Life is short.
Everyone knows that, we get told those same three words from the moment we're able to comprehend them.
When people die.
When people do bad things.
When people get crazy, hair brained tattoos on their forehead.
But we don't really think about the severity of those words, untilsomething happens, and by then, it's too late.
Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team! Everything is awesome when we're living our dream!
"Luke....." I groaned, rolling over in bed, "Luke your phone is ringing."
A soft snore left Luke's slightly parted mouth.
"Luke!" Michael grumbled, from where he had fallen asleep on the couch, "Get your lazt ass up and turn then dumb thing off!"
Calum, who had crashed at the end of Luke's bed, curled up like a cat, smacked him lazily on the leg, "Luke, buddy get your phone."
Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!
"Oh my God, LUKE!" Michael yelled.
Nothing.
"Holy shit, I'm going to kill him," Michael grumbled, "Ash, just asnwer it."
"I can't answer his phone." I replied.
Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!
"Yes you can, it's probably some save the puppy foundation he donated to after crying over the comercial." Calum groaned.
Sighing, I tossed off my covers and shivering as the chilly, New York air hit my bare chest, I stepped over Destiny who was curled up on the floor next to mine and Luke's beds, and fumbled around on the nightstand for the phone.
Everything is awesome when we're living our dream!
"Turn it off!" Michael snapped.
"I'm trying!" I replied, knocking Luke's glass of water to the floor.
"Shit!" I whispered flicking on the lamp, and earning vampire like hisses from Calum and Michael from the brightness.
"Oh my God, turn it off!" Michael cried.
"Sorry!" I whispered, grabbing Luke's phone and unblugging the lamp instead of bothering to find the switch.
Scanning the caller I.D. and not recognizing the number, I sighed and pressed it to my ear.
"Hello?" I said groggily.
"Is this Luke?" a crying woman asked on the other end.
"Um, no," I replied, figuring it was a hysterical fan.
"Is this the wrong number?" the woman questioned.
"No," I sighed, feeling bad, "I'm just answering his phone, this is Ashton."
"oh," the woman managed, between shaky breaths, "Well, can....can you tell him that....that....um.....oh God..... can you have him call me back."
"Sure," I replied, softly, "I'll tell him."
"Thank you." she whimpered, and then the call ended.
"Who was that?" Calum whispered, the only other one in the room awake, since Michael had fallen back alseep.
"No idea," I replied, "Some crying lady that wanted to talk to Luke."
"A fan?" Calum asked.
"No idea," I replied.
"Who knows," he yawned, "I'm going back to bed, goodnight Ash."
"Night," I replied.
My heart hammering unevely in my chest with a strange since of curriosity and dread, I bent down and picking up Destiny, laid her down in my bed before taking her spot on the floor and falling asleep.
"Uh-huh this my shit! All the girls stomp your feet like this! Few times I've been around that track, so it's not just gonna happen like that, cause I ain't no hollaback girl, I ain't no holla....."
"Oh my God Luke, quiet down!" Michael yelled, banging on the bathroom door.
Groggy and confused I propped myself up on my elbows and watched as Michael flopped onto the couch xbox controller in hand, trying to ignore Luke who was singing loudly in the shower.
"Good morning sleepy head."
Startled, I looked up to find Destiny lying on her stomach on my bed watching me.
"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling self conscious as I pulled one of Luke's sweatshirts over my head.
"Watching you sleep." she answered, giving me a creepy look, "So who was it?"
"Who was who?" I asked.
"Who were you..... you know...... getting it on with in your dream?"
"Excuse me!" I cried.
"You moan in your sleep." Calum replied, from his perch on LUke's bed where he was eating Vegemite on toast and getting crumbs everywhere.
"I do not!" I practically yelled.
"You do!" Destiny laughed.
"Uhhh....ohhhh." Calum imitated.
"It's okay buddy." Michael called out from the couch, "We all have wet dreams once in a while."
