Heartbreaker (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 30

~Madison Williams~

"So I was right all along."
I turned my back to face Rebecca. She stood firmly; her stare just as bitter and dark, her hands balled up into restricted fists.
"What exactly do you think you know?" I asked in a tone I didn't recognize. "Who exactly do you think I am?"
She slowly stepped closer; hesitant due to the difficulty of restriction. I knew for a fact that she, as an Anderson, was trained not to act on impulse. It was a practice of the family to avoid the destruction of their reputation.
"I know you're a slut," she muttered under her breath, "I know you're a bitch and a filthy whore but overall, I know you couldn't care less about Ashton."
I chuckled, "Is that so?"
"I heard it right from your mouth and you can't deny it. You willingly let it be heard so theres no purpose in you trying to take that back, is there?"
"So you don't know who I am. So why is it important to you? Why do you care about what you heard?"
"Because," she eyed me in disgust, "he deserves someone better than you. You don't deserve him and I pray for the day he comes to his senses because nothing will satisfy me more than seeing him leave you with nothing."
I shook my head in denial, "you don't mean that."
"No," She spat, "I meant every word of it."
"Only because you don't know the truth."
"What truth?!" She snapped, "The truth that you're a worthless whore? If you hadn't noticed, we all knew that and deep down, I'm sure Ashton knew that too. If he doesn't, he will when I tell him what I heard."
"Rebecca-" I pleaded as I grabbed onto her wrist.
She shook my grip off of her and stormed out leaving me alone in the hallway.

I shook my head in denial. No, I refused to believe it. Had she known that I was her sister, she couldn't possibly mean that. No. And maybe she did mean it. It was the truth that I'm sure everyone else would agree on, but hearing it come straight out of her own mouth-no. She didn't mean it. Shedidn't mean it. But I guess the truth is, even if she didn't mean it, I know that what she said was right. I don't deserve Ashton, I never did. I know that one day he'll wake up and come to the realization that he deserves so much better. I've longed for that day to come but feared it at the same time.

***

I heard the howls, screams and whistles of excitement from backstage followed by the momentary arrival of the four boys down the hall. All four of them had wide-spread grins on their face and a pair of lit eyes, almost like a kid on a sugar rush.
Ashton ran across the hall before impulsively lifting me up and spinning me around.
"We did it!" He yelled excitedly, "And it's all thanks to my lucky charm."
He planted a soft kiss onto my lips as he snaked his arms around my waist. When we pulled apart, all I could see was Rebecca at the corner of my eyes. Her reproachful stares are the only focus of my eye. She straightened from leaning against the wall and began talking to Michael. I was almost certain she was just digging up more dirt so she could drag me down to where I belong. Though I doubt that she could succeed in adding onto my misery, I guess you never know the worst that could happen until you're crawling across the cold ground without any purpose for struggling. I already had no family, I had the world looking at me with disgust and now that the only person I trusted to be on my side hated me with all her gut, what did I have left to lose?

"Babe, are you okay?" Ashton whispered. His soft hazel eyes held a look of concern as he held my hand into his, drawing comforting circles at the back of it with his thumb.
I really wasn't, but I nodded anyway. "I'm fine, I promise you."
He sighed but didn't argue, "You know that you could tell me anything, right?"
I pulled a weak smile, "I wouldn't hesitate."
"Okay," He squeezed my hand, "I trust you."

"Hey love birds!" Michael called out from the end of the hall, snapping us out of our daze.
He smirked as he approached us, "I'd hate to ruin your moment but are you guys up for pizza? We're going to celebrate with Rebecca."
I shifted my eyes to look at Rebecca. I wasn't welcome and the only reason for me to be there was Ashton.
Ashton looked over at me for approval to which I nodded. "Ash you can go," I whispered, "but I'll pass because this is more of a band thing."
"Nonsense," he shook his head, "you're welcome to join us, you know that."
"No, I'm really not Ashton. But that's fine with me. Please," I pleaded, "just go with them, I'll be fine."
"Babe, I don't have to go. I can stay with you."
I sighed, "Ashton, this is important for your band and you can't miss this. Just please, for me?"
He nodded, "Well I'll see you later?"
"Of course." I kissed his cheek before heading off.

