troubled (m.c.) REVAMPED

Twenty One

*TRIGGER WARNING*
This chapter contains words readers may find offensive or triggering. Please do not read if you think this may affect you.

Ashton's POV:

My jaw clenched at the fact that Calum had the cheek to criticise the state of the cabin when he didn't even bother picking up his phone when I attempted to ring him in the last few seconds before Scottie busted the door down. I ignored him.

"Dude, what the fuck did you do in here? You're gonna wanna clean that shit up," Luke laughed.

"Really, Ashton? And you complain we're messy," Michael roared with laughter.

"Yo, Ashton! we're talking to you, buddy," Calum prodded my shoulder, "Aren't you gonna answ— what happened to your face!?"

"Maybe if you bothered to answer your fucking phones you would have known what happened," I said through gritted teeth.

I noticed Alisha kept silent and had her head down, sipping her mug of tea.

"Oh, shit — yeah, you called me three times. What did you need?" Luke asked.

"A little bit of help trying to keep Scottie, Jace and Adam out would have been nice," I said sarcastically, trying to keep my cool.

I glanced over at Alisha who flinched at the mentioning of their names.

"Wait, what?" Michael asked, "What do you mean?"

I signalled them to follow me into the kitchen, "Give me a second, babe," I whispered to Alisha before kissing her head again.

They stalked in the kitchen after me; Calum sat on the counter, Michael leaned against the doorway with one foot behind the other and Luke sat on a stool.

"So what do you mean?" Calum asked.

"What I mean is fucking Scottie, Jace and Adam came round here, kicked the fucking door down, started smashing shit up, fucked me up and tried to rape—"

I stopped talking abruptly when Alisha appeared in the doorway.

"Alisha, what the fuck happened to your face?" Michael asked after he spun around to look at her.

They all fell silent and turned around to face Alisha.

"Erm," she stuttered.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, they fucked her up too, and nearly raped her," I smiled sarcastically at them.

"WHAT!?" they all yelled.

"Where did they go?" Michael demanded.

"Why does it matter? You weren't here to protect or help her earlier. I was. So why do you wanna be here to play the hero and help to protect her now?" I yelled.

"Ash, tell me where they went right fucking now!" Michael yelled back.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT!" I snapped, "I was too fucking busy picking up the broken pieces of Alisha!"

Michael sighed and shook his head before turning back to Alisha and pulling her in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry, 'Lish," he mumbled into her hair, "We'll get them back, don't worry about it, okay?"

Alisha nodded.

"I promise."

Michael's POV:

The amount of anger I felt after finding out what they did to Alisha is indescribable. The way her eyes were red and bloodshot; the way her lip was split open and sore; the way her face looked emotionless and empty. This had gone way too far — they involved Alisha in a problem that had nothing to do with her, and they hurt her because of it.

After I had told Ashton to comfort her and tuck her into bed, he came back down and we had a quiet discussion, "How are we gonna get them back?" I said.

"Do you really think it's smart to get them back? After what happened today?" Ashton spoke up, concerned and still very pissed off, which is understandable.

"Well I'm sure as hell not gonna let them walk away from this," I said, slamming my fist down onto the table, "Did you see how badly Alisha is hurt?"

"Did I see? Did I see?" Ashton said before standing up, "I was fucking there when it happened! I saw a lot more than any of you did! You didn't see what happened! You didn't see the look of fear and terror on her face! You didn't see anything! So don't you dare question anything!"

With that, he stormed out and upstairs to his and Luke's bedroom after giving it to her tonight. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose before squeezing my eyes shut, trying to figure out what to do.

"Come on, Mike," Calum said, "They deserves everything that's coming to them — Ashton's been through a lot today so he's hormonal and bitchy. Let's just plan a way to get Scottie back."

"Would Alisha want me to?" I asked him.

"Who fucking cares at this point?" Calum answered.

"What do you think, Luke?"

"Um," Luke said, "It's up to you, I guess. I'll go through with whatever you wanna go through with."

"That was absolutely no help, Luke," I sighed.

"Sorry," he shrugged, deep in thought.

I sighed again and got up and raided the alcohol — it may not solve my problems, but it at least numbs it for a while.

— — —

A few hours and drinks later, I was seeing doubles of everything. I leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, trying not to lose my balance, when I was confronted by Ashton, "Drinking again?" he said with a rhetorical tone.

"Oh, fuck off, Irwin," I slurred before smacking the bottle down on the counter, smashing it.

"Nice," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm, "Very mature."

It was no secret I had a bit of a drinking problem. I always turned to it to block out the world's problem with me — it was my remedy. I knew it was a fucking appalling thing to do, but what other choice did I have? I had nothing else to turn to.

"As if someone like Alisha would be any good around you — she deserves the world and you know that. She's too sweet and sensitive for you and your behaviour," he said.

"I KNOW!" I bellowed, silencing him, "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT ALREADY? I FUCKING KNOW."

He shook his head and sighed at the state I was in.

"I know I'm a fucking awful person!" I said, "I get reminded every single day! I know I don't deserve anybody in my life. I know I'm a fuck up. I know I'm useless. I know all of this already! You don't need to keep telling me shit I already know!"

Ashton looked at me, his face somewhat disgusted, yet sympathetic.

"Fix up your attitude and behaviour and you might actually get far with her," he said before walking away.