Teenage Runaway

Chapter 9

Niall fell to the floor in dispair, and Louis did just about everything but pass out. Both of the boys cried out, swearing and cursing themselves with every name under the sun. Zayn and Harry tried their best to comfort them, but there was nothing they could really do, and they were trying to stay calm themselves, as they had gotten very close with Eleanor and Sam over the years. The only thing they could do was hold each of them while the cried.

"Maybe they're not dead, they're messing with us." Harry said to Niall as he sobbed into Harry's t-shirt.

A sleepy Liam came trudging down the stairs and into the grave scene in the living room. "What's going on?" He asked, looking at the two broken men.

"Where's Taylor?" Harry asked, obviously concerned that the men had taken her when she had not appeared behind Liam like she'd been doing lately.

"Bentley got sick last night," Liam said while he rubbed his eyes. "Poor kid probably puked his body weight. I told Tay to sleep."

After the explanation, Harry retorted to Liam's first question and handed him the note. When he was done reading the note, the same expression fell across his face as the other boys.

Eventually, Niall and Louis ran out of tears and just sat there trying to process the fact that they're gone. They'll never get to see their girlfriends smile again, hear their laughs again, feel their kisses again, and it broke their hearts.

Liam heard Taylor coming down the stairs and instantly panicked. "Don't tell her any of this, please. I really don't want her to worry." The boys nodded in agreement.

Taylor appeared in front of the boys looking exhausted, her brown hair up in a bun on the top of her head. She took a seat next to Liam on the love seat and laid a very sick looking Bentley down on the sofa and rubbed his back.

"Morning," Louis said flatly. Taylor smiled at him.

"So, how's Bentley?" Harry asked.

"He hasn't thrown up since last night, I think the fish sticks I gave him for dinner didn't agree with him. I called into work and took the day off just in case."

After a nap from both Taylor and Bentley--in which Taylor fell asleep sitting up right on the sofa, using Liam's shoulder as a pillow--they were looking and feeling better. Liam insisted on seizing the advantage of one of Taylor's rare days off and took the pair out to a burger place that Liam remembered. It was kind of old fashioned--you ordered your food at the counter and someone on rollerblades came and delivered it to you.

"I'll be right back," Taylor said, halfway through her burger. "I'm going to use the restroom."

- - -

Liam had finished the rest of his burger and Taylor still hasn't returned. Getting worried, he flagged down a waitress and asked her to check the bathroom.

"Hello?" She asked as she knocked on the door. When she got no response, she used the key and opened the door to find an empty bathroom. She quickly returned to Liam. "I'm sorry, she's not in there."

Trying to push the bad thoughts out of his mind for the sake of himself and Taylor's son--now under his complete care without Taylor--he asked for the check and pulled Bentley into his lap.

"They're gonna kill her." He said silently to himself. "And I'll never see her again."

He held off the tears until they returned to the condo so he could drive safely. Without a second thought he took Bentley upstairs and laid him down for his nap, ignoring his constant asking of "Where did Mommy go?"  and "I want mommy!" which broke Liam's heart even more.