Dark Paradise

Chapter 19: I Destroyed Myself To See Who Gave A Fuck.

  I knock on the door to Ashton's house and wait the few seconds, listening to the sound of foot steps nearing the door until they stop. The door opens and I am faced with Ashton's little sister Lauren who is now smiling happily at me. 

  "Hi Peyton!" She says cheerfully, almost too cheerfully and it makes me wonder if she knows anything about where her brother has been and why; but then I realize that some people haven't had the happiness drained from their veins. 

  "Hey Lauren" I say smiling at her as she grabs my hand, thankfully not anywhere near the cuts on my wrists and arms and it's then that I decide that she must no something about the situation I put her brother in. 

  "My brother is in the basement and so are the other boys, they haven't came up at all which is weird. Not even for food." She says frowning slightly as she stops in front of the door I have never been through. The few times I have seen the giants at band practice it has been at Luke's house, never here at Ashton's house. 

  "When you come back out, tell me what's going on down there? I've been dying to know whats happened. Every time I try to go down Ashton makes me go away" She tells me.

  "I will" I tell her smiling one last time before I open the door that leads down to them and begin down the stairs. 

  "I don't understand...." 

  "Luke.... It's gonna be ok man"

  "It won't be though"

  "Hey look its Pey" Michael says looking relieved. 

  "Hey there pretty little girl" Calum says making me laugh. 

 "What are you doing here babe?" Ashton asks me nervously biting his lip. 

  "Ummm...." I say as completely forgetting what he asked me as I look at his bottom lip in between his teeth. 

  "Ashton, stop biting your lip" Michael says laughing making my cheeks heat up and I'm sure a pink tint covers my cheeks from blushing. 

 "What did you ask me?" I say leaning against the wall looking at the boy whose dimples aren't showing like normal when he sees me, I try to blurry the odd feeling in me and focus. 

  "What are you doing here babe?" Ashton asks me for the second time. 

  "I used to call her babe" Luke whimpers from his spot next to Calum. 

  "Is this the SOS?" I whisper to Michael as I take a seat next to him. 

  "Most definitely" He whispers back to me. 

  "What happened?" I ask him lowly as Calum works to get Luke out of his sadder than a kicked puppy state. 

  "Him and Steph.... They called it quites" He whispers so low that I can hardly hear it. 

  "Peyton?" Luke's voice pulls me away from mine and Michael's almost soundless conversation. 

  "Yes, Luke?" I say gently to him. 

  "Is....is ther something wrong with me?" He asks me looking at the ground so he doesnt have to look at any of us. 

  "Luke are you crazy?" I ask him as I get up from my spot to stand in front of him. 

 "Peyton, a girl just broke my heart so I don't know. I don't anything anymore"  Luke says sadly. 

  "Listen to me Luke Hemmings, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. Do you know how many girls would kill to have you? I know that doesn't numb the pain or even dull it a little but that's the thing about dating someone, you either end up marrying them or breaking up; and in this case it didn't last. I'm not going to tell you that it won't be hard moving on from her but you will move on and it will be ok" I tell him honestly