Chapter 7

Gabriella Hart

Slowly, my eyes opened to see a sleeping Caleb. Even though I knew what I was doing last night, I still felt like I had cheated on James. I had laid in bed with another boy, whom I had hardly known for a week. Plus, his arms were still wrapped tightly around my torso.

He didn't actually look as intimidating when he was sleeping compared to when he was awake, despite the bruise from the punch, still surrounding his left eye. It looked pretty painful, but I couldn't help but admire his courage to stand up for himself. His eyes fluttered open to see me creepily staring back at him.

"I feel like shit," Caleb said instead of pushing me out of the bed, which I was very much prepared to do. I could only imagine what Katherine and Mike would say if they'd realised that Caleb and I had slept in the same bed together.

I huffed out in annoyance, mainly with myself for what I had done. "Well you're going to just have to drink water and stay in bed," if it wasn't awkward enough already, after I'd said that, I tried to scoot away off of the bed, but instead I was met with my ass on the floor.

Instead of an 'are you okay?' or 'do you need help?' from Caleb, all I received was one of his stupid remarks. "Have a nice fall?" Caleb asked sarcastically as I stood up and marched out of his room to the bathroom, I needed a shower to rub my body down and to be clean from the party last night, and from Caleb's bed and arms.

Sadly, I can't clean my memory from mine and James' argument last night. If it wasn't bad enough that I slept in the same bed as Caleb, I still had James to worry about, and I wasn't entirely prepared to tell him about it.

There was no school today as we had started school on Thursday and finished the week yesterday, so today I was totally free to just laze around and stay as far away from Caleb as I could get. I jumped out of the shower and changed into some comfy clothes, which consisted of some black leggings and a big blue jumper that had belonged to James, but I'd forgotten to give it back.

"Don't you look nice," Caleb said smugly at the door of the bathroom, as he popped two aspirin into his mouth then gulped it down with some water. I knew he could tell it was James' since it was incredibly oversized, and I wouldn't buy myself one like this.

"Move, I need to dry my hair," I said, trying to shove him out of the doorway but it no avail, he didn't move. Instead, he smirked evilly and gave me a once over. "Make me," he slowly moved closer to me, trapping me against the bathroom sink.

Suddenly, I did something that I never thought I would do to a boy. It was mainly based on instinct and the anger that I was currently holding in about him. I kneed him where I knew it would hurt.

You've probably guessed where.

"Bitch!" he shouted out as he crumbled to the floor in agony. As quick as he fell, I scrambled around his hunched body and sprinted into my room, where I would hopefully stay for the whole weekend.

Sighing relief, I looked up suddenly to see Clara and Kylie sitting on my bed, looking extremely mischievous. "Oh my god, what are you doing!" I shouted, holding onto my chest with a heart threatening to burst out of it. "You scared me!"

"Katherine said that we all need to do something together," Kylie said like a child that was finally getting her way, "and Clara and I get to pick what we're doing," Clara nodded along with her as they both smiled happily.

"Why?" I sighed as I realised that I couldn't have a lazy day. Plus, I wouldn't be able to stay away from Caleb. I mentally sighed as I thought about his stupid face and the arms that I still felt around my waist. "Let's go to the carnival!" Clara shouted enthusiastically as I threw my head back.

I'd remembered that James and Flora had asked me to come with them to the carnival at lunch yesterday, but I'd said no because of the moving situation, and I really didn't like carnivals. "I am not going to that stupid place," Caleb complained as he limped helplessly into my room after overhearing our conversation.

"We're leaving at five," Kylie told us, not giving us a choice in the matter. Just as I was about to reply, my phone started ringing. Katherine's name popped up on the screen as I stared at it, wondering exactly why she called me instead of Caleb or Clara.

"Hello?"

"Hi Gabriella," she started, "Caleb won't answer his phone," no surprises there, "so I have some chores for all of you today," she said as I heard a piece of paper unscrambling on the other side of the phone. I mentally sighed but attempted not to show it as everyone stayed in the room, waiting to see who had called me.

"Ok, Clara is cleaning the bedrooms," she read off what I assumed to be a list, "Kylie is on the bathrooms, and can you and Caleb do the kitchen?" It's the biggest, so I thought I'd put two people on that," she said to me as I smirked at Kylie having to clean the toilets.

However, before I realised that I would have to spend unwanted time with Caleb, Katherine had already thanked me and hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Clara asked me with a questioning look. Faking a smile, I broke the news to them as quickly as I could. "Clara, you're doing the bedrooms, Kylie, you're doing the bathrooms and, Caleb, you and I are cleaning the kitchen," I told them in one quick breath.

"Gross," Kylie complained before leaving my room with Clara to get started on the chores.

