Innocent ➼ Lashton ✔

*~* nine *~*

Things get real in this chapter ~Claire

Alex grabbed Ashton by his arm and yanked him inside. He slammed the door shut and pushed Ashton onto the couch. "I thought I told you to be careful." He snapped.

"I-"

"And what do you do? You get close to him. All the nicknames, the touching, it's just what he wants!"

"How-"

"He's gonna pull you close and he's gonna hurt you and we'll end up just like we did when mom died!"

"But-"

"He's stuck up and rude and a bad influence and I wont have him around my baby brother. No more tutoring, no more talking, no more anything!"

"STOP!"

Alex paused, looking at Ashton with a pissed off expression. "Stop talking about him like that," Ashton cried, tears forming in his eyes, "I don't like it!"

"Well guess what," Alex taunted, "I don't care, and neither does he." "Knock it off, Alex," Ashton hissed, standing up, "I've known him longer than you have. Just leave him be! He's an amazing person if you just give him a chance!"

"He doesn't deserve a chance." Alex seethed. Ashton let out a hiccup, tears now streaming freely down his face. "You're such a jerk." Ashton sobbed, running upstairs and slamming the door shut, locking it and crying heavily into his pillow.

~

"That's the third time you've blown us off, dude," Michael sighed, tapping the cigarette butt as ashes fell to the grass, "It'd be fine if you were off doing punk stuff."

Luke was barely listening as he softly hummed to a song Ashton would often sing.

"But no," Michael ranted, waving his hands, "You're off canoodling with that flower boy! Like, what about spray painting the downtown library? You skipped out...again!"

Luke was mindlessly drawing a picture in the notebook Ashton had given him to write notes in, and hr didn't realize he was drawing Ashton until he was done.

"LUCAS!"

Luke looked up and thwacked Michael on the forehead.

"See," Calum sighed, "You'd be punching him square in the dick if he called you that." Luke sulked down on his seat. "Ash doesn't like violence." He grumbled.

"Exactly," Michael exclaimed, "You've gotten softer and you're using nicknames. We've known you since pre-k and you've never called us by a nickname, but when you meet flower crown over there, it's Ash, Ashy, and Irwie!"

Luke stood up angrily. "So what," he snapped, "At least he cares about me, and not my reputation." He gathered his pencils and notebook. Now if you'll excuse me." He hissed, before stuffing his supplies on his bag and grabbing his skateboard. He kicked his foot and skated away, pissed at everyone.

Everyone, that is, except Ashton.

_____________

So here we have the entire universe against Lashton