Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 3-Rebel

BEEP.

BEEP.

BEEP.

A groan escaped my mouth as I propped my body up on an elbow, looking at my alarm clock. My eyes widened as I stared at the time; I was supposed to be up a half hour ago. My hand slammed down on the clock, stopping the incessant beeping and I stumbled out of bed, rushing to my closet and grab my Starbucks uniform. I threw it on and bolted for the bathroom, wincing as I saw the purple bruise standing proud against pale skin of my cheek, a small reminder of the previous night’s events. Pushing all thoughts of the caramel eyed boxer out of my head, I fumbled with my makeup, attempting to lighten the ugly color.

“Not good,” I muttered, brushing on some foundation to try and hide it. The tint was still there but at least it was better than before. I let down my honey colored hair, letting a few stray curls cover part of my cheekbone. I couldn’t stand my natural ringlets, but it was the best I could to with the time.

“Bye, Jordan!” I yelled, hopping on one foot so I could slip on my TOMS and bolting out the door as soon as I did. The whole drive to my new job consisted of fingers tapping impatiently on the wheel, grumbles of annoyance being muttered whenever I hit a light. Between the distraction of possibly losing my first job and trying not to crash as I tried to figure out how to drive in England, it was mayhem. When I finally parked and fished my keys from my purse, I rushed inside, locking the car behind me.

The shop was empty except for a worker behind the counter, his back turned to me. My nerves bubbled up within me, scared of being fired only the first day in. I bit my lip trying to gain the courage to approach him, only watching as the muscles of his back rippled beneath the white t-shirt. His hair was a light blonde, brown at the roots and styled into a small quiff.

“I am SO sorry I’m late,” I finally managed as I stalked up to the counter. “I swear it was just a one-time thing. I was just-.” He turned around, chuckling slightly, a playful gleam in his frosted blue eyes.

“S’alright, love,” he assured, flicking the towel in his hand to rest on his shoulder. I tried not to giggle as I heard his Irish accent, the sound unfamiliar to me. “Greg isn’t here yet so yer in the clear.” A sigh of relief escaped my lips, a small smile then replacing my weary frown.

“I’m Brinlee,” I said, holding my hand out in a friendly gesture.

“Niall; I’m the manager’s younger brother,” he beamed, shaking my hand, his grip lingering a moment longer than necessary. I rather awkwardly slid mine out of his, watching as a blush rose to his cheeks.

“Sorry,” he chuckled, nervously wiping his palm against his jeans. “How about I show ya the ropes before Greg gets here, yeah?”

“Um, that sounds great,” I smiled, hiking my bag up higher on my shoulder.

“You can set that in the room right there then meet me in the back,” he said sweetly, whipping the towel in his grasp and shuffling around a corner. I sighed, silently rejoicing that I hadn’t ruined any and all chances of keeping this job. With that in mind, I strode to the small room and tossed my purse on one of the shelves, quickly making my way back to Niall.

The next few hours consisted of learning how to make different drinks without making a total mess of things. The first few attempts, I could tell Niall was trying not to snicker at my mediocre work. However awful I was at first though, I quickly picked it up, many of the processes being committed to memory by the near end of my shift. One thing plagued me throughout the day though. My cheek throbbed in a constant reminder of the man who had peaked my interest only hours before. The more I thought about it, the more I became even further determined to meet him again. Did I know why? No. Did I know what I would say to him? No. But despite this, I was dead set on seeing him no matter what it took.

My mind reeled with how in the world I could pull it off but only one idea came to mind, I had to go to another fight. I sucked in a sharp breath at the thought of ever going to that awful place again, the air around me suddenly seeming hotter. I quickly tied up my hair and continued to give the lady at the counter her coffee, smiling politely.

“Hey Brin-woah! What happened to your face?” Niall began, stopping short when I turned around.

“Oh…I, uh, I’m a bit of a klutz,” I lied stupidly. He frowned, walking up to slip a finger beneath my chin, tilting my head to the side.

“Klutz. Right. I know a good hit when I see one, babe,” he said, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Well, that wasn’t as effective as I had wished.

“Um…” I droned, not knowing what to tell him. He let his calloused fingertips rise to brush the sensitive area, freezing when I winced.

“You don’t have to tell me, but if someone is hurting you I’m here for you, yeah?” he said softly, the words only reaching my ears. That’s when it donned on me…he thought I was being abused or something. Before I could protest though, he dropped his hand and backed up.

“You’re shift’s over, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he grinned, stepping to help the next customer. I inwardly swore I would talk to him about the matter when I got the chance and went to grab my purse, my thoughts once again switching to Liam. I could just ask Jordan to take me? I mean, she went to those all the time. Yeah, I would just do that…

***

“What do you mean, no?” I huffed, stomping my foot childishly. My sister looked up at me, her face masked with seriousness, something that it rarely showed.

“Lee,” she spoke quietly, using my old nickname. “I can’t let you get hurt, not again. It was stupid of me to take you there in the first place. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“I’m not a child anymore,” I hissed, a bit annoyed with the sudden interest in my well being.

“No, you’re not a child…but you are an impressionable seventeen year old and I don’t want you ending up like me or mom,” she sighed, rubbing a hand over her face, her thick eyeliner smudging slightly. “Just trust me on this okay? You don’t want to get involved in this crap. There’s no going back.” My fists clenched and I flashed back to the night before, hearing Liam’s warnings echo in my head.

I was tired of people stereotyping me as the innocent and naïve little girl who was incapable of taking care of herself. I was going to show them; Liam and Jordan both. With a rebellious glint in my eyes, I smirked at Jordan, grabbing my hoodie off the couch and walking right out of the flat. All caution was thrown to the wind as I hopped into my car.

I had a fight to go to…