Crossroads of Life

Chapter 24

A/N: if there's any mistakes, my bad.

Lauren’s POV:

The thunder and lightning were keeping me up all night. Each bolt of lightning illuminated the dark room through the window shades. I pulled my sheets over my head, brushing my hair out of the way, trying to block out the storm.

I breathed in the familiar scent of laundry detergent, the kind my mother used to buy, and the kind that Bailey buys now. I sat up, knowing that sleep would never come to me in this weather.

I reached over and flicked on the bedside lamp, staring down at the book I was reading earlier. The clock read three o’clock in the morning. I sighed deeply, desperately begging to just be normal for once.

I knew Bailey didn’t mind being woken up, she always said that I couldn’t control what I feared. But I still felt bad when I disturbed anyone, even if it was for a logical reason.

Swinging my legs off the edge of the mattress, my feet hit the cold hardwood and I stood up slowly. I shuffled into the hallway, heading towards Bailey’s room, needing to assure myself that she was okay.

The light in her room was on, and the door lay wide open, so I peeked my head in. There was no one lying in her room, nothing but an empty, freshly made bed. Worry swept through me and I felt my body shake even more as I stood in the middle of the hall.

Please don’t tell me she went out in this weather. Please God. Another loud crack of thunder shook the house, sending my thoughts into a dreadful memory:

“DAD!” I screamed running outside the house, my bare feet hopping down the stone pathway and toward the car. The wet grass licked at my ankles, sending cold shivers up my legs.

“DAD!” I screamed, knocking on the window as the rain poured down around me. My hair clung to my face as water droplets dripped off the end of my nose.

“You forgot your wallet,” I smiled and he rolled down his window to take the worn leather wallet from my hands.

“Thanks baby,” he smiled back, pulling my head down and planting a kiss on my wet forehead.

“No problem Daddy,” I grinned, backing away from the car as he exited the driveway. The thunder cracked above me and I started toward the house again, “Love you!” I yelled as he beeped his horn and waved his hand out the window of his Subaru.

“Have fun sweetie! Stay safe!” he told me, his car driving off into the storm. But it wasn’t me who needed to stay safe. It was him. That was the last time I ever saw my father, the last time his proud face ever looked into mine.

A tear raced down my face now, and the thunder brought me back to the real world. Bailey, I thought, running past the kitchen and jumping onto the sofa. I peeled back the curtain of the window and stared out into the driveway, desperately searching for comfort.

Wiping away the steam on the glass, I squinted my eyes, searching for a sign of hope. As soon as I saw the car, a rush of relief flushed through my veins. I sighed deeply and wiped the tears from my eyes with the back of my hands, scolding myself for getting so worked up in the first place.

After walking back through the kitchen, I noticed the porch light was still on. I went to shut it, slowly walking to the edge of the door frame and peeking my head in to search for the light switch.

I was about to flick the light off when I noticed them; Bailey and Niall were lying in a heap on the floor of the porch. The fort had tumbled down around them messily, the white sheets covering their bodies so that only their feet and heads stuck out of it.