The Only Reason (5SOS)

XX. Thunderstruck

Twitter - @escapetomichael / Tumblr - http://5sos-fan-base.tumblr.com

Copyright © 2014 Makayla B.

thunderstruck (adjective): very surprised or shocked

-Michael's Point of View-

The one person I wouldn't have ever doubted in a situation like this turned out to be a two faced bastard. The one member of our band who would be counted on in an emergency became so heartless and cold. Luke was his best friend, at least that's what we all thought. I burst into the hospital chamber only to meet the startled gazes of them both. Liam's jaw dropped as he stared into my infuriated eyes.

Fucking Liam and Ashton.

If I had confronted them, everything would have gone to tell. The entire scandal would have led to the band breaking up into irreparable pieces. I needed to play my cards right and pretend like I hadn't heard a word they had said. I offered them a fake smile and stood by Liam's hospital bed, making him flinch a little.

"How are you doing, mate?" I asked, both him and Ashton continuously gawking at me.

"Fine," Liam answered after a while. Ashton visibly relaxed a little and exhaled roughly. Knowing me, he would have thought I would create a scene if I had heard them. Unfortunately for him, he didn't know me as well as he believed he did.

"So, how does it feel getting your ass kicked by Lukey?" I mocked and burst into laughter. Ashton chuckled nervously and I kept my eyes pinned on Liam's.

The sensitive skin under both his chocolate brown eyes was a deep purple, becoming navy blue. His lips were swollen and covered in cuts. He had bruises decorating his entire face and a few stitches above his left eyebrow. Luke had taken care of him well, but not as much as he deserved.

"Ashton," I paused for a moment, having to swallow bile as it was rising from my stomach and fighting the urge to beat the living crap out of him at the mention of his name. "Give us a minute."

Ashton and Liam exchanged skeptical looks before he took off. As soon as he was out of sight, I pressed my palms on to wooden table in front of me. I towered over Payne, my muscles and leather jacket giving off a dangerous vibe, which was exactly what I was going for. Abruptly, I banged my fist on the piece of furniture, scaring him half to death as it was all evident in his expression.

"What did you do to provoke Luke?" I growled, pretending not to have a clue about the entire situation, including his petty blackmail. When he didn't answer, I stomped my foot, which was bearing heavy, black combat boots, on the tiled and polished floor.

"Michael, you have to calm down and listen to me. Luke stormed out of the house and I followed him. He seemed upset and when I asked what about, I received a punch. However, he didn't stop at just one," concern and fear were plastered all over Liam's face, exactly the effect I had been expecting.

Payne lifted his infirmary shirt to reveal the damage Luke had caused. The bruises were a multitude of hues, colors that normally should not have been on someones skin. There were garish purple splotches, roughly the size of a fist, while others were more grayish, but still looked just as bad. And they were all over his stomach and chest, decorating his abdomen.

I laughed internally as that was the best lie that fool could have come up with. He was more pathetic than I realized. I had to act as if I believed his load of crap. I touched the ends of my now light green hair gently, making sure they were still standing up the way I styled them. Once again, my rock hard eyes met Liam's cowardly ones.

"Whatever you say, mate. See you around," I said and without wanting to hear another word from him, I walked out.

I spotted Ashton pacing around nervously and checking the time on his phone, an apprehensive look projecting from his hazel pupils. He stopped short when he noticed me staring at him and pinched his lip between his fingers. I shook my head and headed outside.