Telling The World (Book #2 - Liam Payne Trilogy)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

I smiled at Liam, but just as I was about to lean in and kiss him, I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. Liam set me down on the ground and we both turned to look at what had made the flash. There they were again, that person. I was beginning to get fed up, apparently so was Liam. "This person is seriously mental," he mumbled. I nodded my head and glared at the person. I wasn't scared anymore, if they were dangerous they would have done something by now.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from there. I reached up to run my hand through my hair just as I glanced down at the persons hands. I froze in spot my mouth gaping and at that same moment, the person saw my realization. My hand dropped from my hair and the person spun on their heal. They began to run and I didn't hesitate as I began running after them. Liam called after me but I zoned out. I had to get the camera that the person had in their hands. I couldn't let them leak that onto the Internet, there was no way.

Sudden adrenaline took over me and I didn't even think as I got closer to the person. They stumbled and I was able to lock my fingers around their wrist. A feminine scream escaped from the person. I was confused. I pulled on the persons wrist as they tried to hide their face from me. "Who are you?" I asked through clenched teeth. I dug my fingers into their wrist. "God damn it Brooklyn! Let go!" The girl said to me. I didn't want to let go, but I did in fear and in shock. I recognized that voice, the strong Brazilian accent that I could remember in a heart beat. Talia.

Liam came up beside me and as Talia turned around he snatched the camera out of her hand. "Hey!" She snapped, "Give that back!" "No," Liam said sternly. "What the hell is your problem?" she yelled at Liam. "What the hell is YOUR problem?" I snapped at her. She looked at me, "I don't have a problem," she said, crossing her arms across her chest and pursing her lips. "What's wrong with you?" I asked her. "Oh, nothing... I'm just getting you back for what you did to me last summer," she said cockily. "What?" I said, "I didn't do anything!" She cocked an eye brow at me, "Oh, so you didn't steal Liam away from me?" "What the hell are you talking about?" I yelled. "I called dibs," she said. "Oh, my freaking god, Talia! GET OVER YOURSELF!" I told her, "It's over and done with! He. Did not. Want. You!" I screamed at her. "THAT WAS FOR HIM TO DECIDE!" "UGH! HE CHOSE ME! WHO WOULD WANT YOU ANYWAYS?" I yelled. "Oh ... you bitch!" She screamed at me. She lunged for me, but Liam grabbed her and held her away from me. "I'm going to kill you!" She screamed. I wanted to slap her in the face, the same way she had slapped me that day on the beach. But what good would that get me? It would just give her more of a reason to tell the world about Liam and I. "You know what Talia...I'm done. You are a childish person and I'm done playing your games. You have no values and your personality is as fake as your appearance, so drop the act and grow up a little. Not everything comes to you on a silver platter. You won't ever get everything thing you want, so welcome to the real world!" "Don't tell me what to do!" She screamed. "Let her go Liam, I'm fed up with this crap." I turned to walk away, but just as Liam let her go, she lunged at me. She had her arms around my neck, but I grew up with a brother 15 years older than me, she wasn't going to win. I grabbed her arms and flipped over my shoulder. She slammed down onto the ground in front of me and she seemed winded from the hard hit. But before she could do anything I pinned her down and hovered over her, she glared up at me as she tried to escape my grasp. "Leave me the hell alone or you will find out how this take down should have ended, got it?" I spat at her. I saw her clench her jaw as her eyes pierced my own. I could tell she wanted to say something back, but nothing came out. "Got it?" I yelled. She pursed her lips and bit the inside of her cheek. "Fine," she sneered. I let go and got up, she sat up from the ground. "Get a life," I said before turning around and not looking back.

