Ashton pulled at his tie, which felt like the noose of his freedom. His school uniform had to be the most uncomfortable outfit he'd ever worn. Crisp khakis, pulled practically to his belly button, held up with a tight leather belt that constricted his body, a tucked in white button up shirt with collar that scratched at his neck, the blue and black stripped tie with the school emblem, and a matching blue blazer that was a size too small. He had been wearing this uniform since kindergarten. Well not that exact uniform, he wouldn't be able to fit his six foot frame into a uniform for a five year old. He got a new one each year, but they never changed the uniform. It was the same one they wore when his father went to Glenvail Academy, and his grandfather, and even his great grandfather. Ashton came from a long line of Glenvail alumni.
He resisted the urge to tap his pencil on the table. Last time he did that he got detention, which his father was livid about. Irwin men do not get detentions!
He sighed, leaning his face in his palm. The teacher's monotone voice droned on about something. Ashton wasn't paying attention. He stared up at the high beamed ceiling wishing he was anywhere else but here. He couldn't stand Glenvail, it was so stifling. The strict rules, the dreadful uniforms, and the boring lectures stressed him out. They focused so much on science, and math, which were Ashton's least favorite classes. They offered a few art and music courses, which is what he was interested in, but his father refused to let him take any. Luckily his stepmom Eliza backed him up, telling his father that an art class would help him become more cultured. So Ash was allowed to take a music class, which was his only escape.
He wasn't like his father, or grandfather, or great grandfather. He didn't want to be an entrepreneur, or a neurosurgeon, or lawyer. But his father pressured him into becoming as successful as him, so that's how he got stuck in Glenvail taking this class on quantum physics. He didn't even know what they were talking about most of the time. Students were supposed to have a prerequisite or pass an entry test to take part in this course. Ashton hadn't taken the prerequisite classes, and he massively failed the entry test, but his father called in demanding that they placed his son in this class. So here he was.
"Ahem." The sound of someone clearing their throat shot Ashton out of his thoughts. His teacher stood above him, glaring at his through her spectacles.
She crossed her arms, sticking her pointed nose in the air, "Did you hear me, Mr. Irwin?"
"Uh, yeah, yeah." He lied in a fluster.
"Alright, then what is the answer?" She spoke shrilly, knowing she'd caught him. She knew he could handle her class, and that made him a target for her.
"Oh, right. The question... The question. The one you just asked." Ashton stalled, trying to think of an answer.
"Anytime now." She tapped her sharp nails on the desk. That sound drove Ashton crazy.
"Um, the answer would be... False." He spat out a random guess. The class snickered. Ashton sunk back in the hard wooden chair.
"No Mr. Irwin, I'm afraid that my question wasn't true or false. Try listening in class next time. Now who can give me the correct answer?" She started towards the front of the classroom again. A handful of kids raised their hands, and she called on a random girl. The girl answered, saying something about atoms.
"That is correct. Thank you Isabel." The teacher's harsh gaze fell back upon Ashton, "If you had been paying attention, you would have gotten that. Keep zoning out, Mr. Irwin, and I may have to contact your father, I'm sure he would be very interested to hear how his son is doing in my class."
Ashton shook his head vigorously, his eyes wide, "Please don't." The class laughed again at the teacher's blackmail. Everyone knew who Ashton's dad was. The entire school knew his family. They were the award-winning-perfect-genius-teacher's-pet family. There were plaques with their names engraved in them, and portraits of them all around the school. There was a whole wing of the school dedicated to his father. They donated a large sum of money to Glenvail, and the administration worshipped them.
The bell rang, signaling that the school day was finally over. Ashton jumped out of his chair, hustling into the crowd that poured into the hallway. He wormed around the other students, rushing to the exit, almost knocking over a poor freshman.
Finally he reached freedom, as he pushed the heavy mahogany door open into the bright sunlight. He breathed a sigh of relief, taking in the fresh air. He made his way to his Porsche, ripping off his tie and blazer as soon as he closed the car door. He drove off, flipping the school off as he drove past.
Glenvail Academy was world renowned since it's opening back in the 1892. The building showed it's age, a red bricked, ivy covered, building, with strange turrets and steeples sticking out at random places. It was kinda Hogwarts/esque, but less magical castle, and more hell. Ashton wished he went to Hogwarts, or any other school. He wished he went to public school. Sure, he'd heard bad things about the public school system, but the tv made it look really cool. Better than being stuck with preppy rich kids, and geniuses that always wanted to outsmart others.
Ashton pulled into the garage that was filled with cars. Ashton didn't understand why his dad needed to own this many cars. He only drove a couple, the others he just liked to show off.
Ash walked across the cobblestone driveway to the front door. The pillars stood high above his head, looking daunting as the guarded the front door of the Irwin mansion. Ashton fumbled with his keys, trying to find the one that went to the front door. But the door opened before he found it.
"Hi Ash! Welcome home." Eliza greeted her stepson cheerily, letting him inside, "How was school? Do you want anything to eat?" Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor as she walked across the entrance hall towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure." Ashton answered, ignoring the school question.
"Okay, what do you want?" Eliza asked. Ashton liked Eliza, she was always looking out for him. She had married his father back when Ashton was five, after his real mother passed away. Eliza was way younger than her husband. She was only 36 which meant she was only 19 when Ashton was born. That kinda weirded him out, because his father was 49. But she still felt like a mother to him, because she had been there most of his life. She was kind and understanding, and she wasn't afraid to speak up to his father when he was being unfair. She supported Ashton's love of music, while his real father despised it.
"So your dad will be home soon. He had a meeting with some clients, but he won't be long." Eliza told him as she shuffled through the kitchen. Ashton nodded, but in the back of his head wished his father would never come home. Ash did love his father- Usually- but he was so stern. He missed the days when he was young and his dad would take him go karting, and golfing. He wasn't that great of a golfer, but he liked spending time with his dad. But in the sixth grade, he started cracking down on his son pressuring him about his future and school. His dad was determined to get Ashton in an Ivy League, like he attended. He forced him to apply to every top college.
But that wasn't Ashton. He didn't even want to attend college. He wanted to get out of school, and work in the music industry. His dad said that it was a terrible career choice, and he needed to wise up. His dad didn't understand. He wanted Ashton to be perfect like he was.
But that just wasn't Ashton.
YOU ARE READING
Perfect {A.I}
Fanfiction-Even the seemingly perfect make mistakes- Ashton Irwin comes from a long lineage of successful men, and is expected to become one himself. But Ashton isn't like his father, or any of his family, except maybe his mother who passed away when he was a...
