Runaway - Ashton Irwin

Chapter 4

   Calum's house was set out exactly the same as mine, the back door lead into the kitchen, the kitchen into a small hallway, on one side, the stairs, and the other, the living room and basement door.

   "Hope the music hasn't been too loud, we were practising." He opened the door and led me down into the basement, I realised, halfway down the stairs, that just because he was in a semi-known band, doesn't mean I should feel safe following him into a basement. But it would look weird if I stopped now. So, I followed him down the remainder of the stairs, into a surprisingly nicely decorated basement. It didn't look like a basement, there was a single bed in the far right corner, band posters covering the walls, a big TV and a huge sofa, containing three other boys. I knew these were the other members of the band, but I really didn't know any of their names. I knew Calum because Kelsey was obsessed with him, it made me feel weird to think about the countless nights she spent back at home watching these guys. When you really love a celebrity, you kind of lose sight of the fact that they are a real human, who do normal things. She probably wouldn't even believe me if I told her. The other boys were talking and laughing but they stopped when I reached the bottom step.

   "New love interest?" The one on the left asked. He had blonde hair with black bits in the fringe and the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen. My anxiety peaked and I opened my mouth to introduce myself but no sound would come out. Calum smiled at me and ushered me into a chair next to the sofa.

   "New neighbour. This is Adelaide. Adelaide, this is Michael, Luke and Ashton." They all waved and Ashton, the only one not playing Fifa, stood up and walked over.

   "Hey, where'd you move from?" He asked, shaking my hand and perching on the arm of the sofa in front of me.

   "England. Kind of ran away." I laughed. His curly hair bounced as he giggled, yes, giggled.

   "Ran away from what?" He asked. I shook my head and looked down.

   "Over bearing parent. My mom treated me like a kid, the day I turned 18, I was gone. No one knows where I am." He raised his eyebrows and then frowned.

   "You have an American accent." He grinned. I spent a few minutes explaining how I was born in America and why we moved. He nodded his understanding and cleared his throat.

   "So, what brings you over here, Adelaide?"

   "She has a situation." Calum shouted, walking over with a beaker filled with what looked like Coca Cola. I took the beaker from him and smiled my thanks.

   "There is an intruder in my home." The two boys previously engrossed in Fifa whipped their heads in our direction, making me and Calum laugh. "There's a Tasmanian Devil running around in there, I was climbing out of my window when Calum spotted me and offered assistance."

   "My mom had one get in when I was a kid, we had to throw a towel over its head so it couldn't bite us when we caught it." Luke informed us, and then immediately returned to Fifa. Ashton stood up and looked to Calum.

   "You get a towel, we'll get sticks." He said. Calum ran up the basement stairs.

   "Sticks?" I asked.

   "Just in case," He smirked. I shook my head with a chuckle and turned back to the other boys.

   "Nice meeting you both." I smiled and waved.

   "Bye Adelaide" Blonde haired, Luke? Remembering names was not one of my strong points.

   "Oh fuck!" Michael, I remembered Michael because his hair was different. He threw down the controller with a frown in Luke's direction. He looked over at me, realising I was talking to him. "Oh, sorry. Nice meeting you, Adelaide." He gave me a quick, kind of awkward hug and went back to complaining about his loss. I turned and ran up the stairs to Ashton who was waiting to go on a hunt for sticks.