artistic skater

fourteen ;; stubborn

"did it work?" calum asked, guessing by ashton's sad looking face that it didn't. he hadn't really expected it to anyway, even he was beginning to lose hope with ashton's far fetched ideas of trying to get luke to fall in love with him. calum didn't dare tell him that though.

"no." ashton grunted in response, climbing up the tree in calum's back yard to sit inside their tree-house. they'd built it a long time ago, when the two of them were about 6, and their parents had been close. long story short, neither of their parents even liked each other now, and the two of them weren't supposed to hang out.

ashton had been told to find other friends by calum's dad, since he thought that ashton was the one who always brung down calum's grades and, quote on quote, 'messed up calum's life'.

ashton didn't believe either of those things, and stuck around.

"well, i don't know what to tell you honestly. what else are you going to try? i think you should just give up." calum said truthfully with a sigh. "i can't see that anything's going to work. we've tried most things. what else can you possibly do?" he said, looking across at ashton.

ashton bowed his head and shrugged. maybe calum was right. maybe it was time to give up.

"just go back to watching him in art 'n' stuff. that's cute." calum said with a shrug, eventhough ashton's eyes were anywhere but on him. when he didn't get a reply, he added, "maybe this whole thing just wasn't supposed to happen. you'll find someone better than luke. he's already started searching for a boyfriend anyway to replace you in a way, so, maybe you should do the same."

"i only want luke." ashton said, his voice broken and wrecked.

calum was a little taken back by his tone, he'd never heard someone like ashton, tough as old boots, sounding like he was about to cry. calum had only ever seem ashton cry once or twice, and that was when his mum got remarried and when his grandpa died, and calum was invited to the funeral for some reason.

"if i can't have luke, i don't want anyone." he said stubbornly.

"i know." calum sighed. "i don't think it works like that."

"why doesn't he love me?" ashton asked, reaching in his pocket and pulling out an all too familiar packet of cigarettes, and calum sighed. he'd stopped smoking a little while ago, but now when ashton offered him one he'd take it. he hated himself for being like that.

ashton handed calum one and he took it, lighting them both and both of them sucking them as if they were dummies. "i mean, what, really, have i done to make him hate me so much? i'm like, the perfect guy." ashton scoffed.

calum almost chuckled at that, but tried not to, and coughed instead. at least ashton was back to being ashton now. "you have to give things time i guess. i don't know. i'm no love expert."

ashton laughed and looked at him, his huge pretty smile on his face, the one almost anyone could melt to if they saw. it didn't stay for long, but it made calum smile. he was practically the only person who could make ashton smile like that anymore.

"well, i wish you luck buddy." calum said as he stumped out his cigarette and threw it out of the window of their treehouse. he knew he'd regret it later when his dad found it and asked him where it'd come from, but for now it was fine. he swung his legs around near the exit and started to climb down, earning a pout from ashton.

"where are you going?" ashton asked, lighting another cigarette.

"i told my mum i'd help her clean, i'm sorry. i love you ash. don't stay up there too long." calum called with a little smile and even blew a kiss at the end, before ashton watched the boy run off and disappear indoors.

ashton just sighed.

he wished his family was still happy like calum's.

♥