***

I stepped out of the cab at, if I were to guess, a quarter past nine o'clock. I was fifteen minutes late to work but what was new?
I walked through the doors of the night club without acknowledging the stares of the men sitting near the entrance. Everyone around me was either dancing, making out with strangers or getting drowned in alcohol. You'd think that the people here were so damn happy if they could party without a care in the world. But you know when you've been working here for years that everyone around you is just as miserable as you are. They just decide to mask their misery with the help of ignorance otherwise, they resolve to just completely forgetting them. But alcohol is only a temporary cure for misery because when you wake up with a hangover, you know that the pain was never really over. The real pain is when alcohol and drugs can't even help you; when you're distracted and totally lost but yet you still can't feel satisfied, that's when you know you're hopeless. You're trapped and there's no way out.

"Long time no see."
"Hey, Kira." I mumbled without enthusiasm.
"What's wrong with you?" She raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"I think I just had the worst day in my life."
"Why is that?"She looked with sudden concern, "What happened?"
"I saw my dad today."
For a slight moment she stared in disbelief but knowing that I wouldn't joke about this, she asked, "Did he recognize you? Did you guys talk?"
I nodded, "He didn't recognize me at first but then I told him. I was outside of the dressing room backstage of Ashton's new gig. He-he-" A tear slipped down my cheek, "He asked me how much I was worth. Kira, he thought I was a prostitute. He didn't know who I was but I just wanted to hit him and yell and scream. How could he go chasing after prostitutes? That hypocrite! He disgusts me."
"Calm down," Kira put her hand on my shoulder. "calm down."
I nodded, wiping away that one tear at the corner of my eye. "He can't ever be mayor. He doesn't deserve it and I couldn't be happier than to see him fall to his knees in defeat."
"Does Rebecca know?"
I shook my head, "she has no clue and I'm not sure she'll even care if she does find out. She hates me already after what happened to her and Daniel and now that she found out about me dating Ashton, she hates me even more."
"Wait- you're saying that your sister likes Ashton?"
I nodded, "It's pretty obvious and she would be so much better for him anyway. She's not a dropout and she's probably even more practical for him. She's 16 and he's 18. I'm 22 now. Kira I'm pretty sure that this isn't even a fair comparison."
"So what are you saying?" She asked in a soft, hushed voice. "That you're going to give up Ashton for your sister? Madison do you hear yourself? Ashton doesn't even like Rebecca."
"I never said I was going to give up Ashton for Rebecca. It's just-" I shook my head. "Nothing. Nevermind."
"Well, don't act on impulse Madison. You wouldn't want to do something you'd regret."
I nodded, "I know."
"Are you ready to get to work?" She asked.
"Ready."

I got up from my seat and walked to the teable across the room to serve the drinks.
"Here you go," I set down the glass of martini followed by one order of tequila and one order of pina colada. "Just let us know if you want second rounds."
"Will you be back for our second rounds?" A guy leaning back into his seat asked. He pulled a charming smile, charming but devious. His dark blue eyes looked up at mine causing me to stand frozen in shock. My breathing hitched and I found myself desperately searching for oxygen. I could recognize those eyes from anywhere. Decades couldn't steal the memory from my mind no matter now much I wish they could. It was him; his sinister eyes, his deceitful smile and taunting voice that were the reason for my sleepless nights. They were the reason for my nightmares. He was the demon that tempted and lured me into the hell I'm living in but he didn't even seem to know who I am. I felt my knees tremble as my hands threatened to drop the glass I was clutching onto.

"Excuse me," I said before running off to the washroom. I shut the door closed behind me before collapsing to the floor into a fit of silent, restricted sobs. One by one the tears fell down my cheeks and slid down to my neck. My lip was quivering with the little energy I had left stored in my frail body. I was alive and breathing but my lungs were longing for air as I drowned in my own tears. That was it; I couldn't repress the tears anymore. My pride was a dam that couldn't hold my emotions any longer. They all came bursting out at once in that very night. The pain, the anger, the misery and regret, they were all there and I couldn't hide them anymore. I was broken and there was no way of fixing me. It was him. He was all it took for my past to come back from the dead. And now that I've taken one glance at him, all of the memories came flashing back in an instant.

It was his fault. He is the one that made me like this. I know that no matter how much I want to,
I'll never forget him.

Andrew.