The Jerks Next Door || Ashton Irwin [5 Seconds Of Summer]

Chapter 9 | Realization

Ashton POV

I tried my hardest to make no sound as I was slammed against the wall by Calum. The other boys were obviously not happy with me either, but none of them were as mad as Calum. I, on the other hand, was very proud of myself. My 'game' went exactly as planned. I had a small smile on my face until I raised my eyes to meet Calum's. To say he was furious was an understatement - and it actually scared me.

"Why would you do that?" he screamed. "You obviously knew that I liked Al and you purposely tried to hurt her feelings! What will she think of me now? And was it really necessary to hurt that other girl's feelings in the process? God, you're such an idiot."

"Listen Calum," I snapped, "we both know you're gonna treat Al like a 'princess' for about a week then go and cheat on her with some other slut, alright?"

Calum had a track record for making women feel great then breaking their hearts. It was his hobby of sorts. "And since when do you care about other girls' feelings?" I continued.

"Hey now," Michael said cautiously, his anger subsiding now that he saw the tension between Calum and I. "I think everyone needs to calm down."

"Don't tell me I need to calm down, Michael." Calum said in a deadly calm, his eyes never leaving mine. "I'll calm down when this idiot goes and apologizes for what he said."

I smirked. "You know that's not happening, Cal."

"Don't call me Cal," he growled. "This is obviously not the time." My smirk changed to a grin as I knew I had just crossed the line. I loved that I could draw such a reaction from others.

Oddly enough, Luke was quietly standing behind Calum and Michael. While Mike and Cal were fuming, he was looking down at the ground, as if contemplating whether or not to speak up.

"What do you think, Luke?" I innocently asked. "You think I should apologize?" My words were daring him to challenge me.

This caught Calum off guard. His grip on my shirt was nearly completely released as he turned around to look at Luke. "What do you think, Luke?" He questioned, looking baffled.

Luke's eyes slightly widened as he was put on the spot. "Well...I, uh, don't think it was a very nice thing for him to do...um...yeah..." he finished lamely.

Calum squinted his eyes, knowing Luke was being unntruthful, or at least not telling the whole truth. Yet he let it go, his main target at the moment being me. He turned back around, but instead of grabbing my shirt again, he pointed his index finger straight at my chest and said, "You will get your karma, I'll be sure of it."

He then left the room, Michael following him after he shot me a deadly glare. Luke hesitated for a moment then walked out as well, but not before shaking his head in disappointment at my actions.

To be completely truthful, what hurt the most was not Calum's strong hold on my chest, nor Michael's anger, but Luke's shake of the head. That disappointment hit me hard. No matter how mean I might be to other people, I still loved my friends. (I know - hard to believe that I could love, right?) Maybe I should go apologize to the girl, I thought. Wait, since when am I so soft? Not happeneing. I refuse to apologize.... But maybe I should. I mean, I still want to have friends. What if they broke up the band or something just for a stupid girl's feelings?

I made a decision. I was going to find her and apologize. I didn't care if I had to search the whole arena from top to bottom; I would find her. I promised myself that. I wasn't going to lose the boys for a stupid girl who had a confidence problem.

The only flaw in my simple plan was that I knew deep down that Ashley and Al would be with the girl. It's not that I felt bad for what I said to them; I just wasn't sure my pride could handle three major apologies all at once.

Well, pride, you're just going to have to suck it up. For the sake of keeping your friends, I told myself. Just...don't let Ashley rile you up and make you say something that you'll regret. 

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¡hola señoritas! (¿y tal vez señores?)

dedication to @hazzagirl1 because she is jodie.

i edited that picture on the side myself. be proud of me lmao

ashley x