Australia - An Ashton Irwin fanfic

Chapter 21

(Hi everybody! So I was reading some of you guys' comments and I saw some of you said how school in Australia ends in December. I feel really stupid for not catching on to that earlier because I would have changed things around but I'm just going to go with how school goes in America [August/September to June] so just bare with me on that. Also, sorry I haven't updated! School has been a pain and homework and ugh but thank you for being patient!)

After Christmas break, which couldn't have ended any sooner, I walked into my homeroom and took my seat my the door for a quick escape. The week we got off for Christmas and New Year's was amazing. Ashton and I felt closer than we ever had. I mean, we've always been close, him being the only close relationship I've ever had but it was different after we exchanged our gifts.

We both could tell that we were in for whatever complication was coming towards us because there would always be that forever between us.

As I watched everyone file in the classroom after the warning bell goes off, my homeroom teacher Ms. DeClaire passed out a small pile of papers to each row for us to pass back.

I analyzed the paper and read Annual Junior Trip to Lake Hillier. I had read about this famous pink lake whilst I was doing my research before I came here. I had wanted to venture it out for one of my touring days and invite Ashton for the road trip since he had offered to take me to all the attractions in Australia but I guess not since he's a senior.

Crap.

Who was I going to ride the bus with? Caleb was definitely not an option. Luke, Michael and Calum were in my grade but I figure they already planned to do this together. Not to mention Ashton would probably freak if I sat next to Luke on the ride there but Luke is the only person I've had some sort of bond with, aside from Ashton of course.

Luke was a great substitute for Caleb but with Ashton getting all possessive, I felt like I was going to lose yet another close friendship. I hated how Ashton got in his face that Christmas Eve. He never told me what he said to him but I know it must have been alarming for Luke because he didn't say a word to me that whole week.

The announcements boom over the intercom and I hear the mention of the junior trip.

"All students must pass in their permission slips by Wednesday of next week along with all rooming situations. Return the papers to your class advisers or homeroom teacher." The announcer paused briefly and started up again. "If you are here with the abroad program, have your vice principal sign instead of the guardians you are currently staying with. Have a good day."

I waited anxiously for the bell to ring and bolted for the I could get to writing with Ashton. I wanted to ask if he went on the trip in his junior year and see how it was for him.

As I walked down the stairs to Writing, I checked my binders real quick just to make sure I was prepared for my classes. Unaware I wasn't at the bottom, I felt myself get pulled down scrunching my face waiting for the impact to the tile floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" I heard a voice say. I felt a strong grip on my biceps as I straightened myself. I looked up to find Luke looking at me with an amused smile.

"Oh hi, Luke. Yeah I'm alright." I laughed "just a klutz that's all. How was your Christmas?"

"It was pretty good. I got a new guitar from my mom." He smiled as he spoke of it.

"Really? That's awesome! Is it one that you've wanted?" I said as he walked down the hall with me. Was his class even on this floor? He looked like he was going upstairs when he caught me.

"Yeah, it's a white Gibson," he beamed.

"Well that sounds like a great gift."

He chucked. "So what'd you get?"

"The Breyers' gave me a signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars and I nearly died," I laughed. Opening that on Christmas Day sent an overwhelming joy through me. John Green being one of my heroes and all.

"Holy shit! Really?" Luke knew about my love for that book so he understood how much it meant to me receiving that. I nodded and he smiled. "Wow, Jules that's amazing. What'd...what did Ashton get you?" He mumbles reaching his hand up to rub his neck, looking down at the ground.

"He got me a ring engraved with something that means a lot to the two of us." I tried not to go into too much detail because if Ashton was right and Luke did have feelings for me, I didn't want to rub it in his face by saying it was a promise ring and it's engraved with forever to resemble our love for each other. That would have just been cruel even though I'm sure Ashton would have been pleased.

"Oh that's nice," he mumbled.

There is a short silence between us as we walked around the second floor. The school was a big square so we just went in circles.

"Who are you sitting with for the junior trip?" I blurted out.

"The one to Lake Hillier?" I nodded "Well probably Michael or Calum. Are you going?"

"Yeah. Well..maybe. I'm thinking about it."

"You should. It's what every student here anticipates on in the few years we're in this hell for." He chuckled and I joined in. "Think about it. If you end up going we can sit together...you know. On the bus there or something." His nervous expression made me laugh. "I have to get to class. I'll see you later," he rushed out and headed up the stairs. So he did have his class upstairs.

I shook the thought out of my head and walked into Mrs. Elling's classroom. Ashton was in his usual seat, his head looking up as soon as I entered the room, his cheeky smile spreading across his face. I returned it with a blush and made my way over to him. He still gave my butterflies even after three months.

"Hello, beautiful." He welcomed me in his arms as I sat down, pulling me close to the side of his chest.

"You're not looking so bad yourself." I teased.

"Really? That's a first." He laughed and gave me a comforting rub on my arm. I loved the way he did that. It made me feel so at home, like fitted perfectly in his arms. I rolled my eyes and buried my face in his chest as he chuckled and hugged me tighter. "So are you going on the junior trip?" He asked.

I sat up and shrugged reaching for my bag to pull out my notebook, his hand holding a gentle grasp to my waist. "I don't know. I wouldn't really have anyone to hang out with."

