smoke • calum hood

vingt-deux.

twenty two: ashton's gonna be a dad

calum and adelin were hanging out on ashton's bed for emotional support. he was a nervous wreck, pacing around the room and running his hands through his hair while his heart was beating out of his chest.

"guys, i don't think i can do this," ashton stopped dead in his tracks. his breath was unsteady, "i can't do this to her. she's like the sweetest girl in the world, what if she hates me?"

"i doubt she'll hate you, ash," adelin really didn't think brooke had the capacity to have hate towards anyone. she was an angel. "but she probably will be upset. and you have to be okay with that."

ashton finally worked up the nerve to tell brooke the next weekend after calum and adelin found out. he decided to tell brooke first, because she deserved to know, and then he would tell luke, mason and michael so they could hear it from him. but thirty minutes ago he called adelin freaking out and she was already at calum's house so they both came over for moral support.

sarah and ashton decided they would keep the baby for now. she was apparently ten weeks along, and neither of their parents knew. ashton decided he would cross that bridge when sarah did. neither ashton nor sarah wanted to date each other right now, ashton was too focused on brooke. he wanted to stay with her, but was preparing himself for a bad break-up.

"she just texted me she's here," ashton ran a hand over his face. "i'm gonna go outside and talk to her. that's good, right? it's not bad if i don't invite her in?"

"it's up to you, ash," calum snuggled closer into adelin's neck, who was sitting on his lap in ashton's desk chair. "although if you invited her in we could hear what's going on."

"calum," adelin scolded. "ash, do whatever you want. just figure it out now because she's waiting outside."

ashton took a deep breath in and out. his mind was racing, he still had no idea what to say. "okay, wish me luck." ashton turned to walk out of his room, but stopped at the door. "on second thought, addy, do you wanna tell her? i think i may just move to canada and change my name and start a new life. i've always been a fan of the name rex, actually." adelin crossed her arms, unamused. "okay, okay, nevermind. worth a shot."

"i hope he's okay," adelin sighed once ashton left the room. she leaned her head back, resting it in the crook of calum's neck. "i'm worried about him."

"he's gonna be okay, princess," calum assured her. he adjusted his arms around her waist so that his hands were holding hers. she traced the tattoos on his fingers, giving him goosebumps. "what do you say we make a baby of our own right now?"

adelin couldn't help but giggle. "calum! we are not having sex on ashton's bed. i would kill him if he and brooke had sex on mine."

"you're no fun," calum whined, but pulled her closer.

the couple stayed like that for about an hour until ashton came back into his room looking like he had been crying. adelin and calum both sat up straight to show they were ready to listen.

"she doesn't hate me," ashton sat on his bed with his face in his shaking hands. "but she doesn't want to be with me. for right now, at least. she thinks the baby deserves the best shot it can get, and she thinks she would get in the way of that."

that sounded like brooke. she really was an angel, and probably the most selfless person adelin ever met. she made a mental note to eventually reach out to brooke and check on her, as long as ashton didn't mind.

"i'm sorry, ash," adelin got up from the chair to sit next to ashton. she laid her head on his shoulder and rubbed his back, trying to comfort him a little even though she knew there wasn't much she could do.