Running Into Destiny (Niall Horan)

Chapter 4: Liar Liar

Natalie

A few days passed by, with time moving at a sluggish pace. I hadn't talked to the boys since my incident with Andrew. I didn't want him to hurt me, but more importantly I didn't want him to hurt them. That was my biggest fear at the moment, and there is nothing I wouldn't do to prevent Andrew from hurting any of those beautiful boys. They didn't need to be sucked into my dramas, I'm not worth it. I'm just a plain, average girl working her way through college, living thousands of miles away from her family and previous life. I've never stood out in the middle of a crowd; I've never been 'popular'.

The friends that I did have, I was extremely close to. We were all close, nearly inseparable. My best friends, Anna and Emma, and I even came out to California to go to college together. But Emma lives in Anaheim while Anna and I live in Los Angeles. We are constantly visiting one another, never going any longer than a week without traveling to Anaheim or Los Angeles. Skyping is a common pass time for us. No matter what we are doing, no matter how many miles are between us, we are always there for one another.

Lately I haven't been acting like my usual self and I know that they've noticed the slight change in my moods. I can easily see the worry in their eyes that they keep hidden from their precious faces. I also know why they are worried about me...

Every once in a while I would show up to one of their apartments crying, and I've been doing that a little more these past few months. Other days a bruise would show when a shirt sleeve slid up my arm and I would frantically try to cover it up before they noticed, failing every time. They knew Andrew had a loose temper sometimes, they've seen him slam a couple of guys outside of a bar before. So I know that they had their suspicions about what was going on but I haven't divulged any information. Anna is the only one who has asked me about it, but I denied it at the time. I knew that if I were to go to anyone about my situation it would be her or Emma. They're my rocks and I'm theirs.

After moping around for so long I couldn't take it any longer. I had to get out of this apartment and most certainly out of my head. The best way for me to do that was to go for a run. Shoving myself off of my comfortable bed, I traded the sweats I had practically lived in for the past three days for a pair of shorts. I quickly changed into the rest of my normal running wear, and pulled on my Nike's. Grabbing my iPhone, I slid it into my arm band. I walked out of my door with my keys and chilled water bottle in hand.

After some thought I had decided to run through the nearby park that was about a mile away from my place. The sun displayed a freckled pattern on the ground through the trees that stood tall above me. If it weren't for the encouraging voices being blasted in my ears, I would have been able to hear the trickling stream that I was swiftly running beside. I turned down a narrow, secluded trail that caught my eye when I paused to take a gulp of water. The leaves on the trees tickled my arms as I brushed past. Looking ahead I saw an opening in the trail. I slowed my pace as I reached the edge of the meadow that the trail had brought me too.

My heavy breathing was coming out in huffs as I looked around and saw clusters of pink and purple tulips. A smile spread across the width of my face as I took in the beautiful vision in front of me. There was also a slightly hidden pond, over towards the right on the edge of the shallow tree line. I took my time walking over to it. Stripping off my shoes and socks and setting my other possessions beside them, I stepped into the refreshing water letting out a sigh of pleasure. I wiggled my toes on the smooth pebbles beneath my aching feet. Bending down, I scooped up water and splashed myself in the face. Beads of sweat and water mixed together as they ran down my neck and chest. I stood there for what felt like forever, finally moving when I heard laughter behind me.

My eyes searched the empty meadow until they landed on a couple slowly coming into view from the same trail I had entered from. I silently moved out of the water, somehow remaining unnoticed. Drying my feet off in the grass, I placed my socks and shoes back on. I was about to leave without a second glance at the couple when I heard his laugh. Shaking my head in denial I looked up to see Andrew kissing another girl. A gasp escaped from my now gaping mouth. His eyes lazily glanced my way, but when he saw me they widened in surprise at my presence. I watched as his mouth slowly opened to say something to me, to explain to me what I had just witnessed, but before a sound could escape his parted lips, I was gone. My feet were taking me away from the faked emotions he was sure to display before my head could tell them to stay.