Dirty Girl || 5sos

11. Muted

The night had ended rather quickly. Luke and Lia went to her room where they talked for a bit. After the awkward interruption in the living room, they weren't going to continue. Luke had apologized but it wasn't really his fault and he had nothing to apologize for.

Lia listened as he talked about his brothers and how he felt like the outcast and that he wasn't good enough. Luke tried so hard to make his parents proud but they never noticed which just resulted in him going out and not caring.

Lia comforted him and rubbed his back. She told him how things would work out eventually. Luke shared a lot about him and his life. He confided in her. Lia didn't share though. She was a closed book and it wasn't just to him. She didn't tell anybody how she was doing and how she was feeling because she didn't want to. It would make her weak and she didn't accept weakness.

Eventually Luke's brother called and asked where he was and he had hurried home. He kissed Lia on the cheek before exiting out the front door. Tyler had probably seen it but she didn't care, she would explain it later without giving away Luke's secrets. The things he said never escaped her lips it was too private.

_

"Did you and horny boy get it on last night?" Ashton had grabbed the juice carton out of the fridge and poured some up in a glass.

"Dickhead" she murmured under her breath. Ashton must've had perfect hearing because he grabbed her wrist and squeezed it hard. She sucked air in her lungs as his grip tightened.

"Don't talk to me like that Lia. You may not like me but you're going to respect me." How ironic. The words leaving his mouth was something Lia must obey but Ashton was allowed to make harsh and unnecessary comments about her love life and appearance.

"And what are you going to do about it Ashton, are you going to punish me?" She pushed herself onto him. Her core was against his manhood but the tone in her voice wasn't flirtatious. She was stubborn and persistent she wanted a reaction from him. Her eyes were empty and with each breath he drew, she slipped further away from him.

"Control your lust." Now it was her voice sounding condescending. She stepped back from him and had a judging look on her face. It was like a replica of him last night. She was clever and it scared him. Just like that she had snapped. He was in control but she was able to get her way with a single push.

Ashton would never hurt her and he hated that he filled with anger anytime she wouldn't obey him. He was a calm guy but something about the young girl made him want to rip out his hair and scream at the top of his lungs. He prayed that his grip around her wrist hadn't hurt her too much. He wanted to kiss it better but he didn't move. She walked to her room knowing she was in charge, knowing that she controlled him.

_

🍆👅💦: Sorry about the other night.

Lia saw the text and changed the contact name to Luke. She texted back a thumbs up. Luke needed a friend. A true friend. She wasn't interested in fooling around with him and tearing him apart, she wanted him to be happy. He deserved to be happy.
Maybe a relationship with a sweet girl would take his mind off his family. Maybe he would even be happy for once. The thought of Luke being in a healthy relationship made Lia smile.

"You okay kiddo?" It was Tyler. He stood in the door frame and wore his worried look. She didn't want to talk about it, not even when it was her brother asking.

They used to share everything back then but times had changed. The communication had faded away when he went to college. It was as if he left their brother/sister relationship behind when he took off.

Lia spent most of her time at home. The first time she really felt Tyler's missing presence she skipped school. She skipped school for almost two weeks because the thought of leaving an empty house and then coming back to the same empty house scared her. It pained her that voices didn't fill the room.

She cherished the time when Tyler came home, when he visited on the weekends. He would even visit on a weekday and that was even better. Being surprised by her brother was the best feeling in the world, seeing him on the couch with the x-box controller in his hands made her fill with happiness.

Ashton was there too. She felt muted about it. Sometimes she just wanted Tyler to herself, it was her brother after all. Her expression would drop when she spotted another figure on the couch. She couldn't really recall the last time Tyler was at the house alone. He always brought Ashton and it was starting to become irritating. They didn't talk and deep down Lia blamed Ashton for the lack of communication between her and her once close brother.

"Yeah just a little nervous about my birthday." She muttered to herself. Tyler walked over and sat down on her bed right beside her.

"Next week, aren't you excited?" He asked slinging his arm around her shoulder and ruffling her hair. Tyler's coping mechanism was awful. He just treated her like a child whenever he saw the 'sad' expression on her face. It worked when she was little so why not now? She grew up, that was one thing that Tyler didn't seem to catch.

She grew up. She grew up to be the person she was and when she thought about it she went numb. Was she going to feel slightly down the rest of her life? She couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy. Zoe made her laugh but it was only temporary because as soon as they parted ways the feeling went right back.

"Seventeen Lia, wow you're actually quite old now." He chuckled. Yes she was.