Lines // hemmings

Chapter 37

LUKE

It’s morning. Monday morning, to be exact. I don’t know the exact time, only it’s sometime before 10. And how do I know this? Well, that’s the time Ashton is released. He’s been bouncing around the room all morning, the smile never leaving his face. I’ve told him to calm down, but to no luck. I guess I wouldn’t stop either if I were in his place.

At dinner and lunch yesterday, he barely ate anything. At breakfast this morning, it was the same. Yet he claimed he would miss the food. Now we’re back in our cell. Me lying in bed, while he says goodbye to everything that is in the room, which means the bunk bed and the desk. That however, I wouldn’t do.

When Will and Evan Evans said goodbye to him at breakfast, it hit me. I was going to be all alone. Ashton is the only one who has been there for me recently, the only one here that I consider my friend. He has helped me stood up for Ryan and for others that has made fun of me. I wonder if the Evans’ will take me back. I would have wondered about a new cell mate but I was told I wouldn’t get one, at least not in the near future. So at least one good thing has happened. I haven’t had my own room since before I was sent here. And even before that, I’d usually have a friend to sleep over or I spent the night at theirs. 

“Hey Tom, what time is it?” Ashton shouts through the bars and the guard who had just walked past, glances at his watch. 

“9.58,” he replies grumpily before continuing walking down the corridor.

“2 minutes till freedom. Well, technically like 15 minutes because I get new clothes, but 2 minutes until I get to leave this room,” Ashton says, mostly to himself but I hear every word.

“Congrats,” I say, but it comes out as a scoff.

Ashton turns around, showing a sad smile.

“Thanks, Luke. Don’t worry, your time will come too, one day. Just hold on,” he says and walks closer to me before dropping down on the floor. He moves his hand over it and mumbles something about how he’ll miss it, before he returns his focus to me. “I know this past week has been tough for you and I’m sorry for telling Abby about you and Calum. I truly hope you two, well the three of you, will work it out.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I shake my head. “You didn’t know and I’m not mad at you.”

“That’s good to hear. But again, sorry.”

I sit up, still shaking my head a little. He doesn’t need to apologize. I open my mouth to say something but there’s a sound of a key in the lock and we both stand up. There are two guards and another man in suit standing by the door. I’ve seen him before. It’s Ashton’s lawyer. He tells us it’s 10am and that it’s time. He doesn’t say what it’s time for but he doesn’t have to. We all know what it’s time for.

“So uhm, I guess this is goodbye then,” I scratch the back of my neck and look at Ashton. He’s still smiling, his dimples showing. Then he wraps his arms around me and I hug him back. “I-I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Luke.”

We both pull away from the hug and I want to say something more but I don’t know what. This is the last time I’ll see Ashton. I asked him a while back if he would ever consider coming back as a visitor but he just said hell no. Told me there was no way in hell he’d never set his foot here ever again.

“You’ve been an amazing friend and I wish you all the luck in the world. Just hold on tight,” he says, his hand squeezing my arm gently before turning around to the guards and his lawyer that stands outside.