Gotta Get Out (a five seconds of summer story)

Chapter 12

The next day I walk into the school wearing my teal shorts and a lace tank top and a cute pair of wedges. I fishtail braided my long hair and had on some light and cheery makeup. I walked up to my locker to see Michael and Calum standing there. “Well don’t you look better” Michael said upon seeing me. I gave him a look then gave him and Calum quick hugs. It was nice to have them around. “Excited to shoot our cover after school today?” Calum asks. “Heck yeah!” I say giving him a high five. I quickly take care of things at my locker while Michael and Calum chat. I tell Michael goodbye and Calum and I race off to class because we were running a bit late. We arrived with a good forty five seconds to spare. “Where is Violet?” I ask Ashton as I take my usual seat. “She is sick. She claims I gave something to her.” Ashton replies. “Hope it’s not mono” Calum whispers under his breath not loud enough for Ashton to hear. Mr. Marks starts class and soon enough Ashton starts the tapping again. I reach over and put my hand on his in order to stop the tapping. He looks up at me and mouths sorry with an embarrassed smile as I pull my hands away. I can’t help but notice that he has really nice hands. They are big and manly but not uncomfortably rough. I wonder why he hangs out with Violet all the time. She seems so high maintenance. We mostly take notes to go along with his slideshow about common test taking mistakes and how to avoid them.

           The bell rings and I say goodbye to Calum. “Mind if I walk to English class with you considering Violet is gone?” Ashton asks with a hint of shyness. “Yeah sure. So did she tell you what symptoms she had or you don’t know?” I ask trying to make conversation. “She said she had a fever and that she was experiencing bad headaches, but I think she is lying to be honest.” Ashton said as we make our way across the hall. “What makes you think she is lying?” I ask him. “Well first off I am not sick nor have been nor even know slash been around anybody who is sick so she couldn’t have gotten it from me” Ashton explained as we enter the classroom. “And secondly…” I say because obviously there can’t be a firstly without a secondly. “And secondly she went shopping yesterday and didn’t invite me over afterwards. It could either be because she really was feeling sick, but then she would have made sure I came over to take care of her or it could be because she was hanging out with some other boy she found at the mall” Ashton suggests as we take our seats. “So you think she is cheating on you?” I ask feeling sorry for the poor guy. “I mean she is smoking hot, incredibly brilliant, completely loaded, and her family is very influential. I am just some awkward drummer kid she only dates to make her father uneasy. She could have any guy she wants so why on earth would she stick to just me?” he vents sharing more than most people would with somebody they didn’t know too well. “Well you are nice, funny, sociable, smart, attractive, and way nicer than she would like to believe she is” I say trying to cheer him up. He lets out a small laugh and shakes his head. “I don’t even know why you put up with her anyway” I say mostly to myself. “You know she has never told me that I am anything other than attractive and we have been together for five months. I have known you for three days including today and you have been way nicer to me than she has been to me on any given day” he says brushing his hair with his hand without making eye contact with me. I have no idea how to respond to something so heartbreaking and pathetic, but Miss Jennings starts the class just in time so I don’t have to.