lifeguard//ashton irwin

chapter 12: 4th of July

A/N: Hello readers! <3 I might update again before July 4th but I'm not sure so I'll just say Happy Fourth of July in this chapter since it ties in! :D (that is if you celebrate Independence Day I always forget that the 5sos fam is international lol) but anyways this is my favorite kind of firework :)) have a good night x

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May's POV

"He invited you to the Independence Day Festival!!!" Calum jumped up from the couch and ripped off his shirt, whipping it around while whooping and hollering.

"Calum, no... wait, Calum, that's not all!" I tried to control the manchild rejoicing before me. "He invited me... as a friend." I looked down at my feet as a cloud of awkwardness appeared over the room.

"Oh." 

"Yeah."

"That idiot! I have to go talk to him right now." Calum grabbed his shirt, throwing it back on and storming out of the shop, heading to the lifeguard stand.

I sat back down on the couch and turned on the TV.

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Ashton's POV

Today was a slow day at the beach. The sky was cloudy, so no one was out in the water. I usually like calm days like this because no interruptions mean I can have some quiet time to think. But not today. Today I can't shake the horrible feeling that I ruined whatever relationship I had with Mayli-- May. And my eerie surroundings aren't helping.

Reading helps to take my mind off things, even if it's just for a little while. I've been reading a lot lately.

I was about to start reading again when I was rudely interrupted by Calum.

"What the hell, Ashton! Just a couple days ago you were  infatuated with May. And now you tell her you just want to be friends? What the hell is wrong with you?!" 

I didn't respond. Calum didn't seem to notice. 

"May is sitting in the shop now. She's confused and frustrated because guess what?? This guy totally led her on and she thought he was into her and but then he showed his true colors as the world's biggest--"

"Can you please stop, Calum. You're not helping." I rubbed my forehead and looked at him glaring at me from the other side of the room.

"You're an ass."

I sighed. "Calum."

"How do you even feel about her?"

"I used to hate her. I'm not sure why, I guess I just feel really nervous around her. I don't know how I feel now. Everything has happened so fast."

"Ok we're gonna play a game. Just answer without thinking. What color is the sky?"

"Blue."

"What is your favorite color?"

"Red."

"Favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Chocolate chip, duh."

"Do you want to date May?"

"Hell yeah."

"There you go."

Woah.

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I picked May up around 2pm and we walked to the pier.

"Wow, it looks so different!" May gushed with wide eyes, admiring the ferris wheel and other various carnival games set up in the pier area. "I mean I saw them setting it up yesterday but... wow!" She laughed and my stomach erupted with butterflies. God, I'm turning into such a sap.

"I know! Hey, I'm really glad you agreed to come with me. I want to get to know you better." I smiled at her. 

We kept walking for awhile until my hand brushed against hers and she flinched. "Uh, I'm gonna go to the rest room." She furrowed her eyebrows and walked off quickly. 

I'm planning to ask May out during the fireworks show. I thought it would be romantic. Hopefully I don't manage to screw this up before then.

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Before the fireworks display every year there's a talent show. This is the third year I've come to the Festival and something ridiculous always happens to trump the previous year's antics. The audience is almost all teenagers, and we're a small town so pretty much everyone knows each other. That just makes the talent show even more embarrassing.

May and I found seats and the show began. It was pretty basic honestly, full of bad singing and other various "talents." I was dying from boredom until I saw Ariana get on stage. Her performance is usually entertaining.

"I have a little video I prepared for you guys." She said with a giant smile and chirpy voice. "I hope you guys like it! This video is specifically to welcome a friend who's staying here for the summer! Actually can you come up to the stage, May Curtis?" She smiled widely again and motioned for May to come up. May looked at me with an alarmed expression but got up and headed up to the podium anyway. What's going on?

"I know that a lot of you don't know May that well, so here's a chance for you all to get better acquainted with her!" She smiled sweetly and pressed play. 

The video quality was pretty bad. She probably took it from her phone. An image came up that looked like the coffee shop. The camera shifts to show May and Calum sitting at one of the tables. I heard May's voice, low in volume since the video was obviously taken from a distance but still clearly distinguishable as hers.

"I don't know if he likes me. God I hope he does. It sound so pathetic but it's true. Honestly I hated Ashton when we first met..." 

A hush fell over the audience and everybody's eyes flicked back and forth between May and me. I heard a few girls gasp and some others giggle. I glanced over at May and she was staring blankly into the audience with a startled expression, like a deer in the headlights. She's refusing to make eye contact with me.

The video was still playing. "...but then he was so sweet to me and now I can't help feel butterflies whenever I'm around him. Every time I look into his eyes it's like my brain stops working and my face heats up, and I don't know... am I being stupid? I feel like a middle school girl with a crush on the senior quarterback." 

My face was probably beet red at this point, both from anger and embarrassment, but I still couldn't force my body to move or do anything. I can't believe Ariana would go this far. Why won't anyone stop that goddamn video!

It finally ended with May saying "I don't know if it's just a crush or something more. But I can't control how I act around him and I really hope he likes me too. I guess that's how I feel about Ashton Irwin." The May in the video sighed and took a sip of her drink, but it ended before the Calum in the video could reply.

The audience was silent, aside from a few giggles and comments like "honey you're not the only one who thinks Ashton is hot" or more compassionate ones like "she must be so embarrassed".

Ariana closed the video and smirked at the audience. "So there you go! There's an inside look at our new guest! Hope you all enjoyed and thank you so much for your time and attention! Let's give May Curtis a round of applause." Her cheery voice sickened me as she clapped and smiled dramatically before curtsying and walking off the stage.

May was frozen. Her eyes held a terrified and wounded expression as she frantically scanned the audience. I looked around, furious at these people for laughing at her. 

Our eyes met and she gasped, her eyes fluttering before she finally broke into sobs and ran off the stage. 

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I WILL TRY TO UPDATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IM SO SORRY