Shattered (Continuation of: The Chase) ▹ Ashton Irwin

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning, my tired eyes shot open to the sound of my alarm clock going off beside me. The sound was eerie, annoying, and a little bit too familiar for my liking. I groaned, turned over to burry my face in my pillow, and reached over to shut the device off. It took me a couple minutes to actually open up my eyes again, and I slowly slid the covers off and shuttered to how cold it was in here. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and stood up.

Picking around my room to find something to wear, I thought about how much of a good sleep I actually had last night. Recently, I've been having the worst sleeps of my life, but last night I was fine. Just like Saturday night when Ashton wasn't next to me, and what we had agreed on yesterday afternoon...no nightmares.

I remembered how scared I could get whenever Ashton isn't with me as I put on some makeup before heading downstairs. I told Ashton he shouldn't come to school today...and personally, I'm just fine with that for once. He needs to spend time with his mother, and I think I need to learn how to be on my own. And when I say that, I mean that I should really focus on getting used to the fact that Ashton's not always going to be next to me or with me. Whether it's when I sleep, or just everyday in general.

"Why, so you can get used to him hating you?"

I stopped dead in my tracks halfway out the door. My eyes widened and stared out infront of me, while my heart skipped a beat or two. I glanced from side to side, and everything except the voice in my head was quiet. I looked down to my bare feet and I began to laugh.

"Stop it, Brooke," I muttered to myself. "He can't hate you."

I headed down stairs with my hand clung to my phone, praying that for some reason Ashton was awake this early to text me. I know he's not one to get up at 6 in the morning when he doesn't have a reason to, so I eventually forgot about the fact that the skin on my fingertips probably turned white by the time I was looking through the pantry for some cereal.

"Brooke," I heard my mother's voice not too far away. I grabbed a box of Special K and perked my head out from the pantry, to see her walking over to the coffee machine. I had no idea where my little brother was, but I really wished I wasn't the only one in the room with her. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but if she can't bother to text me more than once the whole weekend then I shouldn't have to have a conversation with her.

"Hey." I said casually, making my next stop at the fridge.

"Are you going anywhere after school?" my mother asked. I was hesitant to answer, considering I had no idea whether I was going to Ashton's later tonight or not. It's monday and I usually tutor him on this day... but I guess I'll have to text him later to see whats up. I shrugged in response to my mother's question, not really in the mood to talk to her. She was leant up against a counter, sipping a cup of coffee and watching me as I walked past her.

"Where were you this weekend?" she asked to break the growingly awkward silence.

"Where do you think?" I replied, looking down at my phone to avoid her gaze as she sat down across from me at the kitchen table.

"...Ashton's?" she asked awkwardly. I raised my eyebrows and nodded my head. I opened my mouth to tell her Anne was back, but I just shook my head and sighed. As much as my mom thinks Ashton has a shitty life, I don't think she would really care.

"That's what I thought," she nodded. We both went quiet again, and I continued to spoon cereal into my mouth and stare down at my blank phone screen. "Are you going over there today?"

"You've already asked me this." I muttered.

"Oh right," my mother laughed. "Sorry."

"Okay," I shrugged, still avoiding her gaze. The room fel awkward again, and I sighed and stood up. I placed my bowl in the sink, and grabbed my bag.