1 Chapter One - Ashton

I lay in bed, thinking of what will happen in a few minutes, after my parents leave on their business run, one that will take them away for two straight years, leaving me in the care of my three older siblings who still live at home. I'm only sixteen but I'm going to be trying my first beer tonight. I know this because I know my siblings. They're all stubborn, popular and druggies.

Of course, my parents don't know this, but I don't have enough confidence to tell them. In fact, I barely have any! I'm called the 'innocent baby' sibling in my family, because I've never been in trouble at school or really... Really anywhere. It's all my crazy older siblings.

Charles is twenty-five, Drew is twenty, Jake is nineteen and then there's me, Ashton, who's sixteen. We're a family of all boys (excluding my mother) and we get spoiled too much in my opinion. Heck, our allowance is $160 a week! I've tried to convince my dad that we don't need any of the money and we can take care of ourselves by getting jobs, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't trust my brothers because so far that hasn't been happening.

They're all too old to live at home anymore, but they decided to do online college, just so they could stay around and have parties with all of their friends who are going to the local college. How they get so many friends within staying home so often is a mystery to me. I'm sure they don't even pass any of their classes.

"ASHTON! GET DOWNSTAIRS!" my father's booming and raspy voice calls from down the stairs.

I sigh and drag myself off of my comfortable mattress before heading downstairs, my footsteps dragging as I clunk to the bottom.

Charles, Drew and Jake are already standing there. They're all tan, brown-haired and handsome. The only way I can tell them apart is by their eyes. Charles: blue, Drew: green and Jake: amber. Me on the other hand? I've got pale skin, brown eyes, brown hair and I'm skinny, definitely much more scrawny than them. It annoys me.

"Alright, you all be good! Charles, you're in charge for the next years, though we'll keep in touch with you of course. And if we can, we'll call and have a conversation every once and a while!" My typical parents, just leaving because they say they have work. I'm pretty sure they just want to move away from our craziness for a while so they can actually concentrate. "Goodbye boys!"

After giving a short hug to all of us, he disappears through the large, oak front door, climbing into the car with my mother. We stand there, shoulder to shoulder and watch them disappear around the corner. Just as they're gone, Drew whoops.

"Time to get the party cracking, boys!" he grins and runs a hand through his hair before running off to grab supplies.

The remaining two brothers of mine follow in suit, Charles running to the garage for the beer and Jake for the chairs. When Drew comes back, he shoves three fold-up tables into my arms and commands me to set them up before running out again, probably to uncover the pool.

I grimace and happily remind myself that it's still summer for another week and my brothers are on a week break, meaning that we won't have to go to school washed out. Not that I want to drink at all...

I'm halfway through setting up the last table and chair when there's a knock at the door. Slowly, I bring myself over to it and am about to open it when Jake shoves past me.

"Hey, don't open the door! No one but my closest friends know you!" he complained, opening it and hitting my forehead with his elbow as he greeted a group of people. "Hey guys! Nice to see you! How are you? Ah, welcome in!"

Girls and boys are flooding into our house and I'm pressed against a wall as the music starts up, making my head pound as people start to talk and trade drinks. Within ten minutes, kids are pushing each other into the pool and others are drunk. I leave the front door open, seeing how people are in the front yard and walk past the table, where a couple is deeply making out.

"Hey faggot!" a voice calls out and I think for a moment it's talking to me so I turn, only to see a girl who'd yelled run over to a guy and start blabbering on drunkenly.

God, that had given me such a scare.

See, I'm attracted to boys. I don't tell people, but I am. In fact, no one knows, especially not my brothers. It's a scare to think that someone might catch on. Hell, they could easily notice me staring at a guy or spacing out after looking at one I like.

I hate the term 'faggot', but of course, I've got no control over what other people say.

"Ashton! My man!" Drew travels over to me, and I can tell he's drunk. He's got an arm around his girlfriend and he's stumbling a whole lot, grinning widely and shoving a guy in front of him toward me. "Here's your new bestie! I've got tons to share and you look so lonely!"

A boy at the age of seventeen is standing in front of me. He has perfectly tanned skin, flawless wavy black hair, golden eyes that sparkle and a body that looks like it was carved by an ancient greek. He's wearing a simple, grey tee and some ripped-up white jeans that show his thighs. Just looking at him makes my heart flutter.

He smiles crookidly at me, making my face warm up.

"Hey. So you're Ashton, huh? I'm Wyatt." he holds out his hand and I'm about to shake it, when Drew slaps a beer into Wyatt's hand.

"Come on man, drink!" he cries out and Wyatt tips the drink to me like you would a hat before downing the whole thing in just seconds.

Great.

A new druggie bestie.

I watch as Wyatt quickly gets drunk and falls over on a gorgeous girl with beach blonde hair.

"Baby! What did I tell you about getting too drunk?!" she cries out, catching him.

"You told me I'd have to make out with you if I did!" he giggles and she rolls her eyes before smashing her mouth onto his.

They crash into the couch and she wraps her arms around him. Slowly, he grabs her thighs and pulls her legs around his waist, deeply kissing her now. They're all tongues and touchy when I decide to leave, not wanting to see where this goes.

The last thing I needed to see was that.

I turn and leave, running to my room, only to find that two people are fucking making out in my bed!

"Shit-" I swear and travel over to them, kicking the boy. "GET OUT! Go find a better place!" I yell and he sighs, grabbing the girl's hand before walking out of my room, giving me the time to lock my door quickly and run to the shower, because although I didn't drink, I can smell the beer on me.

I strip and look at my body inside the mirror.

I'm skinny, but have enough skin on me that I just look average. My dark brown hair is messy and hits my thick eyelashes whenever I blink. I've got no muscles and in my opinion, I'm not great looking. Besides my freckles, which my brothers say make me look like bambi when I smile.

My lips purse and I turn away from the mirror, hopping into the shower and slathering myself with soap, quickly washing it away just after. When I'm finished, I hop out and grab my towel, wrapping it tightly around my waist before walking out of it, straight into my big room and making sure the curtains to the balcony are shut and all doors are locked before I dress quickly into my pajamas.

I hop into my king-size bed and smash my head between two pillows, so the music is mostly muffled.

At least I escaped it!

But my brothers are planning to have another one soon, which won't be fun.

It takes me about two minutes of pretending I'm inside the shower again for me to fall asleep.