Drive

Chapter 6

After we clean up our mess and the waitress comes back with the check, Niall pays her right there and tells her to keep the change. We use the same method as we did getting into the restaurant, Kaylee on my hip and Niall behind a menu. But when we get outside we're greeted with camera flashes. Paps! I knew it! I knew I was going to go out with him and then the paparazzi would show up!

"Damn it," he says and I follow him through the crowd of sweaty man that have nothin better to do with their lame lives but write fictional stories and take a picture to 'prove' it. We finally make it to the car and I climb in the backseat, so I can buckle Kaylee in. After she's in her seat I climb up to the front, Niall slowly pulling out, trying not to run over anyone with a camera.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know they would be here." He shakes his head. "How did they even... That girl! The waitress must've put it online and tagged the location!" He groans and I roll my eyes as he finally gets onto the road.

"Maybe we could-" he starts but I cut him off.

"Just take me back to the hotel." I snap and he jumps at my sudden mood change.

"Why so pissy?" I raise an eyebrow at him and he shrugs his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, but unlike you, I don't wanna be on the cover of Seventeen." I say and he shakes his head.

"You're not going to be on the cover." He says and I nod my head, crossing my arms over my chest. Thankfully, he rolls his eyes and lets it go.

The car is silent on the way back and silent as we walk up the stairs. Kaylee has fallen asleep and is getting really heavy, I guess Niall can tell.

"Let me carry her," before I can reject he takes her out of my hands and she lays her head on his shoulder. I was going to snap at him, but I can't help but feel the relief against my body.

As we approch the rooms, once again Liam is standing outside, but this time he's alone. He has another

cigarette between his lips and I scrunch my nose at the disgusting smell.

After me and Niall wave to him, I open the door to my room and let Niall come in. I don't really want to be alone right now, but I don't want to be bothered either. He lays Kaylee on the bed and covers her up with the blanket before turning back to me.

"I guess.." he trails off and starts towards the door.

"You don't have to go.. If you don't want." My feel my cheeks heat but look up to him, he's staring at the ground with a smirk on his face. He nods and makes his way over to the small pink couch in the corner and takes a seat.

"Why are you here? Don't you have a tour or something to go on?" He looks down to his hands and shakes his head.

"It's complicated," his phone beeps and he pulls it out of his front pocket. As he unlocks the screen his eyes widen and he curses under his breath. He runs a hand through his blonde hair and stands up.

"I've gotta go!" He rushes to the door as I stand up.

"Wait-" I begin but he shakes his head and pulls the door open, letting it fall closed behind him. What the hell was that? I start towards the door but stop in my tracks when I hear police sirens. I take a deep breath and rush to the window, pushing the curtains back.

My eyes widen when through the bright light I can see red, white, and blue lights on top of a white police car. The officer is holding Liams hands in handcuffs before I see Liam struggling for them to stop as the cop throws a punch that lands him on the ground. He struggles to get up but the cop punches him once more. I can see the blood running from his nose and my stomach churns. The cop hurls him off the ground and into the car and slams the door. That car is surrounded by three others and the cop drives off, leaving the others there.

Immediately I run to the door and swing it open, I try and run to the cars but the railing stops me and im frozen. All I can do is stare at the image in front of me. I just watched Liam Payne get arrested and beating.

I jump when I hear the familiar Irish accent from beside me and turn so my body faces him.

"He's been doing drugs," he states but never looks at me. His eyes are focused on the now empty parking spot where the officer was parked. "That's why we're here. Management was going to port Liam to America, and we could go on with our tour. But we refused to sing without him. They gave us a choice, we could either be ported along with him, or we could continue the tour without him. If we continued the tour we had to lie to the fans, and we couldn't do that." He explains and my heart lurches. For a second he looks me in the eyes and I can almost tell there bloodshot, but before I can get a good look he walks towards his room and slams the door behind him. Oh..

My heart hurts for the boy who just watched his best friend arrested for drugs and beating. Liam Payne of all people.. on drugs? Something doesn't sound right. Katherine is in love with this boyband and she's always said how they never let the fame get to their head and how they all are perfect role models. What could've caused this?

I shake my head and walk back into my motel room. I take a seat on the couch and lay my head in my hands. I've never seen anything like that. When I was a little girl my mother and father were always there for me. My father had a good job, and my mother stayed at home with me until I was a teenager and could take care of myself. I got whatever I wanted since I was the only child, but I always had a hidden side of me. My mother thought I told her everything, and I mainly did. But, normally, an only child grows to be greedy and holds on to whatever is theirs. I'm completely different. I hated taking things for granted. I would miss meals because it killed me to know people didn't have a meal. I rather not eat and give the food to someone who asks for it. I can't stand making people cry, I would give up my heart so someone else could live. But my life took a turn. When Keenan died, I spent a month working at my fathers job that overpayed me and saved up the paychecks. I moved out and quit the job, but after living in that apartment for four months, my life turned to hell.We barely had money to put food on the table, or clothes on our backs, and now we don't have the money for a damn roof over our head. This motel room isn't going to cut it for the rest of my life. I need Keenan..

A tear flows down my cheek and I quickly wipe it away. But the hot tears roll down my cheeks one by one. It seems the more I wipe them away the more they come, until I break into a full-out ball. I sob and hold my head in my hands. This is the first time I actually cried in the last nineteen years. I used to have no reason to cry except for the little stuff when I was a kid, like scraping my knee. Even when Keenan died I didn't really cry. I held it in until now. I've been holding all the pain back until now, until this very moment, and tears fall down my cheeks until I hear the a thump; and lift my head up. Kaylee makes her way towards me and I quickly wipe my eyes, pushing back the tears.

"Mommy?" She climbs onto the couch with me and curls into my side, nuzzling her head in my shoulder. I hold onto her, not letting go. She's my only reminder that Keenan was real, and my only motivation to keep going. Since my life turned to hell, I've wondered why? Why did this have to happen to me. But then I think of something my mother always told me.

Things have been going good for too long, it's going to change. And promise me you'll hold on.

My mother has too much faith in me. She believes im strong when im really not. Nothing has ever tore me to pieces, or broken me down; until Keenan. He was the perfect boyfriend, the perfect father, he was perfect. But, perfect doesn't exist, so he left me. He left me and our little girl here to experience the world and walk down the path ourselves. I never thought I'd feel so... alone. I've always had someone to hold my hand, there was always someone there to guide me. I've never done anything for myself, or was ever alone, and now that I am. I don't know what to do. And it's hurting me to watch my life pass by and don't know how to handle the hard parts.

"Kaylee," It's time for me to get my mind off this shit. "Do you wanna play a game?" I asks and she smiles and nods.

"Yeah!" She jumps off the couch, "hide and go seek!" I nod and close my eyes, covering them with my hands and hear her footsteps pat off into the room.

"Ready!" She shouts and I uncover my eyes, giggling, and stand off the couch to go seek my little girl.