Punk Rock Next Door

Chapter 3

Michael - the one who asks for forgiveness

I love Ashton.

Hey, I said it. I am not afraid to say it either.

Its just, he hates me.

After that night I brought up the party incident and I comforted him, he hadn't talked to me. Spoke nothing more than a "Good morning." Or a "What are you in the mood to eat."

Nothing more.

~~~

"Hey, I think I like your brother." I blurted out once to Lauren, who spat out her coffee into the small office sink. After she coughed for a couple minutes, she stared at me.

"Clifford, I am not letting your punk ass anywhere near my beloved brother."

"Why notttt?" I whined, glaring at her. She glared back, much more sharply. Kind of like how Ashton would glare at me if we did something he didn't want to do.

"Because I let your punk ass near him 2 years ago and you see where that got him? I guess you don't get how much I dislike you." I blinked a few times before following her as she stormed out of the break room.

"Hey, Lauren! What the hell do you mean where it got him?" I asked, perplexed as to why she would say it. The way she said it too, I feel like she really does hate me. But..what did I do.

"Are you asking what you did? Are you fucking with me right now? Get outside, we needa talk."

*nobody's P.O.V really quick *

Lauren dragged Michael out the fast food shop door, anger and rage boiling and rushing through her veins.

"I hate him I hate him I hate HIM SO MUCH." She mumbled to herself, finding a way to calm down

Michael, on the other hand, couldn't figure out as to why the person who pretty much helped him get an apartment and reunite with his best friend of so many years hated him. Why did she hate him? Did he do something?

"Lauren, just tell me what I did."

"You broke his heart, Michael. You shattered his world." Lauren mumbled, her voice cracking and for the first time, she showed how much it hurt her as well as she held back the tears.

Michael stared in disbelief, surely not understanding the words she had said. Broken his heart? Ashton didn't like Michael, that was for sure.

"That night at the party, you kissed Ash. The day after the party is when the rumours started. And they were all horrid lies and directed to Ashton. No one says anything bad about you, because you are the school's badass, no one would mess with you. But my brother, he isn't popular, he isn't what people at school considered socially acceptable. So rumours spread. Rumours about how he was gay, and all over you, and was stupid, dumb, gross for thinking about you like that. Ashton gets up scared to go to school, scared to get beaten up and bullied for something that was two years ago. Fucking two years ago! Michael...do you know what he does when he gets home?

He locks himself up in his toilet, crying for hours and hours about it. He slits his wrists over and over again and overdosed on anti-depressants once. I know you know he went to the hospital before you cut off all ties with him." As Lauren was fuming, Michael wore a blank expression. His mind all over as he tried to fathom what was happening.

Ashton cuts? So he's suicidal? And...overdosed? So that's why he was in the hospital...

*Flashback *

"Are you family to Mr. Irwin?" The annoyed sounding receptionist said, not looking up from her work till the green-haired male spoke.

"N-no, but he's my best friend! I have to see him." Michael exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table in anger. The bleach-blonde woman gave him a double take, heaving a deep sigh before waving her clawed hand.
"Whatever, just get out if my face. Please don't do anything illegal."
"Can't promise anything!" Michael yelled, already running down the hallways.