Settle Down // Irwin

44

Saturday night, 7:33 pm.

Ashton was packing for Jade's. He wasn't packing much. Just something to sleep in, some deodorant, tooth brush, a clean shirt for tomorrow. Just enough.

He was really excited to spend time with Jade this weekend. He knows his parents won't mind. He's done this with Luke before and just been home until the Monday after school. This time he was only across the road so if anything happened all Lauren had to do was call and Ashton would be right over.

"Ash?" Ashton turns around to see Lauren watching him from the door, a worried look on her face.

"Yeah?" Ashton turns back to packing.

"Where are you going?" Ashton hears Lauren's feet padding over to him.

"Just to Jade's." Ashton replies.

"Oh." The disappointment was thick in Lauren's reply.

"Why?" Ashton stops packing to face her. "What's up?"

"Just..." Lauren huffs out. "When are you not spending time at Jade's?"

"Oh," Ashton says with a little bit if surprise. "I didn't realize you felt that way."

"Yeah," Lauren mumbles. "I do."

Ashton opens his arms up for his little sister, "Come here."

Lauren walks into his open arms and hugs back. Ashton sighs, realizing how he has been leaving Harry and Lauren alone a lot. It wasn't fair to them. Ashton felt extremely jealous and guilty.

"Listen," Ashton holds Lauren back and looks down at her. "I'm sorry I've been abandoning you recently for Jade. I should've known better than that." Laure opens her mouth to speak but Ashton keeps going. "You and Harry are what is important to me and you know that if you ever feel like this you have to tell me. Yeah?"

Lauren sighs and nods, hugging Ashton again. "I'm just scared."

"I know," Ashton's heart breaks into a million pieces. "I don't blame you."

"I can't take care of Harry." Lauren admits. "I'm not ready."

"You don't need to." Ashton furrow his eyebrows. "I'm right here."

"You won't always be."

Ashton hesitates before speaking again. "Yes, I will."

"I don't want it to be like that." Lauren says quietly, pulling back from her brother.

"What do you mean?" Ashton didn't know whether to feel hurt or confused. Right now he was a bit of both.

"I want you to be able to go and do things without worrying about me and Harry." Lauren explains. "I want you to go out with Jade and Luke and all your friends without thinking that something bad might be happening at home."

"Lauren," Ashton sighs and leans down so they are eye to eye. "You can't control that."

"No," Lauren says slowly. "But mom can."

Ashton bites his lip. He had never told Lauren about his plan to get her and Harry out of here. Now he felt like he has to.

"Lauren-" There was a crash from downstairs, making Ashton stop talking and both him and Lauren look to his door.

"What was that?" Lauren asks and Ashton just shakes his head. Downstairs was Harry and their parents. Their dad was watching TV, their mom was probably in the kitchen and who knew what Harry was doing.

"Harry!" An angry voice shouted from downstairs. "What the hell was that?!"

"Shit." Ashton says and both him and Lauren quickly dash out the room and downstairs. All you could hear now was Ashton's dad yelling. Yelling at Harry.