The Locker Room •• Ashton Irwin ••

11.

I was holding a wet bra and a wet shirt while wearing nothing but my skinnies. His eyes scanned my naked upper body totally not listening to me. I crossed my arms beginning to feel selfconcious. He walked over from his locker and layed his hands at my upper arms. "No need to hide yourself. I've seen you. You're beautiful." He said.
"Thanks Ash." I mumbled. He walked back to his locker and held two shirts out. A white and blue one and a black singlet.
"So I have two shirts you can wear. Either the grey one but you'd show of your bra, that's wet. Or my game shirt." He'd give me his game shirt?
"What happened to bad boy Irwin."
"He Fucked you and now he doesn't want his tutor to get a cold from the shower." That's true my hair was still wet and I only had my dry skinny jeans. All my other clothes are soaked.
"I'll take your football shirt." I gave a small smile while pulling it on. Giving him a clear view on my chest area.

We were sitting on the floor not talking just listening to all the tiny, creaky sounds. I yawned and my eyes closed and it was hard to open them. Ashton put his arms around my shoulder and pushed me down so we were laying on the ground my head on his shoulder. "Sleep Girl." And he was back to being a jerk. I got off of his arm and turned away from him. I curled up into a ball finding out my legs fit in the shirt if I put them tight to my chest. Shutting all sounds out I fell asleep.

"Just stop asking questions!" Ashton yelled. He pushed me and I fell to the ground. He started throwing all kinds of stuff at me. Shirt, shoes, a ball. Till he finally hit me. A belt hit me and my head smacked against the floor making stars appear. "Ashton stop please." I begged him. The tears streamed down my face. I touched my face and felt something sticky near my cheeks. "Ashton stop." I whispered. "Please daddy." It took him a while till he could see clearly again. He sat down on his knees and slowly moved towards me. "Eliza I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He cradled me in his lap and stroke my hair. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." He whispered.
Before I could answer I woke up to a silent scream. I turned around and saw Ashton in a fetal position against a locker. I blinked twice to see if I wasn't imagining things. I laid still trying to see what he was doing until I heard another thunder sound making him jump up and scream again. I giggled and he looked at me. "What a-are you l-laughing AA-at." He screamed at the end turning my giggle into a laugh.
"Why would people be afraid of someone who's scared of thunder?" I laughed.
"Maybe because nobody knows." He growled. "Just go back to sleep girl."
"Not until you sleep." I crawled towards him and wrapped my arms around his waist. He tried to pry me away but I wouldn't budge. "Ashton lay down." He lays down on his back while I still had my arms around him. His head laid on top of mine and u put my head on his chest listening to his heartbeat. I heard his breathing calm down and I saw his eyes drooping. That was till the next thunder. He jumped and squeezed my tightly. "Ashton."
"Yes."
"I can't breath." He o'd and loosened his grip.
"I've seen a lot of your tattoos but you always keep the rose one covered why?" He asked tracing my back to the place where it stood. The back of my neck. A simple red rose.
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Please? Maybe it can help me sleep." If I could rest than.
"Fine but no interruptions." I swallowed the lump in my throat and began. "So when I was ten my father had to take my grandpa to the hospital. My grandma wouldn't leave his side so she went with them. I just came back from school. It was the first time I would walk back him myself. My dad called me a big and brave girl that morning. Telling me he loves me.
I looked left and right and left again and went to cross the street when I heard a crash. Soon after an ambulance came rounding the corner on heir way to the next. I was curious and decided to follow it. If only I hadn't I would've saved myself from that look.
Around the corner a car lay on its side. I couldn't look over all the adults so tried to get closer to it. I reached the car and saw the familiar black hummer from my dad. I saw the medics trying to get my grandma to breath again. But they were to late. My grandpa and my grandma were gone and also was my dad. I saw him on in the ambulance and my mom ran out of her car to it. She didn't see me standing there while she cried over their bodies. Indentifying them all. Finally she saw me with tears streaming down my face. I was only ten but I could understand that they were dead. It was over for them and I was left behind with my mom. I got that tattoo when I was twelve my mom telling me I could let them tattoo my dad's favourite flower, a rose." I hadn't cried about it for a long time but hearing all of this coming from my own mouth instead of my mom's made tears rim my eyes.
"I'm sorry Eliza. I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me that." Ashton said under his breath.
"It doesn't matter it's over."
"It isn't over when I can hear it still hurts you."
"Just sleep Ashton." I wrapped my arms around him tighter and heard his breathing still uneven. To many thoughts clogging our minds.
I decided neither of us would sleep if he would keep jumping and moving like that. I remembered a song my dad used to sing me when I couldn't sleep and started.

"Hush. Quit. Hush.
This won't be the last time your eyes close.
Hush Quit. Hush.
Don't talk anymore, shut out the sounds.
Hush. Quit. Hush.
I'll be here when you wake up.
Hush. Quit. Hush.
Sleep tight, dream nice, close your eyes."