Adopted By Michael Clifford {Book 1}

5- Lazy Day

Michael's POV

I went to check on Maya the next morning when I woke up. She was still asleep.

A door opened down the hall just as I shut Maya's. I turned to see Calum leaning against the wall.

"We have a meeting with management in an hour," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Okay," I replied.

I quickly took a shower and threw on black jeans and a plain T-shirt. I wrote a note for Maya and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be home soon. Love you, kid," I said and left for the interview.

Maya's POV

I woke up around eleven and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The light was streaming in through the window, and I adjusted to the brightness. I sighed when I saw the bags from the mall covering the corner near my closet.

"Dad!" I called out. No answer.

I called for the others, but I got the same response—or a lack of one. There was a note on my nightstand.

We had a meeting with management today. It shouldn't take long. Be careful of your ankle and make sure you eat breakfast. Love you -Dad

P.S. Luke, Calum, and Ash said hi

Putting aside the note, I managed to get out of bed and take a shower without falling, because I had to hop everywhere. I changed into my Clifford 95 sweatshirt and leggings and sat on my bed to brush my hair.

I grabbed my laptop and logged onto my Wattpad account. I liked to read fanfics in my spare time. I decided to listen to some of the guys' music while I read.

They're good, I thought to myself.

I decided that my favorite song was Wherever You Are. For some reason, I thought of my parents. They left me on a doorstep when I was a baby. I saw them once; it was at their funeral about four years ago.

It was times like this when I wished they hadn't given me up. We would still be together. We'd be a family.

I suddenly felt angry. They abandoned me before I could even remember them. I lived for thirteen years without friends, without a family. They left me with nothing but a name and a blanket that got thrown away a long time ago.

I took something off my nightstand and threw it at the door. The sound echoed in my end after it reverberated off the walls. I squeezed my pillow as I sobbed. Tears streamed down my face.

My own family didn't want me after the funeral. No one wanted to adopt the child of their deceased loved ones. They didn't want that responsibility, nor did they want one more thing to tie them down. It was sickening.

I opened my top drawer and took out the only picture I had of my parents. They were so young, so happy. Why couldn't we be happy together?

"Why did you give me up?" I cried.

My sobs grew quieter until they were completely silent. I sniffled and rubbed at my eyes, swallowing the painful lump in my throat. A door slammed shut downstairs, and I heard the slight jingle of keys.

"Maya, we're home!" Ashton yelled.

I checked the time. Had it already been three hours?

"I'm in my room!" I yelled back.

Loud footsteps thundered up the stairs. I attempted to get rid of any remaining tears when my door opened.

"Sorry, we- what's wrong?" Ashton asked when he saw my red eyes.

He sat down next to me, and I threw myself into his arms without even thinking. Loud sobs once again racked my body. He held me as I cried into his chest. More footsteps entered the room, halting at the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

I felt Ashton shake his head and shrug his shoulders. I pulled away and kept my head down as tears continued to fall from my eyes.

"Do you want to tell us what's going on?" Ashton asked.

"No," I whispered, afraid I'd start sobbing again if I spoke any louder.

"Was it the fans? Were you reading hate?"

Luke checked my laptop while Dad grabbed my phone. I sat there silently. I didn't want to stop them because then they'd think I was hiding something.

"I got nothing," Dad said once he was satisfied with his search.

"Nothing on her laptop, either. She was just listening to music," Luke said.

Dad sat on the chair at my desk and rolled it over to my bed. He rested his hands on my knees, tilting his head up to look at me.

"What's wrong, Maya?"

"My parents," I mumbled while still looking down at my comforter.

"What about them?"

"I was just thinking about them, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Uncle Ash asked. "It might make you feel better."

I sighed. There was no way I'd get out of this without telling them. If not now, then it would be later. I couldn't escape when it came to them. They were a bunch of stubborn, grown men who still behaved like children.

"T-they left me on a doorstep of an orphanage when I was a baby. I saw them for the first time when I was ten," I told them.

"What do you mean you saw them? You didn't meet them?" Uncle Ash asked.

"You can't exactly meet a dead person. They were murdered. The first and last time I saw them was at their funeral. They left me a note on the back of a photograph. It said that they gave me up because they were too young to take of me. They wanted to give me my best chance."

Dad sat on the bed and wrapped his arm around me. A few more tears fell. I quickly wiped them away before any of them could see.

"I don't know why I'm crying. I don't even remember them," I said into Dad's chest.

"As I said, it's the pain that gets to you. You missed them without realizing, and that's okay," Dad said.

"Can we have a lazy day?" I asked. "I don't feel like going out anywhere. I just want to stay home."

"Yeah, sure."

Dad carried me downstairs and set me on the couch. The guys brought down blankets and pillows.

"Dad, can Nick come over?" I asked.

He seemed hesitant at first but agreed after Calum convinced him that it would make me feel better.

I texted Nick our address, and he was here in five minutes. He sat down next to me as we watched some movies. We played a few rounds of FIFA. Nick beat Dad; he wasn't too happy about that.

The guys had been playing against each other for a while, so Nick and I went up to my room to watch Netflix on my laptop until he had to leave.

The five of us all camped out in the living room that night. I was on the recliner while the guys were on the couches or the floor.

"I love you guys. Goodnight," I said and fell asleep.