I woke up monday morning with an unexpected feeling of relief. I didn't even realize that winter break starts next week, because things have been seeming to fly by with no time to catch my own breath. What with all the drama at school, all the drama that's becoming regular in my house, and the countless things I've recklessly done with Ashton and our group of friends, it was hard to keep up with it all.
And, my school work added to this, as well. Unfortunately.
I rolled out of bed with the image of having 2 weeks off floating around my brain, and somehow it got me through my usual boring and exhasuting morning routine of getting ready for school. By the time it was 7:00, I was pulling my hair into a braid and my phone vibrated on my bed side table. I smiled, because it was apparent that the text was from Ashton.
"Happy monday! Lets DO THIS lol x" It said. I chuckled to myself as I yanked my phone out of the charger and stuffed it into my back pocket for now.
"C'mon mom!" I called as I rushed down the stairs and out to the car. Still, I need my own car. I know my way around Vegas pretty well now, and I'm not afraid to physically walk to school myself if I had to. I felt pretty lame; seeming to be the only one without their own car and who gets driven everywhere by either their mother or boyfriend. Maybe I'll look for a car when the new year roles around.
"Happy monday to you too," I replied to Ashton's text as I continued to wait for my mom. "And what exactly is "THIS" that we will be doing?"
My mother came out to the car, and slowly got into the front seat. She looked tired.
"You alright?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
"What? Yes!" She replied with a smile. I could tell that smile was fake as fuck, but I sure didn't know what to say next. Relief washed over me as my phone vibratd in my lap.
"I dunno. Everything." Ashton said.
"Wow, that's deep."
"I know."
We pulled up to my school, and I made no hesitation to scramble out of the car, and give my mom a little wave before turning my attention back to the front of my school. I sighed, because even though there was just one week left, that was 5 more agonizing days of this place. I'd much rather be in bed, or watching TV or drawing or simply reading a book, just as long as I wasn't here I would have been happy. It's as if school was becoming a place full of judgemental and uncomfortabe obstacles; like the people I'm forced to sit in class with, and the people who actually run the whole system here. The only thing that kept me excited for school was-
"Ashton!" I called, my tired self instantly picking up the pace. His frame turned, and he flashed a cheeky and adorable smile at me. His mop of brown hair fell over his eyes, but he pushed it back as I walked full speed into him, crashing my body to his and making him let out a heartful chuckle.
"Hey babe!" He chirped, wrapping his arms around my waist and leaning down to meet his lips with mine. I giggled, because his lips tasted like a mixture of minty toothpaste and fresh nicotine. I leaned back to look at him, and my heart instanlty filled itself with joy at the adorableness that looked back at me.
"Why are you staring?" Ashton laughed, not bothering to release his hands from my waist or continue walking into the enterance of our school. I just shrugged, and pecked his lips one last time.
"I don't know," I said, intertwining our fingers together. "You always look so cute and cuddly in the mornings." I looked up at the sound of Ashton chuckling beside me, and I raised my eyebrows in amusment as his eyes were squinted and there was a faint shade of pink on his cheeks.
"Am I making you blush, Ashton Irwin?" I joked.
"Of course not!" He laughed. I gave him a little push, and he stopped dead in his tracks. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusement, while he just stared at me.
"That tickled." he said in a serious tone. But, knowing Ashton, I knew he was still fooling around.
"Let this be another lesson to you," I played along, conjoining our fingers together again. I looked over to the tree and saw the rest of our group, and they were all staring at us. "Don't pick a fight with me, because I will tickle you."
"That was really cute." Natalie said as we approached all of them. I just rolled my eyes and laughed, trying to hide the blush that was probably now on my face. Luke was here as well, which made me smile. I'm glad he's no longer hanging out with his old group of friends; he doesn't deserve to. We continued to talk to one another for a couple more minutes, until the bell rang. Excitement bubbled up inside of me, because first period was art: my favorite class of the day. For obvious reasons, of course.
...
"Okay class," Ms. Hullen said when there was about 10 minutes left of class. "It's time for yet another at-home assignment, which is going to count as your final."
There was a chorus of about 20 different groans throughout the room, except Ashton and I. It wouldn't surprise me if we were the only 2 people taking this class because we actually like the subject; not to just fool around and take an easy course. Ms. Hullen ignored the negative interactions, and kept talking.
"You can work by your self or with a partner, if you want-"
My eyes shot over to Ashton, to see him already looking at me. We seemed to raise our eyebrows expectantly at each other at the same time.
"-And what you're going to create is anything you'd like, actually. It has to incoorporate one of the things that we have covered this semester."
She walked over to the whiteboard at the front of the room, and I watched as she bulletted all the things that we've spent time on in the last couple of months. "Lines, shape, shading, texture, blending, color, abstract, and definition." She said as she wrote them out.