"Then make friends?" he said like it was an obvious thing to do. In my time while being here, Ashton and the band mates were the only people I'd grown close to since I didn't really socialize. I had met a few girls but none that I had a bond with but I guess I kind of put myself into that situation.

"So I'm supposed to become best friends with a group of girls in two weeks?" I laughed.

"Yeah. I bet I can do it," he dared.

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course you can. Look at you!" I said, motioning my hands at him.

"What do you mean?" He was silently trying to get the words to come out of my mouth but I wasn't going to give in.

I shook my head and turned to my desk, facing away from him. "Forget it," I said with a grin.

"Aw, c'mon. What were you going to say?" He whined.

"Nope. Not gonna say it." I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Even though we were together, I still felt weird calling him hot. That was never really in my vocabulary until I met him.

"Pleaseeeee," he begged and put his hand on my thigh, a little too close to my..certain region. I felt myself stiffen at his touch for it was the closest he's every touched me there.

He realized his actions and slid it a little more towards my knee and I instantly relaxed.

I looked over and saw his cheeks redden.

"Good morning, good morning!" Mrs. Elling chimed as she walked into class holding stacks of papers in her bony arms. "I presume you all had a good week off?" Everyone nodded and groaned.

She laughed quietly to the response and passed out lined paper to everyone.

"On the sheet I'm passing out to you is going to be due by the end of class. Your assignment is to write about your favorite Christmas," she explained, pacing back and forth in front of her desk. "One special Christmas that holds a place in your heart. For example, you might say your favorite Christmas was when you were five and got a Barbie or action figure and you would explain why this means so much to you. This is just to get us back in the groove for school because I I'm just as tired as you are right now but let's get to work!" She smiled and sat at her desk.

I sat back in my chair and thought through all of the seventeen Christmases I've experienced. I glanced over at Ashton to find he already had half a page done.

I leaned over and nudged my shoulder on to his. He slowly tore his eyes away from the sentence he was writing and smiled at me.

"What are you writing about?" I whispered. The classroom was completely silent so I didn't want to be that loud obnoxious girl.

"When I got my first drum set. What are you writing about?" He said, a smirk forming on his face as he looked at my blank paper. I shrugged. He chuckled and shook his head, returning back to his essay..

Growing up, Christmas was celebrated on any day but the twenty fifth in my family. We would go over to my nana's maybe a week before since she lived three hours away and exchanged our gifts then but even on Christmas morning I'd wake up to find my parents gone but my stocking filled with socks and some candy. If anything, this Christmas with Ashton, the band and the Breyers' was the best.

As I finished writing mine, I looked over and saw him on his second piece of paper.

"Okay class. The bell is going to ring in a minute so please finish your last sentence and pass your paper in the tray," Mrs. Elling said.

Ashton grabbed my hand as we walked out together.

"Was getting a drumset really worth writing two pages about?" I laughed.

"It was pretty exciting. But I didn't write only about that. What'd you end up writing about?" He nudged my shoulder with his.

"This one." I smiled, kind of embarrassed at the fact I didn't have anything else to write about. I could tell he knew my Christmases back home weren't the jolliest so he eased off the topic.

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Two weeks passed and I was still struggling with the rooming situations for this trip.

I sat at the desk in my temporary room and looked through all the forms. I already had Mr. Eidinger sign all the papers he was required to and passed those in last week but I needed a name for my roommate.

I heard my door open but didn't glance up for I knew who it was when they hugged my shoulders from behind and rested their head on mine.

I caught a whiff of his ocean breeze cologne and smiled to myself.

"Hi, babe," he mumbled in my hair. He leaned his head down so it was next to mine and planted a quick kiss on my cheek and looked at my forms. "Still no luck?"

"No," I groaned. "If I don't find a roommate, I'll be paired up with some random person."

"Maybe you should just do that then. It's better than stressing for another few days. Do you already know who you're going to be sitting on the bus with?" I felt myself stiffen as I thought back on my conversation with Luke on how he said he would ride with me. I had avoided mentioning anything about the trip to Ashton but I knew if I held it in any longer, his anger would be more intensified.

"Yeah," I mumbled and stood up from my chair to get a little space before everything blew up.

"Oh that's good. Who are you sitting with?" He smiled, completely unaware of what I was about to share.

I bit my lip and fidgeted with my fingers. "I-uh. I'm riding with Luke on the bus," I said and watched his face fall.

"Juliette," he started but cut himself off. He stepped back and leaned against the desk.

"I know stuff between you two is tight but he's still my friend. I haven't talked to him all vacation and as much as I love being with you, I need to have other people to hang out with and make amends with."

"It's fine you want friends but does it have to be with him?" He snapped.

"He and I clicked just like how you and I did." I realized as soon as I said it, it sounded wrong. His face strained, trying to keep its cool. "Ash..I didn't mean it like--" 

"What did you mean it like then? Because comparing the relationship you and I have to yours and Luke's is kind of pissing me off considering the fact that he likes you. Knowing how well you two hit if off almost as well you and I did...it.." He stopped, looking down at his feet frustrated.

"It what?"

"Forget it."

"Ashton, if we're going to fight then we need to get out our feelings. You keeping them all inside is only going to make it worse. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that nothing is going to happen between me and Luke!" I started raising my voice. My neck instantly relaxed when I finished.

"I have to leave," he said and headed for the door.

I saw in his eyes that he wanted to believe me but something was holding him back and I had no idea what it was.