At the age of 16, Sam Winter experiences a traumatic event that takes her entire family away from her. After sorting her life out, she completely uproots herself from her old life and moves to Sydney, Australia, where she meets four boys who help he...
The next day Ashton and I lay intertwined on my sofa, our lefts draped over each other, a large blanket on top of us. Of course Ashton turned on Family Guy. I don't watch though. I'm daydreaming. Lost in thought. Last night, when Luke came over and asked me to the dance, it seemed like Ashton was destroyed. Even when I assured him that Luke and I were only going as friends.
"Hey Ashton?" I ask, causing him to scramble for the Wii remote and pause the TV.
"Yeah?" He replies, looking at me with a little concern on his face. I study his face for a second, my eyes landing on his lips. He smiles a bit when I keep my eyes there for a little while. I finally look up and meet his pretty hazel eyes.
"Do you have feelings for me? I mean, last night when Luke came over and asked me to the dance you seemed pretty upset." I explain, frowning a little when he looks away. His eyes dart around the room for a few seconds.
"I um, I don't know if I do. I mean, I want to protect you from guys like Luke and stuff and I certainly wouldn't mind having you as a girlfriend but I don't know if there's true feelings there or not, you know? I don't want to lose you as a friend either." He says, twiddling his thumbs and looking away from me.
"Oh, alright. I was just concerned about you. You looked upset." I elaborate, watching him carefully. His cheeks turn a bit red, and he half smiles.
"I'm fine, thank you. But um, do you want to come to Harry's football game with me? I'm sure he'd really appreciate you going, and so would I." Ashton asks, finally looking at me again. I nod, reaching for the TV remote and turning the TV off. Ashton gets up and unplugs his phone from the wall, then goes and gets his shoes on. I do the same thing and then I grab my keys, and we meet back up by my garage door.
We get in the car, and of course Ashton does the same thing he did last night. He turns on his music and blares it, requesting I roll the windows down. He throws his head out the window and yells things I can't make out as we drive down the road.
He lowers himself back into the car and cracks up. I smile at him as he settles down. All the sudden he begins singing along and I'm very caught off-guard. I didn't expect him to have such a great singing voice. He is in a boy band, stupid. I think to myself.
"Ash, how come no one ever hears you sing? You could be a solo artist with that kind of voice." I tell him, keeping my eyes on the road but smiling. I glance over at him for a second and see his cheeks are bright red and he's smiling a very shy smile.
"Thank you. I um, I didn't realize I was singing out loud." He explains, chuckling at himself. I laugh to and it seems to loosen him up.
We reach the football field and walk together to the bleachers. I have to admit, it was fun sitting there with Ash and cheering Harry on. He did pretty well. Then, the game ended and Ash and I walked back to the car. Harry went off with his friends so it was my job to take Ash home. We drove the same way we came.
A while later we reach his house. It's kind of awkward, but when Ashton gets out he walks around the front of the car and knocks on my window. I open the door, giving him a questioning look. He motions for me to get out, so I do. All of the sudden his arms are around my waist and he's holding me really tight. I hug him back, in shock. When he pulls away, he pecks my cheek and walks inside, leaving me utterly shocked.
I slowly get back into my car, leaving the music the way Ashton had it, and think about what the fuck just happened. Ashton just kissed my cheek. He's so cute, and he's done it before. He did it the morning after the sleepover where Luke vomited. It was just more surprising this time, I guess. I think more about it and come to the conclusion that he was thanking me for not judging his voice and complimenting him.
Ashton does have a good voice though. I wonder if he ever sings in the band. I really hope he does, because it'd be stupid for someone with such a good voice to not sing at all. All I know is that Ashton plays the drums, Calum is starting to play the bass, and Luke and Michael play guitars.
* * *
When I get home, I decide it's a nice time for a bath. It's a quiet day, sunny as usual, bit quiet and calm. I enjoy it. So I walk upstairs, towels in my arms, and begin to fill up the bath. I put bubbles in as it fills up, then I undress. I stare at my body, unhappy with my skin, stretch marks, and curves. No thigh gap. Chub on my belly. I hate it so much I have to look away, and when I get in the bath I close my eyes and almost fall asleep.
But then the doorbell rings. And then it rings again. And again and again and again and again. After that, my phone buzzes from the floor beside the bathtub. I dry off my hands in a towel, then check my phone. Fucking Luke.
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I return to my bath, giggling. Luke's such an idiot. On school nights I go to bed at 9:30 to ensure I get a few hours of sleep. And I still have to clean up the mess Ashton and I made. On top of all that I have to make myself dinner as well. He has no idea how lucky he is that his parents cook him dinner when they're home.
Adding on to all of that, I don't know if I want to see Luke. Our last few interactions have been more romantic that preferable for people who are being friends. I don't want anything to be awkward between us and more importantly I don't want anything to mess up the boys' band.
I get out of the bath after about 45 minutes, my fingers wrinkly from the water, and dry off. I quickly dry off and throw on some clothes. I make my way downstairs and begin cleaning soon after drying my hair. The mess isn't that bad, and so I take my time cleaning.
When I'm done I make myself some spaghetti. A tiny bowl with some left overs for tomorrow is all. While I eat, I realize how lonely I am, living alone in a huge house. I wave it off as I watch The Walking Dead, which is my favorite TV show at the moment. I'm on season 2 and all caught up. It's pretty great.
Once the episode is over, I put my bowl in the sink and go upstairs, not really excited for tomorrow. I fucking hate school, even if I get to see Calum, Michael, and Luke. Sometimes I wish I could drop out. I know I can't. And besides, I know it's for the better anyway. At least I hope.
