Skinny Hips // Ashton Irwin

twenty // is ashton home?

//Annie//

I woke up the next morning with half my body hanging off the edge of Bradley's bed, my hair askew across the pillows, my head thumping. I was alone in the dark, smelly room. It stunk of cigarettes and man spray.

I could hear soft music coming from another room throughout the apartment. Memories from the night before began to come back to me and I instantly felt sick to my stomach; literally.

Shaking, I stood from Bradley's bed and rushed to his bathroom, falling to my knees and throwing up in to the toilet.

Once I had finished my procedure of wiping my mouth and leaning on to the toilet seat, the bathroom door squeaked open and in stepped Bradley with a glass of water and an aspirin. I thanked him through chokes and coughs before sipping down two tablets carefully. "Thank you," I croaked.

"It's always a pleasure to help girls that puke in to my toilet," he laughed. I smiled, wanting to laugh along but not a single part of me agreed with that idea. 

"Oh, and by the way," he said, clearing his throat to get my attention again, "your phone's being going off all morning, I didn't want to wake you for obvious reasons but, like, yeah."

I groaned, "What time is it?"

"It's, eh." Bradley whipped his phone from his pocket, squinting his eyes to stare at the time, "Three-forty-five."

"What?!"

Wearily, I pushed myself up from the ground, rushing and stumbling back to the kitchen to grab my shit. 

My phone was sat on the counter with my shoes and bag on the floor underneath it. I slipped my feet into my boots before picking up my bag, and then checking my phone.

Three missed calls from Michael.
Two missed calls from Calum.
Two texts from Luke.
Six missed calls from my mum.

Considering the texts from Luke would be the easiest to wake up to with a hangover, I unlocked my phone and checked what it was he said.

Luke Hemmo: Annie!! where are u?
Luke Hemmo: call me as soon as you get this, or just come over, please annie!!

My heart beat sped up drastically at the urgency of Luke's texts but I stayed as calm as I could. I shook as I turned around to look at Bradley, my body feeling weak and limp. "Could you drive me to Ashton's if it isn't too much trouble?"

Bradley nodded. He put on his own shoes and soon enough was leading me to the elevator. I typed out a text to Luke while we waited to hit the ground floor.

To Luke Hemmo: on my way over now, is ashton home??

 My legs felt weak and shaken as Bradley led us to his car. He opened my door for me and helped me in before rushing over to his side, hopping in, starting the car and driving away.

The drive there was silent as my nerves took over me. I stared at my texts with Luke, waiting for him to tell me whether or not I was going to have to face Ashton once I reached their home.

Bradley didn't say a word until he was parked outside the boys' home. I sighed, staring at my lap and fiddling with my fingers as I waiting for him to say something. 

"I guess I'll see you in school on Monday, huh?"

I nodded, finally looking up at him and smiled. "Thank you for letting me stay. I'm sorry for the trouble. Text me, yeah?"

"Of course. See you later, Annie."

I flashed him one more smile before finally climbing out of his jeep and making my way slowly towards the front door of the bachelor house. My body felt as if it would give out from under me at any given moment.

I rattled my knuckles against the front door. In under a minute it was swung open and I was being yanked inside and in to the arms of one of the four boys. They squeezed me tight, swaying side to side. I wanted to collapse in their arms. I felt weak.

I was pulled back from the person with their hand gripping my shoulders tight. Michael was staring down at me with Luke and Calum behind him. Their eyes were red, but it seemed as if it was from tiredness and not a heavy high. They were pale, looking almost as sick as I probably did.

"W-where have you been, Annie?" Calum questioned, moving in to give me a hug. The boys' reaction to my presence confused me, but I wasn't ready to question it just yet.

"I stayed the night at Bradley's. I couldn't go home to my mum, not after everything that happened."

"What happened to your face?" Luke asked, eyeing me intently.

I took a step away out of Michael's grasp, trying to chuckle so they'd calm down but just seeming way to suspicious.

"Um, my mum's boyfriend. It's a long story I'd rather not get in to again. I'm okay, I'm not there now," I sighed, looking between the boys. "So, uh, where's Ash?"

This time it was there turn to look between each other, each glance seeming more worried then the last. I furrowed my eyebrows as I waited for them to say something. Michael was the first to speak.

"Uh..." he coughed awkwardly, "we don't know."

"What?" I scoffed, "What do you mean you don't know? Did he come home last night?"

Calum nodded. "He came home, yeah, but then he left and he hasn't come back since."

I sighed. "I'm guessing he told you what happened?"

The boys all nodded shyly, clearly aware of the fact that it isn't something they should bring up with me right now, but aware of how it was the obvious reason as to why Ashton left with no explanation.

I rubbed my nose with my thumb and pointer finger and breathed slowly, moving towards their sitting room and falling in to the couch. I could feel each boy eyes staring daggers in to my head.

"I fucked up," I whispered, putting my head in my hands, "I fucked every thing up."

I felt a weight dip beside me and a pair of strong arms wrap around my body, pulling me close to their chest. This boy smelled of sweat and a day old deodorant and cigarettes yet it was the safest I've felt in the last two days.

I finally figured it was Luke holding me when he began to whisper, "shh" to me before I even realized I was crying and shaking.

I felt as if my entire body was shutting down and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I leaned against Luke's chest, my body becoming limp in his hold. Soon I could feel darkness taking over me and before I knew it I was asleep.