Everyday Amnesia

0.5

"Um I- I-" Ashton stammers.

"He means yes," Michael says, rolling his eyes.

"Uh, you sure?" Luke asks Michael, shooting an uneasy look in Ashton's direction. Michael glares at him, his look reading 'if you don't say yes i'll pound you'.

"I'd love to," Ashton says, mentally cheering when his voice doesn't waver. Luke gives him this huge shit-eating grin that makes him want to melt.

"Okay. Friday night? I'll pick you up at seven? Text me your address," He says, smiing again before walking out. Ashton had never felt so awkward in his entire life.

"You just got asked out," Michael grins. Ashton sighs. He's never been asked out before and god, he's sure he's going to screw this up. His thoughts are cut off by the sound of vomiting and he turns to see Michael most likely puking his guts out.

"Shit, probably shouldn't have eaten," He coughs, vomiting again. Ashton gets worried when he doesn't stop, even when he's positive Michael's stomach should be empty.

"Michael?" He asks worriedly when Michael pales.

"There's blood," He says quietly. Ashton felt like the world was crumbling around his feet. He frantically presses the call button again and again.

"Please.. he's throwing up a lot.. there's blood," Ashton chokes out. He feels like he's suffocating. He feels like he's underwater, thirty thousand feet deep. It's dark and terrifying, something's lurking in the shadows. His lungs are about to give out and he's nowhere near the surface.

The door bursts open and a bunch of people rush in. He can't focus, can't tell who they are. They're nurses and doctors most likely, surrounding Michael until he can't see the bed anymore.

"Hey kid, it's okay. Your friend's fine," Ashton opens his eyes, he didn't know when he closed them, and there's a doctor kneeling beside him.

"Really?" His voice sounds strange, incoherent. The doctor somehow understands. He nods and helps Ashton stand up.

"Come on. I'll call you a taxi," He says kindly.

"Need to... say goodbye," Ashton slurs. He stumbles over to the hospital bed. Michael's sleeping, chest rising and falling. He's alive. Michael's alive. He presses a clumsy kiss to his forehead and follows the doctor outside to the waiting room.

"He's not... Not dying, right?" Ashton mumbles, struggling to get the words out properly so the doctor could hear him.

"No, your friend's perfectly fine. Well, he still has a high fever," The doctor chuckles. His answer doesn't explain what happened exactly, and having a high fever isn't exactly funny, but as long as Michael's okay, Ashton can accept his answer. He shakes his head when the doctor offers to call a cab and instead phones Hannah before falling into a chair. It's been a long day.

The next morning when Ashton wakes up, he forgets the entire incident. He reaches for his journal and starts reading. Right in the middle of reading an entry, Daniel calls his name.

"Ash, there's someone here for you. I'm sending him up, look decent," He yells. Ashton doesn't reply, but when a boy appears at his door, he flips through the pages of his journal in hopes of finding out who this was. Tan skin, dark hair, brown eyes, tall. Oh, this must be Calum Hood.

"Hi Calum," He greets, praying to god he's correct.

"Hey Ashton, mind if I come in?" Ashton shakes his head and Calum steps inside, walking over and sitting on his bed.

"What are you doing here?"

"Same goes to you," Calum fires back.

"Not going to school," Ashton explains. "Hannah called in, said I was sick. Apparently I had a really long night."