Broken || Ashton Irwin

Chapter 14

"I'm sorry for being a dick, just come with me," Ashton pleaded, standing at the exit of the school building. It wasn't like I could go back to math now anyway but I knew that I shouldn't go with Ashton either, I didn't know what his deal was, he made my brain hurt so much.

I bit my lip whilst looking down the empty corridor, I knew Michael was in one of them end classrooms which made my decision so much worse. But when did I ever actually listen to my brain.

I turned back to Ashton and blinked, nodding my head. His eyes lit up as he laced his fingers around mine and pulled me through the school doors and out of the courtyard.

"I read somewhere that 80% of our memory is made up of reconstructions of situations as we are trying to make sense of the full picture." He finally said, as we walked out of the gates and into the car park, he was leading me but I guessed we were walking to his car.

I looked at him, inviting him to carry on. I wasn't quite sure where he was going with this.

"It got me thinking, I was scared you hated me. I convinced myself you probably didn't, but then I thought what if I was just trying to fill the gaps of the puzzle with what I thought would fit and make sense but perhaps I was holding the wrong pieces and perhaps you really do hate me." He breathed, a look of worry and lust shone in his hazel eyes.

"Ashton," I sighed, trying to stop him but he wouldn't listen.

"No Charlotte, don't stop me, I need to tell you, I don't want you to hate me, I don't want to be the person I am. I don't know who I am anymore I always just feel so empty and I do things that make me look like a complete dick and that's not me. I don't know what me is, but that's not me." He sighed, stopping me just outside his car.

I shook my head, "Ashton," I begged, "Listen, I don't hate you." I breathed.

He looked relieved and his arm muscles relaxed and slumped from their tense positions.

"I'm stupid, I know I am, but I couldn't hate you." I shrugged, not really knowing what else to say. Everything Ashton ever said shocked me, he came across as this tough, rebellious high school drop out, but then he came out with the most caring things.

I was even starting to fall for his mood swings.

"I'm just really sorry," he said taking a sharp breath, he held his arms out and I didn't hesitate to reach forward and wrap mine around his body.

"Don't be," I said relaxing into his arms. I was sick of sorrys.

Suddenly my phone started ringing in my bag, "hang on" I sighed, rummaging through my folders to try and grasp my ringing mobile.

"Shit," I said, suddenly panicking. "It's my Dad." I said, a nervous feeling emerging in my stomach.

"Um I... just don't answer it." He suggested. "You won't get in much trouble for walking out," he shrugged.

"You don't know my Dad." I chuckled, but I threw my phone back in my bag anyway, deciding I'd forget about it for now.

"Do you want to go get a coffee or something?" Ashton asked, unlocking his car and walking over to the passenger side, he pulled open the door, holding his arm out beckoning me to get in.

I smiled at his gesture and agreed, climbing into his car and buckling my seatbelt.

-

After about an hours driving we finally arrived. I had asked Ashton numerous times why we didn't just go somewhere closer but insisted on taking me here so I didn't argue. We drove down a long gravel drive bordered with big old looking oak trees, and eventually ended up outside a really old looking coffee shop, the sign hanging above the entrance was rusty and looked like it had been framing the shop there for way over 50 years, but the hanging baskets of flowers either side of the door made it look much more appealing.