Truth - Lashton

Chapter 38

Luke's POV

It's been a long school year really. It's now a month before graduation, me and Michael would both be heading into high school together.

I managed to put on enough weight and I'm now considered healthy. It's difficult honestly, there are days where I wanna slip back but I'm alot happier now. It's a part of me I'm learning to accept and live with.

Michael dyed his hair to a teal, shiny blue and got a tattoo. He seems alot more confident, if he could be more confident than he was when I first met him.

Calum is very shy, it took a bit for him to open up and talk to us but he's a joy to be around. We are all each other's glue, we need each other in a way.

We did form that band Michael talked about and it's going great, Calum has become a close friend of ours.

Mr. Irwin is a subject I hate talking about. I'm suprised he's even alive at this point. He's pale, his eyes have practically no life in them and he's just cold. It's like watching the ghost of him.

Me and Michael went into the classroom and there was not a soul in the room, this was odd.

Mr. Irwin would usually be here. He's probably just printing assignments or something.

We followed the rules he gave us if he wasn't here, just sit at our desks and wait.

Minutes passed, students arrived and my heart was starting to race. He hadn't arrived yet.

Breakfast arrived before Mr. Irwin did, instead we watched as the Principal walked in and helped put breakfast out for the kids.

"Come get your food and after, I need to tell you all something."

He sounded serious which was scaring me enough. I didn't notice that Michael got our breakfast.

"I'm sure that everything is fine. He probably just.. needs rest or maybe chose to recover.. You know?"

I hummed and began eating, it's gotten easier overtime. I found that talking to people has really helped distracting me from my thoughts.

We finished our breakfast together with small giggles after, Michael somehow making me laugh while worry was surrounding my heart and head.

The Principal went back to the front of the class and cleared his throat. I only just now seen how his eyes were starting to fill with tears.

I didn't wanna know what he was going to say. I didn't want to know why he came to our classroom. I didn't want to know why he was crying.

I squeezed Michael's hand for any kind of support.

"Class, I have news about your teacher.. Mr. Irwin."

I felt tears start to fill my own eyes as I blankly stared at the man. Something horrible happened, I could feel it.

"Mr. Irwin was found.. dead in his home this morning after one of our teachers went to check on him."

Dead.

Dead.

Ashton was dead.

I felt sick, I felt nauseous. I knew this was gonna happen just not this way.

Some students started crying, some students left.

"Luke?"

I looked at Michael and he looked just as crushed as everyone else.

We didn't say anything, just hugged each other and cried.

This horrible fucking disorder took him, that could've easily been me and I didn't know how to feel.

"You all will be going on a week long break as a result of this.. I'm sorry to deliver this news, please take care of yourselves. Head to the cafeteria and wait for your parents to pick you up.."

The Principal left and I was just left there stunned, hurt and confused.

Me and Michael walked to the cafeteria together. Everything moved so fast yet so slow, reality was crashing on me at a hundred miles per hour.

We found ourselves at our table, just like when we first thought he was relapsing.

"We could've helped him."

I said coldly, completely void of feeling at this point.

Michael didn't say anything.

"Do you wanna come back to my house?"

He just nodded, he kept his gaze on the table blankly.

"Come on, Mikey.. You can't keep your thoughts bottled up.."

He sighed, closing his eyes.

"We'll.. never him again, you know? It's gonna be someone else. It's never gonna be Mr. Irwin."

I kept my hands firmly against my eyes to stop crying.

"I know.."

"I hate this, Luke! I didn't think he'd die!"

Michael was hysterical now and I didn't blame him for that. I scooted beside him and put my arms around him, letting him cry.

We sat there and cried for a bit before we headed to my home.

The world seemed so vacant now.

We both silently went up to my room.

I looked at my bed and thought of Ashton again.

He probably died in his own bed. He probably felt cold, miserable, hungry, tired and everything else. I had been there before but I was different, I lived.

I sat on my bed while Michael sat himself on the floor beside me.

"We gotta live for him, Lu.. He'd want us too."

"Of course he would.. He was so happy when I chose to recover."

We both chuckled with tears in our eyes.

This was gonna be a hard month and an equally hard graduation next month.

Me and Michael agreed to at least make him proud in some way.