first impression (a Niall Horan fanfic)

Chapter 73

-hayley's POV-

I stood my the familiar front door steps, in front of the same dark wooden door, for what seems like the hundredth time in the last few months. But it is only the second. I bury my hands into my coat pockets as the snowy air whips around me. The weather was awful and I should have just went back to the dorms, but I wanted to see Logan. I owed it to him.

I turned to see Logan pulling the door back with a huge smile on his face. Oh how I've missed the little asshole. He didn't match at all, but that wasn't unusual. He wore red sweat pants and a purple hoodie. His socks were mismatched and his hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in a week.

"Hayley!" He grinned as I took off my snow covered boots.

"Hey little turd." I teased.

He shrugged and accepted the comment as if it were a compliment. He encouraged me to take a seat in my usual spot on the couch.

"Where is everyone?" I asked as he scurried into the kitchen.

"Ryan and Mom are on their way home!" He called back. He hobbled back quickly with a mug filled with steamy liquid, which I'm assuming was hot chocolate.

I took the handled cup out of his hands and looked around the room. I noticed there were more pictures of Ryan and Mom together and fewer of me. The pictures above the fireplace were the same. Logan's school pictures and one of my senior pictures but all the other photos of my childhood were gone; as was most of my art work I had done over the past years.

"The walls are looking kinda bare." I mumbled to Logan.

I noticed his face drop slightly as he stared at the T.V. "We're moving in with Ryan." He said quietly.

I felt my jaw drop to the floor. No way. She wouldn't, well actually, she would.

"Oh." I said. "I... I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "It's life."

I changed the subject to his basketball team at school. Which was probably a big mistake. He wouldn't shut up. He rambled on and on about their plays and how some of his teammates got on his nerves. He complained about the running, followed by bragging about how good he was.

Hours passed until I heard the back door open and shut again. They were home. Which means it was almost time for me to leave.

"Hey Mom." I said through a forced smile.

She looked surprised. I couldn't tell if she was happy or not, probably looked at me as more of an inconvenience than anything. "Oh, hi Hayley." She said as Ryan took her coat from her arms.

"How nice of you to join us." Yup, I knew that was coming. "Why weren't you here for Christmas?"

"I was with Niall and his family." I stated.

She pulled a bottle of red wine from the fridge and poured herself a glass. "Oh. So I'm assuming you're still together."

"Yes Mom."

"Oh, well then, that's interesting."

"You don't have to fake happiness." I said flatly.

She shook her head. "Believe me I won't."

I sighed but prayed that she would drop it. I was not in the mood to argue with anyone, let alone my mother. She thankfully asked about my classes and never brought up Niall again.

Logan was in the middle of telling us about a funny story that happened at school when every light went out in the house.

Great.

"I'll get the candles and flashlights." Ryan said as he stumbled into the kitchen.

After sitting in the candle light for what seemed like forever, Ryan emerged from the basement with a hand held radio in his hand. "Roads are closed. No power for a while. There's a lot of snow." He reported.

I spit what little of hot chocolate I had in my mouth back into the mug. "What?" Roads closed? That means... no.

"Looks like you're gonna have to stay here until tomorrow at least." Ryan shrugged. He enjoyed my pain. Even in the dim lighting I could see the joy on his face. Asshole.

"Uh..." I stammered.

"I think we still have a bed in your old room, right?" Logan asked Mom. She nodded.

"Just like old times!" Logan screeched as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me up the stairs to where my old bedroom lies.

...

I pulled my knees to my chest as I looked out the window of the loft. I couldn't sleep and my phone had died. No power, no battery. I watched as the moonlight shined down on the little snowflakes flying through the air. It reminded me of the Christmases I spent with Dad.

We used to build snowmen and snow angels. I remembered sitting around the fireplace eating snow ice cream and singing random songs or quoting movies we've seen a thousand times. Sometimes Logan and I would start a snowball fight against Dad and sabotage him from the roof of the house. I laughed at the memories. One time Logan decided to run away and completely ate shit on the ice. One of the scariest but funniest moments of my life.

It had been so long since Dad left. So long. Sometimes I would call his number but hang up on the second ring because it would dawn on me that he wouldn't answer. It would dawn on me that he was gone. Niall didn't know but it had taken everything inside me not to cry when we spent Christmas Eve at his dad's. It was just hard. It was hard to see so much love and affection between them when I couldn't do that anymore. It was hard to except it.

When days were really bad I would get out the letter he had written me and read it several times. And each time I cried more than the last. It brought comfort to me, knowing he was still there. But all the same it hurt. It rubbed the wound raw and it hurt. Everything hurt.

((I am so sorry for not updating!!! school started and im grounded so i'm not even supposed to be writing but I am! anyway updates will take time. I am sorry but please vote, comment, and such because it means so much!! Ily!!! xxx))