http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=128416382
When Erin arrived back from her shopping trip with Luke, who was described as a “whingey teenage boy,” I told her about my plans for the night; it was like someone had flipped a switch in her. She squealed with delight, clapping her hands and dancing around like a child on Christmas morning. It made me smile, watching her excitement bubble and erupt into a contagious laughter. Six o’clock was rolling around quickly, so whilst Erin lay on her bed planning Ashton and I’s future, I showered and washed my hair.
My outfit, consisting of mini shorts with thigh high socks, a cropped shirt, and a denim jacket, was laying on my bed when I exited the bathroom, courtesy of Erin. Over the last few weeks we had spent a lot of time together, and knew each other pretty well. I knew she liked most things girly and pink and sparkly, and she knew I was more punk rock, and liked a drink every now and again. She smiled as she watched me dry my hair from her bed, crossing her legs at her ankles and sliding her Apple MacBook onto her thighs.
“I’m so happy you’re going on a date with Ashton, you know” she shouted over the hair dryer, laughing lightly as I switched it off and propped it onto my desk. I ran my hand through my long, dark hair in an attempt to smooth it a bit. It was growing quickly, about to my elbows, and I was in drastic need of a change.
“I must say, I’m pretty happy too,” I smirked, peering out the window for the tenth time that evening. I could see the benches in the dorm circle from our bedroom window, and Ashton wasn’t there yet. I flopped onto the floor in front of my mirror, plugging in my music as I began to do my makeup. I wasn’t going to do anything special; after all, we’d be in a dark theatre for most of the night. A quick coat of foundation, eyeliner and mascara was all I bothered with, before brushing my hair out again. It was pretty much straight, so I didn’t need to do much to it, thank god.
I hauled on my boots and glanced out the window again. This time, I could vaguely make out a curly, sandy brown mop of hair sitting under the trees. The sun was quickly setting, so I grabbed my purse and began to make my way out of the room.
“Go get ‘em tiger” Erin laughed, smacking my ass as I ran out the door and down the hallway. I took the steps two at a time, and had to stop myself at the bottom to return my breathing to normal. I ran my hand over my hair again, before swinging back the blue door.
Ashton’s head snapped up from his phone as he saw me walking towards him. He grinned from ear to ear, and I suddenly felt really self-conscious. I tucked my hair behind my ear shyly as he got up from the bench to walk over and meet me halfway. As we met in the middle of the pathway, Ashton pulled me in for a tight hug. His scent engulfed me – a mixture of cologne, vanilla and something indescribable. I smiled as he pulled away, grabbing my hand as we began to wander towards his car.
“What’s up, buttercup?” Ash smiled, his thumb caressing the back of my hand slowly. The small motions on my skin gave me goose bumps, and made my heart flutter. This boy had a power over me like nobody else, and it kind of scared the shit out of me. I’d never felt like this with anyone before.
“No much,” I giggled, “So pumped for the show.” His cheeky grin broke through his baby pink lips, the dimples in his cheeks ever prominent. When we got to his car, sitting alone in the parking lot, he insisted on opening my door for me, and closing it once I sat inside. “I’m trying my best to be a gentleman tonight,” he admitted. “I don’t really wanna fuck this up.” I laughed, his flirty but caring personality growing on me even more.
The drive to the venue was short, but I kind of wished it had been longer. We chatted about everything; from our favourite all time low songs to our families at home. The way Ashton talked about his family made my heart leap into my throat. He spoke of his mother as if she was an angel sent from the heavens, and as for his brother and sister; well, they were his everything. I wished that we had shared a likeness in the relationship I had with my parents, but unfortunately, we didn’t. My relationship with my family was a strained one at best; I had managed to push everyone away to the point they sent me out of the state. And as we continued down the freeway towards the city, another question arose.
“Ash, why are you at boarding school?”
I saw his fists clench around the steering wheel as he processed my question. I started to panic; the last thing I wanted to do was upset him.
“Shit, if it’s a touchy subject, that’s fine, you don’t have to say anything.”
He smiled sadly, and shook his head.
“No. if there’s a possibility of you being in my future, which I hope there is, I guess you’ll have to know about my past.” His hand reached across the centre console to grab my own. He slipped his fingers between the crevices of mine, and rested our hands on my thigh.
“I was in a bad crowd back home,” he began. “My mum dated some awful guys when I was about 14, and it just kind of made me fall in with the wrong people. I used to go out every night and get pissed with my mates when I was like 15. I did it for months, and mum was so upset about it. I didn’t give a shit though; I was rebelling because my stepdad was a wanker. She ended up ditching him because he hit her, but by then I was too far gone.”
I squeezed his hand gently, letting him know it was okay to keep going. He took a deep breath, biting his lip momentarily, before continuing.
“One night, I got really drunk. Me and a two other guys I used to hang out with drank an entire bottle of vodka. When I got home it was like 4 in the morning, but my mum had waited up for me, because she wanted to talk to me; I guess about my drinking. I was too drunk to really know what I was doing, and I ended up telling her that I hated her and that she ruined our family and all of these terrible things. When I was sober I told her that I didn’t mean it but I think she knew I just needed some time away. She sent me here 2 years ago, and I was going to come home this year. I’ve only got a year left, and I’ve made friends, so I thought fuck it. Why risk getting back into my old habits when I’m fine here?”
My breath hitched in my throat as I fought back tears. I never knew he had struggled so much. He had literally poured his heart out to me, and I felt so honoured that he trusted me enough to do that. I briskly wiped away a tear that had fallen onto my cheek, making sure to be discrete enough that he didn’t notice.
“I’m so sorry ash,” I mumbled.
“Don’t be sorry sweet pea.” He flashed me his beautiful smile, and I squeezed his hand tighter than I did before. “Besides, if I never came here I never would have met you.”
