Invisible || Ashton Irwin

Chapter 6

Zoe's POV

I slam my locker closed. I haven't been tutoring Ashton for that long and my life has already become horrible.

It's Monday, so I should be going to the music room to practice the violin, but Luke said he was going to come too. I hate playing with an audience, especially Luke Hemmings.

He said we were friends but Ashton says other wise.

I think I might go to the library instead. I start walking towards the library - away from the music rooms and I see Calum. Oh god.

"Zoe!" He holds up his hand as he waves at me. Maybe if I ignore him he'll leave me alone. I quickly walk past him and breathe a sigh of relief. "Where are you going?" He grabs my arm and stops me. Damn it.

"The library."

"Don't you have to meet Luke at the music room?" I shake my head. "Yes you do." He smirks at me and starts pulling me back towards the music rooms.

"Calum, wait." I try to free myself from his grip. "Calum, Please!" He stops and looks back at me.

"Why don't you want to go?"

"I just don't feel like playing today." I shrug.

"What's the real reason?" I roll my eyes.

"I don't want to see Luke."

"Why?"

"It's nothing.." He raises his eyebrows. "It was just something Ashton said yesterday." I sigh.

"What did he say?" He releases my wrist and I cradle it with my other hand.

"He told me to stay away from you."

"Zoe.." I back away from his outstretched hand.

"I have to go, Calum." I turn before he can see how pathetic I really am. I quickly walk to the girls bathroom as my eyes start to blur. My one chance at friends and someone comes along and tells me I can't be friends with them.

~*~

"Oh, hello Zoe." I smile at Mrs Irwin. I can't believe I'm here. I don't know why I don't just go to Mrs Wright and tell her Ashton and I can't get along at all.

"Hi, is Ashton home yet?"

She shakes her head. "Not yet but would you like to come in?" I consider saying no but that would seem rude, and she seems really nice.

"Okay." She smiles brightly and steps aside so I can enter. She leads me to the kitchen and sits me in a chair at the breakfast bar.

"Would you like anything to drink? We have milk, juice, water, Coke?" She looks through the fridge.

"Just water please." She gets out a cup and pours me some water.

"So." She places the cup in front of me and comes around the table to sit next to me. "How do you know Ashton?"

"I don't, really." She raises her eyebrows.

"Oh?"

"Well I mean, my English teacher just asked me to help him out. We haven't really spoken or anything before hand." She nods her head slowly.

"Uh huh. So are you two getting along well?" I look up from my water at her. Do I tell her the truth?

"Well.."

"Not really?" She answers for me and I nod. "Why is that? Ashton usually gets along with everyone."

"Well if you must know," she leans forward. "Um.. The other day, he told me I shouldn't speak to his friends."

"Really?" I nod. "Luke, Michael and Calum?" I nod again. "Huh." She slumps back in her chair and studies me. "That really doesn't sound like him." I shrug. She's going to say something to him now. I shouldn't have said anything.

The door opens and my gaze whips over to it.

"Why are you here?" He glares at me.

"Ashton Fletcher Irwin!" His mother stands up. "That is no way to speak to a woman. I raised you better than that." He lowers his head. "Now go upstairs and get your studies done. We'll talk later." She glares at him and he rolls his eyes.

"Come on Zoe." I slink up the stairs after him. I feel so bad for telling his mother that. He kind of deserves it but I shouldn't have told her. "What are we working on today?" He dumps his bag just inside his bedroom door and walks over to his bed.

"Shakespeare." I place my book onto his desk and sit in his desk chair. "So I thought we could start with Romeo and Juliet." I open my book and flip to the section on Romeo and Juliet. "Maybe the comparisons would be... What are you doing?" I look over at him grabbing a shirt out of his closet. He looks up at me. He looks so innocent. Like a puppy. A shirtless puppy. My eyes flick to his chest and back up to his eyes.

"Changing my shirt? is that ok?" He throws his uniform shirt on the floor and picks out a white shirt.

"Did you have to do that right now?"

"I was kinda hot." Understandable. Our uniform is really hot. But did he have to do that right now? "Don't worry, I'm not changing my pants." He puts the shirt on and I look back at the book so he can't see me blushing. So what did you say we were looking at?" He pulls up a chair and I focus really hard on the pages. He's really hot.

"Uh.." What did I say we were looking at? Romeo and Juliet.. Right. "The comparison of Romeo and Juliet."

"Okay.. What are we comparing it to?" I pull out a worksheet from my workbook.

"It's the worksheet we were given. We needed to compare the first two scenes." He nods slowly. "You do have this worksheet, right?"

"Yeah, I think so." He rummages through his school bag and pulls out a sheet of paper. "Alright."

~*~

"How you guys going?" Mrs. Irwin softly knocks on the door and sticks her head in.

"Yeah alright." I look up from my textbook and smile at her.

"Almost finished?" She asks and Ashton nods. "Good because you have visitors." She opens the door wider so the playful boys can walk past into the room.

"Ash!" Luke ruffles Ashton's hair as he walks past and lounges on his bed. The room is instantly filled with chatter and I instantly feel out of place. Calum and Michael run into the room and throw themselves on Ashton's bed. "Zoe! Hey, I almost didn't see you there!" Luke smiles at me and I avoid his gaze. "Speaking of, why are you here?"

"Ah," Ashton butts in. This will be good. "We're working on a project together. For school, you know." Luke nods and looks at me again.

"Why didn't you show up today?" So much for avoiding his gaze. My eyes snap up to his in warning not to talk about that. Two of them knowing is bad enough.

"You were meeting with Luke?" Ashton looks at me and I instantly feel guilty.

"No. Luke just thought we were."

"What are you talking about? We were going to-"

"Luke. Can we please not talk about this. I don't particularly want everyone to know." I raise my voice slightly and stand up. "If you will excuse me." I pack up my stuff and head for the door with an angry expression on my face. I shut the door to Ashton's room quietly and stand for a minute to listen to them talking. Luke better not say anything.

"What is she talking about?" Ashton quizzes Luke.

"It's nothing bro. What about you? What are you really doing with her? I don't remember having any group assignments."  Boys are vile creatures. I walk down the hallway before he can answer. I really don't want to hear what he has to say.

"Bye Mrs Irwin." I call out to her in the kitchen as I close the front door.

Maybe trying to be friends with them was a bad idea. Maybe Ashton is right.