// chapter thirteen //

talia's pov

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frowning at the dull show that played out on my television set, i shovel another spoonful of ice cream down my throat. calum had let me stay home from school today to give me time to recover from the events of last night. the only thing that'd take my mind off of the fact that michael cheated was to enjoy man's best creation: ice cream.

i sigh exasperatingly as the thick, sweet substance that danced on my tastebuds absorbed some of my emotional pain. i squint slightly as a beam of bright, afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, casting a glare on the screen. my eyes still focused on the tv that was planted on the wall, i absentmindedly dunk my spoon back into the tub of chocolate ice cream, only for the utensil to resurface empty. i groan, and toss the empty carton on the floor beside my bed.

'cal!' i call rather loudly.

half a second later, my brother's head pokes through my bedroom door. 'what is it?'

'i'm out of ice cream,' i say, pointing at the container that was lying on the hardwood ground.

'do you want me to get more?'

i shake my head. 'i want a granola bar,' i say, using calum's sympathetic mode to my advantage. he nods, smiles slightly, and walks downstairs.

though having my brother as my personal servant was more than slightly enjoyable, i was actually grateful for the relaxing time that cal gave me.

suddenly, my phone began to vibrate violently on the bedside post. i snatch it up with an outstretched arm, and check the screen. it was a facetime call from anton. i fumble with the tv remote, and turn the volume a few notches down. smoothing my hair out to look presentable, i accept it.

anton's smiling face occupies the screen. 'hey,' he says simply.

i struggle to smile back. 'hi.'

'aren't you supposed to be in school, young lady?' he asks playfully.

i frown. 'my brother let me stay home after what happened last night.'

his smile disappears. 'was it that bad?'

'michael got punched in the face,' i say, nodding.

he quirks an eyebrow. 'by your brother?' i nod. 'well then.' his eyes tear away from the camera, and are focused on a space above him.

'are you watching tv?' i ask.

'yeah. the show sucks though,' he replies. his eyes don't look back to me, but are focused on the spot that i presume is the television screen.

i laugh. 'if the show sucks, then why is your full attention on it?' he doesn't answer, and his shoulder twitches; he was fiddling with the remote.

'talia. turn to channel 214,' he instructs. i reach for my own remote, and obey.

the celebrity news channel plays, and a model-material announcer pops up on the screen. beside her head is the thumbnail of our cover. the caption of the report is: new female member of 5 Seconds of Summer?

'why you can't call the famous, australian band a boyband?' the reporter starts off. 'the answer is simple: they're not all boys! last night, the band posted a cover on their youtube channel, which was their method of breaking the exciting news. the new frontwoman of the band is revealed to be bassist, calum hood's, younger sister.'

the intro of the video plays.

'reasons on why the band recruited another member, particularly a female member, is unknown. but we'd like to give positive feedback on talia- skye's membership!' the newsanchor signs off, and my eyes return to my phone.

'i've never been addressed by my middle name,' i say, chuckling.

he laughs. 'i checked out the cover,' he states. 'you're a great singer.'

i blush, and shake my head. 'i'm average.'

he's about to protest, but calum walks through the door. 'we ran out of granola bars, so i had to run off to the store to buy some. i don't know if you... who's this?' he asks when he notices anton on my phone screen. he throws the plastic bag full of granola bars on my lap, and scoots beside me, entering the view-frame.

anton smiles at him, and introduces himself. 

'where're you from?' calum asks, and i frown at his motherly tone.

'germany.'

'oh okay,' calum says suspiciously. 'how old are you, mate? seventeen? eighteen?'

'twenty five,' anton replies.

my brother's dark eyebrows fly up his forehead, hiding behind a lock of his hair. 'really now? so why does a twenty five year-old german dude have my little sister's number?'

'calum!' i exclaim, slapping his arm at his impolite behavior.

'no no, it's fine' anton says. 'we met at the porter robinson concert last night.' 

calum nods, yet his facial expression is still skeptical. then he turns to me. 'be careful, tal,' he whispers loudly in my ear. i roll my eyes, and shove him off of the bed. he rolls over, landing on the sticky box of ice cream that hasn't been discarded yet. anton's laugh emits from the phone's speakers, and calum groans.

'i'll take that as my cue to sign off,' anton says, mirth present in his voice.

'anton, wait!' i say before he could end the call. 'how long are you staying in sydney?'

he twitches his lips, and replies, 'well porter's leaving tomorrow, but i'm staying another week.'

i smile. 'okay then. i'll talk to you whenever.'

he nods. 'bye,' he says, and the screen goes blank.

i drop my phone, and look down at calum, who was curled into a ball on top of the empty ice cream tub. i laugh, and offer my hand to help him up. scowling, he takes it, snatches two granola bars from my lap, and storms out of the room.

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filler chapter because... well why not? and guys, i'm running out of ideas. if you have one, comment down below, or message me.

also: let's try something new, eh? next update: when this chapter reaches 5 votes. so if you want chapter 1.4, hit that star, people!

teehee xx