Secluded (Ashton Irwin)

Chapter 1

Ashton pushed his hands into his pockets as he pulled open the door to the coffee shop, letting the smell of fresh coffee fill his nose. The shop wasn't very busy for it being a sunday evening. He stood in line behind a businessman, and a young lady who was looking at the bakery options in the glass case in front of her. Ashton then scanned over the menu, deciding what he was going to get.

He walked up to the register once the other two people in front of him had ordered, and asked for a mocha like he usually did. Ashton waited for his drink before pushing the door open and beginning to make his way back home. He pulled his lightly tan colored beanie over his ears as he took a sip of his warm drink, trying to be cautious to not burn his tongue.

Ashton stopped at the corner of the busy Los Angeles street, letting his green eyes concentrate on the crosswalk sign, waiting for the signal for him to walk.

He pushed open the front door to his house, and quietly shut it behind him. He walked into the kitchen to where he found his mom, scribbling words onto a small piece of paper.

"Oh good you're home, I hope you had a nice walk," she smiled. "I need you to look after Harry and Lauren while I run to the store to get things for dinner," she said quickly as she grabbed her purse off of the counter, along with the piece of paper.

This was normal for Ashton. He usually had to look after his siblings who were much younger than him, they hadn't even started high school yet but Ashton had graduated a few years ago.

Before Ashton could get out a word, his mom had disappeared and left Ashton alone in the kitchen. She was usually rushing around, but that's what a single parent does. Ashton shrugged, threw away his empty coffee cup and made his way into the living room where he found his little brother playing a game on the television.

"Hey bud," Ashton smiled as he took a seat on the couch behind Harry who was sitting on the floor. Harry mumbled a 'hey' he was too focused on his game to have a conversation.

Ashton pulled himself off the couch and made his way to his little sister's room.

"Hey Lauren?" Ashton asked as he knocked a few times on her door.

"Yeah?" She asked as Ashton pushed open his door.

"Mom went to the store and will be out for a while, i'll be in my room if you need anything," Ashton smiled. Lauren nodded, then put her attention back to her book.

Ashton made his way to his room, leaving his door slightly ajar incase Harry were to call for him. He let out a sigh and rubbed his face with his hands before grabbing his laptop and opening spotify, letting music play through the laptop speakers softly.

At 5pm Ashton, his mom, Harry, and Lauren were all sitting at the table eating spaghetti. It was one of Ashton's favorites. They talked about how their days were, but Ashton didn't have much to say when it was his turn. His days usually weren't very busy, so he quickly turned to Lauren and asked her how her day went. Truthfully, Ashton spent a lot of time alone. Well when we wasn't with his three other best friends, Luke, Michael, and Calum or at work.

He spent a lot of his time walking around town, or in his room listening to music. He would drum on occasion too, but his main job was to look after Harry and Lauren when his mom was at work.

"Ashton it's your turn for dishes tonight," his mom said as she placed a pile of dishes into the kitchen sink.

"Not tonight, I have to work," Ashton said grabbing his jacket out of the hall closet. Ashton was like the other parent in the household, he worked just like his mom, trying to bring in money to support the family.