Beside You~a.i.

Chapter 33: Minnesota Bound

3 1/2 months Later

~Ashton's POV~:

"Ashton..." The other three boys sat me down on the hotel room couch in the room Luke and I share. I could tell that they were going to tell me something serious and most likely bad, making me worry. They keep talking about replacing me behind my back and I think they have officially made the decision to kick me out.

"Luke just tell him!" Calum rushed.

"No, you tell him!" Luke replied quietly, looking down at his hands.

"I'll tell him, wow you people have zero guts...Ashton, we have bad news. Your doctor says that your leg will never fully heal and after our many practices with you it's obvious that you can't drum as well as you used to either. And we know that this isn't what any of us want, and you don't want either, but we are asking you to leave the band. This isn't permanent, just until we finish the tour and then we will see how your leg is and your abilities to keep drumming are." I knew it.

"Don't worry, I understand." I stood up from the bed and started packing my things. I got everything from the hotel room and the tour bus before I called a cab to take me to the airport, I didn't know if I should go home or if I should go visit Bailey, but I just needed time to think about everything before moving too quickly.

It's been about 4 months since the accident and I've barely made any improvements on my leg, even though the original thoughts of the doctor right after the accident was that my leg would heal fully and without difficulty, but they were false.

The cab pulled up to the airport entrance and I paid the middle-aged man before stepping out and grabbing my luggage from the trunk. I took out my phone and saw three missed calls from Bailey and a lot of missed texts about something important and upcoming.

I found a seat right inside the airport entrance and sat down as I pressed the button to call Bailey. She answered quickly, "Ashton! I've been trying to get a hold of you for over an hour? What have you been up to?"

"I got kicked out of the band Bailey. The boys just sat me down a little bit ago to deliever the tragic news that I have been suspecting for months."

"What did they say specifically?" Her angry mood had died away and all that remanined now was concern and sympathy, even though we both knew this was coming eventually.

"I don't know, that the lack of healing in my leg leaves them with no other options but to kick me out until the tour is over, and then they'll see how I'm doing by then and reconsider it. I guess. I'm done for Bailey, my music career ended only a year after it really started to take off, I've only been a part of this band for three years! I have nothing left now."

"Ashton, we've been over this. You have a high school diploma, you just need to go back to college and you can pursue your back-up plan of being a music teacher. You can still be involved in music, just not performing necessarily. And you can also get into songwriting, you're great at that and you have friends in the music business that will help you get a good career. There are other opportunities as well, like; piano, guitar, and maybe even saxaphone? You would be great in a jazz band." I sensed her humor and managed to chuckle.

"Thanks Bailey, now why were you trying to get a hold of me so bad?" Time to change subjects since I have had enough attention on me for now, I'm not one who likes attention all that much to be honest. And I just don't want to talk about this anymore.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm graduating on Friday, you have five days to get here, if you actually want to come." She wants me to come, any idiot would be able to figure that out, and I would love to attend her graduation anyway.