Beating Heart// Lashton

Chapter 6

Ready or not, here I come

Where you at? The night is young

In the crowd the music's loud but I will find you

-Ready Or Not By Bridget Mendler

Ashton's POV

I was ripped from my nightmare in which I was binging, a common dream for me, when I heard banging on my front door. I looked over at the clock on my nightstand and saw that it was eight in the morning. It was saturday. On saturdays I don't wake up until the afternoon. Who the fuck is at my door? And they're still banging, it hasn't stopped. 

I got out of bed, slipped on my moccasins and put on a hoodie, my plaid pajama pants still on, and I ran downstairs to try to put an end to the banging. 

I had just unlocked the door when the door flings open and pushes me to the side while Nia barges in and goes towards the kitchen. "Do you have energy drinks?"

"Good morning to you too, and yeah, in the fridge," I responded with sass, but she didn't seem to care. 

I followed her into the kitchen. She brought a drink out of the fridge and examined it.

"Diet?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Nia, I'm anorexic, of course I choose diet drinks," I said, rolling my eyes at her.

"Okay so I'm just going to move past that cause you already know you need to drink things with calories sometimes, and because we need to talk," she said with much seriousness.

From the tone of her voice, I thought that this was it, this was an intervention. She was sending me to a hospital. The ambulance is on the way.

"About?" I asked cautiously.

She took a huge gulp of the drink and made a disgusted face before returning to normal.

"Let's sit down," she suggested and I followed her to the couch in the living room. We took a seat, and she put her chunky black boots on the coffee table and I knocked them down with my foot.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" I was on the edge of my seat, ready to run out the second I heard a siren.

"We're auditioning for a band today," she said casually, taking another sip and making another weird face.

"We're what?" I almost shouted at her.

"You know how I like Michael Clifford? The guy that changes his hair color everyday, he's in my English class."

I nod.

"Well he saw my drum cover and DM'd me yesterday and wants me to audition for the band."

"What's their name again?" I asked.

"Five Seconds of Summer or five-sauce."

"Right, and this involves me how?" 

"Because," she slaps my hand gently, right above the cigarette burn I have from Louis years ago, "I can't join the band, I promised Rena I'll be in a band with her. So you're going to get the spot."

"What makes you sure of that? They didn't ask me to audition. They asked you, not me."

"Cause, you are a fantastic drummer! I told them that you'll audition too and Michael seemed happy about that," Nia explained.

"I barely even know them, I didn't even remember their name, why would I audition?"

"Ash, I will slap you if you keep fighting me. You're auditioning cause I want to see you happy. You are a passionate drummer and you need a band. This is perfect. Plus you'll be doing me a solid, I get to see Michael fucking Clifford outside of school," Nia told me.

"So when are we auditoning?" I ask.

"Now," she said deadpan.

I started freaking out, "What? I'm still-"

She starts laughing, "Relax, we have three hours to practice, they'll be over for lunch."

I calmed down for a second, and then realized she said they're coming over for lunch, which just made me panic again. 

"It'll be fine," she said, knowing what I was freaking out about.

"Since you invited them over to my house without my permission, woke me up early, judged me for my drink choice, and had just decided that I'm auditioning for a band I don't know because you think it will be good for me, you should let me not eat lunch with them."

"You're sitting down at least, so you can get to know them better."

I nod in a silent agreement.

"And you're eating at least something, I don't care if it's just an apple, something, please."

I begrudgingly agreed to that.

"Good," she smiled, awfully pleased at herself for her negotiating skills, "Then let's get to practicing!"

I groaned and followed her to the basement.