I'm Not Her

Chapter 13: I'm Not Answering His Calls

Chapter 13:

Danielle's P.O.V.

"She's f*cking gone. I don't know what I did, but she's gone." Zayn cried, frustrated with himself. Frustrated at the world probably. He was having a breakdown, right here in front of Eleanor, the boys, and me. 

Penelope, as I suspected when Zayn walked right through Liam's door, wasn't here. Liam had thought it was a good idea to have us all spend some time together because soon I'd be off to work as a dancer on the X Factor show and the rest of the boys would be recording a new album. Time was limited. 

But Penelope wasn't here. Perrie in the eyes of everyone else. At the coffee shop early this morning, she did tell me she was going to leave. Head home and forget anything happened. I didn't think that she'd actually do it. Especially this soon. 

No one spoke. No one said a word. All our lips were zipped. We watched Zayn, not knowing what to do. Niall had tried to give him comfort, but Zayn swatted at him, telling him without words to get away from him. It was an awkward dinner.

All you could hear was the continuous sounds of forks and knives clinking against plates. Niall's chewing. Zayn's sobs. 

Zayn's sobs weren't loud and reckless like a girl's would be, but they were almost silent. His shoulders shook and his eyes were directed only down at his food. 

I wanted to tell him the reason that Penelope did leave. I wanted to tell him the girl he fell in love with wasn't the girl he thought she was. She was a better girl and a girl that deserved to be who she really was. 

It, however, wasn't my place to tell Zayn. It was between Perrie and Penelope. It would either of them that told Zayn. 

"Zayn..." Niall tried once more. He reached towards Zayn to pat his back, but Zayn flinched. He flinched like Niall was a pest and it obviously hurt the Irish boy. 

Niall shrank back and ate his food, silently. 

No one spoke. 

There were no words to say. 

Penelope's P.O.V.

Home. 

I loved the way the word rolled out of my mouth. I loved the glow of my house, welcoming me in. Soon, I would be inside my house, drinking hot chocolate with my parents. 

I would be free of the binds Perrie had put me in. Unfortunately, I was also free of love. 

Another unfortunate thing that was happening was that it was raining in South Shields also. It wasn't light rain either. It was the pouring kind that left me soaked and shivering for warmth. I had to walk all the way home from the bus stop and it was a long enough way for me to catch a cold. 

I was already sneezing and coughing when I reached my house. The lights were turned way down low, but I saw the shadow of my mother from outside. I clutched my bag closer to my body and jumped as I heard thunder and saw a strike of lightning. 

Home. I was seconds away. 

I made my way up the cobblestone path and reached the doorway. The welcome mat on the ground in front of the front door was old and frayed. We've had it since Perrie and me were born. The wooden door had turned a faded brown over the years and no one made an effort to renew its color. 

I rang the doorbell and waited. 

I heard footsteps and Dad groaning, "Who the hell's coming round' at this time and in this weather?"

I chuckled, anxious to see Dad again.

The door opened and I saw Mum, tired and rubbing her eyes. She blinked as she stared at me. "Pen?"