Nicotine | Ashton Irwin ✔

2.1

To: Goldie Locks
Bye Ashton.

From: Goldie Locks
Bye.

Ara tossed her phone onto the bed beside her, and sighed. Running a hand through her hair, she paused her movie, grabbed her smokes, and climbed out onto the roof.

//

Ashton was in his room, drumming loudly, blocking out everything. It was his way of coping with his home life. The loudness made it impossible for him to think, making it easier for him.

Ashton stopped drumming for a split second to catch his breath. He reached over and grabbed his bandanna, tying it around his forehead to keep the hair out of his face. He sighed. "JAMES STOP IT! YOU'RE DRUNK!" he heard his mother yell. Ashton sighed. "JAMES!" he grit his teeth. He wished James wouldn't drink so much. He also wished James didn't do a lot of things, but that never happened. Ever day was the same. The abuse, the drinking. Ashton went back to drumming to drown out the sound of his parents yelling.

Ashton was drumming, getting into it when something loud made him stop abruptly. Everything in the house was silent. Until he heard it.

Another bang.

Ashton began to get this sickening feeling in his stomach, and he closed his eyes. He didn't want to believe the thoughts running through his head. "NEXT TIME I WON'T FUCKING MISS!" Ashton flinched, but calmed a little when he heard his mother's voice retaliating back at James. Ashton stepped away from his drums, and walked cautiously to the door.

"GET OUT!" his mother screamed. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"YOUR HOUSE! YOU FUCKING BITCH! DON'T TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK TO DO!" James hollered. Ashton opened the door of his room, and poked his head out into the hall. His younger brother Harry was standing in the hall, staring in the direction that the screams were coming from.

"Harry. What are doing out here?" Ashton asked him. Harry jumped at his brother's voice, and looked to him.

"Ashton, I'm scared." he said. Ashton opened his arms, and Harry ran into them. Ashton held his brother close.

"Don't be. Everything is going to be alright." Harry shook his head.

"Is James going to kill mum?" he cried. Ashton tensed up, remembering what Ara told him about her mother.

"No. No he won't do that." Ashton tried reassuring him. But his own emotions were betraying him. Ashton and Harry both jumped at the sound of another gunshot, and a scream. Harry went to call out for his mother, but Ashton covered his mouth, quieting him. There were loud, thunderous footsteps. Ashton pulled Harry into his room, and shut the door, locking it. He placed a finger over his mouth, signaling Harry to be quiet. He nodded.

Someone knocked furiously on his door. "Ashton open up please!" Lauren, his sister, pleaded. "Ashton!" he quickly unlocked the door, and pulled Lauren into the room, locking the door again. Lauren hugged him tightly.

"Lauren, what's happening down their?" he asked her frantically.

"James had a gun Ashton! He shot mum in the shoulder. You need to get help Ashton!" she cried.

"Both of you into the closet. Now." he said. Lauren nodded, grabbing Harry's hand, pulling him with her. Ashton hid them under a pile of clothing, and other things. "Don't make a single sound. DO you here me? Not until I come and get you. I want you both to stay here." He closed the closet door, and reached for his phone.  He dialed the first number he saw, not caring who he told at this point. He just didn't expect it to be Ara.

Ara was half asleep when her phone started to ring. She groaned and rolled over, snatching it off the bedside table and answering it without seeing who it was. "What?" she growled.

"Ara?" Ashton's frantic voice came from on the other line, although to her it sounded more like a question. Ara sat right up.

"Ashton?" she questioned. "What's wrong?"

"He has a gun Ara. He's hurt my mother." he said, his voice breaking.

"Ashton, don't go near him. Stay where you are." she ordered.

"I can't. He could kill her. I don't want to loose my mum." he cried.

"Ashton, stop. Please. Don't do it." Ara said. There was a long silence on the phone, making Ara worried. "Ashton please." she whispered. She let a few tears escape. Ara suddenly heard shouting, someone scream, and a gunshot. "ASHTON!" she yelled. She dropped her phone, and ran out of her room. Liam was still awake, downstairs with Cat and Aaron. She had heard them come in not too long ago. She ran down the stairs, two at a time, almost tripping and breaking her neck. She bolted into the kitchen.

Liam was startled by Ara's sudden appearance, but concern washed over his face when he saw the broken state his daughter was in. "Ara? What's wrong?" Tears streamed down her face relentlessly.

"It's my friend. I think something bad has happened to him."