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You fluttered your eyes open, just wanting the confirm of what happened wasn’t just in your head.

The curtains to Luke’s room was off so the grey skies from outside gave the room light. You looked at the cushions where Ashton had been sitting but he was nowhere to be seen. You hadn’t even noticed he left.

You a rand through your hair which was pretty messy. You didn’t have anything to get it away from your face so you settled with using your fingers as a comb.

When you sat up in bed after taking another look, you couldn’t help but grimace.

The pain was obvious, almost like a pounding migraine but on the skin. Your hand came down instantly to the hurt spot, feeling the bandage with spots of blood coming from the stitches.

God, you had almost forgotten. You didn’t want to remember now when you were being honest. You didn’t want to think that this was going to stay with you for the rest of your life.

It wasn’t big, it was easier to see how large the area was when lights were on and you weren’t affected by adrenaline or a pounding bass from downstairs. In fact, it was all so quiet, you could barely hear voices.

You weren’t even sure if the party was still going on. Sometimes you had caught Luke still partying at 8 am. A party never stopped until the host went to bed and he usually just stayed awake to the early mornings.

9:30 it was. You noticed because of your phone still having the battery on. It was only at 2% so it wouldn’t be surviving for long. You decided to put it into Luke’s charter before settling with investigating what was going on downstairs.

The long hem of Luke’s band tee folded to the edge when you stood up from the mattress. It almost hid your shorts and made it seem like you were just in your underwear.

You didn’t want to change, it didn’t feel like it was needed. They knew you had been sleeping in your shorts so you didn’t assume they would misinterpret the situation.

The voices from downstairs suddenly sounded downstairs and you concluded the party was over. You could hear Luke and his raspy voice, something he always adopted when drinking. That, along with his eyes turning a bloody red.

Sometimes he was mistaken for being on crack. You didn’t judge dem, he dealt with drugs daily and it was easy to conclude. But he knew better, he would never take time in using that on himself. He only sold it because of the money sometimes when he wanted to.

It was mostly Michael who spent time in that department. It wasn’t just once the police had taken him to the station overnight when they were catching him illegally selling on parking lots.

”Wait but no, as fun as it sounds I have to stay home. After all the stuff that has been going on the past few days, I don’t want Y/N to be alone now.”

You stopped in track by the end of the stairs because of Luke’s voice.

“I can stay behind if so?” Ashton suggested, maybe a little bit too fast for his liking but he couldn’t control his suggestion. It was the first thing that came to his mind and he said it out loud instead of thinking.

You could see the two of them by the kitchen island with Calum. The house looked like a scattered mess but they had black plastic bags standing by the counters so you assumed they were in the middle of cleaning.

That was the thing with them. They always seemed to mess like crazy, especially during parties. But they always managed to clean everything and usually when you would visit after a party, it looked cleaner than it did on a normal basis.

“You sure about that? You’re usually the one handling the business, let alone the one who’s perfectionistic. You don’t usually like when we handle your tasks.” Michael questioned before Luke got the chance to say anything and he looked over at Ashton a bit astonished.

“I mean we’ve all agreed to take care of Y/N individually.” Ashton shrugged, not really knowing how to save it, “I guess you can just say my duty is calling. I don’t mind, to be honest.”

The boys looked between each other skeptical at first but then Luke shrugged it off and threw his jacket over his shoulder.

“You are the one that gets with her the best.” He admitted and took a look in the mirror to check his hair. Even with battles, he wanted to make sure he looked good during it.

“But you promise me one thing.” He suddenly warned and Ashton held his breath, thinking worst case scenarios.

“Don’t let anyone in unless it’s one of the three of us.”

Ashton hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath but once he realized Luke wasn’t, in fact, thinking the same thing as him he let out a sound of relief. He nodded his head in agreement and watched the boys head towards the door, waving lightly at them as they left.

He turned around the corner to see you come down from the stairs with a confused gaze on your face.

“What is going on?” You questioned confused once you were down to the last step and looked around, “Where did Luke go?”

“The usual,” Ashton replied quietly, his lips tightening.

You nodded your head in agreement but not because you understood what he was referring to. You never had, you had never asked and to be honest you were better off not knowing why. They had always been referring it to ‘the usual’ or ‘business’ when talking about stuff they wanted to keep you out from.

“Why aren’t you with them?” You tried not to pretend you had been listening all along. You didn’t want to realize that they were switching places in order to keep you safe.

He shrugged his shoulders and headed over to the fridge, wanting to change the subject and avoiding giving you an answer.

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“I’m not hungry.” You shook your head and scratched your arm out of habit. You weren’t sure if it was because of the many painkillers you felt nausea. It gave you a headache, you honestly couldn’t manage the law class later.

“You have to eat something,” He carefully said and grabbed a few buns from one of the drawers.

