The Fosters (On Hiatus)

Chapter 8 (Michael)

Ashton was quiet tonight, not his usual quiet and I'm worried.

I walked up to him and saw he was reading. "What's that about?" I ask him.

"Uhm. Actually it's about a foster kid looking for the love of a family."

"Cool." It sounds really good. "What's it called?"

"The Lost Boy. A Child Called "It" is first and after that is A Man Named Dave."

"Sounds cool," I say and Ashton shrugs. A few minutes pass. "Ash?"

"Hm?"

"How'd you learn to read again?"

He looked up. "You know how I did though?"

I nod. "I know where, but how did you learn?"

He shrugged. "The kid I shared a cell with in juvie."

"Oh cool."

Ashton closed the book and put it up. "I guess," he said. When he turned back around, he gave me a weird look. "What?"

I shrug. "You seem quiet. Quieter than usual." He shrugged it off. "Can you teach me to read?"

He looked at me. "Uh yeah sure. Right now?"

I shrug. "I don't care."

Zayn and Liam come down the stairs and Liam looks at me. "Hey bud can we talk?"

I look at him, unsure. "Sure?" We head into the kitchen and he shows me a book with something on it. "What's that?"

"It's yours for learning."

He sits down in front of me and I take the book. Flipping through the pages, I'm amazed.

There is so many pictures and number-letter things. I look back to Liam to see him looking at the book as well.

"What are these called?" I point to a number-letter thing page.

He smiles and says, "Those are called letters." Flipping a couple pages, he goes to another page with pictures if apples, cookies, and other things. "These," he points to a thing shaped like 3, "are numbers."

I nod. "Oh." I look at the book more. "Woah..."

Ashton walked in. He looked at the book confused but shrugged it off and grabbed a water bottle.

"Hey Ashton," Liam said before Ashton walked away again. "Wanna help me teach the other three?"

"O-oh uh.... Sure?"

"Let me know in the morning ok? It's completely your choice and you don't need to feel obligated of giving it right away."

He nodded and walked away.

"Hey bud let's get ready bed ok?" I nod and we head upstairs to get everything ready.

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I wake up and hear shuffling in Ashton's room. I quietly walk into the room and see him packing a bag.

"Ashton?" I quietly whisper, rubbing my eyes.

"Go back to bed Mike."

"No. What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it, just go back to bed ok?" He looked up and I saw tears in his eyes.

"But.. What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

I walked out of the room and shuffled over to Liam and Louis' room.

I heard a window open and shut so I continued to Louis. "Louis?" I whisper. It took me a couple times but he woke up.

"Yea bud?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Ashton left."

He sat up. "What?"

"He left out the window."

Liam rolled over. "What happened?" he asked and yawned.

"We need to go get Ashton," Louis said, getting out of bed.

Liam did the same, going over to the closet and grabbing a gun. "Michael, go back to bed. Louis and I are going to lock the door and if the others wake up, tell them we'll be back ok?"

I nod. "Why the gun?"

"Just in case for protection ok buddy?"

I nod and quietly head back to my room. Only because I trust them.