Reject ❀ c.h. [punk au]

41

// please read author's note at the end, VERY important! //

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"I'm Shaine Whitmore, I'm a friend of Ashton's." I explain awkwardly as the smoke from her cigarette swirls towards my face.

"His girlfriend?"

"No." I begin, waving away the smoke with my hand. "Just his friend."

She looks me up and down slowly and I grow more nervous than before beneath her intense glare.

"Well, what do you want?"

To come take your kid away from you.

"I wanted to know if Harry would be able to come to my house for a sleepover." I lie, pushing my conscious away.

"My younger brother has been bugging me about it." I laugh.

She lifts an eyebrow at me as she exhales another cloud of smoke.

"Where do you live?"

"Just a couple streets away. Perfect walking distance in case anything-"

"Shaine!" Harry exclaims, popping up from behind his mother.

He smiles widely at me and it warms my heart.

"Hey, Harry."

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, Tate's been asking about you, and I wanted to know if you'd like to come have a sleepover?"

Harry's eyes light up as he turns to his mom.

"Please, mom, please!"

"Whatever, just go on." She waves him off with her hand before he disappears back inside to pack his things.

I glance back at Michael's car to see him and Luke watching me closely, probably staying alert in case anything happened.

They warned me on the way here about how crazy Ashton's mom could be at times, and after hearing the way she spoke to him the first day I came here, I didn't doubt them.

"Have you heard what they're gonna do with him?"

I turn my attention back to her and clear my throat, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

I shake my head.

"No, not yet. I still don't even know the whole story."

"Well, whatever sentence they give him I hope it's long. Little bastard deserves to pay for what he's done to this family." She says, throwing down her cigarette bud and lighting up another one.

I could feel the anger building in my chest at the cruel way she spoke about her own son, and it took everything in me not to snap at her. But I needed to keep it together if I wanted to take Harry with me.

He was the main priority at the moment.

"Let's go!" Harry exclaims once joining us back on the porch, his navy blue backpack slung over his shoulder.

"You have fun, baby." She calls after him as we make our way back toward Michael's car.

"Bye, mom!" He calls back before getting in and shutting the door after him.

Luke and Michael greet him with warm smiles and that weird handshake before starting the car again, and I can still feel her venomous eyes strained on me until we pull away from the curb.