Always Love You: A One Direction Adoption Story

Chapter 7

Louis POV:

We waited for Roselyn at the restaurant for 3 hours. We got to know the staff pretty well, not going to lie. The boys and I joked about the upcoming tour, although Harry was very much not pleased with it.

Zayn was still skeptical about wether she would even show up, and truth be told, I could tell we were all a little nervous on the idea. Plus, it was Wednesday. If nothing else, she at least had school.

"Guys... I've never been stood up before. Is this what that's like?" I said.

"I'm sure Liam would know!" Harry joked, and we all burst into laughter as Liam turned bright red.

"It was a miscommunication!" he jokingly defended.

We kept chatting for a moment longer, until Niall looked up and noticed Roselyn outside. "Guys, she's here!" We smiled, jumping up and rushing out to meet her. In our excitement, we all engulfed her in bear hugs, and it wasn't until after the initial adrenaline had worn off while we were heading back to out table that we realized we had probably overdone it. Well, all of us except Harry.

"Okay, we're spoiling you," Harry grinned, ordering her plate after plate of food. "You can eat anything you want, on us."

"Thanks..." she replied, smiling softly. We all watched as she ate slowly once the food came. Unlike yesterday, she was a bit more reserved, taking small, thoughtful bites. And she ate very little.

Zayn realized we were probably just making her uncomfortable, so he jokingly took a fry off of one of her plates. Soon, we were all climbing over each other reaching for her food, which gladly made her laugh, and us along with her.

Once we collectively devoured the meal, we headed to the park, hot drinks in hand, and took the opportunity to talk.

"Roselyn... I know this whole situation is weird. I do. But I - we - just really want to know what's going on." Liam started. "Umm, for starters, is there a reason why you're not in school? I mean, do your parents know?"

We all waited silently for her to answer as we walked along. Zayn and I were to her right, while Liam, Harry, and Niall were on her left.

She kept her eyes on the floor, avoiding eye contact while she spoke. "My mom doesn't live with us anymore, and my dad doesn't really care. I'm too dumb to learn anything there anyway, so I just stopped going," she shrugged, and it was as if I could hear my heart break.

"Hey, don't say that. You're really smart," I smiled at her, and she looked up for a moment, returning the gesture.

"Where do you live? I just want to have a chat with your Dad. He should be supporting you more," Harry said angrily.

Roselyn chuckled sarcastically. "Haha, yeah," she said flatly, and we could tell she was hiding something. We waited patiently, hoping she would trust us enough to tell us what was going on.

"Truth is, I don't live with my Dad anymore either. I actually ran away yesterday. But I'll be fine -  I've been taking care of myself for a long time."

I sucked in a breath. I was definitely among the most emotional in the group, and it broke my heart that a 15 year old, a child really, was basically alone in the world.

"Why did you run away?" Niall asks quietly.

"Why do you think!" Zayn says, now furious. "You guys can't tell me that you don't see those bruises and cuts as well as I do! She has a bloody black eye and we've all been dancing around it! And if I'm not mistaken, which I'm not, those are cigarette burns on you, are they not?"

Roselyn replies with a teary nod. "I swear when I get my hands on that son of a bitch, I'm going to kill him," he mutters, as Roselyn erupts into tears.

"I'm so sorry," she sobs, as Liam hugs her tightly. "No, you didn't do anything wrong," he calms, leading her over to a bench where she can sit down and recuperate.

"Guys, we can't just leave her. She's probably been sleeping on the streets for goodness sakes! Who knows what could happen to her. She could get sick, or stumble upon someone like yesterday," Harry says.

"Hazza's right. We have to do something. Maybe she can stay with us? Just until we figure something out?" I offer, and Liam and Niall nod.

"Just let me talk to her Dad first. Who knows what else is going on in that fucked up house," Zayn mutters.

"Not the best idea mate," Niall replies. "Let's just take care of Rose for now," he says, as we turn our attention back to her. Her tears have slowed down and regressed into occasional sniffles.

"Hey there," I say, crouching down to her eye level. "So me and the lads were talking, and, umm, well... well we don't want to leave you out here alone, and we certainly don't want to send you back to your Dad... so, umm, would you like to stay with us for a bit? Just until we figure something out."

She nods softly, and wraps her arms around my neck, giving me a hug. I was surprised by how little she objected, but I assumed she was just exhausted from everything that was going on. I pick her up, surprised by how light she is, and we head to the car. Partly because I noticed she had basically been limping all day, and partly because I could tell she just needed to be held.

~~~

"So this is where you'll be staying," I say, showing her the guest bedroom. "There's a bathroom through those doors, and there'll be some fresh clothes on the bed when you come out," I smile.

"Thank you," she replies quietly. "Of course," I nod. "Just head downstairs when you're done and we can work on cleaning up all those cuts."

Once she shut the door behind her, I head into my room, grabbing a sweatshirt and sweatpants for her to wear. I chuckled, knowing she'd probably be swimming in them, and made a mental note to grab her some clothes, even if it was just a few outfits. Once I place them on the bed, I head downstairs.

Harry, Niall, and Zayn are gathered around the kitchen table, while Liam is off to the side on the phone.

"Who's he talking to?" I ask them quietly, taking a seat at a stool.

"He's trying to figure out what to do about Roselyn," Niall responds.

"And I'm trying to figure out what I can do about her dumb father," Zayn mumbles, still very much heated about the situation. The whole drive home, he was too furious to say anything, and stared out the window silently.

I nodded in understanding. We were all pretty pissed off with the situation, but at least she was safe now. After a few minutes of us just mumbling quietly, Liam finally gets off the phone.

"So what did they say?" Harry, ever so impatient, asks.

"I just got off the phone with one of our lawyers, who knows a guy that works in family court. We can apply for Emergency Foster Care status if we want Roselyn to stay with us. Otherwise we have to hand her over to CPS," he says.

"What about her dad?" Zayn asks.

"The police are arresting him right now. Turns out he was suspected of child abuse, and he's been arrested many times before, but every time they tried to pick him up, they didn't have any solid evidence against him."

There's an awkward pause for a moment. "So... what do we do now?" I ask, and the lads and I turn to look as we hear muffled cries and footsteps running up the stairs.

"Rose, wait!" Harry says, jumping up, and we all follow him into the room, where she's sitting on the bed, crying.