echo // hemmings [completed]

nineteen | wake up

—September 29th—

"I can't do this Ashton," the raven-haired girl whispered into his ear. "You look at me, but you only see her. The girl you said you forgot about." She wasn't angry and she wasn't sad. She looked at Ashton with pure pity.

"I forgot about her I promise," Ashton said, pulling his guest closer to him. But he knew he was lying. He knew he could never forget her. After all, Riley was his first love. And you never forget your first love, even if they leave forever.

"Ashton," she said sweetly as she caressed his cheek. "You're too honest. You can't tell a lie, even if it could save your life." And that's where she was wrong. Because the boy she loved was living a lie purely to save a life.

"Hailey, trust me," he asked pleadingly. He tried to kiss her one more time, but she didn't accept it.

"Ashton, do you remember how we met?" She questioned.

"Of course I do," he replied. Because it was the same day he met Rowan. Right before he got so drunk he met a girl that turned his life into a jumbled mess.

Ashton first saw Hailey when he sat down at his usual spot in the bar, the corner seat at the booth below the painting of an old lighthouse. She walked over to him and squeezed into the seat next to him. Close enough, that their shoulders touched. In Ashton's opinion, she was beautiful. With big hazel eyes and black hair that flowed all the way down to her hips.

She immediately started talking to him, asking what he was doing here and if he wanted to get a drink with her. But Ashton didn't give a single shit about what she was saying. Yes, she was pretty, but pushy girls weren't his cup of tea.

Normally he would've just walked away, but today he was too mentally exhausted. He had been bouncing from the hospital to the store all day. And since he was too tired to blow her off, he just sat there sipping his beer as she touched his arm and talked about nothing.

He ignored everything she said, except one thing that caught his attention.

"You look like you're trying to forget something. I can help with that," she purred. At first Ashton scoffed at her suggestion. But then he thought about Riley and Luke and how fucked up his life had become and he kissed her. She was surprised at first, but gently kissed him back. But just as she went to pull him in closer, he stopped.

He said nothing and downed his mug and left the bar. When he arrived home he had found her number in his pocket and they began to talk. It felt like ages ago.

"I was kind of an ass then," Ashton admitted as he recalled what happened. To him it was a dumb memory, but to Hailey, it was the day she met the boy she loved now. Yes, she initially flirted with him to get laid, but seeing Ashton more made her eventually love him. How could she not? With his jawline, sandy blonde curls, beautiful personality, and smile one could die for. Which was a pain in the ass, considering she just wanted a one night stand. But kissing him and being with him left her with no regrets.

"You're still kind of an ass," Hailey stated. "You fuck me, yet you can't forget about that girl."

"I'm sorry."

She didn't acknowledge his apology. "You must be pretty stressed to call me. Usually I call you Ashton, why'd you call me this time anyway?" 

Ashton chewed at his bottom lip. He didn't want to confess his reasons. He didn't want to tell her it was because of what Rowan said to Luke. He didn't want to say it was because she said "I love you." It was insanely dumb, but when Rowan said it, it was like he was getting rejected by Riley all over again.

"I don't know," he lied. Hailey scoffed and got ready to leave.

"Ashton, it's time you wake up," she sighed. I'm not coming back if you keep lying to me," she said, giving Ashton a quick peck.

Ashton didn't fight her on this and just nodded his head. It might be better if she stayed away.

"But if you ever do get over that girl, call me up. We can go on a date," she told him with a wink. She eased the door open, and looked at him one last time."You're a good guy Ashton, and a great kisser. But you need to get your shit together and stop getting drunk at bars. The night life doesn't suit you." And with her final words of advice, Hailey left, because she cared about him and knew she deserved better than to be used.

Ashton sighed and laid back in his bed. "Girls are so damn complicated," he said to himself. Riley and Rowan, just their names were messing with his head. And now there was Hailey, who had probably given him the best advice since Riley died.

He just didn't get it anymore. Years ago he told himself he was going to live a low key life and attend college and live a stable life. But now at age 22, he was in deep shit and unexplainable conditions.

Ashton thought about what Hailey said and got up from his bed. He made his way to his tiny kitchen and emptied out all the cheap booze into the trash. He rummaged through his cupboards and got rid of it all. Well all except for the bottle of red wine he had on the top shelf of his pantry. He didn't throw it out, because this bottle wasn't for sad drinking. This is the bottle he got from his dad for celebrations. And maybe when this whole Riley and Rowan business clears up, he can drink it with his friends.

He cleaned up his living space and sprayed it down to get rid of the sour scent of alcohol. He had to stop drinking. It wasn't a question anymore. He wasn't going to be some fuck up that he would look back on in five years. Yes, it would take a while to completely stop drinking. But he had to start somewhere. He was sick of living this muddled life. He was going to wake up.

-

a/n: i love you all and hope for your continued support <3

xx