Be Careful What You Wish For (5SOS Fanfic)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"Are you okay Averi? You've been acting weird since yesterday morning." My brother commented as he pulled up into the parking lot of a local hamburger joint. The weekend had finally arrived, and my unplanned meeting with Michael had occured just the day before. I thought it best to not mention it to anybody just yet, but apparently Ashton had noticed something was off. Ash had volunteered the both of us to grab some lunch for everyone who had gathered at our house throughout the morning. Calum had been invited to come over, and even Luke had made a surprise appearance. I was reluctant to leave, but Ashton insisted that I should come help him get lunch. Evidently, he really just wanted to get me alone so that we could talk.

"Yeah...I'm fine." I lied.

Ashton held open the door for me as I walked into the grease smelling restaurant. It may not seem like the fanciest place to buy food, but they sure did know how to make a good cheeseburger.

"You can talk to me ya know. I am your twin. I can tell when you're lying. What happened yesterday? You and Luke seem to be getting along fine, so I'm guessing it has nothing to do with the visit you paid him yesterday."

Was there any point in trying to hide it from him? He would get it out of me eventually. There really wasn't any point in dragging it out. "I ran in to Michael yesterday." I finally said.

Ash didn't say anything, and simply nodded his head. He understood without me having to explain anything, and at that moment I was extremely grateful that I was lucky enough to have him for my brother.

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It had been a full week now since I had seen Michael. Really, I wasn't complaining. Life was looking up. Today was our annual community picnic. It was the event of the year for our small town. Everyone in the community would gather together at Clementine Park, and have a huge barbeque. There would be games for the kids, and contests that the teens and adults could participate in. It was a time for everyone to come together, and just enjoy one another's company. Local businesses would donate small items as prizes for contests, while others donated some of the food. It always turned out fantastic, and was something everyone looked forward to.

Ashton and I were going to meet up with everyone at the park later. Lana had been volunteering at the animal shelter that Calum worked at in the mornings before he would head over to the pet store. She had been there every morning this week helping out. Evidently she really liked animals. So the two of them would be coming to the picnic together after they finished their work there.

Luke would also be be meeting us at the park. He was bringing along a friend that he wanted us to meet.

"Ri! You ready yet? Let's go!" Ash yelled.

"Coming!" I hollered back.

I quickly finished putting on my shoes, then jogged outside to where my brother was already getting into the car. We drove the short distance to the park. As we drove up to the gates that marked the entrance to the park, I smiled fondly at the fading letters that read 'Clementine Park'. It had an air of familiarity to it that I had been missing in my life lately.

"I'm signing us up for the 3 legged race RiRi." Ashton said as he climbed out of the vehicle. "It's been forever since we have done one together."

"Sounds good, I'm going to see if I can find any of the others." I replied as I headed in the opposite direction.

He nodded his head, "Okay, just be back in time for the race! It's one of the very first competitions. Don't be late!" He ordered before jogging off.

Clementine Park was really a beautiful park. It was huge, and cut off from the rest of the town by an iron gate that went around the entire park. There was a large amount of open space which made it perfect for picnics and events such as the one we were having today. At the very back of the park, furthest away from the entrance was a large pond surrounded by several huge trees. It was secluded, and one of my favorite spots to be by myself. Many of the trees were great for climbing, and it wasn't hard to find a spot to be alone. I left a mental reminder to myself to find some time to wander over there later on.