Ashton Enchanted » [cashton] √

1.0

Ashton was admittedly shifting into a pretty comfortable routine with Crystal and her friends. He really hadn't meant to, but it had just been so easy. Luke and he had a budding friendship that had cropped up out of nowhere, they had inside jokes and everything. He and crystal hung out at the very least twice a week on their own, which in itself was a nice routine, but then usually the boys invited them somewhere as well, which despite making Ashton's heart race like all hell, he did have fun.

"Okay, ready?" Luke asked an eyebrow raised at Ashton as he held out the hacky sack.

He nodded very seriously, and they were off, bouncing the hacky sack between them. Ashton had improved out of sight over the last week, as the hobby had slowly become, he and Luke's thing.

"What's the personal best again?" Calum asked, walking up and standing, watching from the side as they batted it back and forth between them.

"Two hundred and three," Luke replied, not looking up from their game.

Ashton tried to remain as focused, but the temptation to let his eyes flick up and see the expression on Calum's face was too much. They darted up for just a second to see the younger man's eyes trained on the small fabric ball, which Ashton realised a second too late was about to collide with his shin.

Both Luke and Calum looked up, and his cheeks coloured a light pink, "whoops," he chuckled, "guess being watched makes me nervous," he said innocently.

"Scram Calum, we're going for a new record," Luke made a shooing motion with his hands, and Calum rolled his eyes and turned, hands raised in defence.

"Alright, alright, I'll go back to hanging out with lip and lock over there," he made a gesture toward Michael who was standing in between Crystal's knees and talking to her low and close.

Luke sighed, "Okay you can stay here and talk to us, but you have to turn around,"

Calum conceded, nodding to himself and turning, so his back was facing them. Luke threw Ashton a conspiratory wink, and he flushed again, scrambling to pick up the hacky sack off the grass.

As they started up their game again, Luke and Calum chatted idly about a new album they'd both been listening too, and Ashton's mind began to wander to the fact that it seemed like Luke was privy to his little crush.

He didn't think he'd say anything to Calum... well at least he hoped he wouldn't, he did worry that Luke and Crystal would start to conspire together though.

"Are you keeping count?" Calum asked, which drew Ashton back to their conversation.

"Yeah, we're at 150-151," Luke told him as he swung his foot up to knock the hacky sack back toward Ashton.

"Can I join?" he asked with a sigh.

"No!" Luke responded quickly, "this is Ashton, and I's thing,"

"Wow, someone doesn't want to share," Calum laughed.

"Yeah well," Luke faltered for a moment, "make your own friends," his voice came out whiny, and Ashton couldn't help but laugh, "so what do you reckon Ash? Friend date sometime in the next couple of weeks, you, me and the Museum of Contemporary Art?" Luke asked, as though it was something they'd ever spoken about before.

Ashton's brow furrowed thoughtfully for a moment, and he couldn't help but let his head snap up to look at Luke, who gave him another wink and a smile, "Uh, yeah sounds good, just let me know when you're free," he said, his voice wavered a little, and he wanted to kick himself, but Luke grinned.

"Great," he went to continue, but the bell interrupted him.

"Looks like it's back to the coal mines for us," Calum said laughing and turning to face them.

Ashton laughed along with him, catching the hacky sack with his hand and pocketing it.

"We'll have to get faster if we want to break our record during lunch," Ashton said with a shrug, and the others nodded their agreement.

After that, they all forwarded off toward the main school building, Michael and Crystal joining them with their hands linked and grins on their faces. As they reached the building, they parted ways, some heading to the bathrooms others heading to their lockers, and maybe it was the fact that he'd had a nice lunch with Luke and Calum but instead of walking with his head down like normal Ashton was striding through the halls toward his locker. He supposed that's what most likely caught her attention.

"Irwin, come back here," He heard a girl's voice snap.

"Fuck," Ashton muttered under his breath as his body turned itself around and stopped in front of two girls in matching school uniforms and Dutch braids. He didn't recognise them and supposed they must have been in Luke's grade.

"You're the asshole that beat the shit out of my boyfriend," the shorter of the two said, her eyes ghosting up and down Ashton, appraising him. He imagined she was trying to figure out where he hid all the muscle and general persona of someone capable of doing what he'd done.

"To be fair, he started it and-"

She interrupted him, "shut up", he appraisal of him continued, his compliance with her command seemed to egg her on because she took a step closer and whispered just loud enough for them both to hear. "I want you to tell everyone you started it, and that you're full of shit, okay?"

"I started it, and I'm full of shit," he muttered lowly.

"Again, louder," she said with a grin stretching across her face.

"I started it, and I'm full of shit," Ashton practically shouted.

Both she and her friend laughed, "as soon as I got a good look at you I knew it was a fluke, and if it wasn't you wouldn't hit a girl anyway, even if you are a faggot,"

Ashton swallowed thickly, feeling other eyes in the hall on his back, people were watching, waiting to see if he really was the 'psycho' the rumour mill had been telling everyone he was.

"You can go now," her friend chimed, giving Ashton a smile full of sickly-sweet sarcasm.

He sighed and turned back in the direction he'd initially been going, and saw Michael and Crystal watching from up ahead.

"What the fuck was that?" she asked as he approached.

He sighed and offered a humourless laugh as reassurance, "just people trying to see if I really did beat the shit out of Dylan Bogge, everyone thinks I'm some sort of 'psycho'" he used air quotes around the word, not comfortable saying it without them.

"Should have just told her to fuck off," Michael said lowly.

"Just trying to stay out of trouble, I already have more detention than I know what to do with," Ashton said with a sigh, and if he were honest, with or without the curse he probably would have just done what she'd said, he didn't need any more conflict in his life.