Room 21 - Calum Hood Punk -

Ashton Irwin

- Elena's POV - 


"Sorry I'm late, Leia!" I look at a guy (picture) who is coming through the door that the first guy got dragged through. "Hello! This is Elena." The lady (who I assume is called Leia) smiles at this guy. "Hi Elena, I'm Ashton!" He grins happily. He was definitely different to the first guy. He almost seems happy to be here... "Hi." I whisper. I stare at him, taking in his features. His tattoos are what I love the most, his left arm covered in them. "Ashton will be your 'buddy' here. If you need anything, he'll help you out! Thanks again, Ashton." Leia grins and gently places her hand on Ashton's shoulder, before walking inside. 


"Okay, I've got stuff to tell you and show you, so let's get going!" Ashton says, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. "We'll go to your room first, so you can put your stuff down. Let me take a bag!" He offers, reaching out and picking up my suitcase. I'd completely forgot about my belongings with how overwhelming this has all been up to now. I follow Ashton inside and look around. The walls are all a plain grey, some areas with white tiling, and the floors are all wooden floorboards. A group of boys are sat behind a sofa, smoking cigarettes. "Down this hallway." Ashton tells me. I keep staring at his tattoos, admiring every single one of them. I've got loads myself, but some of his just mesmerise me... 


"Your tattoos are beautiful!" I blurt out, instantly closing my mouth and going a bright shade of red. I hope he doesn't say something harsh to me. "I've never heard someone call tattoos beautiful before, but I appreciate it," he giggles. Then taking in my expression, he says, "don't look so scared, I don't bite, promise." I realise he isn't like the first guy, Luke? He seems sweet and charming, kind. "Here we are!" He smiles warmly, opening the grey, metal door. I walk in and drop my bags on the floor, looking around my room. If you can even call it a room. My walls are the same plain grey walls throughout the rest of the building, my floor also a darker shade of grey. I have a bed, and a small cupboard next to it. There's a wooden wardrobe in the far corner. I say far, but this supposed 'room' is pretty much a small box. The window isn't even a window, it's got metal bars across it. 


"This place is like a prison..." I mumble. 
"It is, but you'll get used to it. I did, and I've been here since it opened." Ashton tells me. I look at him in surprise. "Here's all the other stuff you'll need and the list of rules we have. I stuck mine on the wall, makes it easier. Here's some tape to stick it up if you want. I'll leave you to settle in. My room is on the map, I circled it for you in case you needed me for anything. See you around!" Ashton leaves my room. I look down at the paper he gave me. It says I'll be taking classes in Room 21, but I have no clue where that is... I decide to use my map and try to find Ashton again. 


I walk down the hallways and take a left. I pass a room and hear some shouting and swearing. Me being nosey, I decide to look in through the small glass in the door and see the guy that had been dragged in earlier. I'm going to guess his name is Luke, as that's what Leia had called him. He's been tied to the chair, and it's obvious he doesn't appreciate it. He goes to hit the guard, but he can't lift his arms up to do so which leads him to kick the floor in anger. He looks towards the door, causing me to back away with my heart pounding in my chest. I continue walking down the hallway, hoping I don't bump into anyone else on my way to find Ashton. 


About ten minutes pass and I realise I've gone in a complete circle. I groan in frustration and punch the wall next to me. "OW!" I wince, feeling a sharp pain flood through my hand. 
"Hey, are you okay?!" I whip my head around and Ashton comes rushing over. 
"I don't know... It hurts really bad!" I reply, my breathing getting heavier as I try to distract myself from the throbbing of my hand. "I think you may have broken your hand... Come with me, I'll take you to my room and see what I can do." Ashton frowns. I make sure to take in the directions we take, so I can find his room again next time. We get to his room and I realise it looks exactly the same as mine, only he has posters stuck to his walls. 


"Sit on the bed, I'll get my med kit." He tells me, going over to his wardrobe. I watch as he moves some clothes to the side and takes out some scissors and a roll of bandage. He sits on the bed next to me and wraps my hand up. I wince at the pain. "Sorry!" Ashton apologises. 
"It's okay. My fault, not yours." I push out as I scrunch my eyes shut tight. 
"Good news, you've only badly bruised your hand. It should heal in a few days," he gives me a quizzical look, "why did you punch the wall anyway?" I watch as he puts the scissors and the roll of bandage back under the clothes, covering them. "I was frustrated because I couldn't find your room..." I admit sheepishly. 

"Did you go in a circle?" Ashton chuckles. I nod, astonished he knew. "I did it on my first day here too." He admits. 
"I was coming to ask where Room 21 is... It says that it's where I take classes, but I don't know where it is. It's not on the map." I explain. 
"It is, it's just not noticeable. Give me your map and I'll mark it for you." Ashton smiles. I hand him my map and he grabs a pen off of his bedside cupboard. He draws an 'X' over Room 21 on my map and hands it back to me. "Oh, it really is unnoticeable! But I do think that I passed it when I tried finding you earlier." I laugh. 


"You can totally tell me if I'm overstepping any boundaries, but... Why are you in here? Without trying to sound rude, you don't look like someone with a problem..." Ashton says to me. 
"As much as I do like you, I don't know you well enough to tell you. It's personal... Sorry." I mutter, looking down at my feet again. "That's cool, I can wait until you're ready to tell me. You're pretty shy though, aren't you?" He observes. 
"Uh, yeah..." I feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. 
"Sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable!" Ashton apologises. 
"You're not, don't worry!" I shake my head, giving him a small grin. 

I stare at Ashton again, looking at his arms and admiring his tattoos for what feels like the billionth time. All the bracelets on his wrists catch my eyes, some being band bracelets. He notices me staring, "do you like any of these bands?" I take a closer look. 
"Yeah! Especially Green Day! They're amazing." I beam. 
"You like Green Day?!" Ashton sounds so shocked. 
"Duh! I love their songs, American Idiot and Letterbomb!" I nod. 
"Same!" Ashton lets out a happy laugh, making me smile. 
"Why do you have so many bracelets anyway?" I ask, intently waiting for his answer. 
"Oh... I used to collect them as I grew up, and now I just wear them. It reminds me of the times that were good for me." Ashton smiles, but it seems sad. 


"Guessing you didn't have a very good childhood?" I whisper. 
"Not really. My dad was an alcoholic and he beat my mum. When I was thirteen, he started beating me too... He got drunk one night before he was supposed to pick my mum up from a shift at work. He crashed and killed her. The worst thing about it all, was that he survived when it should've been her..." I noticed a tear slide down his cheek as he spoke. 
"I'm really sorry to hear that..." I say quietly. 
"Yeah, well, he's dead now." He wipes his eyes, sniffling. 


"But you're like 19, right? So you're an adult... Surely you should be allowed to leave now?" I frown. "He's dead because I killed him. I killed him to free myself from the beatings and the reminders that my mum died because of him." Ashton admits, sadly. 
"Yeah, but it's self-defence!" I point out. 
"No. I killed him when he was passed out drunk... This place stepped in and agreed to take me in so I wouldn't have to go to juvie... It was right when they opened." Ashton sighs. So he killed someone? "But I've never hurt anyone else. I'd never hurt you, either. I swear it." Ashton says reassuringly, probably noticing my slightly shocked expression. I nod, giving him a smile. "Dinner is in about half an hour, so maybe you should go to your room and settle in properly? I'll come and meet you to take you to the cafeteria." Ashton gives me his kindest smile. 
"Thanks, Ashton." I grin. 
"And Elena? If your hand gives you any problems, come and find me. I'll sort it out." 
"I will!" I reply, leaving Ashton to go back to my room.