Pieces - Lashton/Malum AU

Chapter Seven

Hailey walked into school Monday morning feeling slightly nervous about breaking up with Ashton, but she knew that if she didn't do it now, she wouldn't do it.

The second she saw Ashton, her nerves got even worse, but she knew this was the right decision.

She immediately typed out a text to Ashton saying to meet her by her locker and that she needed to talk to him, but just as she was about to hit 'Send,' Ashton was standing right in front of her.

"Hailey, there's something I need to tell you."

"I need to tell you something, too," Hailey said nervously, "You first."

"I don't know if this is working out," Ashton began, "My feelings sort of changed and I honestly don't know what is going on, but I think it would be best if I just sorted it out by myself rather than staying in a relationship and lying about it."

"If that's what you want," Hailey said, sighing, "If you're happy, I'm happy."

Ashton was telling the truth. He did have some feeling that things weren't going to work out. He felt like the spark between them wasn't there anymore, but maybe it wasn't there in the first place. He felt like he had to push that away because he liked her... right? Deep down inside, he knew the right thing to do was to break things off, because if you love someone, set them free. Honestly, he didn't really know if he loved her in the first place or if he was trying so hard to make sure that there was a connection between them.

•

On his way to lunch, he looked around for someone to talk to. Normally he would have sat with Hailey and her friends, but he lost that opportunity. As he looked around, he saw a familiar boy with his arms around a familiar girl ... and that familiar girl was Hailey.

Normally, Ashton wasn't one to let his emotions get the best of him, but this time, he couldn't help it.

He was confused to say the least. He should be okay with Hailey flirting with another guy if there wasn't a connection between them. He should be happy for her. He didn't know how to feel about it and he felt so many emotions overcome him all at once and he didn't know what to do or how to handle it.

He sighed, looking for a place to just sit alone and while being alone with his thoughts may not have been the best idea, he knew that he really didn't have that much of a choice.

•

By the time his last class came around, he sat down anxiously. He wanted Luke there, but he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he needed someone to talk to, or maybe he just wanted to have company and not feel as alone like he did after the "breakup" with Hailey. The bell rang and Luke didn't show up. Ashton tried to ignore the feeling and just tried to concentrate on his work.

By the time Ashton got home, he decided to text Luke asking where he was and to nicely tell him the work he missed, if he needed it.

He got excited when his phone beeped with a reply.

Sorry, I was out sick today.

Hope you're feeling better. :)

Ashton didn't know why he put a smiley face at the end and sent it without thinking twice. Maybe he was just being polite, or maybe trying to make someone else feel better would make him feel better, or maybe he was just being a good friend.