A Broken Spirit

Chapter Two

I knocked frantically at the Irwin's front door. It opened and Ashton stood there . "Hey Laura, you look like hell!" Ashton exclaimed looking at me.

I nodded and stared at the ground.

Ashton grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.

"You sit down and I'll get some ice for your face." he said softly.

"Thanks" I mumbled and went to sit down.

Ashton got the ice from the freezer and placed it in a cloth, he then sat next to me and gently placed it on my swollen cheek bone. I winced slightly.

"Sorry babe, are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

I shook my head and began to cry again.

"Don't cry." Ashton stated whilst wiping the tears from my face.

"You can tell me." he whispered.

I knew that I could tell him anything, after all we have been friends since primary school. But the problem was that I knew why Chris reacted tonight, it was because I spent the day with Ashton yesterday and Chris was convinced that I was cheating on him with Ashton. I didn't want to tell Ashton this as I knew that he would blame himself and feel guilty about it.

Ashton is just a normal nineteen year old, he has been at college for the last few months, studying music. He happily spends hours playing the drums in the garage.

"We just had a fight and I packed up and left." I stated.

He started at me and leant so close to me that I could smell his aftershave, and pulled me into a hug. I sighed as he held me, I finally felt relaxed. Just to get the record straight the two of us are just friends and there has never been anything else between us.

As he was hugging me he whispered in my ear: "I'll ask mum and dad if you can stay for a while."

With that he left the room.

I sat at the kitchen island, lost in my thoughts. I looked at the time and noticed that it was getting late, and I had to be at work in the morning.

I looked up as Ashton's mum entered the room.

"Oh hey Laura, Ashton said you need to crash here for a while?" she asked.

"Only if it's alright, I will be out of your hair as soon as I can. " I reassured her.

"No rush, I'm sure Ashton will enjoy having you around." she smiled.

Ashton came back into the room holding some blankets and a pillow.

"Dad says that you'll have to make do with the sofa." he stated rolling his eyes.

I smiled, took the blankets to the lounge and began setting up a makeshift bed, whilst Ashton perched on the armrest watching me intently.

"What?" I questioned him eventually.

"Nothing" he mumbled

"No, what?" I asked, raising my voice slightly.

" I just don't like seeing you like this. " he stated whilst taking a step towards me.

I stepped back.

"I'll be fine, I just need a few days. " I mumbled looking at the floor.

"No Laura, he's broken your spirit." He reached forward to pull my chin up to force me to look at him, I flinched.

"I would never hurt you, you know that." he told ne quietly

"I know, but it's instinct, I'm sorry." I mumbled.

He nodded and stared into my eyes for a moment before saying: "What time do you finish work tomorrow?"

"4, why?" I answered.

"I am taking you shopping." he replied happily.

I giggled, and he smiled clearly happy that he was cheering me up a little.

"There is a disco event at school, not tomorrow night but the night after and I'm taking you along. Plus I have a surprise for you." he teased.

I rolled my eyes and nodded slightly.

"Are you going to be ok down here on your own?" he asked.

"Yeah I'll be fine, I just need some time to myself. " I replied quietly.

He nodded, hugged me tightly and left the room. I turned the light off and lay under the blankets, trying to keep warm.

As I lay there trying to sleep my mind began to race, I cried for my boyfriend who I missed as I really did love him, and the more I thought about it the fear crept in. What if he comes after me, he knows where I'll go. I swallowed and scrunched my eyes, trying to get the thoughts out of my head. I guess at some point, I must have cried myself to sleep.

Ashton's POV

As I lay in my bed all I could think about was Laura downstairs. She had been through hell and then to make matters worse Chris changed and turned into a controlling thug. It was a relief that she was finally away from him, and I can protect her. He will never lay a finger on her again. I was lost in thought, when all of a sudden I heard an ear splitting scream coming from downstairs....