I felt anger pulsing through my veins. My hands were in fists, my shoulders tense and my heart was racing. I stormed away not looking back to see if Liam was following, or if Talia was coming after me. So many things were running through my mind, I didn’t know what to get angry about first. “Brooklyn?” Liam called after me. I didn’t turn around as I heard his pounding footsteps coming after me. He put a hand on my shoulder, but I spun around, throwing it off. “Leave me alone,” I sneered. He looked at me as if I had said a smart ass remark. “What has gotten into you?” he asked, “You’re different.” “Well you know what, Liam… I'm not some perfect angel, I will snap eventually and you guessed it, I’ve hit my breaking point. So either you let me be for a moment, or I'm leaving.” “You’re mad at Talia not me, so why do I get all your anger thrown at me?” he said to me. I glared at him and shook my head, “You don’t get it do you?” “No, I don’t, so would you please tell me what in the world is going on with you?” Liam said. “Ugh, you’re so ignorant!” I spun on my heel and walked further down the beach, but he called after me, “Brooklyn don’t you dare leave.” His words made me stop. “Why not? You don’t own me!” “You're mad at me because I don’t get it, well what do you think I'm trying to do?” I licked my lips and avoided his eye contact, letting him continue, knowing whatever he was going to say, he was going to be right. “If you want me to understand, you at least have to make the effort to help me. How am I supposed to know what’s going through your mind if you won’t let me in? Don’t get mad at me and call me ignorant when you won’t let me know what’s wrong.” I sighed, “I hate her.” “I know,” he said. “She has messed with my my entire life! Every summer, something happened and I was either blamed or I was the victim. Well now she's managed to make me hurt myself. She got me angry and now look, I'm mad at you just for trying to help, trying to comfort me. But I'm too stupid to see that she's playing with my mind! Liam I can’t take this anymore, I thought that last summer was the end of it all. I thought this was over. I was wrong. This will never be over. She will never grow up,” I paused, “I can’t stand her!” Liam placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. This time I did not throw it off, but I just looked up at him and gently shook my head, biting my lip and gently slipping out from under his grasp. “I can’t do this Liam… I… I need to go…” I began walking backwards, keeping my eyes locked onto his. But that hurt me even more, the pain and regret in his eyes. “I'm sorry,” I whispered, then turned around so that he wouldn’t see my tears. Talia had done it once again. She had managed to hit me where it hurt the most.

As I came up my front walk, I whipped at my tears once more then took a deep breath and headed inside. I was ready for bed, but seeing my father and mother sitting at the kitchen table stopped me. They both glanced up at me when I had come through the door. My mother had turned back to her book, but my father had his eyes glued to me. “Where have you been?” he asked firmly. “Um…” I said, not knowing what was safe to tell him. “Where you out with that boy?” he demanded. You have got to be kidding me, I thought to myself. I thought we had gotten over this. I thought we had come to an agreement. Why was he still so hostile about it? “Yeah, and what about it?” I snapped. “Brooklyn…” my mother warned, but I ignored her. "I've been with him ever since you made him walk home in the pouring rain! We went to his house and I borrowed some of his clothes, oh and did I forget to say we kissed! Oh my, that’s terrible isn’t it! Ah-h-h-h!” I said sarcastically, “Get over it dad, you can’t take back what we did. Live with the fact that I have a boyfriend that you don’t like. Get used to change dad, he’s not going anywhere.” My father’s face was red with anger, I could tell he didn’t like the way I had spoken to him. “Give me attitude one more time, and I swear-” I folded my arms across my chest and rolled my eyes, I guess that set him off. “You know what? I'm tired of your bullshit, you need to grow up Brooklyn. You're 18 years old, so start acting like it! But starting now, you’re grounded.” “What?” I screamed, “I'm 18! You can’t do that!” I should have seen it coming, but how would I have known that being out with Liam would make my father this angry. “If you are going to live under my roof, you will do what I say! You may be 18 but you are still my daughter! Now,” he said, “Go to your room.” I glared at him once more then spun on my heel and stormed up the stairs. I slammed my bedroom door and walked into my washroom. I gripped the counter until my knuckles turned white. I looked at myself in the mirror, my chest heaving and my face had turned red from lack of oxygen flowing to my lungs. My heart was pounding against my ribs.

I was grounded, great. My father hates me, what else is new? My mother didn’t stand up for me, go figure. Talia was the creepy person watching us, didn’t see that one coming. Liam and I got into a fight, something I never wanted.

What have I done…?