oreo // lashton

how to save a life.

 He will do one of two things

He will admit to everything

Or he'll say he's just not the same

And you'll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

How to Save a Life ~ The Fray

~

Harry's POV

I ran over to Ashton, dropping on my knees once I reached him. I could hear the others behind me. Besides Louis. He beat me to Ashton. I cupped Ashton's face in my hands. Holy shit.

His face was burning up.

"His face is like a fucking sauna." I said, worry obvious in my voice. Tears were streaming down my face. I couldn't help but think one thing.

I'm going to lose my best friend.

"Harry, it'll be okay. Shh, it's okay." Louis said, taking me in his arms and playing with my curls. I looked up at him. He was crying, too, yet he was trying to be strong for me. I sat up on his lap, leaning my back against his chest, both of his hands in mine.

"Is he gonna die, Lou? I won't be able to live if Ash dies, Lou." I said. I wasn't lying. I held Ashton together, and I would never tell him, but he held me together, too.

"He won't die, Haz. Look, Liam's calling 999." He said, rubbing my hands with his thumbs. I looked at Liam, who, as Louis said, was talking into his phone. I looked at the others. Zayn had his head buried in Niall's chest. Niall had his arms around Zayn.

Then I looked at Ashton, who had his head on my lap. I took one of my hands out of Louis'. I played with Ashton's hair as Louis did to me earlier. Louis rested his free hand on my thigh, rubbing it slightly. 

"I just got off the phone with 999. They'll be here soon. Um, I'm going to go tell the office." Liam said, making us all realize we were still in school. Shit. We were supposed to be in class. Eh, after the situation we're in, I don't think class really matters right now.

I looked back down at Ashton when Liam left. What was going to happen to him? Even if he survived, wouldn't they put him in like therapy or something? What if they sent him away to one of those hospital things? 

"What happened here?" Our principal, Mrs. Sheeran, said. She ran a hand through her ginger hair, bending down to examine Ashton.

"He passed out." Liam said, leaving out the reason he passed out. She'll ask why, though, and we'll have to explain it.

"Why?" She asked. See? Goddammit.

"I don't know." I lied. She can't know. She'll put him into some hospital. I can't let him go. I can't.

I won't.

"Harry, we know why." Liam said. 

"She can't know." I said. 

"Why?" Liam asked. 

"She'll make them take him away! I can't let them take Ashton away! He's my best friend! What kind of fucking friend would I be if I let them take him away? It won't help him! He'll just be nervous and scared and it'll fuck him up even more!" I screamed. I heard the bells ring. Students gathered around the open door, wanting to find out what the commotion was about. Louis squeezed me tighter. Liam stared at me with his mouth open. 

"Fuck it. Just fucking tell her." I said, burying my face in Louis' chest, wanting to disappear. Ashton always told me he wanted to disappear. I think he might be about to.

I looked up to see Louis explaining everything to Mrs. Sheeran. I heard sirens outside. People were crying. People who didn't know Ashton. Some even picked on him, and they were crying. 

Liam rolled up Ashton's sleeves, revealing the cuts to our principal, who put a hand over her mouth. I looked away. I didn't want to see the cuts. I didn't want to see the evidence of all the times I wasn't there for him.

I did, however, look up when people ran through the door, and over to Ashton. They lifted him up, putting him on a stretcher. They carried him away.

The last thing I saw of Ashton were the bright red cuts on his upturned wrist.

~

Luke's POV

There was a huge crowd by the auditorium. What the fuck is that all about? Since Calum, Michael, and I were in the back of the crowd, we couldn't see anything. Calum tapped on some stranger's shoulder.

"Um, excuse me, sir." Calum said. The guy turned around, giving a questioning look as a response. He was pretty attractive. But I have my heart set on a certain boy.

"Do you happen to know what the actual fuck is going on here?" Calum questioned.

"Um, I think some guy passed out? I don't really know. I kinda just came over here to find out."  The guy answered. I started panicking.

Where the fuck is Ashton?

"Oh, no. What if it's Ashton?" I said, obviously worried. I started freaking out. Tears were rushing down my face, I was having trouble breathing, I was shaking.

"Luke, calm down. We don't know if it's him or not." Michael said, putting a hand on my shoulder, which I flinched away from. 

"Who the fuck else would it be, Michael? It's him, Mikey, I fucking know it's him." I yelled, drawing some of the attention to me. I didn't care, though. I know Ashton is in there.

"Luke-" Michael was cut off by people exiting the room, carrying a stretcher. I looked closer.

It was Ashton.

"Ashton!" I yelled, trying to run over to him. Michael and Calum held onto my arms, telling me that I couldn't run over to him and that they were taking him somewhere to help him. I didn't listen, though. 

I just wanted to see Ashton.

My feet slid across the floor, not going anywhere. I was crying. People were staring. I probably looked like a fucking idiot.

I guess love can make you look crazy.

Michael and Calum let go of me. I guess I was wearing them out. I didn't run, though. I just fell on my knees, breathing heavily, staring in the direction Ashton was taken, with an empty look on my face. My face scrunched up in a look of pain. Not a physical pain. An emotional pain. I laid my hands on the ground, burying my face into them. My body shook with sobs, and there was only one thing on my mind.

I guess I don't know how to save a life.

~