the treehouse ☾irwin [completed]

four;

i stayed cooped up in my room the whole day, just laying in my bed. my thoughts were so jumbled, i didn't even feel like getting up to eat a meal.

nothing seemed to make sense. what did ashton mean?

i stared at my rotating ceiling fan, blasting green day into my headphones. a loud knock on my door snapped me out of my trance, causing me to almost fall off my bee.

"yes?" i asked groggily, turning in my bed to face my bedroom door.

mom walked in, looking chipper. "we got invited to a dinner party tonight!" she patted my leg happily. "where is it?" i groaned, too lethargic to actually put energy to get out of my bed.

"at the irwins'!"

i sat up in my bed, eyeing my mom suspiciously. "why?"

"i don't know! but, get ready soon," mom turned to leave, still smiling at the thought of dressing nicely in purpose. "oh, and please try to look nice."

i groaned as she shut my door, throwing my pillow over my face. the thought of going to a dinner party nauseated me. the feeling didn't suppress at the thought of going over to the irwins', where i recently had an argument with their son i barely knew.

i readjusted my position on my bed, glancing out my window into the backyard next door. i saw ashton sitting on his back deck, talking to his mom. ann marie seemed very enthusiastic as she spoke to her son, similar to how mom was.

meanwhile, her son seemed very frustrated. she went back inside, leaving ashton sitting with narrowed eyes. he stood up, glared over our house, then followed his mom in.

i sighed and slumped further into my bed. this was going to be a long night.

***

"if it isn't the pattersons! come in, come in!" ms. irwin smiled widely as we knocked on their front door. she moved so we could walk in, her boyfriend, tony, standing behind her.

ms. irwin had a simple church dress and heels on, with tony wearing a dress shirt and pants. tony had an amused smirk plastered on his face when i walked in, but it immediately vanished when dad followed me in.

i frowned uncomfortably as the two lead us to their living room. i sat hesitantly beside mom on their beige colored couch, tapping my foot anxiously.

tony, ms. irwin, mom, and dad began having small talk, often times including me in sone questions about school and life in general. most of the time, i just zoned out.

"where's ashton, honey?" ms. irwin asked her boyfriend as they began transferring the previously cooking food onto their dining table. "i don't know," tony answered nonchalantly, seeming only interested in tossing a salad.

ms. irwin sighed and walked to her back door. she opened it and stepped out onto the back porch, calling into their backyard. presumedly, her son was cooped up in the mysterious treehouse of his. "ashton! we have guests! i told you to come in twenty minutes ago!"

softly, but loud enough for me to hear, ashton yelled back.

"i'm not coming in until those bitches leave!"

***

ms. irwin still had a flushed shade of red on her cheeks as we began eating. she assumed nobody heard her son, so she had played it off. but, i had heard him.

dinner was very awkward and uncomfortable. i felt like tony kept eyeing me weird from across the table. i fidgeted in my seat, constantly readjusting the position of my legs.

ms. irwin and mom chatted quietly, but tony and dad rarely spoke. all was going well, until their back door was swung open violently.

ashton sauntered in, his hood drawn tightly around his head and holes in his skinny jeans. he had headphones in and he stopped abruptly as he walked into the house.

his eyes widened as he noticed my family's appearance. an awkward silence fell upon us, and i swear i could hear the crickets chirping.

ashton glanced at the table, his eyes landing on me. i seemed to shrink lower in my seat as his calm expression turned hard.

"shit, i thought they already left."