"I didn't have a wet dream!" I cried.
"You don't have to lie." Calum laughed, "Come on, spill the beans, who was it, was it a girl from Little Mix, the chick from Paramore, Miley Cyrus?"
"Ew, what no! I didn't have a wet dream!"
"Sure." Michael laughed.
"I swear I didn't!" I cried, "I was having a nightmare if you must know."
"Oh we really must." Destiny answered.
"Tell Calpal." Calum said.
"No," I spat.
"Come on," Calum coaxed, "It'll make you feel better."
"I don't know." I sighed, "I dreamed this lady called crying on the phone and she wanted to talk to Luke and I don't know other stuff happened but it was horrible, I don't really want to think about it."
"I don't know about the other stuff but that wasn't a dream." Calum replied.
"Yeah, his stupid phone kept ringing last night so you answered it." Michael replied.
"Who answered what?" Luke asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a SpongeBob towel wrapped around his waist.
"Luke can you put some clothes on! Destiny is in here!" Michael cried.
"I'm covered up," Luke replied, "Who called."
"No idea," Calum answered, "Ashton answered."
"Who was it?" Luke asked, holding up his towel with one hand as he rummaged through my suitcase, presumably for underwear.
"I have no idea," I replied, "Some lady just called your phone crying then told me to have you call her back."
"Was it a fan?" Michael asked.
"No idea." I admitted.
"Should I call them back?" Luke asked.
"If it is a fan it would make their day." Calum pointed out.
"I'm calling." Luke anouned, dropping the towel.
"Luke!" Michael yelled, as I hurriedly put a hand over Destiny's eyes.
"Oops, sorry, it fell." he giggled.
"You can't be doing that with girls in the room man!" Calum cried.
Rolling his eyes, Luke pulled on my underwear, one of Michael's many Sex Pistol's t-shirts and a pair of Calum's sweatpants before plopping down on the bed next to Destiny and picking up his phone.
"What do I say?" he questioned, his finger hovering over the number.
"Most people start with hello, but hi or hey also works." Calum replied.
Nodding, Luke pressed the button, then waited.
"Put it on speaker." Michael called out.
Luke hit a button and immediately the whole room was filled with the ringing coming from the other end.
"What if they don't answer?" Luke questioned.
Calum opened his mouth to reply however closed it as someone picked up on the other end.
"Hello?" the same woman from earlier asked, her voice sounding tired and dead.
"Is it hi or hey?" Luke whispered.
"Pick one!" Calum mouthed.
"Hi," Luke greeted.
"Oh, is this.... is this Luke?" she asked.
"Yes it is," he replied, "Who's this?"
"This is... it's.....I'm Charlote's mom."
"Oh hey!" Luke cried, "Did you two work everything out, is she there, can I talk to her? She hasn't been answering my calls but I just figured her phone was dead or she was busy or maybe you took it and...."
"Luke she's not here."
"What? oh, do you know where she is?"
The silence that followed seemed agaonizingly long, as we waited for her reply.
"Oh honey," she finally said shakily, "Charlote, she.... um.....she's gone."
Feeling sick I looked up at Luke however he just looked confused.
"What do you mean gone, where is she?" he demaned.
"Luke," Destiny whispered.
"Where is she?" he repeated.
"Luke I've never met you but she loved you, she really did."
"Loved, what do you mean loved, she still does, what are you talking about?"
On the couch Michael paused his game, his face such a sickly shade of white I thought he might pass out.
"She isn't hear anymore." Charlie's Mom whispered.
"I don't know what you mean." Luke cried, although it was blatently obvious he knew exactly what she meant.
FIghting down the bile wich was rising up in my throat I looked over at Calum who had silent tears streaming down his face, his eyes squeezed tightly closed as if by closing his eyes, he could stop hearing the heart breaking conversation happening around us.
"Charlote is....God......Luke I'm sorry....This is all my fault." her Mom whimpered, starting to cry, "...... she.... she's dead."