Hidden (UN-EDITED; on hiatus indefinitely, sorry)

Chapter Twenty-Two

I woke up in the bed next to Zayn. I turned around to see his face and had to laugh. He had the cutest bed head. I smiled and got up, careful not to wake him. Then, I walked into bathroom and closed the door behind me. I stepped in the shower and turned on the water, using my shower time to think.

Zayn and I were getting close. Really close. I still had to wonder, though, if he saw me the same way I saw him. And then theres the boys. We were friends, but not really close friends. And then there was Michelle. She was... nosey. Actually, that's an understatement. I also thought about Lindsay. I didn't get a way to contact her, but she plays at the coffee shop, so I could always see her there if I needed to. And Vivian. Her number was still on my wrist, but it was already fading. Have to remember to write that down...

My mind wandered, and I began remembering my family. My mom had always been over-protective. She always went on my feild trips when I was younger. She would pack my lunch each day and leave a note with a quote on it inside. Each day, the quote was different. My dad loved me to pieces. He had a different way of showing his love though; he would tease me about pretty much everything. And then there was my sweet little sister Crystal. She was actually named after me. (Crystal is my middle name) She was only 8 that last day. She would be turning nine in a month. There was also Jade, my best friend. She moved to New York that night when I saw her last. The night a came home and my family was murdered.

Murdered. My family was murdered by a boy who was once so sweet. He would kiss me on the cheek and tell me he loved me. He would bring me flowers and write me love letters. Before he changed, that is.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that I saw these people last.

I turned off the water and got out, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around me. My family won't come back. Xavier was still out there. My friend left me when I needed her most.

I brushed my hair out and blow-dried it. It was so soft. I laughed to myself. That was exactly what Jade would have said, only she would be running her fingers through it, giggling.

I grabbed a robe from the cabinet under the sink and walked into Zayn's room. He was still asleep, his face smothered in his pillow. I smirked and looked around for my clothes. I spotted it folded on the ground. Some blue jeans, a grey tanktop that says LOVE on it, some black ballet flats, and some nerdy glasses. I smiled and took them into the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

I took the robe off and saw that my bruises and cuts were going away. That was good. I put on the outfit and looked in the mirror. I looked amazing (or amazayn to directioners). How Louis came up with these outfits, I had no idea. Once I had it on, I walked out and danced like a maniac, using the hallway like a runway.

“Work it!” said a voice from behind me. I turned around, covering my mouth as I laughed.

“Louis! How much of that did you see?”

“Uhhh… enough. Hey, this was in your pocket of those tattered shorts…” He tossed the object to me and I caught it in my hands. I looked down to see a silver charm bracelet, the charm being a pink heart. I felt tears slide down my cheeks.

“Umm… did I say something that upset you?” Louis asked with an innocent look on his face.

“No, it’s just, uh…” I wiped the tears from my eyes.

“This bracelet was given to me by my sister only a week before she was killed.”

“Oh…”

There was an awkward silence. Then, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Brooke… you okay?” I turned to see Zayn standing there, still half asleep. I shoved the bracelet into my pocket.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”