Paint Stain <Lashton>

XIV

I am a great admirer of mystery and magic. Look at this life - all mystery and magic. ~Harry Houdini

Ashton's POV

I carefully cleaned the scrapes on Luke's back and I watched as he winced and all of the muscles move in his back. "S-Sorry!"

"No it's fine." Luke sighed.

"Okay I think I'm done. Here." I passed him a t-shirt and he slid it over his head. "I'll leave so you can change your pants."

I handed him sweatpants and walked out of the room. Feeling.. Well I had no idea of how I was feeling. I could see Michael standing in the kitchen talking with Esther, they turned to me when I walked into the room and I let out a sigh.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Michael asked. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

"Feeling like I should finish my commission so Luke can get the hell out of my life." I replied and Michael and Esther looked fairly shocked.

"Why do you say that?" Michael asked.

"Luke has no place with anyone like us. And after seeing what those kids did to him.. I don't want to endanger him because he's deciding to help us out." I said.

"You think he'll just stop after you turn your piece in?" Esther asked. "There's a look about him, Ash, that he's not doing this for you. He's doing it for himself."

"Maybe he wished he never gave up on the arts in the first place." Michael said. "But y'know, when you're the son of the owner of Hemmings Enterprise, you aren't exactly in a place to make your own decisions."

"I don't know." I huffed as I folded my arms.

"You still haven't finished your piece yet?" Michael asked. "I finished mine a while ago, but you're still working on yours?"

"I'm trying to find the perfect thing to put on the canvas, but every idea I've sketched out has just ended in disaster." I let out a sigh as I leaned against the wall. "I want it to mean something, but I don't know what I should do with it."

"Just think about it, you'll figure it out." Michael flashed a smile, he patted my back and left the room with Esther trailing behind him. I let out a sigh as I walked back into the living room where Luke was sitting, his eyes casted up at the ceiling. Before saying a word, he thrusted his phone towards me.

"What?" I asked.

"Just read it. Aloud, make my day." Luke huffed and turned his head to me as I took the phone from his hands.

Upon glancing at it, I noticed that it was nothing I wanted to see. "Outrage of Students." I read the headline and knew exactly what it was.

"Just read the article, please, it gets so much better." Luke sighed.

"Okay.." I glanced down at what I was holding and let out a sigh. "'Today in front of the Golden Sierra University there was a protest of business majors, waving their signs around as they are currently outraged by the new accommodation towards the new internship positions. As they have some new competition against the Liberal Art Majors. If you were to ask any of them, it would be clear that their blame is on Luke Hemmings, the son of Hemmings Enterprise. Now, what might seem a little ridiculous, is not at all insanity, as Hemmings could be seen outside of the school, being beaten by a group of the students.'" I stopped and could see the picture that someone had taken. "'While the business majors of Golden Sierra University that attacked Hemmings are now being expelled from the school and are facing charges, it does make the idea of getting an internship at Hemmings Enterprise more of a dream for the students looking for it, as these few students that had done wrong might have placed a mark on Luke Hemmings; one of the recruiters for interns in the first place. Since the acceptance of applications are coming to a close, Hemmings Enterprise may be refusing more business students then they would initially like. Hopefully soon we will have the statistics of the applicants.'" I finished.

"Are you really going to refuse business students?" I asked.

"No, we're adding more places for interns to accommodate for the entire thing. The competition is the same." Luke huffed. "I don't understand why everyone is having a conniption. I'm not placing any of the business majors with the liberal arts majors! Now, I get to look like an idiot in the public eye, my father is going to skin me, I don't know what to do. I've been in the public eye this much in years."

I sat down next to Luke and placed my arm around his shoulders. "You'll figure out something. I mean, you're Luke Hemmings, you're not a no one."

"Thanks, Ashton." Luke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just going to.. Have to fix this, but I'm not entirely sure on how I would accomplish that.." He trailed off and put a finger against his lip. "I suppose I could.. Hm.. I'll just have to talk to the students, I guess."

"You do whatever makes you happy." I shrugged.

"Okay then I'll quit my job and live in a cave, because that's what would make me happy at this point. Not to work for my father at his stupid business and to be able to be left alone for once in my life." Luke let out a huff. "Ever since I was a kid, it's always been cameras left and right. My father owns so much, that apparently the world owns me in return. It was much worse in high school, no one wanted anything to do with me because they were afraid of what would happen to them if they decided to befriend me. I lost so much being born into my stupid father's life. He doesn't even give a damn that I exist. When my mother left us, he gave up entirely on me."

"Luke, how do you know your mother left you?" I asked. "Everyone says that she disappeared, but no matter what I say, you reply with the fact that you believe she left you. What if she didn't leave you?"

"She did!" I snapped.

"And..If she didn't." I replied. "How do you know either way? What evidence do you have against her?"

"She was always bringing her different lovers home with her. 'It's just for business,' I would always recall her saying." Luke rubbed his hands together as if he was thinking. "She was worse than a prostitute. They all just wanted her money, I don't know how she didn't see it." Luke folded his arms across his chest and leaned back. "I still miss her though."

"Luke.."

"At least she paid attention to me, my father never even looked at me." Luke sighed. "He still doesn't. I'm going to inherit an economic empire I don't even want. I'll just shoot it down the drain, I know it."

"Why don't you try.." I stood up and walked across the room. Pulling out a blank sketchbook and handing it to Luke. "Try drawing, it might make you feel better."

"I can't draw." Luke replied.

"It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be something." I said. I sat down next to Luke and watched his pencil hover over the page. Like he had no idea what he was doing.

"Just go ahead." I grabbed his hand and pushed the pencil down onto the paper, drawing a scribble of lines. I found myself leaning over Luke's shoulder and I let his hand go. "Keep going, scribbling will make you feel better."

"T-Thanks.." Luke muttered and he rose his face up to mine, only a few inches away. He was wide eyed and I was pretty sure my face was as red as a rose, but we didn't move at all. Actually, I was pretty sure we were moving, but closer together.

Until we each jumped apart with the slam of a door. I turned my head to see Lucas standing behind us, an unamused look on his face soon melted into something..Happier.

"Luke! I have something to show you!" Lucas smiled. "It'll probably make you feel better than that crummy article, if you haven't' seen it already!" I took the sketchpad from Luke and watched him walk outside with Lucas.

AUTHOR'S NOTIFICATION; Ariana

Not today fookers xD Not today.

Ariana; Ruining Romance since 1998

Hugs, Kisses, Cuddles and Serenades xX