Twisted Friendship

Chapter 36

"Run, run, run!" Zayn whispers, his long fingers tangling with mine as he pulls me off the floor.

"THE CARPET IS ON FIRE!" Harry screams. His tall shadow bursts out through the smoke, curls disheveled and emerald eyes wide with worry.

Louis appears next to us, t-shirt pressed over his mouth to breath easier. "Hallway." he commands, holding his hands on the small of my back to propel me out of the room. "Now."

I stumble after him, my feet tripping over themselves as panic consumes me. Hands hook around my waist and yank me back up so I'm standing steady. The four of us burst out into the hallway breathing heavily.

"Where's Liam?" I ask in a panic, twisting around to look back into the flat. It's been overtook by a thick cloud of smoke, unable to be able to see much in the fog.

"Right here!" Liam pants from behind. Him and Niall are sitting on the floor, backs pressed against the wall and ash smeared across their cheeks.

"Well, I suppose I'm going to need a new flat." Niall notes dryly. He looks wearily back at through the door.

Louis slams the door shut. "Aren't there any sprinklers on the ceiling?"

Niall makes a face and rubs at his chin, "They don't work."

"Well, that's not safe." I exclaim, as if that really mattered in our current situation."

A small smirk wavers on Niall's cheek as he glances up at him, blue eyes crinkling at the corners. "Not as unsafe as hanging around with you guys, that's for sure."

Louis's arm muscles flex as he yanks the dented fire extinguisher off the wall, swinging it up over his head and bring it smashing down on the door handle to Niall's flat.

"We aren't safe people." he mutters as the handle clatters to the ground. He bends down to pick it up, twirling the metal idly in his slender fingers. "I've warned you of that."

"Louis," Harry gasps, staring at the door "Jesus christ, you smashed the door!"

"Now nothing can get out." Louis huffs, pulling up the edge of his t-shirt to dab at his forehead. It reveals his tanned skin underneath, outlined with muscles and prominent six pack. I mentally remind myself to focus.

Liam scrunches his eyebrows, "Couldn't we have used that to put out the fire?"

Lou's ignores him and turns to me. "Katie." he says, extending his hand out to me. I take it carefully, immediatly drawn up against him as his hands close around my waist.

"Sorry that had to happen." he whispers, bending down and crashing his lips down against mine. He tastes like smoke and sweat and adventure and trouble. My back hits the wall behind me, as he presses my hips back to keep me in place.

He draws away as quickly as it had happened, running a hand across the curve of my lips. "I don't think that made it up to you." Louis murmurs, pecking my nose softly. "One day, I'll make up for all the trouble I've caused you."

Turning away from me, Louis squints down the hall. "We'll leave this way." he says, striding off in that direction.

Nialls stares at me. "What was that?"

I press my hand against my thumping heart, trying to contain the flurry of emotions. "I think that kissing Louis Tomlinson is going to become a regular thing."

"He wants to bang you." Harry says with a shrug, tugging at my elbow as we jog to catch up with Louis. Zayn remains silent, eyes dark and demeanor suddenly very angry, almost daring someone to mess with him.

"Shut up!" I retaliate, too busy on Harry to notice the person in the hallway until I've bumped into them.

"Sorry!" I exclaim, rubbing my forehead and looking up apologetically. A man holding a rolled up newspaper with thinning grey hairline, squints at me uncertainly. Something clicks in his head as his mouth opens in shock.

"You're that missing girl." he whispers slowly, eyes widening with recgonition.

I jolt and take a panicked step back. "No I'm not." I attempt to edge around him, feeling Zayn tense up beside me.

The man looks behind me at the ragtag group of boys. All of them battered, clothes disheveled and singed, ash smeared on their sweaty faces. Not a good sight. I sigh inwardly, predicting an unfortunate outcome.

"What's taking so long?" Louis calls, rounding back around the corner with the fire extinguisher clenched in his hand. He stops down the hall and stares at all of us.

The man gapes at the dented weapon in Louis's hand before turning running back into his flat.

"Oh my god." he shouts, "It's them!"

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"TAKE A LEFT HERE!" Harry shouts, pointing down an empty street. Liam winces and jerks at the steering wheel, sending the car in a sharp turn and hurtling down the road.

I shriek as I get flown out of my seat, crashing on the floor with my legs in the air. Louis's face appears over me, looking amused as he cocks an eyebrow. "All right, love?" His hand closes around my ankle and pulls me back up.

"No." I reply, flicking hair off my face.

In a panicked flurry of escape, Niall had let us use his car, a very old baby blue Volkswagen beetle with cracked leather seats that had no seatbelts and did not go very fast. Which Liam made up for by refusing to take his foot of the gas pedal as we desperately tried to escape the cops that the man at the flat had called.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Liam asks, taking his eyes off the road to look at Harry sitting shotgun.

Harry unfolds the map from the cluttered glove compartment, staring at the mess of cluttered lines swirling across the page.

"I CAN'T READ MAPS!" Harry huffs, crumpling it up in a fit of fury and tossing it out the window.

Liam frowns, "Please don't litter-"

"Shut up!"

I giggle at them slightly, causing Louis to cock his head, smiling slightly at the ring of my laughter. "Such a beautiful sound." he murmurs, "I wish I could hear that more often."

"Maybe one day." I say teasingly, prodding his chest with my finger.

Louis captures my wrist. "Oh?" he says with eyes dancing in amusement, "Well one day I'm going to do more then just kiss you."

I feel my breath catch, and I'm left without words as he stares at me intently. My cheeks flame up with a blush while I stammer for a response.

Louis chuckles, "You're so cute."

Harry wrestles Liam for the wheel, causing the car to swerve across the road.

"Look out!" Niall shouts, as Liam jerks at the wheel to narrowly avoid a mailbox.

"Stop grabbing the wheel!" Liam exclaims, smacking Harry upside the back of the head.

Harry pouts, crossing his arms across his chest and pursing his plump pink lips. "I know how to get to Katie's house though."

Their words make me freeze up in panic. "You're taking me home?"