"Come on, cleaning buddy!" Caleb shouted, putting his arm around my shoulder with his limp not as heavily present as it was before. "Too close, buddy," I mimicked his tone before pulling his arm off of me and walking down the stairs, to the kitchen.

"That's not what you said last night," I heard him call back, but I ignored him.

I'd rather be cleaning the toilets.

• • •

There were so many dirty dishes. I didn't realise a person could have this many.

Caleb was on wash duty whilst I was drying. Luckily, he'd volunteered to do it since I didn't exactly want to touch any leftover food that may have remained on any of the plates. "This is disgusting," Caleb screeched as his hand touched a piece of pepperoni from Clara and Kylie's pizza that they had ordered last night.

"You're such a girl," I said laughing as his face scrunched up. I could tell his manhood had been damaged since he sustained a harsh glare into the side of my head. "Oh, I'm the girl?" he shouted as he sprayed me with water from the tap by putting his finger over the opening.

"Hey!" I shouted back as I splashed my hand inside the water he had filled in the sink and threw it at him. He threw himself backwards as water splashed all over his white shirt, soaking it through and revealing his distinctively shaped muscles.

He scowled at me before a knowing and familiar smirk soon painted his face. "You checking me out?" I threw my gaze away before water was splashed all over me again. This time, I couldn't help the small smile that crept onto my face.

We both started laughing as we got into a water fight, with water all over ourselves, and the floor. Although I felt incredibly bad for Katherine about the now soaked floor, I was having too much fun to be serious and begin cleaning it all up.

Suddenly, my foot slipped on some water around my feet, and I went sprawling to the floor. I awaited the impact, but didn't expect two arms to grasp around my upper body and stop me from falling down.

I looked up into the eyes of Caleb as he held me. Instead of pulling him off, I was drawn in, I felt like a doll that couldn't move a muscle. He started to lean in, and for some reason, I didn't lean away, I leaned in too.

His lips hovered over mine, as I didn't pull him away from me. He took my stationary position as permission and slowly, yet surely leaned further in, as if the distance between us could be any smaller.

Then, as much as I hated that I wanted it, he closed the distance between us, and our lips met. He kissed me hungrily and gripped his arms around my waist. His lips were softer than I had ever imagined as we fell in sync and I was suddenly wanting more. I threw my hands into his hair and pulled him closer, as if we weren't already pinned up against each other.

James.

I was cheating on James.

I pulled my lips away and slapped my hand over my mouth, feeling automatic guilt and regret. My head fell to the floor as water rushed around my feet. "Oh my god," I said to myself before turning on my heel and sprinting away from him, back up to my bedroom.

Why was I so stupid?

Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?

Literally.

Once I'd reached my room, I closed and locked the door hurriedly. "Shit, shit, shit, shit," I repeated to myself a I slid down the door with my head in my hands. I've cheated on James and he will never forgive me.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt bile creep up my throat. I was a horrible person.

-

Two hours passed, and I was still sitting in the same position with hardened tears against my cheeks. I was extremely thirsty but I couldn't pull up the courage to see Caleb's face. I still couldn't believe I had kissed him. It was the worst thing I could do.

Finally after a long, hard thought, I pulled myself up and changed into a suitable outfit for the carnival, which was just a simple, white off-the-shoulder top and some blue denim shorts. I put on some shoes and took my hair down from the ponytail which was finally dry from the water fight and the shower I had.

Feeling as guilty as ever, I walked out of my room and down the stairs, hoping to avoid Caleb but of course, knowing my luck, I crashed right into him as he instinctively held onto my upper arms. I threw him off quickly, not wanting to feel his touch, which I so desperately craved earlier.

"Sorry," I said quickly, looking over to see Kylie and Clara waiting for me in the lounge with scowls on their faces. "We said be ready at five, and it's almost half past," Kylie seemed very annoyed. "Sorry," I said again and looked back at Caleb who was looking at me like I'd just thrown up on him.

"James and Flora are going to be here in about five minutes to take us", Caleb said, showing a stern face as he said James' name. I swallowed heavily knowing that I would have to face James and fake like nothing had happened.

James arrived in his parents' car as it could fit us all in. I had been pacing around the room ever since I was told he was coming to pick us all up. We all climbed in as I sat facing the window, hoping that I could keep my head turned and not speak.

However, both James and Flora seemed extremely timid as we greeted them. James' hands were clenched around the steering wheel whilst Flora distracted herself by playing with the hem of her dress.

I stared at them with confusion for a few seconds before I decided to ignore it and let James drive us to the carnival, where I wasn't sure if I could hide what I had done with Caleb.

The guilt was eating me alive.