As soon as Niall and I walked through the door, I ran straight up to my room. Not even paying attention to the boy that was shouting my name. I slammed the door shut and locked it. I changed into a t shirt, spandex, tied my hair up. Put my knee pads, high socks, and volleyball shoes on. I grabbed my volleyball backpack and zoomed out of his house taking my car and driving it to my university. The whole time I was crying. I couldn't believe the events that had just occurred.
I unlocked the gym and went up to the speaker booth. I plugged in my phone and started to play a song that always gets me pumped to work.
"If you had, one shot, or one opportunity." Blared through the entire gym.
I placed my backpack down and ran into the locker room to get the balls. I ran the cart over to the court. I threw one ball up in the air and smacked it hard into a jump serve
"THAT ONE WAS YOU PETER! WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT!" I screamed at the ball I just hit. I took another one and jump served it harder.
"THAT TIME IT WAS YOU DAD! FOR NEVER PROTECTING YOUR LITTLE GIRL!" I paused breathing heavily.
"For never being an actual father." I snatched another one and just served it into the net. I screamed in frustration.
" You better lose yourself." Kept blasting over the court.
I started to practice transitioning and setting since I'm the only setter. I took a few approaches and hit the ball I threw to myself. I ran to the back line again and served. Tears and sweat were streaming down my face when I decided to collapse onto the floor laying down flat like a star; tired and worn out. I heard clapping from the doorway and I turned my attention there.
"You're amazing." He said.
"Leave," I stood up and started to speed walk towards him.
"Leave now," I took my arm up to swing at him but he wrapped it around my waist preventing me from swinging at him. He hushed me as we slid our backs down the wall. All I could at this point was let Niall hold me and cry.
"Let me go Niall." I demanded.
"No I won't Autumn," he told me firmly yet soft.
"Tell me," he said. I looked at him with a puzzled face.
"Tell you what?" I asked.
"Who's Peter? What did your dad do?" I stood up.
"You've already hugged me when I'm sweaty and gross, I think you've had enough of me today." I said jokingly.
"Come on," he stood up as well.
"No." I started to collect all the balls and out them in the basket and ran them back into the locker room locking it behind me. As soon as I turned around Niall was there. I pressed my back against the wall and his palms were on both side of my head against the wall.
Fear struck my eyes as I stared into him. He looked right into my eyes, piercing my soul. He leaned in kissing my lips. His were soft and kind, unlike anything I would've ever expected. I pushed his body away from mine making him stumble over his own feet.
"What?" He asked staring confusingly at me.
"I can't." I paused taking a step back. I started running towards the ball cart and shoved it in the corner by the equipment door. I started to sprint towards the staircase where Niall stood.
Niall
I turned around to see a running girl making her way towards me. She started to move passed me wen I grabbed her by the waist.
She started to scream. A bloody murder scream.
I started to squat letting us sit on the floor. I laid my back against the bottom stair and listened to her cry. It broke my heart. I knew that I had feelings for her and hearing and seeing her cry made me feel like dirt.
"It's okay," I stroked her arm trying to calm her. Her cries began softer and softer until they turned into just sniffles.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"Um, yea." She stood up wiping her tears.
"Perfectly fine."
"Autumn you're not fine. Your eyes show it. Why'd you scream? Why'd you cry?" I asked. She took a deep breath and looked over in the corner briefly before starting her explanation.
"When I was in my Senior year of high school, I had this boyfriend and his name was Peter. One day coming home from his football practice, he and his friend were in a car and they got in a wreck. Peter's friend died, but he didn't. After he got out of the hospital, I realized that he had changed. He wouldn't treat me like a girl. He would pull my hair, call me a bitch, hoe, skank, slut. But I couldn't break up with him. He wouldn't let me go. He turned into this huge bully and so after Senior year I moved here. I just wanted a fresh new start for myself." She shrugged at her finish.
So what I was hearing was that this beautiful, crying girl standing before me was bullied by her boyfriend?
"Actually before my high school years uhm," she paused sniffling. "I lived with my mother and father but my father ran away one day and then my mother was put in jail for identity left. So I was shipped to live with my father. After a month living there he uhm," she let two more tears fall.
"He sold me. And that's exactly when I got scared. One night he kidnapped me and we drove to a hotel in a different state and stayed there for a week until the person who was supposed to take me didn't show up. I was thrown on the streets by my own father and then I was put in an adoption home." She was practically sobbing on the inside at this point.
I held her in my arms giving her the warm love she needed. She started to push away like before but I held her tighter so she wouldn't let go.
"Niall, let me go." She said to my back.
"Just tell me why you couldn't kiss me."
"Because."
"Because why-"
"BECAUSE I CAN'T TRUST YOU NIALL!" She practically blew me across the gym at this point.
"Why?" I wondered at her rejection.
"If I couldn't trust my boyfriend or own father how could I believe in any other guy that comes into my life!" She shouted.
"Autumn, I would never be like them." I took a step closer to her.
"If I start to like you, what will happen then? You'll beat me."
"Of course not Autumn why would you think that. Not all guys are alike."
"Get away." She said as she ran up the stairs and grabbed her bag and phone and left. God dammit why won't she just take a chance?
sorry this chapter sucks I know. And I'm still working on Torn in Two so don't worry about that. I have a head cold and a This Is Us hangover. So yea I'm enjoying my Labor Day weekend. WOO HOO! Fun. Song of the day is: just one day by the mighty oaks. Hope you guys are having awesome lives! Love you guys! Thanks!
-Deanna
