Paper Cuts | Luke Hemmings ✔

15. run away

Luke grabbed Ashton by the arm and pulled him aside after Corrine had stormed off. "What the fuck Ash!" he shouted. Ashton yanked his arm out of Luke's grasp.

"What do you mean, 'what the fuck'?" Ashton snapped.

"What is your problem with Corrine?" Luke hissed. Ashton stared at him with raised brows.

"This is- your pissed at me because of that?" Ashton said. "Why do you care about her all of a sudden?"

"She's done absolutely nothing to you at all, so why do you have to go and call her a freak."

"Cause she is one Luke, don't you see that! What's she done to you!"

"Nothing! But she stuck up for me in the cafeteria that day! The least I could do is stick up for her! Besides, how would you feel if she was going around talking shit about Lauren!? Huh? You'd be pretty pissed off to. And what about Owen? You beat the kid up! Dammit Ash what's going on with you?" Ashton ran his hand over his face.

"I- UGH!" Ashton sighed. "I'm sorry." he whispered.

"It's fine. Come on. Let's go find Lauren, and you two can talk."

"Yeah." Ashton nodded.

Several movies later, Corrine still had not shed a tear, and Owen was beginning to believe that his sister was part robot. "Okay, this movie is my last hope." Owen said, standing. He made his way over to the shelf and pulled a movie off the shelf.

"You can try all you want, but you won't get me to cry." Corrine said. "These things are so predictable, it's boring. She falls for him, he falls for her, there's a conflict. Maybe he's married or she'd older than him, blah blah blah, love triumphs all, age is just a number." she said.

"Wow, way to ruin romance for me." Owen said. "I'll still get you to cry."

"No you won't."

"We'll see." Owen said.

"What are we watching."

"The fault in our stars."

"Bring it."

Corrine seemed perfectly fine up until the end of the movie. Owen glanced over at his sister as the credits rolled by. "So?" he asked. "What did you think?" Corrine bit her lip, and breathed out.

"T-This movie is so s-sad, and I'm n-never watching it again!" she cried.

"Aw." Owen pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry." Corrine kept crying.

"It's so sad!" Andrea and David walked in at that moment to find their daughter crying into their son's side. They looked at each other, then to them, and then back at each other.

"Owen, what did you do to your sister?" David asked.

"I broke her." he smiled. "I finally got her to cry at a romance movie."

"It was so sad! Why'd you make me watch that!" Corrine sobbed. Their parents laughed. "It's not funny!"

"It kinda is."

"So the school called today." Andrea said during dinner.

"What did they want?" Owen asked.

"Something about Corrine leaving early today because she wasn't well." David said. He shot his daughter a look.

"I- uh, may or may not have lost my cool." Corrine said as she scooped mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"What did you do?" Andrea asked.

"Well, I overheard Ashton and Lauren talking, and Ashton called Owen a freak, and so I pushed him, and probably embarrassed him in front of forty or so students." Corrine said. Owen dropped his fork.

"You pushed Ashton?"

"Fell flat on his ass. I don't think he'll be messing with you anytime soon." Corrine sighed. "Am I a horrible person?" she asked.

"No, well, I mean, you did push that boy, but no. You were sticking up for family, and I think that's what matters." Andrea said.

"I'm adopted remember?" Owen said, with a raised brow.

"Please, you practically live here, we're family." Owen laughed.

"Thanks sis."

"No problem shorty."

"I'm taller!"

Corrine sat on the couch completely engrossed in her book when there was a knocking on the door. Owen faced her. "Kids! Could one of you get the door?"

"I got it." Corrine said. She set her book down, and stood up making her way to the front door. She opened it. "Lauren?" Lauren stood in front of her, tears streaming down her face. "What happened?"

"I got into a fight with Ashton and I didn't know where else to go." she said. Corrine embraced the younger girl in a hug.

"You're okay. Come here." Corrine led her into the house. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Sure." Lauren said.

"Sit." Corrine boiled some water, and set a tea bag in a cup. When it was ready, she placed the cup in front of her. Lauren took a sip.

"Cory!" Owen shouted. Lauren looked at her. "Who is it?"

"Come see!" Corrine smiled at Lauren. "He'll be happy to see you." Owen came into the kitchen and froze.

"Lauren?" he question. Lauren turned to him, and gasped. She got up and hurried over to him.

"This is what he did?" she whispered, lightly touching his cheek. Owen winced.

"Yeah, but it's fine." Lauren's face hardened.

"No, it's not. He shouldn't have hit you." She said. "I'm so sorry that he did this to you and-" Corrine pursed her lips to hide her smile and Owen quickly leaned down to kiss Lauren. He pulled out shortly afterwards.

"Did you do that so I'd stop apologizing?" she asked.

"Did it work?"

"A little."

"I'm a dead man is Ashton finds out."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Lauren said, and kissed him.

"Alright lovebirds. Still here." Corrine said.

"Okay sis." Owen laughed. "So what are you doing here?"

"Ashton and I were talking and then he said something about you that set me off, and we fought. I locked myself in my room, and then climbed out my window and came here." Lauren sighed. "I needed to clear my mind."

"Ashton doesn't know you're here?"

"No."

"And your parents?"

"No."

"Lauren, your parents are probably freaking out right not. Not to mention Ashton. You two fought, and now you're missing, Ashton is going to be in hysterics thinking the worse, and he'll blame himself for it. What's worse is that he could direct that anger towards Owen. Or me. Honey, you need to go home."

"I - I don't want to go alone." Lauren whispered.

"We'll take you. Give me a minute." Corrine disappeared, and then returned with the car keys. "Let's get you home."

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dun dun dun!

-Raven