Ruined

Chapter 3 - Axe Murderers & Smoking

I knocked at the door of Niall's small terrace house, and stood shivering on his doorstep, goose bumps rippling up my arms.

I'd cycled at a snail's pace on the way back from the moors, letting the icy wind claw uncomfortably at my bare cheeks. The feeling of pure rage that I'd felt when I'd seen the mirror image of my eyes in that sad old woman's, had faded to a simple singing sensation in my veins.

Just the thought of it made my throat dry and caused my thoughts to smear together into an unreadable and senseless smudge. I tried to shake the thought as much as I could, but it was still there lurking in the back of my mind - waiting to bite back at anytime.

Suddenly, the door burst open and there stood Niall's dad. When Niall was eleven, his mother, Elaine, died of cancer. I remembered it well and was almost definitely the worst time in Niall's entire life. I could never figure out how Niall could live in such a carefree manor, after having such a scarring past.

I would have to ask him someday.

His father, Simon Hemming, was a kind-hearted man. However, you can still plainly see the pain and anguish of his loss in his eyes. But no one ever spoke about Elaine. It was the unsaid law that everyone knew in their minds.

"Hi there Noah! Come in." I nodded at him, before shuffling into the narrow front hall, stamping my mud-encrusted vans on the welcome mat in the process.

"How are you Mr Hemming?" I asked not looking the man in the eye. I never did anymore, it made me far too uncomfortable.

"Same old, same old." He muttered. "And yourself?" 

"Fine. Never better." I lied, gritting my teeth.

"Niall and the others are upstairs. I see you have a new addition to your little group. Whatsername?"

"Lily Lacey." I murmured warily.

"Ah yes, that's it. She's gorgeous son, you should dig right in there... Ah Niall, Noah's here!" I glanced up to see Niall's tall frame at the top of the stairs. I sent him a thankful glance for interrupting his father from continuing describing Lily Lacey as is she was a roast dinner.

"Alright Noah?" Niall acknowledged, scratching his neck with embarrassment.

"Alright." I responded as I began to climb the stairs towards him.

"Later dad." Muttered Niall. Mr Hemming took the hint and made a swift exit.

"Sorry about that mate." Niall mumbled.

"No worries." I spluttered, biting my lip as a desperate attempt to conceal my laughter. We went into Niall's room, and before I could do anything, Iris flung her arms around my neck and hugged me hard. "Noah! Where the fuck have you been? Surely detention doesn't take that long!" She exclaimed. I shoved her off me gently.

"I...skipped detention..." I replied looking at her awkwardly. She put her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised.

"Oh really. So where were you then?" She asked sternly.

"Well...I uh... biked over to the moors..." I muttered, blushing, taking a sudden interest in the floor. To my surprise she didn't say anything. There was a brief silence before Niall broke it.

"I saved you a beer, Noah." He pushed past me, pecking Iris on his way to his little coolbox that he kept in the corner of his bedroom.  I didn't look up from the cream carpet, still embarassed from before.

"Aren't you going to say hi to Lily, Noah?" Iris asked, I glanced up to see that Iris' expression had softened considerably. I shifted my gaze over to Lily Lacey, who was sitting woodenly upright on Niall's beanbag. For the third time that day, my senses were shocked to mind-numbingly emptiness, at the sight of Lily Lacey.