "How's Cam," Calum said, finally breaking the silence.
"I don't know I left before we heard anything."
"Why did you leave," Calum questioned.
Karen just shook her head and waved her hand, signaling that she wasn't going to tell him. He sighed and started to play with a lock of Mack's hair. She was a deep sleeper, so she didn't wake up. He heard his mother get up and walk to the door, opening it before making an exit. He pretended to be to focused on Mack to notice her go.
The question was: did she really think that their family was as happy as the cartoon ones? His dad's favorite dinner talks were about basketball and work. But, of course, that was when he was home for dinner. Most nights he stayed late and ate out, or heated up dinner. His brother had come home limping on so many occasions that he had lost count. Then there was his mom, who was oblivious to everything that went on in his life. She sided with his father on every matter like a doll that was programed to be like a parrot.
And he was left in the shadows.
"Calum, what are you thinking. You're spacing out," Mack said sitting up and staring into his eyes.
"Just thinking about stuff." He paused."What's the point of life?"
"I don't know. Calum what's wrong? You're acting strange." He could tell she was concerned, and she had every right to be.
"Have you ever felt like you were born to the wrong family?" He immediately regretted telling her this, she would never understand.
"What do you mean? Like, you wish you had a family more like you?"
"Forget it, forget I ever said anything."
"No," she said. "You were there for me when I had a question or a problem, now it's my turn."
"You wouldn't understand."
"I could try-"
"No Mack, you can't try! This is a question that you can't just try to understand. You have to live it! You have to ask yourself this everyday. You have to know what it feels like not to be loved."
"Calum-"
He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "Mack, you will never know that feeling, and I'm so happy you won't. You will always have Troy and your parents and anyone else that happens to come in on your life. I know he doesn't care about me anymore. My dad didn't want any kids in the first place, and when we came along, he trained us to be miniaturized versions of him."
He walked over to her and started to whisper. "But in kindergarten, when I met you, something just instantly clicked. That's why I bullied you even more. I thought maybe that feeling would go away, but it didn't. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that it wasn't right, because all I've ever known was to hate you. But for some reason, I just couldn't. I couldn't hate your face, or your hands, or your voice, I didn't know how and I couldn't learn how, so I improvised, and got friends to help me."
His voice's volume had increased a little. "When my dad found out, I thought he'd kill me. This was in third grade, I accidentally let it slip. He told me it wasn't important, but I knew it was." He was taking deep breaths and Mack could see all his emotions in his eyes. Fear, hate, hurt. She hugged him tightly, just like she had done when Troy made her go to school that day he was in the hospital.
"I'll always be here for you, if you ever need to talk," she told him.
He kissed her, very quickly, but the feeling lingered with Mack for awhile afterward. "Let's get your arm checked out," she said, careful to grab his other wrist and pull him out the door. They made their way up to where Mack's parents had been until they heard a yell. "I am NOT sharing a room with him! Can't you get me a private room like last time?"
Mack turned to Calum, her eyes wide, "that was Troy's voice. I would know it anywhere...and he's not happy."
I couldn't think of anymore. Some of you have said that Mack should go to the hospital, but I've been trying to think of what should happen to her and nothing is coming. So HELP!
Next chapter, Troy and Cam get assigned to the same room and Cam's not too happy that he's in the pediatric ward because he's only 16. So next chapter is basically going to be them and maybe Chad and the guys will come visit.
