Around the World [A Liam Payne Romance]

Chapter Twenty Five

I don't know why, but I thought the best thing to do in that moment was panic and drive in reverse and get out of there as quickly as possible. In retrospect, it probably would've worked and gone a lot smoother... if I hadn't forgotten to put the car in reverse, and instead went zero to forty towards the gangs.

A few things happened next, all too quickly to explain. There were gun shots, screams, and even a bit of watery eyes on my part. I'm not too sure how my body worked over my mind and threw the car in reverse and actually got me out of there, but it did, and I'm pretty sure I'll be forever thankful for that.

I was driving like a lunatic until I made it home, tears in my eyes and my whole entire body shaking. 

"They saw me," I said to myself, just spooking myself even more. "They know who I am, what I look like. They saw me."

I sat in the car for an hour.

What if they come after me?

What if they followed me home?

What if I see them in public?

What if they go after Liam?

Liam.

My mind zeroed in on the One Direction member and my hands fumbled for my phone which had been carelessly tossed in the passengers seat. I quickly dialed his number and bit my lip, staring straight ahead and listening agonizingly to every ring the phone brought until I finally heard his voice.

"Mikayla?"

"Oh my God..." 

I couldn't get a coherent thought out, because I was just now realizing the seriousness of the situation. I had to tell Liam, but did I need to tell the police? I'm sure that wouldn't exactly help my case, but what if they were just running loose?

No. I would be okay. But for now, I just needed my boyfriends' comfort. So I let it all spill out and told him every single detail from the moment I left the store to the moment I had the encounter. I recalled a few things, like how they screamed at me to get out of the car, that I had barely heard in my moment of panic.

When I was done, he immediately started shooting questions at me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? God, Mikayla, I really need to see you and make sure you're okay!"

I half-smiled, but then frowned again. "I'll be fine. Do you want to come over?"

"Yes." He responded immediately. 

I repeated, "Yes. Okay. I'll go inside and make us some coffee, just hurry and drive safe."

I think 'drive safe' was going to be my new favorite 'goodbye'.

~*~

The next few months were probably the greatest of my life. They were just me and Liam spending time together, becoming closer, and finding new things to love about each other. These were my last few months before college started, and I just found myself falling deeper and deeper in love with him.

Everything had calmed down. From the tabloids to my hectic life, everything just seemed finally balanced, and I knew that it was Liam who was able to make it that way. But now we were bordering the summer and the beginning of the school year, and to say I was nervous was a complete and total understatement.

"You're going to do fine," Liam assured me while we walked up and down the isles of a supply store.

Nervously, I bit my lip. "But what if they hate my dancing? Or if I fail my classes? This school isn't like a normal college. Sure, you take normal classes and stuff, but they focus fifty percent on dancing. That means ballet, hip hop... What if I'm not as good as I think I am?"