Invisible || Ashton Irwin

Chapter 38

Zoe's POV

"Hey guys!" I come up behind the boys on Friday and get scooped into a hug from Michael. "Are you ready for your gig tomorrow?" I say to them. I bet they think I forgot.

"You bet." Luke says as he hugs me after Michael.

"You'll be there right?" Calum asks as he hugs me.

"Of course." I say not even sure I can lie to my mother about it.

"Good because I want you in the front row." Ashton says more to me than anyone else as he pulls me to him and kisses me softly. All week Ashton has been kissing me at school and at first I found it really awkward because everyone would look but I'm trying harder not to think about it.

"Morning!" Lucy, Maya and Kat come over to us in their usual cheerfulness.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Lucy says to the boys excitedly and they all match her enthusiasm. "What time should we get there?" Luke organised a time with them as the bell rings.

~*~

"Mother I'm going to Ashton's now!" I yell through the house as the sun starts to set on the Saturday.

"No you're not!" She yells back at me. She's never stopped me from going before. What if she knows? I turn around at the front door to see her running down after me.

"You promised you would stay home and do some work." She says when she gets close enough.

"When did I even say that?" So she remembers that and not all the times she had to pick me up or show up for something.

"Last week. You said you had a lot of work to get done on the weekend."

"Why should my education come before Ashton's? He needs my help to pass school and I'm going to get merit points for helping him."

"Not this weekend. Next week when you're study free."

"I can't believe you!" I storm up to my room knowing I'm never going to get to the gig with her guarding the door.

~*~

Ashton's POV

Zoe 6:32pm: Hey tell the guys I'm sorry I can't come tonight

Me 6:32pm: Are you kidding they were so excited for you to be here

Zoe 6:32pm: I know but the shrew stopped me from leaving the house

"Hey Ash, you alright?" Calum says as he sets up his guitar.

"Zoe isn't coming." I say to him and he stops fiddling with his guitar.

"It'll be alright mate, she can come to the next gig."

"I just don't understand why she lets her mother rule her life. She could be doing so much better without her." I strike the symbol in front of me and it helps a little with the anger.

"What's up?" Luke walks over with Lucy and Michael.

"Zoe isn't coming."

"That sucks man but we can't throw our whole gig just because she didn't come." I sigh and wipe my hand over my face.

"You're right. I'll be ready for sound check soon." I mean how long is she going to take orders from her? She's going to be 18 soon which is technically an adult so she can do whatever she wants. Is she going to stay at home and listen to everything her mother tells her to? Why is she so protective anyway? What happened that was so bad that she has to keep Zoe locked away and ground into work?

~*~

Zoe's POV

I wake to the sound of something tapping at my window. What could it be? I hate when I hear noises at night. What if it's a murderer? What if he can kill me with his eyes! Maybe if I pretend not to be awake they will go away. But what if it's just a possum or a branch tapping at the window? What if it's something stupid and I lie here awake all night?

I clench my sheets tight as I turn over to look at the window. When I see a face staring back at me I want to scream, but when they press their finger to their lips to tell me to be quiet my panic fades away. It's Ashton! But what is he doing here? What if my parents see him? I get up out of bed and open my window.

"What are you doing here? You could get caught!" I whisper as he swings into my room. I cross my arms to try not only hide my My Little Pony pyjamas but also the fact that I'm not wearing a bra.

"I was upset about you not coming to the gig so I wanted to see you." He whispers back with a smile on his face. In the moonlight from the window he kisses me and it feels so good it makes my head spin. Him coming here wasn't a bad idea, it was the best idea ever!

"I'm glad you were thinking about me." I whisper as I sit on my bed and invite him to as well. "How was it?" He rests against the headboard and invites me to snuggle against him before answering.

"It was so good. The crowd was really into it and it was good to have Maya, Kat and Lucy in the front." I smile at the thought of the boys playing their hardest. They'll have to play like that almost every night when they go on tour. "Hey I wanted to ask you about your mum." I look up at him.

"What about her?" I ask cautiously.

"If you want to tell me, I want to know why she treats you like a child. Why is she so strict with you?" I look away from him and think about actually telling him. I want to, but I think now is too soon. But who else am I going to tell? I trust Ashton more than anyone.

"When I was like eight or nine, I don't even know now." I laugh softly and keep my gaze away from him. I could never tell him if I was looking at him. "I had a sister." I say softly and pause for a moment, not sure where to go next. "Her name was Zali. She was the greatest big sister. She did everything for me and always made time for me. My mother used to yell at her about wasting her life painting all day and playing music, and one day she got sick of it and just left. I haven't seen her since. She doesn't call, doesn't come around, I don't even know if she's still alive. She always used to tell me about the great things we would do together like getting ready for my first date or formal."

"So your mum forced you to be smart so you wouldn't end up like her?" He says and holds me tight.

"Yeah. She taught me how to play all these instruments before she left, that's how I know. I mean she only taught me the basics but when I started high school I learnt a lot more from Mr Blair."

"What was her favourite instrument?" He asks and I smile at his effort.

"She had a lot of favourites, but her ultimate favourite was the drums." I say as I look up at him for the first time since spilling my guts.

Just like the night after our date, I pull myself up to meet Ashton's lips. I guess ending up with Ashton the drummer was fates way of laughing at me. But the joke is on fate, because I ended up with the best. He held me tightly against him as if he was trying to hold on to the moment forever. My hands slid up and around his neck and shoulders, I could feel the strength and power of his shoulders underneath my fingers. His hands played with my back underneath my shirt which sent shivers up my spine. I've never been this far with a boy before. What would Lucy do if she was here? My hands slide down his chest and the feel of his hard chest makes me want to die. Do I want to take it to the next level with Ashton? As Lucy said, I don't have long with him so I should use the time I do have him. I break away from his lips, sit up and look down at him, out of breath. Before I can rethink what I'm doing or he can stop me, I pull my pyjama shirt off over my head.