Want You Back

Chapter 3

•Ashton•

The room was dark and the only sound was of the stereo playing some Ed Sheeran song. I close my eyes. Whenever I close them I can see her humming and swaying slightly out of time to the music. I feel her small delicate hands grabbing mine begging me to dance with her. To think there was a time when I actually hated her seemed unreal, but even then she surrounded me. Everywhere I went she was there in my mind. I wanted to know who she was with, what she was doing, and what she was thinking. Here I am still, two years later wondering the same damn thing.

Grabbing the bottle of vodka in front of me I take another swig. My phone buzzes and I jump spilling some of the liquid on the couch. I don't even look who it is before I answer.

"Dude I've been trying to get in touch with you all week! We have a huge party to throw for Corban tonight and you're suppose to be helping!" Jax's loud voice comes through the phone.

I grimace at the loudness of it before answering, "Now's not a good time."

He sighs, "You are seriously torn up about this girl aren't you? I didn't know she mattered that much to you."

"Well she did!" I snap letting my anger take control of me. If she were here she would have given me a disappointed look and told me to think and breathe.

"My bad man. Look, you need to get out and get your mind off things for a while. You don't have to help out. Just come and try and have a good time," Jax calmly replies. He was always so calm something I wish I could be.

"Fine, but I'm not going to stay long."

"That's cool. Just be here in a couple of hours," he replies before hanging up.

I toss my phone to the other end of the couch. I don't even know why I was going to this party. That's what landed me in this situation in the first place. What I should be doing is going and finding her. I know she was probably at her sister's flat wondering why I haven't come running in and apologize begging for her to forgive me. Hell, I was wondering the same thing. I think maybe it's because I know I'm not good enough for her and she deserves so much more than I can offer. I have no plan for the future and I have no way of taking care of her the way I know I should. I need to become something so I don't drag her down with me like I have so many times before.

I rub my face and take another sip of the burning liquid. The familiar chords ring through the room. She always said this song described us, Everything has Changed. I close my eyes once again and let my mind wander to the one place it always goes, her.

-two years ago-

I pushed my way through the crowded hallway to the dining hall. It was only a week into this bullshit and I wanted to kill everyone at that damn lunch table. All week all we had done was fight. I would say one thing and Esther would jump at the chance to ridicule my life decisions. That girl never knew when to shut up or to mind her own business. Then of course Elli has to defend her, acting like she's some kind of saint.

I pushed into the line on the left side of the cafeteria to get my usual sandwich. Scanning the room as I slowly went through the line I saw Taylor coming my way. I honestly wasn't in the mood to handle her, but at least she was a distraction from everything going on in my head.

"Hi Ash," she smiled as she stood next to me. Her long red hair was pulled back in a high pony tail meaning she had one thing on her mind.

"Hey," I responded in a disinterested voice. I grabbed my styrofoam cup and shuffled down the line.

She batted her long eyelash, "It's a real bummer we can't hang out at lunch together anymore."

I hummed a response and scooped ice into my cup. Her hand lightly brushed my mine pulling my attention to her. I knew what she wanted and part of me wanted to follow along, but a certain girl with long, dark almost black hair caught my attention. Her uniform was pristine on her. Not a single wrinkle touched it and I could swear she had the clothes tailored to fit her because of the way her blazer showed the curve of her waist and her skirt fell meeting the dress code length exactly.