Colored Bracelets (Lashton)

3. It Should Be a Snap

He noticed. He sat in the same spot in the hallway that he always did and noticed that the boy in front of him had his first bracelet. Ashton wanted to gain the courage to stand up and ask him how he got in and if there was a way he could help. There had to be something that Ashton, and all other newcomers, needed to do in order to join this circle. 

"Are you still obsessing over those foolish bracelets, Ash?" His best friend, Calum, asked him as he sat down next to Ashton in the hallway.

Ashton turned his head away from the group in front of him to glance over at his friend, who also was sporting bare wrists. Unlike, Ashton, Calum thought that wanting to join the bracelet collecting game was an awful idea. He was also bare on his wrists but he didn't care. He thought the entire underground world of colored bracelets was absolutely foolish and degrading of one's self worth.

"It's not foolish. It's interesting." Ashton told him, trying not to sound too annoyed with the other boy. Calum had practically lectured him about the bracelets being nothing more than a sexual exploitation. He just didn't understand it the way Ashton did. Ashton didn't think any less of Calum for not wanting to be a part of it and he was hoping the same in return from his friend. It wasn't like Ashton was a successful circle member anyway. 

Calum just shook his head and pulled out his homework from the previous night. He and Ashton would compare answers in the mornings and help each other out with the ones either boy couldn't get an answer to.  "So, for the reading assignment I - " Calum started but then he stopped talking to follow his friend's concentrated gaze. He let out a sigh. "Seriously?" 

"Sorry." Ashton muttered as he watched the boy with a single pink bracelet slowly walk over to another boy, one who had plenty of bracelets on his wrists. He couldn't help but to watch the two exchange glances. The blond, who wore way more bracelets gave the other some sort of understanding nod.

Was the blond the way into this? 

How could someone like Ashton get himself to even talk to this other boy? He didn't even know if there were certain rules about the bracelets during school. What if he managed to gain the courage and mentioned the bracelets, only to find out that you weren't supposed to speak of them at school? That could ruin his chances of ever getting involved. 

He needed a plan. 

"Ashton, we only have a few minutes left until the bell goes off. Are we going to compare answers or are you just going to be the creep in the hall that always stares at people who are showing off bracelets like some constellation prize?" Calum's voice asked him with a bit of his own frustration. 

"I'm not staring." He was staring. "I'm just wondering and trying to piece it all together." Ashton brought his knees up to wrap his arms around them, resting his cheek on top of one of them to pay his attention to Calum.

"But why would you want to be a part of that group? What are you going to gain out of swapping sex for pathetic little bracelets?" Calum then asked him.

Ashton would be somebody. He would be the one others would start to notice. It was impossible at the moment for him to even get to that point but, for now, his only goal was getting pulled into the collecting game. Luckily, this morning, he was able to learn that there was a way for newcomers to join. 

"Everybody is a part of something, okay? Then there's the others, who don't fit in anywhere because they are perfectly fine being alone." He said, instantly regretting how harsh and accusative that sounded towards Calum. 

Calum, as always, ignored such comments like that. Instead, he put his homework back into his book and tucked it under his arm before he stood up. "I'm going to go find Cassie and ask her the questions about the assignment. I'll see you in class, mate." He lamely waved down to Ashton before leaving his friend by himself.