Ashton Enchanted » [cashton] √

1.2

It had never really occurred to Ashton to fight the curse. Not that he didn't hate having to do everything he was told, but from what he and his mother had learned from their research, any mention of fairy godmother gifts, or even magical gifts for children, they were all things like hair that never tangled, clear skin, or even just the ability to articulate oneself. Why would you want to break a gift like that? You probably wouldn't even notice how special it was unless someone pointed it out. Ultimately though, they were supposed to be gifts, not curses, you broke curses, not blessings.

He tried to reason with himself, what was so wrong with doing what you were told? He did mostly anything, anyone asked anyway. He didn't want to rebel, or disobey he was content being 'good'... but he just wanted to choose to be good because he wanted to, he supposed. And maybe it had something to do with the fact that if he wasn't so obedient, he might have considered asking Calum out, but as it stood, he couldn't keep all the thoughts about what might happen if- if Calum didn't turn out to be the nice guy he seemed.

He sighed deeply, tugging his locker open as the thoughts swam in circles in his head. He was so deeply engrossed in them; he nearly jumped backward when Luke's voice interrupted them.

"What's the big sigh for?" he asked, his head was leant against the locker next to Ashton's, and he was watching Ashton with soft eyes.

"Oh god- I didn't even notice you there," he shoved the last of his things into the locker and turned, "just thinking about maths homework," he lied shrugging.

"Ugh, I'm not looking to grade 12 math," Luke said, rolling his eyes fondly.

Ashton shrugged, "It's pretty much the same, just they expect you to be faster at it, I'll tutor you next year if you need,"

"You get such good grades, I thought you'd be going to do Med in another state just cause you could get in anywhere," Luke said happily, "If you are still here though you will be helping with all my subjects, even the ones you don't take," he laughed.

"Med?" Ashton gave him an incredulous look, "I would never do med, I don't know what I'm going to do yet,"

Luke rolled his eyes, "Anyway, I just came over to chat,"

"What about?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing in particular," Ashton eyed Luke after he spoke, and the younger boy continued, "so you and Calum have been getting pretty chummy, Michael told me you too were very, very close on the beach,"

It took everything in Ashton not to groan aloud, he'd spent all weekend agonising over Luke's plotting, and had thought if he just ignored it, it would go away.

"You and I've gotten very chummy," he said matter-of-factly, he flicked his eyes between them and noted the way Luke was leaning in close to speak to him, "and we're very, very close right now," he said in joking whisper, Luke rolled his eyes in response and Ashton hoped that meant he hadn't noticed the blush attempting to climb his neck.

"You know what I meant," Luke said, sliding himself, so they were shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the sea of people moving up and down the hall.

"Yeah, we're becoming good friends," he admitted, "and that's how it'll stay,"

"Oh, come on Ash give him a chance-" Luke started, turning back to properly face Ashton.

"Luke" he paused and thought for a moment, trying to choose his words as carefully, "you and I both know there's something strange about me, all of us do. And it's lovely that you all pretend you can't tell there's something just not quite right about me and the things I say and do. We can try and write it off as quirky or whatever you want, but at the end of the day we both know there's something else going on, and I'll tell you right now, it's best if Calum and I just leave things as they are. Things don't need to be any more complicated than they are if I could explain it any better than this I would," he shrugged, he meant it, if he could tell Luke he probably would, he trusted him, Crystal, too.

He let out a sigh, seeing the confusion clear as day on Luke's face, "Can you just tell the other's I'm going to walk today, I have to go into the city for some stuff," he gave Luke a tight smile and turned leaving. He knew what he'd said had been a mistake, been far, far too much, but he couldn't handle them dangling Calum in front of him, the ideas the prospects, everything that the concept of dating Calum encapsulated was far too dangerous.

He became caught up in his head again as he strode off the school grounds and toward the train station, he didn't even know where he was going, but there was anger, and that broken feeling bubbling under his skin. He thought maybe he'd end up punching a wall or breaking a window but after only a few more minutes of walking he felt the hot tears on his cheeks, and they streamed down like they had the night with his mother.

He was just so tired.

So, he walked, and walked, mourning the lives he could have lived. Ones where he and Calum went off to university a newly made couple or one where he didn't end up with Calum, but they all went to the same university right there in Sydney. Ones where Luke and Ashton went off backpacking around Europe or Crystal and Ashton lived in Melbourne or Brisbane after high school, doing whatever it was people did when they moved.

There were a million lives he could dream of living, but he would never see a single one come to fruition, not without living in fear for his and others safety at all times. There'd already been plenty of instances where someone had said the wrong thing, in the wrong way to him as a child and he'd ended up in a difficult situation time and time again. High school had been significantly lonelier, but it had come with a level of choice, and Ashton had chosen anonymity. That was until Crystal chose him.

He continued stewing and walking, walking and stewing until he finally had the thought to take a good look around and see where he was. It was somewhere he vaguely knew; he wasn't all that worried anyway. People were walking past him with cups of coffee, not really paying any attention to him, and that's when the thought struck him. As clear as the dinging of a bell. His eyes scanned across the smattering of people on his side of the street, until they landed on a short, non-threatening young woman, about 30 years old at the most. Then before he could overthink it over he was striding toward her, his shoulders slumping so he seemed less imposing.

"Um, excuse me ma'am, I didn't mean to bother you, but I was wondering if you could do me a sort of odd favour?" she gave him a wide-eyed looking, but then nodded as if to tell him to continue, "Could you please just tell me, commandingly, 'stop having feelings for Calum Hood'?"

She looked at him unsurely for a moment longer before letting her eyes search behind them, he guessed she must have been trying to figure out if this was some sort of prank show. When she turned back to him, she still looked uncertain but spoke, "stop having feelings for Calum Hood,"

"Thank you so much," he said cheerily, a sense of relief washing over him.

She gave him a tight-lipped smile and then moved on past him.

He wouldn't know if it had worked for sure, not until he saw Calum again but the prospect of being able to take that yearning, that stupid pull in his guts away, would make having to say goodbye when they all moved away for university or got cool jobs in the city just that little bit easier.