“Isn’t that just a myth?” You crossed your arms and he couldn’t help but laugh.

“I know what you’re trying to do.” He let go of the bag and took the few steps to stand in front of you.

“You’re on the path of war because I didn’t answer your question. If I know you well enough I know that you already understand what is going on.”

You looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, not really knowing how to handle the situation. It wasn’t often you looked at it that way. Ashton was probably used to handling you.

“We’ve all agreed to take care of you. It came along when your parents moved to Wellington.”

He reached to grab the buns and put three in the oven. 2 for him and one for you. He wasn’t going to stop until you had put something in your mouth.

You sighed carefully and nodded your head in agreement.

Most of your life you were raised with your parents. It wasn’t often you saw them, considering they were in the same industry as your brothers. Not just Luke, but also Ben and Jack. They all took a part in the bittersweet life and you were the only one they prayed would turn into something great.

You actually believed that if it wasn’t for James constantly trying to ruin it.

Growing up was kind of harsh. The house never looked clean, nobody was rarely home and if they were, it wasn’t someone you knew off. Luke always made sure that if he wasn’t there to take care of you, some sort of babysitter would.

It wasn’t that you were all wrapped up in bubble wrap. You understood what they were doing, you knew they were handling weapons and you also knew in between the lines there were drugs. But you also trusted Luke. You knew he wouldn’t do such thing like that.

You had always tried to take a distance. It wasn’t easy considering they always had one eye on you. You couldn’t even walk out at the age of 14 without Luke needing to know where you were heading.

He could be an embarrassment at times. He couldn’t keep a barrier between being the overprotective big brother and also being the fun one. He was definitely the fun out of the four, always doing random shit you couldn’t imagine.

He was the one forcing the bullies to apologize, even if you were only 8. You didn’t understand where he got the power because he wasn’t tall until his late teens. It was like one day he woke up and was suddenly 6’3.

Not even the teachers in middle school wanted to call him out for things. You had no count of how many times he had tied someone to the sinks in the bathroom or something along the lines of that because they had said a mean comment to you.

You almost feared he would find out because you knew it would end up ugly. Just like with James. It was like nothing had changed.

You had always lived your life close to Luke. You had been staying at the same apartment since you were 16 and you always knew you could come to him when you needed it.

He always had the apartment full but only with people you knew of. He wouldn’t drag someone home and he definitely wouldn’t drag a woman home. The only girl in his life was you, and he wasn’t interested in anyone else.

You honestly thought you were going to stay at the apartment for the rest of your life. College was what changed your everyday life upside down.

When you tried to float the idea about moving out and into a dorm when you started college, it was like nonsense to Luke. How was he going to protect you, if you were miles away from him?

He didn’t want to admit it but he loved just walking into your room and sitting by your bed. Not saying anything but just enjoying watching you study, seeing whatever programme was on the TV or listening to the music that was blasting from your pink speakers.

You sometimes thought he was bored and doing it out of boredom. But the truth was he enjoyed just watching you be happy. It helped him knowing that you were on the right path.

In the end, he knew he couldn’t keep you inside the walls of the apartment. If you needed to continue the path he needed to let go and give you freedom.

You almost believed he had commitment issues because the second you made the deal and you got into a dorm at Sydney Falls College Campus, it was like he had to move out as well. He didn’t want to stay at the old apartment and the boys had been venting the dream of living together.

It also meant that they didn’t have to leave every single day to see each other, they could just walk into the other room and say hello.

It was in the middle of chaos because just the second you had gotten your acceptance letter from Sydney Falls, Luke came home to announce they had been expelled.

For what, he couldn’t announce. You neither wanted to ask even though you were dying to know. So many things had happened at that college before and you didn’t really understand they were suddenly expelled for good.

Sometimes Luke would come home and announce he was kicked out of class for either violence or similar activities. But that wasn’t expelled where they weren’t allowed to be on the school’s ground.

You weren’t even sure if they were allowed in your dorm. You’d lie if you say you weren’t about to have a heart attack when you were about to move in because the four of them were helping you. You were having a glance over your shoulder every other minute because you needed to make sure nobody was seeing them.

Everyone had heard the news that they were expelled. They weren’t a high topic but it was a relief to the ones who were scared. The boys never had a great reputation and you weren’t surprised by that.

They seemed pretty intimidating when they walked down the hallway as a pack that couldn’t be broken. In their leather jackets with a cigarette between their fingers and black leather jackets.

You had tried asking Luke once but he was rejecting. You didn’t know if it was because you had moved out you were suddenly let out of the information. He didn’t want to answer and told that you were safe without the information.

That was when they announce they were going to be away for a while. You had no idea why, how or where they were going but they had to leave. You were protesting at first because not living near Luke kind of scared you. But in the end, it was a great choice because it meant you got a great start at college without someone watching you behind your back.

