1983 c.h. (au)

25: michael

Ashton was sitting on his couch next to Charlie. He was chewing his gum obnoxiously loud as he concentrated on beating her on Rainbow Road. So far, Charlie was on a winning streak. She didn't want to talk about what happened with Luke. She didn't want to think about it at all. The lust in his eyes. The smirk smeared across his face. His large hands forcing her legs open. She shivered and watched as Ashton's car zoomed by hers crossing the final finish line. "Looks like you owe me those ten bucks Charlie." She slouched back and sighed.

"Looks like you won't be getting those ten bucks for a long time."

"Why? You quit at Starbucks? Now who is Luke gonna fool around with?" Ashton looked at her and chomped down on his gum. Charlie cringed as he mentioned the devil in human skins.

"Obviously not me." Charlie pushed herself up from his couch and searched for something to eat in the fridge. She made a face in disgust when she was greeted with what looked like endless boxes of pizza. "Umm, Why do you have a fridge full of pizza?"

"Michael." Ashton kept his eyes on the screen selecting the next road to race on. Charlie shrugged and pulled out a box with Hawaiian toppings.

"What even happened to him?"

"Nothing. He's just hanging out with Luke because he thinks that Calum has gone soft since you came along. Luke doesn't like you two together." Ashton spoke absentmindedly. Charlie froze in place. She felt like her heart stopped. "If you want to talk to him, he'll be here any minute." Ashton selected the next race track to play but Charlie felt sick.

The smell of pineapples and ham made her want to throw up. Charlie couldn't stand up straight and leaned against the counter trying to support her. "2Char. You okay kid?" Ashton looked back at her trying not to pass out.

"I need you to take me home."

"But isn't your mom having a shit fit?" Ashton got up and walked toward her by the granite counter.

"I need you to take me home now Ashton!" Charlie rammed her words together.

"Okay Charlie calm down. Look at me. Breathe. In and out. In and out." Ashton instructed her to swallow small gasps of air but her throat was sealed closed. He heard the door open and close. "Michael. I need you now!" Ashton cried for help as Charlie started to hyperventilate.

"What's wrong Ash?" Michael and his red hair appeared immediately. He saw Ashton struggling with Charlie to regain consciousness.

"Charlie stay with me kid." Ashton cupped her face trying to help her focus. Michael rushed over practically bulldozing Ashton out of the way. He swung an arm underneath of her legs and flung her arm around his shoulders. "We need to call Calum."

"We need to get her to a hospital." It was ironic how Michael was willing to drop everything and help Charlie after all the shit he talked about her.

Surprisingly, Luke manipulated Michael into doing everything. Into being against Calum. Into sleeping with this girl and that girl. Michael actually liked Charlie. But he didn't like the consequences that came with disobeying Luke. If Luke said jump, Michael asked how high? It worked like that.

Michael rushed out the door practically running to help his friend. Ashton was trailing behind him with his phone pressed to his ear rushing words into the microphone.

"Hang in there Charlie." Michael rushed down the steps since it would take too long to wait for an elevator. He smiled down at her as he jumped from the last step and ran out of the apartment building.

Calum had a hard time comprehending Ashton from the other line. "Woah woah slow down. What happened to Charlie? Is she okay?"

"No she's going into full blown panic mode. Like she's having a hard time breathing. Mikey and I are taking her to the hospital as we speak." Ashton yanked the car door open letting Michael place her in the back seat and climbed in next to her. Ashton flung himself into the drivers seat and started driving away. "Meet us there." He tried to ignore the fact that Luke was in the passengers seat of Michaels car and was smoking a cigarette with the window down.

"On my way." Calum grabbed his keys and rushed out of his house before speeding away. "Make sure Luke won't be there."

"Uhh can't do that.."

"Why not?" Calum felt his chest get tight.

"I dunno ask Michael why he's here." Ashton hung up and ran a hand through his hair glancing back in the drivers mirror.

Michael squeezed Charlie's hand. "Did you feel that?" She didn't answer him. "Charlie how many fingers am I holding up." Michael held three fingers in front of her face but her vision was blurring as she still struggled to breath. "Put a little pep in the step bro. We're loosing her." Michael shouted.

Luke stayed silent all the way to the hospital. After he was beaten by Calum, he wasn't so bad. Not a black eye or broken bone at all. All the damage that was made was a busted lip. Luke's eyes hid behind a pair of black sunglasses. He saw that Charlie had pretty much passed out and Michael was still trying to bring her back to the land of awareness. He smiled because he knew that he was the reason behind her anxiety attack.

Luke was crazy and psychotic and liked seeing others suffer by his own hand. Charlie was passed out because she couldn't breathe because she was scared. Ashton triggered something within her that made her go ballistic. He watched as Ashton and Michael rushed her into the hospital frantically totally forgetting that he was there in he first place.

"Dude what did you say to her?" Michael asked as he pushed he way past the automatic doors and into the emergency room. "Help! Help us please!" He shouted so a flock of nurses would hear. "It's gonna be okay Charlie." He placed her down on the cottony carrier.

Calum was just behind Ashton and ran up to the gurney that Charlie was on. "Oh my god Charlie. It's gonna be okay. I'm right here." He stroked the side of her face and walked along with the gurney that tried to whisk her away from him. "Hang in there." It was really no point in trying since Charlie was already knocked out. He prayed to God that it was nothing serious. And he watched as the nurses rushed her further and further away from him.

Michael clapped Calum on the back with Ashton on his other side. "What did you say to her?" Michael repeated.

"I started talking about you and Luke. I didn't know that Charlie would go into psyche mode because of it."

"Don't mention him around her. Ever." Calum spoke slowly. "Especially you Michael."