Wow. There have been so many things in this class that we've learned, yet it felt like just last week I was stepping into this class for the first time. It was amazing to think about, actually. So much has changed about me and my surroundings since then, and its weird to think that it's been so much longer than what it felt like.
I guess time flies when you find yourself falling for someone.
*Ashton's POV*
"I'm checking our stats right now." Michael said, turning his chair back to his desk computer. School had ended about an hour ago, and Brooke and I decided to push our tutoring session to wednesday because she had a shit ton of homework to do. It saddened me a little, because I really wanted to spend time with her (even though I do that almost everyday), but now our band can post another cover!
"What if it has 10,000 views?" Luke laughed, strumming Michael's electric guitar. It was unplugged, but it still made a pretty sound.
"Well, it's kinda close..." Michael said, his eyes glued to the screen. I sat up from where I was laying down on the floor, a sudden burst of hope in my chest. "Really?" I asked.
"We're up to 50." He replied. I turned to Calum, who was sitting across from me.
"Yes." I said sarcastically. Calum and I highfived, and we all laughed.
"How many times did we each watch it?" Micheal joked.
"Like, 45." Luke replied. His serious tone made us all look over him, confused. A small smile crept on his face. "Nah man I'm just kidding I watched it like twice."
"No one's ever gonna watch it!" I said, throwing my arms up in frustration.
"This is pointless," Calum sighed. "What are the odds that anyones actually gonna watch our covers."
"Well hey," Luke said positively. "There was a good 45 people that watched our first video, right?"
"I guess you're right." I agreed. I sighed, and layed back down. "Should we film another one?" I asked.
"I guess so," Michael replied. "What song?"
The room went quiet as we all put our heads into deep thought at what song we could cover next. I had absolutely no idea. "I don't know." I shrugged, getting up to drag out Michael's box drum from his closet.
"Text Brooke." Michael proposed. I slumped down onto the box and couldn't help the small smile that spread on my face. "Kay." I said.
"Awww, he's blushing!" Luke teased. I just rolled my eyes as Michael and Calum laughed along with Luke. I didn't really care, they could laugh if they wanted. I snatched my phone from the floor, and texted Brooke.
"Name a song." I said.
"Party in the USA"
"BROOKE"
"YOU SAID NAME A SONG"
"WE'RE NOT DOING THAT"
"FINE I miss you by blink 182?"
"Oh hey!" I said excitedly, totally forgetting about that song. "Should we do 'I Miss You'?"
"YES." Michael agreed, exiting out of our youtube channel and grabbing his acoustic. He sat down on the bed as Calum grabbed his guitar as well. "Shall we rehearse?"
...
By now it was about 7:30 pm, and Michael's mum offered to let us all stay for dinner. I know I should probably get home, and not let Michael's family waste their money on the food they feed me, but his mother insisted. Besides, she made fettucini. You can't go wrong with fettucini made by Michael's mum.
"Lads," Calum said from across the kitchen table. I swallowed what pasta was left in my mouth and raised my eyebrows to give him my full attention. "I have absolutely no idea what to get Natalie for Christmas."
It's a good thing I had swallowed all the food in my mouth, because I probably would have choked if I hadn't. I totally forgot next week was Christmas, and a sinking feeling was weighing down my heart. Michael and Luke began to discuss what Michael could also get Sydney, but I stayed silent. I wasn't very fond of Christmas, to be completely honest. The last time I fully celebrated Christmas was when I was probably 4 or 5, and the only memory I have was when my dad got too drunk to wake up on Christmas morning and all we could afford was a couple pairs of socks. At the time it didn't really matter to me, they were pretty soft socks, but now that I look back on that I realize that it was actually quite sad. I mean, c'mon, socks? I wanted a bicycle, but I got socks. After I left Sydney with my grandmother, we never had enough money to celebrate it either. So, yeah, I don't think Christmas is really my thing.
Michael seemed to have noticed my uncomfortable state, because his eyes shot over to me quickly. "Ashton," he said. I blinked and looked over to him. "What are you gonna get Brooke?"
Even though I don't like the holiday, of course I'm getting Brooke something. I don't even know if she'll do the same for me, but I wanted to get her something, you know, be a good boyfriend and all. But alas, even though I've got this fancy (compared to my old place) apartment now, I still barely have enough money to really do or buy anything anymore. Brooke, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Which is okay, of course, but the last thing I wanted was to have to say "Oh sorry, your boyfriend is too poor to do anything for you even though you make him happier than any other person can."
"I don't know," I finally spoke up. "I can't really put the money I make to anything else except the apartment."
"So?" Luke said with a shrug, as if my objection was absolutely ridiculous. "Make something for her."
"Make something? You can do that?" I asked, bewildered. Everyone bursted out with laughter at my words, except me. "What?"
