Hello, How May I Help You? | Lashton

Chapter 9

(Unedited)

Just because this is how I imagine him flipping Ashton off later on. :-)

[Ashton's POV]

After our shift was over, I had literally booked it out of the mall so I wouldn't have to face Luke anymore. I usually don't feel awkward around people, but when it comes to having a crush on them and then they find out, then I get more awkward than Sheldon Cooper. I didn't want him to see that, so I ran away.

I have a tendency to think into things, or over think them. I was thinking the worst case scenario, of course, and he probably wasn't even thinking about it at all. He probably just thought that it was Pete and Michael just fucking around with me. But what if he really thought the worst? What if he actually thought I did have a crush on him, which I do, and he was utterly disgusted by it? What if he didn't want to be friends with me anymore because of it? What if he thought I was a freak?

I flipped onto my side, trying to get rid of all the what-if's and get some much needed sleep, but that's only so easy. What if, what if, what if. That's all I kept thinking.

I knew that I was going to find out in the morning at school if any of the what-if's were true, but I couldn't help but worry.

——

Michael was honking outside, unusually earlier than usual. I quickly buttoned my skinny jeans and grabbed my backpack, hurrying to get out the door before he decided to crash into my living room.

"Tell Michael to calm his tits. Have a good day, sugar!" mum called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. She was so embarrassing sometimes, I swear.

As I power walked down to Michael's car, I saw what I thought was an outline of a person in the backseat. Either Michael was now picking up hitchhikers or he just packed his backseat full of his garbage. I opened the passenger door, seeing a very tired looking Michael looking at me.

"It's about time, sleeping beauty," he sassed.

"Might I remind you that you were the one who showed up half an hour earlier than you usually do without giving me any warning," I pointed out as I shrunk down into his rather compact clunker.

"I hope you don't mind that I picked up some loser that was going to walk the streets," Michael said as he pulled away from the curb.

I turned around to look in the backseat and saw Luke sitting back there with a tired grin on his face. He was tall, so he looked awkward being stuffed into the back of this short little car.

"Morning, Luke," I greeted, trying to forget all the thoughts that had run through my mind last night.

"Hey, Ashton," he said sweetly.

We all sat in an awkward silence as Mikey drove to the school. It wasn't exactly silent, I guess; his phone was plugged in and All Time Low was playing quietly in the background, taking away from what I felt was an awkward tension. I was silently drumming my fingers on my thigh to the beat of Outlines, moving my mouth just slightly as I lip synced the words.