rumor has it. ➵ lashton ✔

7.

i'm back.

i wrote this entire chapter listening to talk by kodaline.

very song.

much inspire.

-

The four friends had decided to name their band Five Seconds of Summer, and they departed off to their first hour classes.

"Luke, wait," someone breathed, catching up to Luke. 

It was Ashton.

"Ashton, I really, just, don't want to talk to you right now. Is that so much to ask?"

Ashton rolled his eyes and put an arm around Luke's neck, stopping them both.

"I just want you to picture something with me, for just a moment, yeah? So, it's you and I, we're on a bright pink horse, riding side-saddle, no cares in the world. The wind blowing through our hair, my arms around your neck, and when the horse stops on the top of the hill, we sit under a willow tree and watch the sunset." 

Luke raised his eyebrow at Ashton.

"And then imagine a future with Calum," Ashton glared at the boy, who was glaring right back.

"If I'm honest, Ashton, I've spent a lot more time imagining a future with Calum than a future with you," Luke snapped, pushing away from the shorter boy and walking straight to the biology classroom.

Ashton glared at Luke for a moment. 

What was he doing so wrong that Luke didn't like?

-

After biology, Luke went straight to maths, after stopping at his locker to talk to Michael and Hannah and Calum.

"He's nuts, I tell you. Ashton's nuts. He thinks he's going to get me back after he basically just took my virginity and left? And then started rumors about me?"

"We were thinking about the rumors, Luke, and I don't know if we're really comfortable around you anymore," Michael murmured. Luke whipped around.

"What? You know those rumors aren't true!" 

"Drugs, Luke. Drugs."

Luke furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Calum for help.

"I never did drugs!" Michael pulled out his phone and showed Luke a picture that Luke had never even seen before. They wouldn't believe it, if he said that, though. If he said he'd never seen the picture before, it'd seem like the only resort other than fessing up, which he wasn't about to do.

Sometimes it was okay to confess to things you didn't do, but this time, it wasn't.

"That's an old picture, Michael. You've got to believe me, mate."

"Ashton sent it out yesterday, Luke."

Luke shook his head over and over again.

"It's just a rumor. Sometimes rumors aren't true, Michael! Don't believe everything you hear from Ashton."

"Luke, this is serious," Hannah whispered, "you can't do drugs. They do tests for them, almost irregularly but regularly enough to keep them in our minds."

Luke ran his hands through his hair.

"Fuck, Hannah, no. I didn't do drugs!"

"Just... Just don't talk to us anymore, Luke. Please? We don't want to be involved with p-people like you."

"People like me? Michael..." Luke was near to tears, because without Michael and Hannah and Calum, he had nothing, really.

Luke watched in mortification as all three of his friends walked away from him.