"Of course you can do that!" Luke replied. "What, do you-"
His voice was ceased, and I tilted my head to the side. "Nevermind." He said. I had an idea of what he was going to ask about, but the look in his eyes told me that he would have regretted it. Probably something to do with the fact that I have no idea how this happy and cheery holiday works. I didn't blame him; I would have wondered the same thing. Like, what kid doesn't celebrate Christmas? I mean, besides all the kids that practiced a different religion and stuff.
I took another bite of fettucini, and rested my head on my hands that were propped up on the table by my elbows. "Make something." I said aloud, my eyes narrowed as I stared at the picture above Michael's fireplace in the other room. "Like what?"
"Don't look at us," Calum laughed. "She's your girlfriend."
"Yeah but I'm bad at this stuff-"
"You know her better than anyone!"
"Maybe I'll get Sydney a Victoria's Secret giftcard," Michael said randomly. "But she has to take me with her when she shops."
The room went silent, and all at once we all cracked up. "Wow Michael," I laughed. "Really stepping up to the plate with your relationship."
"Fuck you she'll love it." Michael said. I rinsed my bowl out in the sink, and grabbed my phone off the table.
"Well I'll be off now," I said. "I have homework and shit and an actual bed to sleep in now."
"Oh yeah how's the new place?" Luke asked, turning in his chair to look at me. I stopped walking and turned as well, and I couldn't help but smile. I'm happy I'm out of that hell-hole of a trailer, okay?
"You guys should come over soon," I said. "Its actually quite nice." We all said goodbye for now, and I hastily made my way to my car, and off of Michael's street. Luckily for me, my new home was only an 8 or so minute drive. I turned on the radio and jammed to Fall Out Boy's new single, until I came to the curb outside the library that some of the apartments of my complex sat ontop of. It was closed by now, but I knew exactly where I'm going after school tomorrow. I could just see the shelves and shelves of unread books, just calling out to me, telling me to read their pages, and spend hours upon hours in there, filling my mind with each sentece that gave me the chills. I loved it when that happened.
I walked up to the 2nd floor, and over to B34. The letters on the door were only a little faded, but I didn't mind. I pushed open the door and saw that the place was almost completely dark. I looked to the clock on the microwave to see it was already 10:30. Gram was asleep, and I have not started my homework yet. "Well shit." I muttered to myself. No sleep tonight. I walked over to the cupboards, and prayed that Gram bought-Yes! Chai tea, she did buy it. As girly as it sounds, this shit kept me up.
I threw my geometry textbook onto the counter, and pulled myself onto one of the bar stools while my tea was warming up in the microwave. Wow. I don't even remember the last time I could use a microwave that wasn't Michael's or Calum's.
I looked down at the first probelm I was being forced to do for homework, and it made no sense. My tea beeped in the microwave, and I was grateful. I could fall asleep any minute now. I looked over to the clock, and hoped Brooke was still awake right now. I wanted to hear her voice, anyways.
*Brooke's POV*
It was about 10:30 by the time I had reached my last page of chemistry. This homework has taken forever to do, pretty much all day. I wish I could have gone to Michael's house to watch the band play , or tutor Ashton, but I couldn't just not do my work, you know? Luckily, Ashton's brilliant mixtape was playing softly next to me from my computer, and that helped the time go by quicker.
I was startled by the vibrations of my phone next to me, and seeing Ashton's name pop up on the screen. I picked it up and unlocked it, holding it up to me ear.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hey Lovey?" Ashton's voice replied. I smiled to myself, because I could hear the sleepiness in his sweet voice, which only added to how cute he sounded right now.
"Yeah?" I said.
"I hope I'm not borthering you..." His voice trailed off as I heard rustling paper over the line. "...But uh, if I was to inscribe a triangle, I have to find the incenter of the circle thingy, right?"
I couldn't help but giggle at his words. He sounded tired, yet really motivated to get his work done that he actually called me for help. It warmed my heart, nonetheless.
"Mhm, by using angle bisectors." I replied.
"Yes! Okay, got it," He said with a laugh. "Did I wake you up?"
"Nope! Caught me just in time," I smiled. The line went quiet for a while, and I could hear Ashton's soft breathing as he was probably filling in the answer.
"Do I hear All Time Low?" He chuckled out of nowhere. I then realized his songs were still playing in the background of our conversation.
"Why yes," I laughed. "Your mix tape is all I've been listening to."
I heard gasp come from Ashton, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
"You alright over there, Ash?" I grinned.
"Mix tape! That's it!" He said happily.
"What?" I asked, still confused as to what he was talking about.
"Uh...nothing," Ashton replied, an excited tone behind his words. "But, thank you for helping. I get it now."
"Its no problem." I replied with a smile, even though he couldn't see me. I was just smilng like an idiot to myself again.
"Goodnight baby!" He said. His voice was happy, which got me in a tranquill state as I sad goodnight as well, hung up the phone, and quickly dozed off.