Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 15

It's a bit short but it's important, this will be a turning point in the story.

“Jordan, please call me back. I-I’m worried about you,” I whispered into the speaker for what seemed like the thousandth time. It had been a week and she still wasn’t home. Rent was coming up, my coffee shop was only paying for so much, and school hadn’t been attended by me in days. Tears stung my eyes and I tossed my phone to the ground, hearing a small crack.

I was sick and tired of all of this. Could I ever get a break? All I had ever known was heartache and when I came to live with my sister, I thought it would all disappear. Ha…I could never be that lucky.

Shaking my head, I slid out of my bed, heading to the closet and throwing on my normal uniform for work. Niall had been worried out of his mind, always so protective whenever he saw the bags under my eyes and dwindling body. On top of that, Harry plagued me with numerous texts, asking if I was alright and apologizing for Liam. Liam himself though, well, I had yet to see him and I would like to keep it that way.

I tugged a brush through my hair, avoiding looking in the mirror as I did so. I knew I looked like crap. I wasn’t the skinniest girl, I wasn’t the prettiest, hell, I wasn’t even the smartest…I was just me. It didn’t help that I still wasn’t sleeping and my anxiety was at an all time high. Dark circles were shadowed under my eyes that lacked the lacked the spark they used to hold. It was almost frightening to see my broken and ugly reflection; I couldn’t stand it.

“What’s the point?” I muttered to myself, my eyes filling with tears as I slammed the door behind me, shuffling down the apartment steps to reach the ground floor. It was dark outside, my body  filling with tears as I slammed the door behind me, shuffling down the apartment steps to reach taching in protest as I realized how late I would be working. Night shifts suck…

***

“Brin, I don’t feel comfortable leaving you here alone, love,” Niall said, stacking a few chairs and placing them against the wall. “There’s a lot of creeps out there who would love to get their hands on a pretty girl like you. I blushed when he called me pretty but my sternness soon resumed, my brow furrowing.

“Go, Ni. Your mum needs you,” I prodded, lightly shoving him towards the door. “I’m getting ready to close up anyways.” He ran a hand through his hair and nodded tightly. His eyes were intense as he gripped my shoulders, holding them tightly and leaning down to my level.

“You need anything, you call me. I don’t care what time it is, I will come, alright? And no talking to strangers,” he said evenly, pressing his lips to my forehead and turning to leave.

“Remember what I said,” he reminded one last time before stepping out of the door, the bell jingling behind him. I let out a pent up breath, my heart picking up a fraction as I realized that I was alone in an unsafe part of town and had to walk a few blocks to get to my car. I bit my lip and shut off the lights, locking the door behind me before walking down the street at a quick pace.

Not even a block in, my breathing sped up, the sound of echoing footsteps prominent behind me. I glanced behind me, the brief shadow of a person etched into my mind. That was all it took for me, my legs kicked into overdrive and I ran as fast as I could, the thundering of another set of footsteps behind me making my eyes water in terror. I didn’t want to die or be raped, I was just a kid. I inwardly facepalmed at thought; Liam had said that one too many times that it stuck.

“Watch yourself,” someone suddenly whispered in my ear, the breath rolling down my neck in eerie waves. A scream escaped my lips and I whipped around, no one in sight. I knew what I felt, I knew what I saw, and I knew that I was in danger…