I'm Sorry • Lashton

Chapter 2

Dedicated to RagingGoddess for being my first voter thank you 💕

I'm alone, on my own, that's all I know,
I'll be strong, I'll be wrong, oh but life goes on
-A Place In This World // Taylor Swift

The following day for Ashton consisted of unpacking his sister's things, then unpacking his brother's things, and finally unpacking his own things. He was hoping to get it all done by noon, so he could maybe nose around his new area after lunch. The Irwin family hadn't moved from very far away, and Ashton was glad because this meant he wouldn't have to change schools, and meet new people, and socialise more than necessary. But even though they had only moved from another town, Ashton was determined to make some friends, or find something to do in the new area.

After he had helped his mum clear lunch away, Ashton grabbed his jacket and slipped on his shoes.
Before he could open the front door, his mum came out the kitchen, frowning when she saw him ready to go out.
"Where are you going?" She asked
"Just want to look around, explore a little" He admitted, turning to face his mum. Anne nodded and smiled at her son,

"Okay, that's fine. Don't be home too late"

"I won't!" Ashton called out reassuringly, before putting his hood over his beanie, and stepping outside.

He plugged his earbuds into his ears, and began to feel less awkward as the sound of John Mayer flooded through his ears. He walked down the street (making sure to duck his head as he passed the neighbours), his eyes scanning over everything. The new place wasn't very different to the old one, just the fact that the houses were bigger, and the cars fancier. It was nice to move away, after his father had left them- the old house held too many memories. Although Ashton had loved his dad, he would always love his mother more, because she was such a strong, independent woman, who had worked hard for her three children. She deserved a nice house and a fancy car- she deserved nothing but the best.

Ashton halted to a stop when he came to a park, debating on whether or not he should enter. He wasn't too sure what the people were like here but- he shrugged thinking I'll just have to find out.
The park was just an ordinary Sydney park, with swings and slides and a climbing frame in the play area (where he promised himself that he'd bring Harry and Lauren later because he knew they'd love it) and clumps of trees on one side, then large patches of grass on the other. The park was huge, and with his glasses on he could distantly see a small basket ball court near another forest of trees.

He wasn't quite sure what to do, as he looked around and noticed a group of boys kicking a ball. Would it be weird to ask to join in? In the end, he decided against it, knowing that he hated football anyway and would probably end up making a right fool of himself.
Instead, Ashton walked around them and over to the basketball court- which, thankfully, was empty. The court was only small, so it allowed Ashton to toss a stray ball into one hoop whilst making sure to keep an eye on his hoodie that he had carelessly flung over the opposite hoop.

It wasn't a mission for the tall boy to score continuous set shots, seeing as the basket was relatively low and Ashton wasn't exactly what you would call short.
The honey-eyed boy continued to play for a further half hour, before collapsing onto the floor and leaning against the metal mesh. He wished he had thought to bring a drink with him. But he didn't have much time to dwell over his thirst, as he heard someone shouting something.

Looking up, Ashton spotted two boys standing a bit further away from him. One of them was slightly taller than the other, with dark brown curly hair, and slightly tanned skin. The other boy had big, spiky hair and a huge fringe, his eye an undefinable colour, and his small lips in a smirk.

"Know your band shirt!" The latter yelled, and the brown-haired boy shot Ashton an apologetic smile, as he frowned looking down at his black Blink-182 shirt.

"I do know my band shirt!" Ashton yelled back. He wasn't usually one to respond to strangers, let alone yell at them, but even so, he hated being accused of stupid things like not knowing who the band on his shirt was.

"Oh yeah?" The spiky haired boy sauntered over, and so did the other boy- reluctantly, Ashton noticed.

"Name all the members." The boy quizzed, once they were close enough to Ashton,

"Michael.." The other boy groaned,

"Shut it, Cal" Michael replied,

"Travis Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge." A surprised look crossed Michael's face, before he pressed on,

"Name three songs, apart from 'All The Small Things'"

Ashton rolled his eyes but replied,

"I Miss You, What's My Age Again and First Date."

"Three songs without a music video?"
"Going Away To College, Give Me One Good Reason, and Aliens Exist."

"Name an album."
"Take Off Your Pants And Jacket."

Michael raised an eyebrow, shocked but impressed, as the hazel-eyed boy smiled smugly,

"Amazing!" 'Cal' laughed, high-fiving Ashton, as Michael Scowled,

"Calum! Michael! Come on! Break's over!" One of the other boys suddenly yelled from the distance. Michael turned to go, but Calum was still smirking with Ashton at his friend's defeat,

"Want to come play?" The tanned boy asked, frowning at how childish the question left his mouth,

"Ah... Sure" Ashton shrugged, picking himself up off the floor,

"Great, I'm Calum, and that... is Michael."
"Cool, I'm Ashton."

As the three boys approached the group, Ashton began to feel a little awkward. How would Calum and Michael's friends react to a stranger?

"This is Ashton." Calum announced causally, as the ball was tossed to him. He turned to the older boy again before speaking,
"You can be on our team. We're one short anyway."

Ashton nodded, his eyes scanning the other seven or so boys. He had begun to feel a bit weird at first, thinking he was going to boil by wearing all black, but the others didn't seem to be wearing anything different.

He watched them as they stood in a half circle, chatting to each other and joking around. Ashton's eyes widened when his wondering gaze fell upon a blonde boy tying up his shoes. Ashton froze, although his mind was racing. No, it couldn't be, could it? As the blonde boy stood up-right again, Ash began to feel nauseous. Oh god it's him.

Quickly, Ashton looked away and turned to Calum,

"I- I just remembered-" he stuttered "I have to get home, I have something I need to do. Sorry, I'll play another time-"

Calum's mood seemed to deflate, but he smiled brightly anyway,
"Okay, sure, it's fine. We play every Sunday so.."

Ashton nodded, before running towards the basketball court to grab his jacket.

As he passed the group of boys again, they all had their backs towards him, but he could hear what they were saying,
"Cal, where did Blink Boy go?"

Before Calum could answer, Michael butted in,

"Don't know. He saw Luke and ran off. Maybe he has a crush on him." The other boys began to jeer as Luke turned red, and flipped them all the finger,

"I'm not gay, fuck off." He warned.

Ashton didn't wait to hear any more, but quickly ran out the park, his heart beating and his face flushed.

Oh god.