He stopped at the end of the street, his car parked a block away from her house. He proceeds to step out of the car, the message received to him never leaving his mind. He walks down the sidewalk, heading to her house, worries starting to fill his mind.
As he walks up to her door, his mind tries to reassure him, but failing miserably. He knocks on the door, preparing himself, to only find the door opening by itself. He's hesitant at first before heading into the house, closing and locking the door behind him. The house is silent, not a footstep heard throughout the house.
"Em?" Ashton calls out, expecting her to respond back. No response. He searches through the house right before the sound of shattered glass is heard from upstairs, Ashton sprinting towards the staircase. His footsteps are heavy, his breath starting to hitch as he rushes up the stairs. "Emery?" He opens the nearest door, expecting to find her, which he doesn't. He continues to look through each room, all of them empty. Small sobs are heard from a room Ashton hasn't yet searched, his mind now curious. He makes his way to the door prior to slowly opening it, shattered glass and picture frames everywhere.
On the opposite side of the room, hiding in the corner is Emery, her eyes red as well as tear stained. Ashton tries to advance forward, but is soon stopped by her.
"Don't come near me," she whimpers. "please."
"I don't -" he tries once more, Emery repeating what she said before.
"Don't," she says, her voice hitched. "just don't."
"What's going on?" he asks her. "I don't get it, one minute you're perfectly fine. Next minute, you're broken. I don't get it."
"You're not the first," she mutters, remaining in her corner; her hair covering her face. She completely ignores his question and continues to go on. "I'm surprised you're still around." Ashton stops and thinks for a moment, confused before allowing her to continue. "I don't want you to stick around, it's best if you leave. It's for your own good." He forgets about the broken glass and walks into the room, the glass breaking even more as he steps towards her. He pulls her into a hug, resting his head on top of her own.
"Please don't say that," he begs. "just tell me what I can do to make it better. Tell me what happened." He notices the sudden wetness on his back, Emery lets go of him, her hands stained with blood. He looks down at her hand before noticing a shattered piece of glass covered in red blood. "First let's get you cleaned up."
♡
The blood left on her hands easily washed away, the water turning a light shade of pink.
"I don't want to pressure you," he starts, running her hands under the warm water. "but whenever you are ready, or if you want to, you can tell me."
"It's hard for me to open up to people," she mummers, her eyes directed to her cleansed hands. "I've told you more about me than I ever told Diana or Valerie in seven years." Ashton remains quiet, allowing her to go on while he finishes cleaning her up. "It's weird, I've never opened up to people this quickly. It's takes forever to get answers out of me, but with you, it's different. It's weird."
"Is there a certain cause behind all this?" he starts. "Maybe that's why it's hard for you, did something trigger this sudden emotion?"
"It's not sudden," she corrects. "I've been like this for the longest. The word 'sudden' seems completely irrelevant."
"How long is 'the longest'?" Ashton questions prior to turning the faucet off, grabbing the towel near him to dry her petite hands.
"Since I was little, maybe at age seven?" she responds, her voice still hesitant. Her voice is hesitant while her face shows strain and frustration. "God, I can't even remember." Her hands cover her face once more, her walls finally breaking. He watches her sink to the ground, tears now staining her hands. He quickly reacts and sits on the floor with her, cradling her in his arms, mumbling soft nothings into her messy hair. Silence falls among them, small whimpers heard from her every now and then. Sudden footsteps break the silence, shouts for Emery being called. The voices and footsteps come from downstairs, the silence making it sound even louder. The both of them hear the voices and steps come up the stairs, neither of them hiding - or move from their current position. The door flies open, two men standing on the door, their faces shocked.
"Who are you?" one of the two men questions Ashton, his arms releasing Emery before standing up.
"Dad, this is Ashton. I go to school with him." Emery responds before Ashton, her tone changing instantly.
"A friend?" the other man continues on, his eyes never breaking contact with Emery's.
"Uh, yeah." she mutters. In that moment, Ashton tries his best not to break down, now knowing where he stands between him and Emery. "Ashton, these are my parents. Ben and Scott," The three of them quickly exchange gestures before Ashton excuses himself, showing himself out the door.
♡
The familiar feel sinks in his stomach, his eyes glued to the ceiling. Luke walks into the room, without acknowledging himself prior to taking note in Ashton's current presence.
"It's on the desk chair," Ashton says to his brother, his body remaining perfectly still.
"What is?" Luke responds.
"Your Anticulture shirt, mum gave me your shirt by accident, again." he responded. His brother picks up his shirt, Ashton thinking he'd leave by now; but is mistaken once his brother takes a seat on the end of his bed. "What are you doing?"
"Thinking," he lies, hoping his brother will believe it.
"You're lying, you're sulking not thinking." his brother denies. "I can tell,"
"How?"
"C'mon man, you're staring at the ceiling. You look like you're practically dead." Luke goes on. "You want to tell me what's going on?"
"Emery told me I was her friend." Ashton spat out.
"What?" Luke snaps, prior to calming himself down. "I thought you guys were dating, what ever happened to that." Ashton props himself up, explaining to Luke all that happened back at her house, and how serious she looked like. "You were probably just assuming."
"She seemed serious, Luke." Ashton remarks. "And if that's how she wants us to be, then so be it."
"You don't want to go after her?" Luke asks, his brother not responding. "Do you even like her anymore?"
"To be honest," he starts. "I don't even know at this point."
YOU ARE READING
Uneasy ➢ smash au
Fanfictionin which a boy overcomes much difficult things in his life, the hardest being seeking attention from the girl he's been in love with. this, being uneasy for him.
