FROM LUKE:
i let you sob all weekend alone but now i'm going to keep u company
It was Sunday night and Luke had been partially right about my weekend of horrendous ugly crying – not that I'd ever admit it to him. As far as he was concern he's never won an argument.
As much as I loved Luke it still hurt to talk to anyone about this. I just wanted to forget about everything. I think Luke assumed I would've demanded answers from Sydney by now, but I couldn't even stomach the thought of her.
Sydney, my best friend, had kissed my supposedly dead boyfriend. What the fuck? What the actual fuck? Had I fallen asleep and somehow woken up in the middle of a Gossip Girl episode?
As much as it killed me to know Ashton was alive I had no fucking clue what to do with that information. I had cried and grieved over him for seven months. I had just started to think I could move on with Michael, maybe give myself a chance again but now he was back.
I exhaled sharply thinking over that one thought. Ashton Irwin was back. I looked over at my desk, where a scrunched up piece of paper laid. Hesitantly I reached out for it and uncurled the ball of fury. I had written down all the questions that plagued my mind in an effort to clear my head out.
My handwriting was rushed and the questions were improvised all around the page. It was not a neat list. It was the scrambling's of a young girl who thought she'd lost her mind. I slowly read them all, despite having them burned into my memory.
Ashton is alive?
I think that was the one concept I couldn't wrap my head around. It was also the one think I refused to let myself think about. It could have been trick lighting or something. Maybe it was someone who looked like Ashton. I didn't know. All I knew was that if I really let myself believe that the love of my life was back then it'd shatter me to find out he wasn't.
Sydney kissed Ashton?
I'd slap the bitch.
Sydney knew Ashton was alive?
I'd slap both of those bitches.
Before I could continue reading my phone buzzed again with an incoming text from Luke.
FROM LUKE:
i'm not fcking around. i'm outside with two tubes of melting ice-cream and your neighbor is looking at me weirdly. pls come save me before i tell her she looks like a sagging sack of skin
Despite everything that had happened over the last five days, Luke had managed to make me laugh. I covered my mouth, a little shocked at the deliriously happy sound that had escaped me. I rubbed my thumb over my lower lip before deciding to go let Luke in.
Holing myself up in my room clearly wasn't good for my mental health. It hadn't even been a full week and I was writing down lists of questions that I'd never ask for fear of the answers.
I rubbed my eyes before sliding off my bed aka my fortress. My parents had been invited to someone's 50th and I practically had to kick them out of the house. Mum was still clearly worried about me, but I was relieved to know she was having fun tonight. The guilt was still nestling at the bottom of my stomach, knowing how much I concerned her.
I padded through the living room in my sleepers before swinging the door open. True to his word, Luke was standing there with two grocery bags. However, he didn't notice me straight away, as he was too busy glaring at Mrs. Crabble.
I reached out and grabbed his shirt, dragging him into the house before shutting the door.
"Stop terrorizing my elderly neighbours." I rolled my eyes, hitting him over the head.
"Terrorising? I was innocently minding my own business when I hear that... that thing hiss at me." Luke threw his arms up before walking into the kitchen and dumping down the food.
"Wait, she hissed at you?" Okay, now I was slightly amused.
"That woman is bat shit crazy. She's had it out for me ever since you dared me to do a nude run down the streets." Luke reminded me.
"She did call the cops..." I trailed off, recalling that memory with a fond smile.
"Don't look so fucking pleased." Luke snorted, before walking over to me. He had two pints of ice cream; mange for me and chocolate for him. "She hates you too."
"I'm pretty sure G-ma can't hurt you." I ran my fingers through my hair. "You do suck at fighting... but I think you can take an eighty year-old lady."
"You're so aggressive." Luke covered his hair and mockingly gasped at me. "Nobody was talking about hurting ole' G-ma. I mean, I was thinking up some impressive insults but I wasn't practicing my left hook on the lady."
"Well, you've got to practice it on someone. It's getting pretty weak." I shrugged.
"Maybe I'll practice it on Ashton." Luke muttered darkly.
It was the first time either of us had acknowledged him. After the night we saw Ashton, I demanded that Michael drive me home. Up until now I assumed Luke had just been trying to give me space.
"Luke..." I began wearily but he shook his head defiantly.
"It's been five days, Atlantis. We have to talk about this. Repeat after me, Ashton Irwin is alive, Sydney Luka is a backstabbing bitch and Luke Hemmings is here to help." He gave me an expectant look.