You got the start you wanted and three months later the boys were back. It was like everything was back to normal, yet it was some sort of new start.

But as soon as the boys were back, it was like you had become a target. For no reason, you had never done anything to hurt James. You even tried to help him back in kindergarten when Luke was forcing him to eat sand.

“Why are you so afraid something is going to happen to me?” You sat down on one of the white chairs in front of the wooden table.

There was a large purple orchid standing in the middle of the table next to a salt and pepper set. You assumed it was a host gift from last night.

Ashton couldn’t help but chuckle by your question. He was hovering over the buns, watching them finish until they were warm and crispy.

“Because you’re Daphne.” He answered simply and you furrowed your eyebrows, “Daphne Joy?”

“No, no not her.” Ashton was quick to shake his head, “I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about Daphne Blake.”

“You’re seriously comparing me to a Scooby Doo character?” You tried not to sound a bit insulted but you were, “Michael used to call me that when I was younger. It’s not like I’m getting stuck in trees anymore when playing.”

Ashton laughed again and stopped the toaster before he burned the buns.

“I’m not saying you’re a cartoon character,” He hummed and opened the fridge, “I’m just saying that you’re very fragile and the chance of you getting kidnapped is pretty high.”

He grabbed a package of butter, lifting it in the air as an invitation. You nodded your head in agreement and watched him place the butter in front of you.

“Is there a chance I will be kidnapped?” You lowered your voice, feeling a bit of anxiety just by the thought. It had crossed your mind before but the chances were in fact real.

He leaned his long body against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms. His mouth twisted and he looked down at the ground trying to come with an answer.

“We will try our utter best to avoid it. As long as you’re with me I promise you nothing will ever harm you.”

If there was one time where Ashton seemed serious, it was moments like this. Where you could see through his hazel eyes that he would never forgive himself if he managed to hurt you in any way that could have been prevented.

“Ashton, can I ask you something?”

He flicked his curls away from his eyes to look at you and nodded his head. You rubbed your hands together, not really knowing if you were going to catch an answer now.

“What happened?”

Silence fell upon the kitchen. Ashton looked at you with no expression on his face. You didn’t know if it was because he didn’t understand your question or if he was reliving the moment you just asked. Whatever was going on caught all his attention and he wasn’t saying anything.

“When?” His tone went serious and he lowered his voice.

You shifted in your seat and folded your hands together again. His eyes weren’t flicking away from your form and you were trying not to get red cheeks.

“I was just trying to understand-, I mean,” You were fumbling over your words suddenly becoming nervous. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.

“Why were you expelled?”

Silence came again but this time a little less tense. It was like Ashton had imagined you would ask something else because he seemed relieved.

He loosened his body from the counter and grabbed a chair to take a seat.

“It seems to me you’ve heard something?” He asked just to be sure but you were quick to shake your head. You knew nothing.

“And you haven’t heard anything from college? I mean, it’s the source of gossip.”

You shook your head again. The only thing you had been hearing was it was a collision between the boys and James’ big brother. You had never actually met him and if you had it was many years back.

“Okay.” Ashton nodded his head and folded his hands together.

“You know Marc, right?” He asked and you shook your head, “Marc Walker? James’ big brother?” By the added question you nodded your head in agreement. You had just forgotten his name.

“He has always been a manipulating ass. Never the one to trust, the blond haired gorgeous idiot who’s only purpose on life is to make everyone else’s end. He’s part-time leader of the gang down by the West. We don’t get near that because it’s too dangerous for any of us.”

You nodded your head wanting him to continue as you intensely ate your bun with butter.

“We’ve always been on bad terms. Ever since high school we’ve hated each other, bloody hell I can even imagine it like it was yesterday. If I had to make a list of all the bad things he has done in his life I don’t think we would have the time.” Ashton took a bite of his own bun.

“We’ve collided many times. I don’t want to get into details with that but Marc did something that was, against all laws. Even in the gang world, you don’t break the rules. Even if we hate each other and want to kill each other we still respect the rules. That’s rule number one.”

The rules didn’t seem like something you had heard off before. You remembered Luke mentioning it a few years back but you assumed it was just a lame joke.

“What was that girl?” You lifted an eyebrow and Ashton replied it with, “We’ll get to that.”

“The boys and I were trying of a way to come up with something back. I mean, it wasn’t easy and it took at least two months before we were even feeling like normal people again. What Marc did was so terrible I honestly don’t think he would be able to survive if he was within my reach.”

You just wanted him to spill the beans, why did you need all these details.

“Luke was the one coming up with the plan. We had to do something that was going to hit James’ the hardest way possible. Without breaking the rules of course.” Ashton ran a hand through his locks, “I didn’t think it would be a great idea at first because it was risky. But we had to do something because he needed something back. He couldn’t just walk free with the things he had done.”

