forever// 5SOS

18

Ashton

"I keep calling you the wrong thing," Ava said to me on the way home.

"You can call me whatever,"

"I know but, I keep switching,"

"Then maybe you're just not ready for dad, and that's okay,"

"Is everything really okay like you say it is?"

"Yes, and if it's not, it will be,"

"How do you know?"

"Because if you try, and work hard, it figures itself out. Do you want to go and get ice cream?"

"Really?" she asked, her face lighting up.

I nodded, turning into town so we could go to the shop. I knew she was a little tense.

"You know you deserve the world," I said quietly.

"That's a lot,"

"I know. Never tell yourself you don't deserve something. You deserve all the love and happiness no matter what anyone says,"

"Ashton," she whispered, "Thankyou,"

"I'm so proud of everything you've achieved ever since we've met. I know I keep telling you how proud I am but it's true, and I need to nail it into your head that it's okay to be proud,"

She nodded and looked outside, seeing the ice cream shop and smiling; I'd barely parked before she climbed out.

So that she didn't run off, I kept my arm round her shoulder, and went inside where it was ice cream galore.

This was always our birthday treat as a young kid.

"Why don't you try a different ice cream today?"

"Like?"

"Go and choose,"

She went over to the glass window, skipping back over with more glow in her cheek than I'd ever seen.

"Chocolate brownie please,"

"Alright. Do you think you can say the order or is that too much right now?"

"Too much,"

I ordered our ice creams and she sat down, both of us choosing a pot. She ate the ice cream as if it would disappear any second, while I took my time.

"You'll get a tummy ache,"

"But it's yummy,"

"Don't say I didn't warn you,"

My phone buzzed and I got it out, seeing an email from the head. She wanted a meeting straight away, but it'd have to be early in the morning which worked out for me.

"Ava, we have a meeting tomorrow morning with Mrs.Lockheart. She's gonna talk to us all about school okay?"

"Talk to me?"

"She will talk to you, because this will hopefully about what we can do to make sure you're in school,"

"I don't want school,"

"Why?"

"It's too busy, people will want to talk and I'll just be a weirdo because I won't be talking,"

"Okay,"

"And I can't keep up with work and the homework, it's all too much,"

"You're still gonna have to do school work Ava,"

"I know but it's different,"

"And you're gonna have some people in a room,"

"You're making it sound bad now,"