"I'm quite aware that my 'supposed to be' dead boyfriend is alive and sticking his tongue down my 'supposed to be' best friend." I said drily. "Are you happy?"
"Extremely." Luke's tone was equally as blank as mine. He sighed quietly. "I'm trying to help, Atlantis. You've got to acknowledge what's happening and do something."
"Do what?"
"Something! Anything!" Luke said exasperatedly. "Punch a hole in the wall, or scream at the top of your fucking lungs for all I care. Get mad. Get even. Get answers – just fucking do something. Don't sit around here and cry."
"It's not that easy." I mumbled, sinking into the couch as Luke continued to stand. He clearly had a lot to say and by the way he was pacing I'd say it's safe to assume he wasn't finished.
"I know it's not easy." He said softly, giving me a frown. "This has got to be the most fucked up situation that anyone could get themselves into but the thing is they can't hurt you if you don't let yourself get hurt."
"What is that meant to mean?" I swallowed loudly. "How can I not hurt?"
"The way I see it, Sydney is the one who should be a crying, sobbing mess. She should be begging for your forgiveness. She shouldn't have the power to make you feel like complete shit whilst she attends school everyday with this casual grace." Luke sat down next to me.
"She kissed Ashton." I said quietly, as if I just comprehended the fucked-up levels of it all.
"And for that there is a special place in Hell reserved just for her, I promise you." Luke wrapped his arm around me. "But for now you need to talk to her."
"I can't even navigate my way through all these thoughts in my head." I choked out. "What is the appropriate reaction to this sort of thing? I don't know how to feel."
"I'm not sure there is an 'appropriate' reaction, love." Luke kissed my temple and exhaled slowly. "It's not the kind-of thing you can Google. I reckon' you've just gotta sort it out by yourself."
"I'm scared that I'll hate her so much I never want to see her again." I whispered, looking up at Luke with tear encrusted lashes.
"Don't you already hate her? I know I do." He replied drily but I merely shook my head.
"Hating Sydney is like hating a part of myself." I bit down on my lip. "I'm worried that once I talk to her and realize she doesn't have a good explanation for any of this that I won't be able to forgive her."
"I'm really no good at this advice thing. I reckon if I were a girl I probably would've knocked her teeth out already." Luke admitted, before resting his chin on my head as I buried it in his chest.
"You're here." I said quietly. "That's enough."
"Will you talk to Sydney?" Luke asked gently, running his fingers through my hair.
"Why do you want me to talk to her so badly? Are you suddenly under her spell because you fucked her?" I muttered darkly.
"Hey," Luke frowned, looking down at me. "I'm on your side here."
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry." I apologised sheepishly. I hadn't meant to sound so rude and accusing. I was just on edge.
"But to answer your question, I want you to talk to Sydney for your own benefit." He murmured softly. "I think it'll help you get answers, and answers will let you move on. If I thought for a second that this would in no way be beneficial for you, then I wouldn't encourage you do to it. I'd tell the bitch to fuck herself on a chainsaw and I'd rent us a bunch of movies to watch whilst we ignored her calls."
"Thank you, Luke." I said after a moment of silence. I'd never be able to repay him for his kindness and ability to remain stable whilst I weakened.
I was about to go into detail about how lucky I was to have him around when my phone started buzzing on the table. I hesitantly reached over; constantly weary that it might be Sydney. I frowned in confusion. It wasn't Sydney.
FROM UNKNOWN NUMBER:
Atlantis, I need to talk to you.
"You think Sydney got a new number?" I asked lightly, showing Luke the text. He shook his head in confusion.
"I don't think so. She's been texting me constantly from her old number." He hummed, raising his eyebrow. "Is it Michael?"
"No." I felt another pang of guilt. Michael. "Although I do need to talk to him..." I trailed off with a sigh, about to compose a text to Michael when my phone went off again.
"Oh... oh shit." I whispered as my eyes danced along the words that were currently causing me anguish whilst also setting my heart on fire.
FROM UNKNOWN NUMBER:
It's Ashton.
p.s ya'll were going "I KNEW IT" and "CALLED IT" last chapter but i have you know that it was orginally going to be blake - i wrote the whole stoRY OUT WITH THAT BEING BLAKE BUT I CHANGED IT THANKS TO A COMMENT AND I CHANGED IT LAST SECOND SO U DID NOT KNOW IT OK
hell i didnt even kno