Runaways

Prologue

*2 years before*
                           ···
Noah and I walk hand in hand down the deserted hallway of Cleveland High School, catching glances from the few kids that haven't made it to class yet.

I stop walking causing him to halt and look back at me with an eyebrow raised as if asking 'what's up'. We earn a few questioning glances from our peers. "Are you sure you wanna walk me to class its all the way in building C. You'll be even later than late." I eye him skeptically.

He grins. "Of course. I'm sure Mr.Sutton wouldn't mind if I said hello to the class."

"If you did that I would literally kill you." I try to suppress my smile but end up failing, causing a laugh to leave his lips and echo throughout the emptied hallway.

"Yeah, right. You wouldn't hurt a fly! Plus you love me too much to kill me." He pats my head and squishes my 5'3 frame into his side.

"In your dreams, lover boy." I smirk as I push him away from me and enter building C.

                        ______

As I'm leaving the last class of the day I start for my locker but I get cut short due to Mason Williams's 5'7 frame towering over me.

"What do you want Mason" I roll my eyes as I take a few steps back.

"Nothin'. Just wanted to let you know that Noah was at my house yesterday hanging out with Elijah and I, he said he was planning on playing you." He folded his arms across his chest as the corner of his lips turn up into a sly smirk.

I narrow my eyes at him.

Will this boy ever stop trying to ruin my relationship?

Mason had always been nice to me until I start dating Noah at the end of freshman year. Then he just started telling me that I was gonna hurt Noah and I should just give up on him. He always despised our relationship and always tried to break us up.

"Step aside, Mason. I don't have the patience for this today." I say as I walk around him to my locker.

I expect him to follow me but he doesn't. I just watch him slam one of the double doors shut. The force of it sends a forceful wind down the corridor.

Brat.

                         ___

I walk into my quiet home. I know my parents aren't home.

They never are.

"Liam!" I call out for my twin brother. "I'm home!"

I skip up the stairs, peeking into his room. He's sprawled over the side of his bed, bottles of beer surrounding him and a half empty one in his hand, waiting to slip free and shatter into pieces.

I throw my backpack into my room, which is right next door to his, and rush back into his to clean this catastrophe he made.

Liam only usually gets drunk like this when he let's our parents get to the better part of him and its not healthy considering he's only a sophomore.

I clean all the bottles and push him onto the bed, making sure he's laying on his side. I grab some water and aspirin from the kitchen and set them on his side table before closing his door and letting him rest.

I take a quick shower before heading downstairs to watch a movie in the living room.

As I'm focused on what's happening in the action movie, I hear footsteps slowly making their way down the steps.

I look over my shoulder to see Liam looking like a wreck. His hair is sticking out in all directions and his eyelids are hanging low.

He drags over and sits next to me on the couch. He lays his head in my lap and starts to sob. I rub his back in a comforting mannor and his sobs get louder as he grips the back of my shirt.

I let him cry onto my stomach for about 20 minutes before his sobs start to die down. I start to run my hands through his hair, knowing it comforts him when I do it.

I would always do it to help him stop crying when dad comes home and hits him and mom after a bad day at work.

Dad never hit me. He always told me I was too beautiful. He said once I was old enough I would get it. I never knew what he meant by 'I would get it' but as my mind develops I understand and soon I'll get liam and I out of this shit hole.

"What's wrong, Li?"

He swallows. "He dropped by today and asked where you were. I told him you were still in school and..and" He sat up and looked me in the eyes before looking away and pulling his shirt off.

His skin had bruises littered all over his rib cage and a deep cut that sliced the skin from his abdomen to his waistline.

That's why he kept his pants hanging low.

I stand up, taking his hand and pull him up the stairs.

"When did he do this?" I ask him while nodding for him to lay down on his bed. I go get the first aid kit that we kept hidden for times like these.

He waits for me to walk back into the room before answering. "Around 2" I sqeeze my fists shut to conceal my anger.

He sucks air in through his teeth as I dab rubbing alcohol onto his cut. I patch it up so it doesn't get infected and sigh as I stand up, putting all the first aid away.

When I come back to stand in his doorway he already has a new shirt on and is sitting on the corner of his bed, head in hands.

"Why didn't you call me?" I ask softly.

"I didn't want to make you skip class." He says back, it barely coming out as a whisper.

I walk over and sit next to him. I turn my body towards him and he looks up at me from his hunched position.

"You know you're more important. Please, Please call me if something like this happens again, Liam. I can't lose you to him, li. Please."

"Okay." He breathes, defeated.

"Pinky swear?" I give him a small smile as I hold my pinky out.

"Pinky swear." He sits up and wraps his longer pinky around my small one.