But, Shes my Best Friend (Ashton Irwin fan fiction)

Chapter 59

I waited for Chloe in the food court. I sipped on my drink slowly, while scrolling through my newsfeed. 

"Ashton?" A curious voice called from behind me. I turned around the condensation of my soda dripping onto the white tile beneath me. I looked up at the familiar figure who stood before me. My mouth opened to say something but I had no words.  

"I've been trying to call you ever since I got back. You're avoiding me aren't you?" Zoe asked, sounding a little hurt and confused.

"Can you blame me." The venom seeping through my teeth. I imagined seeing her again a million times. But I don't think I was ever prepared for this moment. I didn't realize how angry I would be with her until now. My blood was boiling. What she did was truly unforgivable and I did not realize until now. Not only did she cheat on me but she missed her best friends party, showing how much we meant to her.

"Ashton, I don't know where to begin-- I really am sorry." She started, stepping closer to me. 

"Zoe, you can say sorry a million times, but we both know you will never truly mean it." I got up from my seat. The metal chair scrapping on the floor, making a cringe-worthy sound. 

"But I am!" She cried. 

"Oh please don't lie." I spat. She looked angry instead of hurt now. Her expression mirroring mine. Pure disgust. Crazy how quickly our feeling for each other changed. 

"When have I lied?" She folded her arms across her chest, one eyebrow arched. Her eyes like daggers into mine. "I've been completely honest with you this whole time. I meant everything I ever said to you! I loved you! I still love you!" 

I could feel the stares of the few people in the food court. I didn't care. If I avoided her, this conversation would never happen. It was better to get it all off our chest now then never.

I chuckled, "We never really loved each other Zoe."

"You don't know what your talking about." She stormed off. 

I threw away my cup. It was mostly melted ice at this point. Chloe was just entering the food court, bags in hand, exhausted. She told me she didn't want anything to eat, so we headed towards the exit.

"I saw Zoe." She told me, in the parking lot.

"Me too." I said.

"Did you guys talk?" She asked me, as we waited for cars to drive by. 

"Sure. You can say that."

"What happened?" She looked at me wild-eyed. I told her about the little fight in the food court. She asked me about her expression throughout the whole thing. I didn't quite remember it. I was too angry with her at the moment to note the small things. 

The car ride home was silent. She dropped me off at home. We worked extra hours and extra days for the past two weeks to get enough money for the trip. Our parents paid for our ticket to Amsterdam, and gave us spare cash. My mom managed to get me $500, which was good enough. I never expected her to give me a lot of money in the first place. Chloe and Calums got a lot more money from their parents. Seeing they were both from two parent homes, with financially stable jobs. As a nurse and a single mom you didn't get much money to spend freely. I packed my bags and headed off to bed. 

The music sent vibrations through my body. Girls and guys swayed to the beat, their sticky bodies grazing each others. A multitude of hues shone upon their faces. The intense sounds sent people jumping to the beat of the techno music. Everyone seemed to be in slow motion, as their bodies rocked against one another. As the music grew louder I began to see doubles in the crowd. The music was going fast, but everyone around me was moving slowly. Including me. I hadn't noticed my hands were on someones hips, pushing them closer to my now sweaty body. The faceless girl whispered into my ear. Her accent was warm, but I didn't understand what she said.

I found myself looking at the crowd once again. I found myself looking for someone in the crowd. I didn't recognize anyone around me, but I was having a good time. And I could tell they were too. The lights were changing too quick, making it hard to focus on anyone. The people around me begun to move more aggressively. I had been handed something to drink. The taste was sweet on my tastebuds. It helped clear my head, and everyone was back to normal. Bodies rocking slowly. My hands on the girl. Her body inches away from mine. She talked again, but I didn't understand what she was saying. The music grew louder and louder, until it finally faded away.

My alarm rang beside me. I didn't have the urge to go back to sleep. I was too excited to sleep in the first place. I estimated I got about three hours of sleep last night. I tried everything to go to sleep, but my mind was too excited to shut down even for a few hours. My mom was already moving about downstairs. I could hear the refrigerator open and close, along with the sound of dishes, and the water running. I rushed to the bathroom and started the cold water. I could not risk the chance of falling asleep under the warm water. The water left an icy burn as it splashed onto my skin, leaving goosebumps down my arms. To avoid the feeling I was drowning, I quickly showered and got dressed. My mom was downstairs leaning against the counter, coffee in her hand, and watching the new. 

"I made you some." She gestured over to a freshly brewed cup of coffee. 

"Thanks." I smiled. Despite the cold shower, I was still a bit tired. 

"You sure you have everything ready?" She asked me, looking away from the screen. I nodded, the hot liquid burning my throat. "I don't want you leaving anything important around." I quickly finished the coffee and headed upstairs. I cautiously checked to see if I had everything. We loaded my things into the trunk. My mom, who was in the drivers seat, smiled at me and gently squeezed my hand.

"Look at you going off, exploring the world." I smiled back as she began to pull out of the driveway. 

The drive to the airport was a bit hectic.  Inside the airport everything was even more crazy. I didn't need much help unloading, since I was carrying one giant bag with me. We weighed it before to make sure I met the requirements. I made sure we were all traveling light. We planned on purchasing more important things as we went. My mom held me tight and kissed my forehead. She had to go on her toes to do that. 

"Be safe," She reminded me, a small tear rolling down her cheek. 

"Don't cry, I'll be back." I reminded her.

"Yes I know, I just--" She stuttered a bit, "I didn't imagine you growing up so fast." 

"Its okay, mom. I'm still your little boy." I smiled, hugging her one more time.

"I love you. Please be safe."

"I love you."

I grabbed my passport and all my identification, everything was ready. I grew more and more excited as I walked in. For once  I would be far away from everything I knew. Except Calum and Chloe, of course. I followed multiple signs to the check-in desk. The women impatiently attended to everyone. She greeted me with a forced smile. My bag was checked in and tagged, then placed on a conveyor. I took my boarding passes and ID card from the agent. I went through security very easy. After all that I found my gate. The plane wasn't boarding yet, so I took a seat and waited it. Calum and Chloe  joined me shortly after I got there, and we all waited. Excitedly talking about our adventures to come. Chloe let us in on what she could book and what she couldn't.  

"Eh, we'll figure it out." Calum shrugged. We boarded our plane, and prepared ourselves for the long flight ahead. Chloe had come prepared, her carry-on was filled with different, well-needed essentials for the flight.

When we arrived at the hostel in Amsterdam it was nothing like I expected it to be. Chloe checked us in and a small lady led us to a room, there were 3 bunks beds in the room. The lady let us know this was the smallest of them all, and two other people would be joining us later.Chloe situated herself on the top bunk next to one of the windows in the room. The room was incredibly small, it surprised me how it could fit in 6 beds. We arrived at 11 a.m., completely jet lagged. The three of us decided to take a short nap, before actually beginning our trip.