Unpredictable (A Lashton Fanfic)

Chapter Nine - Define 'Okay'.

“So,” Harry was saying at breakfast the next morning. They were all downstairs in the lobby except for Austin, who was still upstairs asleep. “Since I’m the only human left in this group that hasn’t been attacked by Nathan yet, do you think he’ll come for me next?”

            “Normally I’d reassure you and tell you no, of course not, but at this point I have no clue.” Christian replied. “To be honest, I don’t have a clue about anything anymore.”

            Josh took a sip of his orange juice and set it down on the table in front of him. “Same here. I never thought vampires were real, much less that I’d be attacked by the evilest one in existence.”

            “Speaking of which, how are you feeling?” Cody asked.

            “Considering the circumstances, I’m doing okay,” Josh said, running a hand through his dark brown hair. “I honestly thought I was going to die last night, though.”

            Ashton smiled at him sympathetically and turned to Luke, who was sitting beside him. He had barely said a word since they had been at breakfast, and he was staring at his uneaten bowl of cereal with a tired look in his eyes. “Are you okay, Lukey?”

            “Define okay,” Luke said expressionlessly. “because I think I’ve forgotten what that word means.”

            “It means, are you okay? Do you feel bad, or are you just tired and worried about Nathan?” Ashton put his hand on his shoulder, but Luke shrugged it off. “Don’t touch me, Ash. Look, to answer your question, no, I’m not okay. I am about as far from okay as a person can possibly get right now. I’m exhausted, both physically and emotionally.”

            “What can I do to help?” Ashton asked carefully.

            Luke shook his head. “Why don’t you stop worrying so much about me and focus on yourself? That would help me a lot more than you know, Ash.”

            Ashton sighed and stood up from the table. “I’m starting to think it would be best for everyone if I just left.”

            “I think so too,” Luke muttered once he had walked away, causing Michael to look at him in disbelief. “You know, I don’t understand you. You’re always complaining about how you’re ‘far from okay’, but maybe the reason why you’re so depressed and lonely is because every time someone, whether it be a random person or one of your so-called friends, tries to get close to you, you immediately push them away. I understand that you don’t have any romantic feelings towards Ashton, but you two have been best friends for three years now. Just because he’s in love with you doesn’t mean you have to treat him like dirt and be so rude to him. He’s been through a lot too, you know. Before he was in this band he struggled with issues, just like you are now. True, he’s gotten a lot better since then, but how do you think it makes him feel for you to have such a bad attitude all of a sudden? How would you feel knowing you were the one who pushed him over the edge if something ever happened to him?”

            Luke glared at him. “For one, I’m not depressed. Second of all, how do you think it makes me feel being around someone who constantly obsesses over me and talks about how much he loves me? I’m sorry, but to have another guy telling me those sick things twenty-four hours, seven days a week gets old. That’s why I have such a ‘bad attitude’. I mean, I love Ashton too, but only as a friend. When I first found out about his crush on me I tried to tell him as nicely as I possibly could that I wasn’t like him, but he still kept on and on until I reached my breaking point.”