Just For the Summer {Cashton}

( IV. ) : LAZY DAY

FLASHBACK: 2 YEARS AGO 

The young male stretched his legs out in front of him. He sat alone on the edge of a large fountain, watching every single person that passed by with their friends. The watch on his wrist marked its next hour a minute later—meaning he'd been waiting patiently for two hours in exact.

There was no sun anymore. It was beginning to get chilly, and people were coming in and out of the movie theater laughing and smiling in front of him. He huffed out a great amount of air before checking his phone one more time for an expected text message. No reply. 

Every Saturday, Ashton and his best friend Calum would watch whatever's new at the movie theater. They'd follow a usual ritual: meet up at the fountain and exactly 7, go in and buy a large bucket of popcorn and a large sized soda with two boxes of sour gummy worms, and watch the movie. If they didn't like it, they'd ditch to hop to another one, or play in the arcade.

But Calum was nowhere to be found. 

Suddenly, Ashton heard a familiar laugh a few feet away. He excitedly looked up; expecting to see his best friend swing by and wrap an arm around him as usual, possibly pouting cutely as an apology.

Nope. Once he looked up, he did spot his best friend, but he wasn't alone. In fact, Calum was with a gorgeous girl.  They walked closer—Calum resting an arm around her waist, and they were incredibly close. She would whisper something in his ear, and he would laugh at whatever the conversation was. It looked like he was interested, and that made Ashton's heart wrench.

Bubby! We have our movie thing tonight, remember? I have to stop by at a party quickly, but I'm going to leave early just for you. I'll be back soon. Promise. Don't forget!

He tried to focus on something else. But he couldn't. His best friend was well off with better things, and maybe that was beneficial for the two of them. It hurt though—because Ashton was put second. He wasn't important anymore, and this new girl was the replacement.

Eyes slowly brimming with tears, the sixteen-year old male ran in the building. He passed by a trash bin and threw away the extra ticket that crinkled in his hand, going straight inside the theatre. He didn't care for the popcorn, the soda, or the gummy worms. What was the point? He was all alone now in a dark room surrounded by a sea of people with their own friends. 

Sinking in a seat away from everyone, he blankly stared at the large screen as it played a scene. It was the perfect time for Ashton to completely ignore the movie and accept the fact that the attention wasn't on solely him anymore. Hell, things won't be the same.

END OF FLASHBACK

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I didn't forget about that day.  After it happened, Calum stopped hanging out with me for a brief period of time to spend time with that girl. They became an item six days after they first met, and it was incredibly unrealistic to me. It was rushed. I didn't even have time to process everything. But nevertheless-–I accepted it, because Calum needed his best friend's support. Though we hardly spoke at that era, I was still supportive. I just missed seeing him around.

Maybe Calum felt that way when he found out Luke and I had gone out this morning. It wasn't like I was going on a date with the lad anyway. We just went on a breakfast run. But why would Calum care if Luke and I ever did date? Sometimes, he's just too difficult to comprehend.

"Calum," I began, moving a bit closer to him. "Tell me. Who has been my best friend since I was only a few months old? Who has been the one by my side for eighteen years?"

"That's not the point, Ashton. You're just going to ditch and leave me alone for the entire summer, and then—"

"Just answer me."