Brothers Best Friend » Lashton

Chapter Five

A s h t o n

"Happy Birthday." Luke spoke when we pulled into my drive way. I didn't speak back as I just sat there. I wanted to know why he kissed me after he had just said he didn't want his feelings to be toyed with. "You okay?"

I scoffed a little. "Am I okay? Yeah, I'm great." My voice was shaky as I stared down at my hands. I wanted to go inside but we needed to talk about what happened at the clearing and at Harry's. "Why did you kiss me?" I asked, somehow finding my voice despite having my anxiety shoot through the roof.

He stared down at his hands for a minute before deciding to say anything. "Why? Well, because I wanted to. Did you think I had feelings for you or something?"

My heart sank a little. I know that response shouldn't have hurt, but it did. I laughed a little and opened the door to his truck.

"Ashton. C'mon, you can't be mad-"

"Well I am." I snapped, getting out of his truck, slamming the door. I began to walk to my front door when he grabbed my arm, whipping me around.

"What are you-"

"Don't touch me." I seethed. I didn't want to even look at him anymore. "Remember what you said at the clearing? I don't want my feelings to be toyed with either." I snapped before continuing to walk.

"Asht-"

"Don't!" I yelled. "I am sick and tired of everyone trying to sugar coat my fucking feelings after they've seen my reaction. So just save it." I turned my back on him, trying to walk to my front door, only to have him stop me again.

"Would you just-"

I shoved him back as hard as I could. "Leave me alone! For fucks sake, you said what you were thinking and now you can't fucking take it back because it hurt my feelings. I can have feelings!" I screamed. Tears began filling in my eyes and I tugged my hair in frustration.

"I didn't-"

"Just stop!" I screamed. "Just get in your fucking truck and drive away! Go home or go to the clearing! Just get away from me!" I screamed. My voice cracking with every word.

I was sick and tired of everyone sugar coating everything because they thought I was fragile. I can handle things just as much as the next person.

I walked to my front door only to have Luke shove me against the door and place his lips on mine. I almost kissed him back but instead, I shoved him back and slapped him. I wiped my lips before going inside and slamming the door behind me in frustration.

My brother was standing there with anger on his face. My heart dropped when I began to think about if we had been caught. "Where were you last night!" He screamed. My heart began beating normal because he hadn't found out about Luke. I sighed as the anger inside me grew.

I ignored Kai as I started walking down the hall to my room. He began shouting about how immature I was and how I was in so much trouble. I had enough.

I whipped around to face kai as I began screaming. "I am fucking seventeen, Kai! I have the fucking right to stay the night out at a friends if I fucking feel like it! You are not mom or dad so you don't need to ask me questions! Get off my back, damn!"

I looked at Kai as he stood there stunned and I rolled my eyes, walking into my room, slamming the door behind me.

I flopped on my bed as my phone vibrated.

Mom
Hey Ash, sorry we can't make it to your big seventeen! Much love from mom and dad x

I threw my phone and screamed into my pillow. I just wanted my birthday to be completely over.

*

A few hours later, I was in the backyard, sitting in a chair, staring at the garage. All of my friends were here, as well as my family but none of them really payed much mind to me. They were all talking amongst themselves, leaving me to my thoughts.

I stared at the garage as memories ran through my head. I sighed a little as I stared down at my hands, just wishing for this day to be over. I ran my fingers through my hair, my emotions weighing me down.

Within the past few days, I had managed to catch my boyfriend cheating, messed up two friendships, let my feelings get caught up in a boy I thought liked me, and made my brother angry with me. I was a wreck.

I felt a tear land on my hand and I wiped my eyes, not realizing I was crying until I felt the liquid on my cheeks. I stood up and walked inside the house, not letting any one notice me. I regretted coming inside, seeing something I wish I hadn't.

Luke was kissing his ex girlfriend on my couch. I stood there for a minute, hiding behind the wall, and listened. "I want to get back together." She told him after they broke the kiss apart.

He smiled at her, the way he used to smile at me. "I'd love to."

Within seconds, I had felt my head spin with thoughts and I went back outside as I tried convincing myself that I didn't care. I tried repeating it until my brain began to hurt from hearing the same thing. I greeted a few guests before taking a walk, exiting through the gate in our back yard. I walked down the alley, my chest growing tighter with each step.

I couldn't ignore the burning feeling in my chest when I heard him say he wanted to get back with her. After he had kissed me numerous times, he goes back to her. I felt sick.

I kept walking. I was desperate to get away from all the bullshit that I was surrounded in. This was so wrong to feel this way about Luke. I had been with someone for so long and forgotten them so quickly when Luke kissed me.

I felt like a whore. I rubbed my eyes to keep myself from crying. I sat down on the bus bench, not having any idea where I was going, I just knew I wanted to get away for now.

I knew no one would notice I was gone, and if they did, it would be a while before they did. As I waited, a girl sat beside me, her suitcase next to her. She looked over at me before deciding I was good enough to talk to.

"Hey, what's got you buggin'?" She pressed, making me slightly less nervous. I shrugged, only for her to chuckle. "Come on curly, what's better than venting to a weird girl you don't know?"

I sighed before nodding and I began to explain what happened. I knew I was mixed up in a big pile of mess. She took in all the information I had told her before speaking up. "Seems like you never had feelings for this Michael character nearly as much as you did Luke." As soon as she saw my face twist, she continued. "You may not have thought so, but it had been Luke all along. You never truly fell for Michael. Yeah, you might have had love for him, but was never in love with Michael."

She paused before explaining, "Sometimes, people want love so bad, they trick themselves into thinking they love someone, when they actually love someone else." She gave me a small smile. "And, it sounds like Luke is trying to deny his feelings to avoid being hurt. I'd go to Michael and tell him you forgive him, cause it seems like Michael was mixed into your emotions."

I processed all this information and things began making sense. How I felt when Luke walked into a room,  versus how I felt when Michael did. I never felt the butterflies in my stomach when I looked into Michael's eyes. I only felt that around Luke. I felt absolutely stupid. That's why Michael slipped my mind so fast when I was with Luke. Sure, getting cheated on hurt regardless, but not as bad as it does when I saw Luke with his ex girlfriend.

I looked over at the girl and began to realize how right she was. "What's your name?" I asked her, curious to know more about her.

"Amelia, Amelia Irwin."