Journeys(L.H)

Chapter 50

A/N: wow 50 chapters already? It feels like I just started this book. This mile point makes me feel so accomplished and proud, even though this doesn't have a lot of reads. I have had the best time writing this book and this is definitely not the end! Love you all! Enjoy the chapter...

     "Where did you get this car, any ways?" I asked Ashton once we were driving out of the parking lot. Ashton was the only one I trust to drive a car with me and my other friends in it. He was the oldest and has his license in America, along with Britain and Australia. He seems to care a lot about what people think of him because he tried really hard to be a great person. He is. He strives for the best every single day.
   It's also touching that he cares about his friends a lot. Ashton the most well-rounded, sweet, funny guy I've ever seen.

    I tried to distract myself with these kinds of thought, having good times roll around in my brain but my head kept going back to Luke.
   We could've kissed. We could've kissed and it would've been wonderful and the best decision of my life.

But we didn't. Because he has a girlfriend.
   "I rented it from a shop downtown." Ashton said nonchalantly. 
    I nodded to him the rear view mirror, where he was already watching me very closely, probably checking to see if I was alright. Which I am. Totally. Maybe.

   "So tell me more about Luke's supposed girlfriend." I said, using finger quotation marks around the word "girlfriend". "Annabelle tells me that she isn't the best when it comes to personality, but I assume you guys have met her, right?" I asked them. I noticed that they all looked away or shifted uncomfortably.
    "She couldn't be that bad, right?" I tried to lighten the mood, which had gotten suddenly tense.
     "Brin, let's just say that we don't like her very much." Ashton said with a calming tone in his voice, covering up the steely exterior.
     "We don't like her at all." Michael grumbled from next to Ashton. He took his eyes off the road to swat Michael's arm. "What?" Michael protested. "Why are we lying to her?" He hissed loudly. I think they forgot that I was still in the car and I can hear what they are saying.
    "Because she's fragile and we can't talk about Luke's slut in front of the one he should be dating!" Calum said, leaning forward into the conference with the three boys.

   "I am right here!" I announced loudly to them. They snapped out of it and looked at me. 
    "Sorry." Calum cleared his throat. "Let's be honest, we hate her."
   "Hate her." Michael affirmed while nodding his head.
     "Why? Why do you hate her so much?" I asked. I was the most clueless in this situation.

   "Because she's cheating on Luke, even though they aren't officially together. Luke thinks they are and he thinks it's for publicity." Ashton explained. "But at a party we saw her sneaking off with Tyler Posey into a bedroom." He said shortly.
    "Basically, she's a conniving, sneaky little whore who tricks people with her mind manipulation." Calum deadpans.

My eyebrows shot up at Calum's word choice. "Then why is he dating her?" I asked. If I was Luke, she'd be in the gutter by now.
"Because he's a naive little boy and doesn't know, and he won't know, right?" Michael made me swear not to tell Luke anything.
"Why aren't we telling him though?" I protested, on the verge of whining.
"Because if he knows then his perfect little world will be crushed and he will so depressed. You know what he was like when you were gone." Ashton explained to me slowly. "This could worse if he feels like everyone is leaving him."

It made sense not to tell him, but we'd be digging a deeper hole if we didn't. Finally, I agreed to not tell him. "Alright fine. I won't tell him that his girlfriend is cheating on him just to protect his precious little feelings." I rolled my eyes as I said this. "You know, he's going to find out sooner or later." I said casually but truthfully.

   "I'd prefer later." Michael piped up from the front of the car without looking up from his phone. Calum was resting his head on the window, staring out into the night.
    "I don't want to go home." I whispered as I leaned back in my seat and rolled my head over to look at the fields that we were driving by.
    "You have to Brin." Ashton said thoughtfully. "It's your home, where your family is." He said.

  "But it's not. My family hates me! They think I'm a disappointment." I brushed some hair out of my face before sighing. "You guys are my family. My home is with you guys." I spoke softly.
     "I'm pretty sure family doesn't kiss each other non-platonically." Calum says with a mischievous smile.

   "What?" I asked him, as if he'd mumbled. Michael snorted.
   "You heard me. What went down in there, really?" He asked, lifting his head off of the window and craning his neck to get a better look at me.
    "Nothing much. We talked, we hugged, we almost kissed but then I stopped him because he has a girlfriend and then he said he had a plan to get us together." I spoke really fast and using my hands to emphasize my confusion.

"Wait what?" Michael looked up from his phone and twisting his body to look at me. "What do you mean you 'almost kissed'?" He looked appalled.
"We didn't. I stopped him because he has a girlfriend." I said as if it was obvious.
"Why would you let that stop you? You love him, he loves you. Why don't you both see that?" Michael huffed in exasperation.

Was he right? Why isn't this easier? I suddenly feel like I'd made a huge mistake.

A/N: DISCLAIMOR!!! I have nothing against Tyler Posey in fact I love him but I couldn't think of anyone else. I do hate Asparagus tho even though this did not really happen. ps if you haven't figured it out yet, I update on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Okay byeee💇🏼