jet black heart // punk Michael Clifford

Chapter Five

"Hey Briana and... Ashton?" I heard a familar voice come from behind me.

"Hello." I sighed as Michael took a chair from the table beside us and sat next to me.

"Ashton why are you-where-what?"

"Michael, Ashton's my best friend. What brings you here?"

"I was picking up some chinese for Calum and I." He winked at me. I rolled my eyes at the heavily tattooed boy.

"Well you should go get it instead of-"

"Calum can wait. Ashton, how have you been mate? It's been, what? Four years?" Michael rested his head on his palms, his elbows propping them up.

"I've been good I guess. Still drumming my days away." Ashton chuckled. "How have you been?"

"Still playing guitar. I've stopped.. um.. y'know.."

" Doing drugs, harrassing women and drinking? I'll believe it when I see it." Ashton rolled his eyes and Michael went red.

"I'll fucking prove it to you, you'll see. Briana over here came over last night and nothing happened. I couldn't even down one beer."

"Sure. Wonder what happened after she left."

"I put Calum to bed and then went to bed myself. Ashton?"

"Whatever. What?"

"I actually quit all that for a reason. Um.."

"What?"

"I was wondering if we could start um.. banding again?"

"No. Sorry Michael but if you want to start all that again, either find another band or do one other thing. I can't make you do that or anything at all so don't bother asking."

"Well what is it!? I swear to God Ashton, I will do absolutely anything. I really miss you guys and performing music together and just.."

"Go to rehab. Prove it." Michael's eyes widened and he slowly began shaking his head.

"I need to tend to Cal."

"Have fun with that." Ashton terminated their conversation. Michael walked away and I slapped Ashton's arm.

"Why the fuck would you say something like that!? How rude could you fucking get?" I began to see red. I didn't usually get this mad at Ashton.

"He deserved it. He's a fucking liar, Bri. And could you calm down, people are starting to stare."

"I don't give a shit, if you haven't noticed. I don't care what the fuck he's done before or whatever, it's none of your fucking business now. If he swears it's all over, build a bridge and get the fuck over it, it's none of your concern. You didn't need to say that let alone put that pressure on him, I'm leaving." I grabbed my stuff, stood up and began to walk away.

"Bri.. Bri!" Ashton started following me as I made my way to the carpark exit. "I'm sorry that I upset you.. Bri!" He grabbed my wrist and spun me around, halting my fast pace.

"You know what? If you want to make me feel any better-"

"Which I do, duh." I rolled my eyes.

"You can come over and say sorry to Michael, seeing as he lives next door to me. And you know what? Try giving him a second chance, not with the band but with being friends. Who knows, maybe he has changed. You wouldn't know, you haven't spoken to him in four fucking years."

"I know, "people change". I'll tell you what, I'll give it a shot. You're right. I'll give it one week, I'll know if I will want to continue being friends with him by the end of the week. I'll also inform Luke, see if he will give it a shot as well." I smiled at him, proud of my bestfriend.

"Also apoligise to him for what you said. That was the rudest thing that anyone could ever, ugh."

"Okay okay, I'll apologise if.."

"If...?"

"If you let me hug you and let me drive us home.." I jumped in his arms and he kissed the top of my head.

Michaels pov;

I watched from my car from afar, I couldn't hear what they were saying but I noticed Briana smiled and blushed a few times before retorting back. Suddenly she smiled and jumped into Ashton's arms and that's when he noticed me in the back of the lot, watching. He winked at me evily before leaning down and kissing her head, making me nearly lose my shit.

I knew it, they have to be a thing I thought as I was climbing into my car and revving the engine as it started.

I handed the chinese food to Calum as I plopped next to him on the couch, trying to get engaged in whatever he was watching, but I couldn't, I just wasn't feeling it.

"Mate, what's on your mind?" Calum asked, pulling me out of my daydream.

"I ran into someone.. interesting at the mall." I answered, straight up.

"Who?"

"Ashton."

"Irwin?"

"That's the one."

"Oh my God, how is he?"

"Well first of all, he's "best friends"" I air quoted, "With Briana, the chic from last night, our neighbor."

"Really? Oh my God!"

"I have a feeling they might be a.. thing. Not just friends. I saw some tacky shit in the car park. Also, Ashton wasn't the nicest person to me. In fact, I told him about us wanting to be a band again and he told me to go to rehab before he thinks about it, even after I told him I was done with all that shit. Briana had a go at him I think. And then, in the parkning lot, she was still amd at him but started smiling and blushing and then jumping into his arms. Ashton noticed me starting and kissed her on the head whilst staring directly into my eyes." Calum sat there, observing it all before nodding.

"I mean, I can kind of see where he is coming from but you did explain to him that you were done. He didn't need to be so rude about it I guess. I also think you have the hots for Briana bro."

"No way. I don't fall for girls, Calum. You know how I am, I fall hard and fast and they never fall back and end up thinking I'm phsyco. I don't do girls anymore. I stopped a long time ago when I came to the realisation it had to have been stopped. That's why I would treat girls the way I did, chics love musicians. There is literally nothing else about me to love."

"There is heaps of things to love about you man, you have to be patient. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, your perfect girl is out there waiting for you and that girl could very well be Briana. I've seen the way you two look and interact with each other, I think she'd feel the same way back."

"But what if there is no light at the end of my tunnel, what if I'm just in a fucking cave?"

"Well then you dig yourself out of that cave. No matter what, there will always be another side. There is no such thing as impossible, the word itself says, "I'm possible"."

"Wow, where'd you get that one?"

"On a fortune thing in the mall." He grinned.

Calum began to turn his attention back to the movie as I stayed quiet.

He eventually passed out and I made my way to our music room, sitting at the piano. Lyrics I fell from my mouth as I began to touch the keys ,

Everybody's got their demons,

Even wide awake or dreaming,

I'm the one who ends up leaving,

Make it okay.

See a war I wanna fight it,

See a match I wanna strike it,

Every fire I've ignited,

Faded to grey.

I was at a loss for lyrics so I continued playing a piece on the piano before finsihing up and writing the word I had just sang on a piece of paper on top of the piano.