Speak//Ashton Irwin

Chapter 7

Brooke:
I sat as still as a statue, staring at the space where Ashton had been standing just minutes ago. My heart felt like it was breaking in two. What if we never spoke again? I shook my head. I was overreacting, but we had never fought like that before.
At least if he stayed away, he wouldn't get any more comments about him babysitting the 'mute freak'. Ashton had never cared what people thought of him, at least that was what he told me, but it must have gotten to him occasionally.
I shouldn't have ever let myself like him as anything more than a friend. We were never going to be anything more. How could we? I couldn't even talk to him! There were times when he would give me a lingering look that I thought he might just like me a little bit. I was sure I wasn't imagining it but it was hard for me to believe he'd want me.
For the rest of the day, I did nothing but sit inside the shack at the park and stare into space. After a while, I didn't even think about anything, I just existed. As I saw and heard students walk past the park on their way home from school though, I knew I needed to pull myself together and get home.
Walking slowly, I headed home, looking down at the ground to protect my eyes from the sun. Would Mum and Dad still be there? They were attending a charity dinner an had to travel just over a hundred miles, so they would have already left.
Sighing in relief as I noticed Dad's car wasn't in the driveway, I walked to the front door feeling a little lighter. At least I wouldn't have their freak out to deal with.
When I pushed the door open, I saw my lazy brother sitting on the sofa playing the PlayStation. His university had finished for summer earlier than my high school, so his summer holiday had started two weeks ago. One day he would have to grow up and get a house and job, but it was hard to imagine it, seeing him being a slob around here all the time.
"Hi," he greeted with a little nod of his head, not even looking up from the screen. I flopped down on the sofa beside him. School was over for six weeks, but I couldn't even feel that happy about it. All I could think of was the fight with Ashton and that look on his face.
Louis took a double take of my face and paused his game.
"What happened?"
I smiled and shook my head
"Where's Ashton?" Louis' face hardened, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. "What did he do?" He demanded. Again, I shook my head and tried to make out he was reacting over nothing.
"So, if Ashton's not the reason your upset, who is?" Louis asked, frowning doubtfully. Ashton was the reason, but it wasn't his fault. "That idiot at school? The one I beat up last year?" He growled, referring to Harry. Louis was usually as soft as a pussycat but not when it came to me. He was overprotective and quick to lash out on anyone that he thought was giving me a hard time.
I remembered the incident Louis was referring to, how could I not? Louis was still in sixth grade. He had caught Harry saying some stuff about me. I still didn't know what, but it made Louis punch him a few times. He was suspended from school for a week, and then given a week of lunchtime detentions for refusing to apologize
to Harry.
It would seem Ashton had fully taken over his role... as a brother? Did Ashton see me as a little sister? I ached with disappointment.
I shook my head in answer to Louis' question, and he got up and walked into the kitchen. There was no way he had dropped it just like that. I followed him, waiting at the door as he got his phone and started dialing. Oh, no! I knew what he was doing. As he raised the phone to his ear, I leapt forward and grabbed it out of his hand. He had started ringing Ashton, but the call hadn't started going through, thankfully.
He narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I'm gonna ask you one more time. Was. It. Ashton?"
I sighed in frustration and shook my head for what seemed like the fifteenth time.
"Good. You're not gonna tell me what it's about are you?"
I raised an eyebrow and let out an exasperated noise.
"Yeah, didn't think so, you're too damn stubborn for your own good! You're okay though, right?"
I nodded and smiled. Settling on changing the subject and getting my annoying and crazy brother back, I opened the fridge and grabbed two cans of Coke and threw one at him.
"Thanks," he mumbled, aware that I was trying to end the conversation, and opened the can very carefully in case it exploded all over him. It did not, unfortunately.
"Mum and Dad left for that thing already. You'll need to cook tonight." He looked away, downing probably half the can at once. I knew exactly what that meant. Mum told him to cook and he was trying to get out of it.
"What're you making?" Louis asked casually, glancing at the oven. I rolled my eyes, picked out two Hawaiian pizzas from the freezer, and threw them to him as I walked up the stairs.
"Brooke?" He shouted after me, but I kept on walking, smiling to myself. He was so lazy, all he had to do was stick it in the oven for fifteen minutes.
As soon as I closed my bedroom door, I practically ripped off my school uniform and chucked it in my washing basket angrily. I hated school and Harry, but most of all, I hated myself.
From our fight earlier, it was clear Ashton and I were not going to go out for ice cream, so I got into my most comfortable pajamas and prepared for a night of boring TV. I should have practiced gymnastics, but I couldn't be bothered to do anything. I was just going to embrace the mood I was in and sulk.
Zayn, my gym coach, would not be happy if I hadn't perfected the triple back flip by next practice. I didn't care though. I hated the thought of moving and going out to the garden. I had been going to gymnastics since I was seven and I loved it. Whenever I was there it took me away from reality; I didn't think about anything or anyone. It was as if all of my problems disappeared. My gymnastics team was amazing too, they accepted me for who I was.
Lying back on my bed, I absentmindedly flicked through the TV channels and settled on watching yesterday's Grey's Anatomy.
Twenty minutes later, I heard Louis stomping up the stairs. He pushed my door open.
"Dinner! Come and get it, I'm not waiting on your arse!"
I followed him downstairs to get my, probably burnt pizza. He hadn't done too badly; only the crust was a little darker than it should've been. I did turn my nose up as Louis squirted mayonnaise all over his food though. The only thing that belonged with pizza was ranch.
"I spoke to Ashton," he muttered, chewing his food and giving me a good view of the mashed up pizza in his mouth. Nice. I looked down at the table and just nodded in response. "You left school because of Harry, didn't you?"
That made me look up at him. Was he just guessing or had Ashton said that? Did Ashton confront Harry? I started to feel a little sick.
"Just tell me," he demanded, sounding frustrated. "Was it Harry, Brooke?"
I nodded, feeling defeated. He was going to find out anyway. Louis jumped up, balling his hands into fists.
"Little bastard. I'm gonna kill him!"
I grabbed his arm and shook my head. What was it with the killing Harry thing? Ashton and Louis were both acting like they were in an action movie.
Louis sighed and sat back down when he saw how worried I was. I'd had enough of it all. It was the holidays anyways, so it didn't matter any more.
"Fine. But I swear if he comes near you again I will kill him." I ignored that, it wasn't worth arguing over. I doubted he would drop it, but he wanted me to believe he had.
"So, is Ashton coming over tonight?" He asked, trying to act casual. I could tell he was dying to know what had happened between us that we'd cancelled our plans together after school.
I stood up and grabbed my plate, deciding to eat in my room since Dad wasn't here and I didn't want to have the Ashton conversation with Louis. Half past eight was too early to go to bed, but I didn't want to go downstairs and risk Louis' questioning, so I put on a film and curled up under the covers. Ashton kept entering my mind, making it hard to concentrate on the TV. I should go over there, get on my knees and show him my best 'please forgive me' face, the one that worked every time, but I was too stubborn and scared. Half an hour later, I was finally feeling tired, it was still relatively early, but emotionally I was done. It didn't take me long to fall into a restless sleep.