“But I can’t tell you what we did because it will one, cause you danger, and two, put us all in a risky position. Only the four of us can know. It has to be on my dead body if it slips out between these walls. They don’t talk.”

You honestly couldn’t feel more disappointed. He literally told nothing. You could easily have figured out yourself not to mention find out by just asking someone at campus.

“But you have to promise me one thing.” He looked at you seriously and you nodded your head in agreement wanting him to continue.

“If you ever see Marc Walker as in ever there’s one thing you’re going to do. Run.”

You didn’t want to know how dangerous he actually was. By the way, Ashton was talking about him you could just sense he was dangerous. He wasn’t someone you wanted to run into.

“He’s currently underground not wanting to be seen by anyone. So the coast is clear as long as he isn’t in Sydney. He disappeared once we all were expelled. He was supposed to be in jail but left before it happened. We haven’t seen his face since. You can kind of say our secret plan worked.”

Ashton shrugged his shoulders and grabbed your plates to put it into the sink. He was, after all, the neatest out of the boys. He hated when dirty towels were on the floor, good thing it was him and Calum sharing bathroom and not with Luke.

You watched him hover over the sink with a sponge, trying to think everything through. He was definitely leaving out details that seemed important to the story.

You didn’t want to force him to speak though. You never wanted to be on the edge.

When you tried to stand up from the chair a shot of pain was caused by your stomach.

You couldn’t help but groan a little bit, catching Ashton’s attention.

“Oh yes,” He dried his hands in a towel, “I promised Calum to take a look.”

You leaned back on the chair and lifted up in Luke’s shirt for Ashton to see. You didn’t know if he was an expert in wounds but it seemed okay when he removed the patch gently.

“Well he did a pretty great job that Kiwi boy.” He hummed in satisfaction and walked over to one of the cabinets. They had a place where they kept a first aid kit, he probably just needed a new patch.

As long as you would be wearing clothes you couldn’t just have the scar free in case of blood or secretion.

“When can we take the stitches out?” You leaned your head to the side and watched him clean the wound.

“I don’t think until a few weeks. It needs to heal probably. But I’m not a doctor. Ask Calum.” He couldn’t help but laugh a bit. Neither were Calum but he had interest and probably new.

You nodded your head and looked down at your phone. You couldn’t help but sigh heavily and Ashton noticed.

“What?” He nodded his head down at your phone, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that…” You looked down at the phone again, hesitantly, “I just have a class here at 12. I just don’t want to go because…”

“James is there?” Ashton finished your sentence and you nodded your head in agreement.

You knew this wasn’t supposed to ruin your classes but you honestly felt so weak. There was no way you were ready or able to do an argument with him. You just wanted to be invisible.

“I have an idea.” He announced and you furrowed your eyebrows.

“Come with me.”

“Ashton I don’t think this is a good idea.”

You looked up at him with wide eyes, your teeth digging into your bottom lip.

He looked into the mirror of the window and wrapped his gray beanie over his curls so they were only sticking out at the top and by the ends.

He turned around to look at you with a smirk and furrowed eyebrows.

“What do you mean this isn’t a great idea?”

He was wearing a dark purple/blue and red flannel, a white tee under it and his black skinny jeans. You had never seen him wear something like this before but it wasn’t like he looked like someone who was suddenly in disguise.

You didn’t know if you were supposed to answer or not because he seemed to have settled his mind.

“You know he won’t touch you if you’re near me.” He placed his hands in his jean pockets and looked at you with a smile.

“Yes,” You nodded your head in agreement, “But you’re expelled. They will take you to the police station if they find out you’re in one of my classes.”

“They’ll need to catch me first.” Ashton winked and opened the door, “Ladies first.”

When you meant everyone you meant EVERYONE was staring at you. You weren’t sure if it was because people had the expression you had a new boy at college with you or if they did see it was Ashton. He wasn’t that hard to recognize.

You didn’t like the attention you were getting but Ashton seemed to enjoy it. He was smiling all over his face pretty amused.

You walked into the classroom with Ashton right behind you, wanting to get to the top of the stairs and take a seat on the back row. You never liked being up front.

As you placed your books on your seat you felt pokes on your shoulders. You couldn’t help but feel goosebumps up your spine.

“Well look who was brave enough to show up today?” James grinned by the sight of you, “Surprised you didn’t breath to death. There’s still blood on my knife.”

“That’s funny because there isn’t blood on my gun, yet.” Ashton showed up from your behind, placing an arm on your shoulders.

With instinct James took a step back, watching Ashton smile all over his face.

“And before you say anything,” Ashton nodded down at the lector, “Remember I never miss with a bullet.”

James swallowed deeply and hurried to take a seat in front of you, feeling his long legs disappear under his table.