He wasn't the type to go to school sponsered events.
The first time I saw Ashton, he was wearing tight back jeans and a black jacket in the middle of August. It was almost the first week of my junior year, and the school was hosting a charity concert to help fund one of the many clubs it already couldn't afford. I was sitting next to my two best friends, Jaelynn and Max, and my boyfriend Calum. Calum and I had been dating since freshman year, and we were practically inseperatable. Often times, Jaelynn would joke that we were conjoined at the hip.
The sun was beginning to set, but since we lived in Florida, the temperature didn't shift. We were all set up in an empty field across the street from the school. People had brought lawn chairs and cliché picnic blankets and set them up in front of the make-shift stage, that would be taken apart minutes after the event ended.
My friends were in the middle of a heated discussion about what to do on our hypothetical spring break trip to Cabo. "You said that I could choose what we do first!" Max complained. Max was a senior, older than the rest of us, but he still acted the most childish.
I could tell Jaelynn was about to respond, so I quickly interjected, "Guys, shhhh, it's about to start."
All three of them turned their heads to face the sad excuse for a stage, as the choir teacher, Mr. Lombardi, strutted onto it. The noise from the audience began to quiet till it was completely quiet.
"Welcome everyone! This is a great turnout. Tonight we have a great lineup of local artists, even some of your fellow classmates! And don't forget to donate to help support our many clubs and activities!"
Calum turned to me and smiled. I gave him a quizzical look, but his only response was silence. Calum was a very social person. Very. But when it came to me, he would sometimes get caught up in his words. He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and turned his attention back to the performance.
That's when I saw him. He was fiddling with a pair of drumsticks and pacing back and forth next to the stage. His brown hair was messy, almost like he just rolled out of bed. And that outfit, that outfit. Didn't he know it was 89°?
"Hey," I whispered to Max, trying not to disrupt the current performers, an acapella group from school. "Do you know that guy?" I pointed at the boy.
Max studied him for awhile. "I don't think so...that guy next to him though, that's Luke. He was in my pre-calc class last year." I stretched my neck, attempting to see over the groups of people in front of me. Luke was a boy I had definitely seen before. He was tall and had piercing blue eyes. He was a attractive, but not exactly my type.
I stretched out on the blanket and closed my eyes, listening to the preformers. Each only played a max of five minutes before being ushered off the stage by Mr. Lombardi.
A half an hour went by, then I felt someone nudging my foot. "Wake up! There's only a few preformances left!" I could tell Jaelynn was not amused about the fact that I fell asleep by the tone in her voice. I sat up and yawned. Calum let put a little laugh, amused at the fact that I fell asleep.
On stage, the boy with the drum sticks, Luke, and and a new boy with neon hair were setting up their instruments. I watched intently, instruments always fascinated me, since I couldn't play any to save my life. Luke came up nervously to the front of the stage, where a mircophone stand was located.
"H-hello," He stuttered a bit. "I'm Luke and we're here to play a couple songs for you guys." I rolled my eyes. Of course they were here to play songs it was a concert after all. Luke and neon-haired boy began to strum their guitars, and I'd have to admit, they sounded pretty good. They started to sing a song I wasn't familiar with, but looking around the auidence, I saw multiple people singing along. I nodded my head to the beat, which made Calum laugh again, and he put his arm around my shoulder.
When the boys finised their set, they got a large applause, which made Luke beam with pride, and a smile appeared on drumsticks boy's lips.
Mr. Lombardi came jogging onto the stage, and took the mic stand from Luke's hands. "Okay ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of our concert! We're on a time crunch so please do not stick around any longer than neccessary!" And with that it was over. Custodians and other faculity were already taking apart the stage and people were gathering their things in the crowd.
"Do you need a ride home?" Jaelynn asked.
I was about to say yes, when I caught the drumstick boy 's eye. Was he smiling at me?
"Hellooooo?" Jaelynn said, giving me a light punch in the arm.
"Oh. Yeah. Thanks." I said, coming back to reality. We started walking towards the car, and I swore I could feel someone's eyes on me.
