Secrets // An Ashton Irwin FanFic

Chapter Fifteen - The Flashback

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - THE FLASHBACK

I was laying on the couch watching some rugby game my brother had on, almost half asleep. Ashton, my boyfriend, had been texting me earlier in the night that his mom and dad were having a huge fight, and he didn’t text me again all night. 

I was worried about him. His parents never got along. I had known him since third grade since he and my brother had been best friends, and I can even remember then, they never got along. Ashton’s dad, Brian, was always drunk and rude. He was never around for Ashton, his sister Lauren, and his brother Harry. Their family was broken, and I felt like his mom Anne Marie finally hit her breaking point. 

The doorbell rang and I sighed when Alex didn’t get up to answer it. I sighed and dragged myself to the door. I opened it to see Ashton. His face was covered in tears, and I didn’t know how to react. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up to my tiny bedroom. Once we got upstairs, I shut the door.

“What’s wrong?” I asked and walked over to him.

“Fucking everything! My dad fucking hit my mom and just walked out the door! I need a break from all of them! It’s fucking ridiculous that I can’t even be in my own room without hearing my family screaming at each other!” He yelled and through himself on my bed.

I hated seeing him like this. He looked broken and I didn’t know how to fix him. “Stay here tonight.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it failed.

“I don’t want to stay here tonight. I don’t fucking know what to do, Hadley!”

“Ashton, I know this is really upsetting, but you need to take a few deep breaths. It’s not going to get better if you stay angry at the world.”

“Of course you would know. You’ve got a fucking perfect life, don't you? You’ve got a normal mom and dad. Your brother is athletic. You have straight A’s and never do anything bad! Of fucking course you would say that! I might as well break up with you right now because you deserve someone who has a normal life with a normal family! I’m a fucking disaster!”

“Ashton! Please just calm down for me. Please.” I looked down at him as he started to stand up. He came close to me and that’s when I smelled it. His breath smelled like a mix of vodka and whiskey. Great. His was drunk off his ass and unconsolable. “I’m going to get you some water.”

I started leaving the room before he grabbed my elbow and pulled me back. “You don’t fucking get to leave.”

“Ashton, let go of me. You’re drunk and need some water.”

“No Hadley! You’re not fucking leaving!” He pulled me onto him and crashed his lips into mine. He was being harsh and forceful. I didn’t like it at all. I pushed him off of me, causing him to get an evil look in his eyes.

He came hurling towards me and smacked me across the face. The slap didn’t hurt as bad as the fact that my boyfriend had just slapped me. My eyes filled with tears as I gave him an evil glare. “Get the fuck out!” I screamed and pushed him to the door.

“Hadley, I—“

“No. Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

ASHTON’S POV

I watched in horror as my dad stepped forward, beat my mum to the ground, and leave. I knew I was drunk, but I couldn’t have just hallucinated this. I didn’t know how to react or what to do, and for some reason Hadley was the only thing that crossed my mind.

I put on my light jacket and thongs before walking to her house. She only lived down the block, and I knew my way like it was the back of my hand. I had made the walk plenty of times going to visit Alex. Alex was Hadley’s older brother who was the one who encouraged us to get together.

Once I reached her house, I rang the door bell repeatedly, growing impatient quickly. Seeing her face caused my body to go numb, which was the complete opposite of what was supposed to happen. I barged my way into her house and grabbed her arm. Her house was so fucking small that it made me feel trapped. 

I pulled her up to her room and watched as she closed the door. “What’s wrong?” She asked me as she turned around.

“Fucking everything! My dad fucking hit my mom and just walked out the door! I need a break from all of them! It’s fucking ridiculous that I can’t even be in my own room without hearing my family screaming at each other!” I ranted to her before falling back onto her bed. I was done with all my family’s bullshit. It was literally driving me insane. I needed her to tell me she hated them as much as I did.

“Stay here tonight,” She offered and sat on the bed by me. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. 

“I don’t want to stay here tonight. I don’t fucking know what to do, Hadley!” My head was spinning. I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol talking or my own mind now fucking with me.

“Ashton, I know this is really upsetting, but you need to take a few deep breaths. It’s not going to get better if you stay angry at the world,” Her words went into one ear and out the other. Hadley wasn’t making the situation any better. I wanted to leave already.

Before I could even process what I was going to say, my mouth opened and my words fell out. “Of course you would know. You’ve got a fucking perfect life, don't you? You’ve got a normal mom and dad. Your brother is athletic. You have straight A’s and never do anything bad! Of fucking course you would say that! I might as well break up with you right now because you deserve someone who has a normal life with a normal family! I’m a fucking disaster!”

“Ashton! Please just calm down for me. Please.” No. I wasn’t going to calm down. I wanted to rant to someone and she wasn’t fucking helping me. My head started to spin more. I stood up but tripped a little over my own feet. “I’m going to get you some water.”

As she started leaving, I gripped my hand around her elbow. I pulled her back close to my body. “You don’t fucking get to leave.”

“Ashton, let go of me. You’re drunk and need some water,” Hadley tried to push away from me but failed.

“No Hadley! You’re not fucking leaving!” I tightened my grip and pulled her even closer. I pressed my lips to her passionately before she ruined it and pushed me away.

She made me so fucking pissed. Anger ran through my veins, causing me to lift my hand and slap her across the face without even thinking. I regretted it as soon as I did it. I didn’t just fucking do that. No, no, no, no, no.

“Get the fuck out!” She screamed and started pushing me to the door.

“Hadley, I—“ I tried to explain myself, but she wouldn’t buy it.

“No. Get. The. Fuck. Out.” She slammed her door in my face. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Everything went black. I had just lost everything. My family was broken and I just ruined the only source of light in my life. I was a fucking dumbass, and there was no way to apologize for what I had just done to her.