Remember to Forget

Chapter 10

Delilah's POV

I head to Ashton's the next morning to see how he's doing even though he's probably still asleep. I've never seen him so drunk before, it was unlike him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's passed out all day.

I walk into his house and see Harry watching television. He turns around and waves.

“Hi, Delilah!” he says happily.

“Hey! Is Ashton awake?” I ask him.

He nods. “Yeah, but he's not feeling good. Mom said he has a bad headache, and I'm not allowed to bother him.”

I head down to Ashton's room and find him laying on his bed, his face shoved into the pillow.

“Ash?” I whisper.

He mumbles something and slowly rolls over. He squints at me and wiggles his fingers in an attempt to wave.

“What happened last night?” he groans.

I sit on the edge of his bed. “Well, you were having some sort of beer chugging contest.”

He rubs his temples. “Oh, God. Remind me to never drink again.”

“Seems like a little party could kill someone, huh?”

“Wow, you're so funny,” he mumbles, a small smile on his lips.

“I like to think so.”

He grabs one of his pillows and tosses it at me, but it misses me and falls on the ground.

I tell him what happened with Luke, leaving out how he had a panic attack and what he told me about his girlfriend. Those are personal things that no one else should know. Even though Ashton is my best friend, it's not right for me to tell him.

“So, he actually, like, was nice?” Ashton asks, sitting up a little.

I nod, smiling. “Yeah, it was different from all the other times I've been around him.”

Luke was definitely different. I thought he would never want to be near me, let alone have breakfast at midnight with me. He told me a secret of his, even though it wasn't the whole story. He opened up to me, which was surprising. Maybe he trusts me.

“We should hangout with him sometime,” Ashton says. “Maybe he wants some cool friends like us.”

*

A few days after, I decide to go to Luke's. I haven't seen him since the party. If he went to school, I would've seen him there. But he doesn't. I wonder what he does all day.

Ashton and I are going to see a movie tonight, so I thought I'd invite Luke. After what he told me about his girlfriend, I don't want him to feel alone. Plus, Ashton thinks it's a good idea for him to hangout with us. It might make him more comfortable here.

Mr. Hemmings is in the front yard when I get there, mowing the lawn. He waves when he sees me.

“Hey, Delilah, what's up?” he asks.

“I came to see Luke. Is he inside?” I ask.

He smiles. “Yeah, he's in his room. You know, I'm glad you let him hangout with you guys the other night. He's sort of, I don't know, separated. It's hard to get him to do things. I'm happy you and Ashton are here.”

I smile and nod. “Yeah, it was nice hanging out with him.”

I walk inside before he can question me about that night. I don't want to be the one to tell him that his son had a panic attack all alone at a huge party. I wonder if Luke even told him about it.