Greyhound

Twenty-Eight

⚠️TW: Mild⚠️
Please revisit the info page for this story for a list of possible triggers and proceed with caution, your mental health needs to be taken into account. I understand if you cannot continue forward with this story.
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"I shouldn't have come." Amelia mumbles to herself, feeling jittery and self conscious as she paces outside the front door.

"That is a lie, and we are all glad you did." She startles as she turns, seeing Sierra smiling at her, Luke at her side.

"All of you? Really, you think Ashton will be glad I'm here when he sees me?" she sighs, wiping her clammy hands against the rough fabric of her black skinny jeans.

"He will be, maybe surprised too, but he is going to be glad you are here." Luke smiles softly.

"I doubt it, but you've seen me here, so I guess I'll stay." She sighs, letting them lead her through the door, the sound of loud laughter reaching their ears as they enter.

"Is that you finally Hemmo! You're late!" She freezes as his voice rings loudly from further in the house.

"Sorry! Someone got held up at her writing session, but we found a friend out front." Luke smiles encouragingly at Amelia as the three of them round the corner into the kitchen.

"You came!" Calum bounds across the space to pull Amelia into a hug, "I wasn't sure you would."

"Happy Birthday Cal." She offers, hugging him back softly, her eyes more focused on the hazel ones watching her with confusion and shock evident in them.

"Amelia! It's been forever!" Crystal drags her attention away from Ashton as she pulls Amelia into her own hug.

"Hi Crys." She chuckles, "It's good to see you again."

"Come on, let's get you a mocktail and catch up!" Crystal grins, dragging her to the counter to mix up a drink without alcohol. Amelia can feel Ashton's eyes following her, but focusing on Crystal and ignoring his stare is easier, so when her drink is mixed she easily lets Crystal drag her out into the yard. Abbey, Jess, Aubrey, and Sierra already seated around a small table laughing as they join them.

***

"You invited Amelia?" Ashton hisses at Calum as they stand in the kitchen, trying to keep his voice quiet.

"She's our friend too Ash, and now you can work on your shit."

"What are you trying to do to me? It's on her if she wants to fix things now, she told me she needed time and she would call me."

"Well she came so maybe she wants to talk now." Calum shrugs, "I didn't force her to come, I ran into her at CVS earlier in the week when I was getting the tea you needed. I told her we were having a party and she was invited if she wanted to come. Clearly she wanted to come."

"Fuck. A warning would have been nice." Ashton curses, leaning heavily against the counter in front of him.

"I wasn't sure she would show up, and I knew you would be disappointed if you knew she was invited but didn't come, even if you're angry now." Calum shrugs, "You have my permission to fuck her in my guest room if it gets to that." He adds with a smirk.

"It's not going to get to that." Ashton spits, making Calum laugh.

"Okay, if you say so." Calum dodges around Ashton and heads for the couch, falling into a spot between Sam and Bennett as he gives Ashton another look.

"Hey." Ashton is startled from his thoughts as he hears her voice, turning to see Amelia stepping hesitantly into the kitchen with an empty cup.

"Hi." he sighs, the anger he was feeling towards Calum dissipating easily as his eyes meet her blue ones. She looks stunning tonight, the low cut white tank top she has on contrasting her bronzed skin so perfectly, hair falling softly around her arms with just the ends curled.

"Sorry it's been over a week." She offers as she pours some things together to create a drink for herself, Ashton watches carefully to make sure none of her choices are alcoholic.

"I was sick as fuck for a lot of it, we wouldn't have made much progress with how I was feeling." He shrugs, relaxing as her concoction is finished, some sort of flavorful Coke.

"I was sick too." She bites her lower lip, studying the pendant around his neck rather than meeting his eyes.

"I thought you said you weren't sick?"

"I lied." She sighs, "I didn't want you to feel guilty for me being sick too. It was as much my own fault as yours that we were fighting in the rain."

"That doesn't mean you should lie to me. Fuck Grey that's how all this shit started, with you lying to me!"

"Withholding my own private information for a later date is not lying Ashton. I was planning to tell you about Ezra. It's not my fault my hand was forced when they showed up. I don't know why you are still so mad about that. You know how hard it is for me to open up about my life and yet you keep belittling me for taking my time on the biggest, scariest, and most important part of my entire life."

"I just don't understand, I guess." He scoffs, "I don't understand why you were less afraid to tell me about being a fucking prostitute for five years than you were to tell me about your son. It doesn't make sense in my head how you could trust me to be okay with the idea that you had fucked half of LA but not that you were a mom."

"So the truth comes out." She spits angrily, "You do care about the fact that I got through my young adult life, and made the first real money I'd ever had, by sleeping with people for money. You are ashamed of my choices. And you know what, you and your pompous judgemental ass can kiss mine. Stay the fuck away from me, and my son. I did what I had to survive, to live, and I have made a life for myself, there is no room for judgment in my life. I thought you were different, but you're not, you're worse. At least the others in my life admitted to what they were doing. But you, you are using me and trying to convince me you're not."

"I—"

"No, just leave it." She stops him, shoving around him and heading for the front door without another word to anyone, the door slamming loudly behind her as she leaves.

Turning around Ashton can see everyone inside and outside watching him, cringing slightly under their stares as he reaches forward angrily, wrapping his hand around the neck of the open whiskey bottle and bringing the lip of it to his mouth, swallowing heavily as the poison touches his tongue, the burn of the alcohol rolling down his throat an inviting and sinistar pleasure.

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Things keep getting worse and worse, and now Ashton has relapsed too!

Is there any way to save Ashton and Amelia now?

What should Ashton do?

Vote and comment!

I love you guys!!!

~M =)