the worst / zayn malik

one

one

She furiously stuffed random clothing into the duffel, different shirts, jeans and undergarments. She didn't really pay attention to anything she shoved inside. She pulled open every drawer, filling the bag up to the brink and quickly zipped it before tossing it over her shoulder. The whole apartment was dark and the only source of light in her room was the moon shining through the window. With shaky hands, she slipped on her sneakers and reached in the back of the first drawer in her nightstand, finding a wad of dollar bills and stuffing it in the pocket of her jacket without counting it. There wasn't enough time anyway.

With her bag on her back and her money pocketed, she headed out of her door, triple checking that it was locked before she left. The cold air hit her face, immediately beginning to numb her cheeks. She hastily rushed down the stairs of her apartment building, skipping some at a time and jumping to the concrete when she reached the bottom.

The navy empyrean was scattered with small stars and the wind was chilly. The crickets were awake, their chirping being the only sound other than the quiet scuff of her shoes against the cement. She jumped harshly when her phone began buzzing in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out, fumbling against the screen to pull up the new text message.

jay: where are u?

She ignored the message and slipped her phone back in her pocket until it buzzed again, only this time repeatedly, signaling a phone call was coming through. The screen read jay and she swiped her thumb across the screen, bringing it up to her ear.

"What?" she whispered harshly into the other end.

"Where the hell are you?" Jay spoke, urging her to give at least some sort of answer.

She sighed, pulling her hood further over her head as she took quick steps down the sidewalk.

"I'm leaving town, Jay," she sighed again.

"What?" he exclaimed, probably now pacing whatever room he was in.

"I said I'm leavi-"

"No, I fucking heard you. What the fuck D, I thought you were done with this shit."

"Me too, Jay. Just... give me some time alright? I promise I'll be okay."

"Alright," she heard Jay heavily exhale on the other end, "Just call me to let me know you're safe, okay?"

"Okay, I promise. I have to go now, bye," she rushed, ending the phone call and slipping the device back in her pocket.

She stuffed her hands inside her jacket and continued her brisk steps in trough the cold night, looking over her shoulder every few minutes. She hated telling Jay these things, knowing they would upset him every time but it was for the best. It was to keep herself and even him safe.

"Bozeman," she heard behind her, making her freeze in place and squeeze her eyelids shut.

"Shit," she muttered before turning around and blowing her breath.

He stood there, a long black jacket over his broad shoulders and his hair greasy and gelled back against his scalp. He wore a grimy smirk on his face and he watched her with his hands in his pockets.

"Where are you heading?" he smiled, taking a step closer to her.

"Where the hell does it look like, Capone?" she snapped, glaring harshly at him.

"Hey, no need to be feisty with me. If anyone should be angry, it's me. But here I am, cutting you some slack-- once again."

She rolled her eyes and pulled a hand out of her pocket to pull the bag higher on her shoulder.

"C'mon, let's take a walk, shall we?" he said, motioning for her to follow him with a nod of his head. When he turned around and started walking back toward her apartment and she reluctantly followed.

"It's a full moon," he said, looking up at the sky before focusing back on his steps. "Now, Bozeman, how many chances have I given you?" he began, keeping his eyes ahead of him as he walked as hers remained on her shoes.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" she said, making him laugh under his breath as she continued to scowl at the ground.

"I'm sure you know how seriously I take my business and I'm sure you also know that the only reason I've cut you some slack is because you saved me from something that could've put a serious dent in my shit . And I don't like dents."

He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and slipped out a stick, offering one to her, which she only glared at before looking back down. With a shrug, he shoved it back in his coat and lit the end of it as it hung between his thin lips.

"I'm going to give you one more chance. And you better understand how fucking lucky you are, do you hear me?" he said, stopping once they reached her building. "One more slip up and you're done."

He flicked the barely smoked cigarette down by her feet and turned to leave. She watched him step down from the sidewalk and down onto the blacktop as he placed his hands back into his pockets.

"And no sleepwalking, Bozeman!" he called out, not bothering to turn around.

The breath she let out became visible, a cloud forming in front of her mouth before it quickly vanished into the cool air. She slowly turned and trudged back up the stairs and into her apartment, letting the duffel fall to the hardwood before she shuffled to her room and fell flat on her bed. She groaned loudly and turned over on her back, pulling out her phone.

change of plans, boss man caught me mid-fleet, she sent to Jay.

He was quick to call her again, and she answered, awaiting the sound of his voice as she stared up at the blank ceiling.

"I deserve an explanation," he said when she accepted the call.

"There's nothing to explain, Jay. I fucked up again and I tried to leave before he came to do anything."

"And where exactly were you planning to go?"

"I don't know... hide out in Compton or something?" She rolled over on her side, pulling a small blanket over her body and closed her eyes while trying to calm her nerves.

"D, you know he would've went after ma or some shit. You know that. And how the hell does he know where you live?"

"Who knows, and there's no telling what else he knows about me and my life. I hate to put you guys in danger and shit and I'm sorry that I'm even still doing this but I'm trying here," she explained.

"Well I can't really tell. I hope it doesn't take a dead body for you to realize that. You know I love you, but you gotta stop this, D. It's not just you that's in this any more, it's everyone you care about."

She sighed, taking in the words from Jay that were undeniably true. She knew she needed to find a way to break away from this and start fresh.

"I know, Jay. You're right. I'll get my shit sorted out soon enough. I promise you, and I promise ma I'll make it right."

"I know.. Look, you can come over for a few days if it'll help. I just want you to be okay again," he said sincerely.

"Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, Jay."

"Love you, D."

She hung up the phone and sat it on her nightstand before closing her eyes once more. She knew that she was putting everything on the line with her choices but she would make it right. She would do it for her family.

***

hello! so happy to get started with this story after so long. i know youll love it! this first chapter might be a bit too short but i promise the others will be longer, just finding a start right now. also, there's a character list in the description that I will be adding onto as I go. love you and thank you for reading x

- jai.