airports // 5sos au

iv. ashton's introduction

| ashton |

I guess you could say that it started when I first moved to Fairfield.

"Ashton, sweetie, chin up." My Mom pats my knee from across the plane aisle.

I turn my head and stare blankly. How can expect me to just be happy about this stupid move?

She sighs and pulls her arm away.

"Ashton, are you still mad?" Harry, my younger brother, asks from his seat next to me.

"A little bit, yeah," I admit.

"Try to be happier, please," he says quietly.

I stay silent. I get it, my Mom got a new job, we had to move, it's a better opportunity for our family, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be happy about moving across the country.

I left everything behind. I left all my friends, well okay, I left all of my two friends and we didn't quite leave off on good terms. Still, I left my life back home, and I'm never going to forgive my Mom for making me give that up.

A rough landing brings me back to reality. I grit my teeth, I don't even like airplanes anyways, so the roughness isn't helping at all.

The half hour is spent getting off of the plane and finding our luggage. My Mom has already shipped practically everything of ours to our new house, where her best friend is helping out. Angie lives down the road, so she's been accepting the boxes and bringing them inside the house. It's a smart plan, I have to admit.

Once we have all of our luggage, we begin to walk out of the airport.

A small shop catches my eye. It's walls are wooden and it's a small dessert type joint. I see ice cream, a soda fountain, and a wall of candy inside. There's a large, receptionist type desk out front, but nobody's sitting there. Now Hiring: Inquire Within, a large white sign hangs in the shop window.

A job would be nice. I could meet people, make money, and I wouldn't have to spend all of my lonely time at home. A job could be good for me.

I still can't shake my thoughts of a job out of my mind when we arrive at our new house.

It's large, that's the first thing I notice about it. It has two stories and large windows. The white brick looks nice in contrast to the dark grey roof. It's a really nice looking house.

Walking inside, I approve of the polished wooden floors, the open spaces, and the high ceilings.

"Well what do you think?" My Mom sighs happily.

Harry and Lauren, my younger sister, both share their excited approval all at once.

"Ashton?" My Mom asks me.

"I like the house, but that isn't going to change my mind about moving." I say quickly.

"Oh, Ashton," My Mom says defeatedly.

"I'm sorry Mom, but I'm not going to be happy about leaving my entire life back home! You can't change that fact by buying a nice house. You'll never change that fact and I'm waiting for you to wake up and realize I will never be happy as long as I'm away from home! So stop lying to yourself and face the truth!" I sneer, raising my voice.

"Ashton Fletcher!" My Mom gasps, appalled at my words.

"What?" I grit my teeth.

"Go to your room!"

"I can't, you know why? It's across the fucking country!" I yell and run up the stairs to the door where a piece of paper clearly reads "Ashton". Stepping inside the room, I slam the door.

Inside the fairly large room, there's a walk-in closet and a large window with a huge window seat under it. Sitting down on the seat, I look up and stare at the street below.

Dialing my friend's number on my phone, I hover my thumb above the "Call" button. Deciding against it, I throw the phone down onto the seat next to me.

"Fuck everything." I groan.

•••••

The next morning, I wake up fairly early. Groaning, I realize that I fell asleep on the window seat. My neck hurts and my stomach is grumbling.

I stand up and take a couple deep breaths before changing my clothes. I exchange yesterday's clothes for my black Joy Division shirt, black skinny jeans, and my white low rise converse. Seeing the sun shining outside, I take my black wide-rimmed fedora out of my suitcase and place it on top of my brown curls.

I walk downstairs and say good morning to Harry, Lauren, and my Mom. She asks if I want breakfast, and I quietly decline.

"I'm going to find something to do today." I say and she nods slowly in hesitant approval.

I walk out of the house and down the street to the bus stop.

It's fairly warm outside, and the sun shines through the branches of all the tall trees. It's a nice day outside. The street is quiet because nobody is outside. It's not long until I hear the rumbling engine of the bus coming over the hill.

I stand and the bus pulls up in front of the bench I was sitting on.

"Good morning." I say to the elderly man driving the bus as I pay the small fare.

"Morning, son. Where are you headed to?" He asks.

I think for a little bit and decide on a location.

Half an hour later, Mort, the bus driver, pulls in front of a huge building.

"It's kind of strange that you don't have any luggage with you."

"I know, but I'm just looking for a job."

"At the airport?" Mort asks with a raised eyebrow.

"At the airport." I nod and step off of the large, blue bus, heading inside of the large glass doors of the airport.