At the Wrong Time

Chapter 13: Old Friends and Newer Friends

At the Wrong Time

Chapter 13

Old Friends and Newer Friends

-Claire’s POV-

-Flashback-

“Can I um… have your number?” he asked looking at me with a foolish grin on his face, I could feel my face fall a little and his face mirrored my reaction. I had a million thoughts zooming around my mind but for some reason I couldn’t find an answer to his simple question. It was just a yes or no, but it meant so much more than that simple answer.

I just stood there like a complete idiot looking around to see if anyone else had seen or heard what had just taken place. Nope, they were all sitting in their cars talking to each other or on their phones, except for two boys Calum, because he just wanted to go like the impatient bastard he was, and Ashton. I looked at him square in the eyes for a moment, for once in the past week he seemed to have done something good from his slightly creepy watching ways, before I quickly turned around and looked at Calum, I thought for a moment to mouth ‘help’ but a) that would be quite mean, I mean he was really nice and we seemed to get along really well but I was still shocked and trying to pull myself out of the ditch of humiliation that I had to go through with Ashton, and b) he could see me in the reflection of the car.

I turned around and saw him looking down at his feet, the look of rejection and sadness spread across his face. “I mean you don’t have to, I just…” He began but I panicked and quickly interrupted him.

“No, no!” He looked up recovering and a smile spreading across his face, “I just….” I grabbed at the air, mentally, for some sort of reasonable excuse that meant I wouldn’t hurt his feelings, “I left my phone at home,” I said awkwardly putting my hands in my pockets and laughing lightly, he tightened his lips in disappointment before saying, “Well I guess I’ll have to give it to you on tour,” he said trying to find a positive in the situation before he raised his hand and quickly jogged of to his car.

-Flashback over-

I sat up, suddenly away of the pain in my back and the paper stuck to my face. I groaned and peeled it off before quickly examining its contents. It was one of my templates for articles which I had made in advance in my frustration towards Ashton. I rubbed my eyes before I looked around I was lying face down on my couch in front of the tv with my laptop just about to run out of charge and papers scattered around me. I sighed as I walked into my room with my laptop and plugged it in I ran my hand threw my hair as I sighed and looked around the room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my phone flash on and off.

I looked at it in confusion and turned it on. It was Ashton. I had three missed calls and one text ‘we need to talk’. I groaned and rubbed my forehead, it was too early for this kind of thing, I looked down at the time, 12:03pm. Or not.

It took me about ten minutes to get changed, not bothering with any makeup except concealer, cause without it I would look like something out of a Zombie, alive or dead, before I then began to walk, no run, down the stairs to my car which I had left out on the curb.

No matter what happened between us and how desperately I wanted to go back in time and smack him, I wanted even more too just go back to the way things were before, even if I knew they couldn’t be exactly the same.

I arrive outside his house and was about to get out of the car when I realise Ashton’s family would probably be home, it was a Saturday. I sighed as I turned the engine back on and drove off in search of an appropriate meeting spot. It took me around five minutes to discover he had a park not too far away.

I parked out front and quickly text Ashton to say I was at the park around the corner if he wanted to talk. I got out and began to walk inside when I saw him, across the green field covered in children and happy families mid conversation, there he stood leaning against a tree reading a book. Patrick. I gulped and hung my head low in a vain attempted to try and hide my face with my long hair. I quickly whipped out my phone to text Ashton to ask if we could just talk out the front of his house or something, any place was better than this.