Monday, October 19th- 5:06 p.m.
Once Coach had finally ended practice, I stayed out on the field stretching like I usually did. Since Calum hadn't been at practice, it was just me this time.
I sat stretching out my legs with my phone between my legs, looking through my notifications as I went. I could hear the team moving back towards the locker room behind me, leaving me and the field to myself.
At least so I thought- until a body sat down in front of me.
His smile lit up my face as soon as I looked up, just his presence being enough to pull me from the dark place that was my mind. His eyes fell to that green I adored, bringing me comfort I couldn't explain.
He scooted closer to me, picking up my legs and moving them so they laid over his now. He sat as close as he could to me, making me roll my eyes as I couldn't stretch anymore.
"Were you not done yet?" he laughed as he saw my reaction.
I shook my head at him. "No, Ash. I wasn't."
"Oh, well. Now you are," he told me with a snarky tone.
I scoffed at him as he scooted back and stood up. He held out his hands to help me up, smiling down at me as he waited.
"Come on," he complained.
I rolled my eyes again, putting my hands in his. "You're the one who gets to listen to all my complaining tomorrow when my legs hurt," I told him. As soon as he gripped my hands to help me up, I pulled him back down towards me with all the strength I could. Laughs fell from my lips as he fought me back, eventually winning and yanking me into his arms.
"Oh, you thought you were slick?" he laughed as he held me in his arms.
I wiggled out, running away as he chased after me. I screamed quietly as I turned to see him chasing after me. I stopped in place, switching directions to throw him off. I gained ground on him as he switched to follow me, but caught up quickly.
I stopped again, getting ready to jump in another direction. He stopped too, jumping the same way I had, wrapping his arms around my waist as he caught me. I laughed as he pulled my back into his chest, picking me up off the ground to stop my escape.
"Not so fast, are you?" he commented as I doubled over into myself, holding his arms as I tried to pry them off my center.
Moments like these were the reason I craved him so much. In these moments I felt the happiness I hadn't experienced since before summer- well, til him. I felt that contentment that made me want to feel my emotions instead of numb them. It kept me from wanting to drink till I couldn't feel anything because I wanted to feel the happiness I felt only with him.
"Put me down," I whined as he held me off the ground.
He let me slip down through his arms, my feet finally reaching the ground. He rested his head over my shoulder, making me laugh as I turned to face him. He leaned in to kiss me as he gave me a squeeze, making me smile into him.
He broke away, pushing me forward as he leaned down to pick up his stuff. "Okay, let's go," he told me as he walked back towards the bench with me.
"Let's go where?" I asked with a sarcastic tone, knowing he wouldn't tell me anyway.
"You'll-"
"-find out," I finished for him, knowing that would be his answer. "What's new?"
He gave me a funny look as I finished his sentence. I gave him a cocky smile, watching as he shook his head at me.
"It's always your response to my question," I told him, laughing to myself a bit. I walked up to him and he held out his hand, his face showing just how annoyed he was with me.
"And now I'll never tell you," he snarked back to me. I intertwined our fingers, following beside him as he led us back to the locker room.
Both of our sarcastic personalities were showing through in moments like these. It didn't matter how annoyed we pretended to be with the other, we were still happy to just be with the other.
"Oh, just like how you weren't going to give me pants when I wore spandex and you threw me into a lake?" I commented, laughing lightly as I thought back to it. I knew I was right.
"You know, one of these days I will just let you die of hypothermia," he told me, his cocky smile on his face.
"Oh, mhm, definitely," I sarcastically replied, knowing damn well he wouldn't actually let me die. He did make me promise to never leave him, and deaths included in that, so I knew he wouldn't.
He laughed at me as he led me off the field, his happiness contagious. He dropped my hand when we reached the locker room, holding the door open for me as other members filed out.
I moved over to my locker, noticing how most of the team had left. I got my stuff together, digging out my clothes to switch back into. I pulled my shirt over my head when I heard someone move behind me.
I spun around to see who was in Calum's usual spot since he wasn't here and was met with the only person on this team I truly feared.
He opened his mouth to speak but another voice rang out through the empty room.
"Fuck off, Andrew."
I turned towards the voice, knowing Andrew hadn't actually spoke. I stood silently as I watched Ashton set his stuff down and walk towards me.
"I wasn't doing any-" Andrew tried to defend himself.
"I told you if you touched her, I'd kill you," Ashton told him as he finally reached us. He pressed a hand to my stomach, pushing me back a bit so he was between Andrew and me. I stepped back, pulling my shirt over my head as Ashton put himself between us.
"I can fight my own fights, Ash-" I started to say, getting a little frustrated he didn't even give me a chance to speak.
"Forget it, Auni. I've got you," he cut me off, completely shutting down my idea. "Just get ready to go."
"I wouldn't touch her with you around anyways," Andrew commented from the bench, starting to stand up to leave. "How's it going anyways, Ashton?"
"It's fine, Andrew. Leave it," Ashton quickly responded, sounding as done with this conversation as I was. I got all my stuff together as they continued talking, trying to ignore whatever was falling from their mouths.
"What? I'm just asking a simple question," Andrew defended himself.
I pulled my bags over my shoulders, tapping Ashton's arm so we could go. He turned to look at me as I kept my head down. I whispered "let's go" and turned towards the door. He walked backward as I stayed behind him, breaking off to grab his stuff.
"Andrew," he warned as he picked up his bags off the floor. He turned to look at me for a moment before breaking back to staring down Andrew, and I noticed how his eyes had glassed over and that hazel was back.
He melted for a moment when he was looking over to me, the green trying to push through before he broke our glance.
"Stay away from her," he told Andrew as he walked up towards me. "That's your last warning."
He turned back to me before Andrew could respond, ushering me out of the locker room. "Okay, Irwin," Andrew called after us, making Ashton roll his eyes as my face pulled in confusion.
"Just keep walking," Ash told me, continuing to lag just behind me to keep distance between Andrew and I. As soon as he looked back to me and left Andrew behind, he melted back to that authentic green I trusted, meaning my Ashton had come back to me.
"Come on, Angel," he whispered as he placed a hand on my lower back, pushing me out the door he pulled open for me.
I walked in front of him as we reached the hallway, his hand falling from my back to mine. I looked over to him at his movement, seeing the concern in his eyes.
"You're okay?" he asked as he dug his keys from his pocket.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured him, squeezing his hand as he opened the door out of the building. He held it for me as I followed behind, continuing to assure him. "He didn't touch me or anything. He was just sitting there. I don't know why."
"He's just doing it to piss me off," Ashton explained as he led me to the car. "He's mad I've been distancing myself."
"Why?" I asked before I could stop myself.
"Because I hate who I was around him," he explained, looking over to me. "And I hate what that version of me would let happen to you."
I bit my cheek from his words. I hated the idea that he didn't like who he was. I understood what that felt like, and I wished I could take that pain from him.
"But I love who I am when I'm with you, Auni," he told me as we walked across the empty parking lot. I smiled to myself at his words, looking down to my feet so he wouldn't see. "And that took me way too long to realize. But I did, so I'm slowly distancing myself so I don't have to keep being who he wanted, but he didn't like that so now he's trying to piss me off."
"I never liked him anyway," I told Ashton as we reached his car. He opened the door for me, letting me use his hand for balance as I climbed in. "Why do you guys keep him around anyway?"
"Beyond me," he whispered below his breath as he shook his head. "The rest of the team doesn't know what all he's done so I guess they just still think he's a saint."
"Even after everything I've said?" I asked with a confused expression. "Even after what Calum's said?"
Ash held his hands up in surrender, not knowing what to say back. "If it was my call, he would have been gone a long time ago, but no one believes you but Calum and I, and no one likes Calum enough to believe him."
"And why don't they believe you?" I continued to press, still just as confused as I was over the first question.
"Because I have ulterior motives against him."