My Heart's a Stereo

two

I don't even hear what Tyler says before I'm out the door running down the street. Lauren, what is your problem? it's just your brother. The guy you lived with until you were 16. The guy I saw back there wasn't my brother though. He was someone else. Someone mean.

By the time I stop running I realize I'm crying and have no idea where I am. I turn around on the street like a tourist. I'm crying and lost, just great! If I didn't know any better I'd swear someone was calling my name. Wait was someone calling my name?

"Lauren!" I heard it again but closer. "Lauren, what's going on?" Liam gets to me and hugs me tight.

"I... I don't know what's wrong with him." I stumble over the words.

"Lauren, it's ok. He's not going to hurt you. We wont let him."

"You don't know him like I do. When he's like this, I... I don't know how he's going to act. I'm so afraid."

Just then a black car pulls up and Liam leads me to the door. Niall was waiting with his phone up to his ear.

"Guys, Liam found her. We're headed back to the studio." He reaches for my hand. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Did he leave?"

"John and Dianne called the police and they took him away."

My mind flashes back to the first time I ever saw Ty in a cop car. I was 14 and he was 17, he stole our dads car to sneak out to a party. The party was busted and he called me to come pick him up at the field. I got there as they were putting him in the back. I screamed and the officers had to pull me away from the car.

"Lauren did you hear me?"

"What? No. Sorry I didn't. I wasn't paying attention."

"Do you want to go back to the studio and get your stuff or do you want to go back to your hotel?"

"I need to go back and get my phone. I ran out before I could get it."

We pull up outside and Tyler's truck is still out front and I freeze. He's not here don't be scared! I duck my head and walk inside. Dianne spots me and she runs up.

"Lauren, I'm so sorry." She pulls me into a hug. "I didn't know he was out. Did you?"

"He's been trying to call me for the past few days but it wasn't from the clinic phone." Running my fingers through my hair I can't seem to remember when he did call me from the clinic phone last. "Dianne, do you have my phone?"

"I think it's still in your music room."

I start to walk down the long hall and I see the wreckage Tyler has left in his wake. Broken vases, broken picture frames, damn there's even a hole in the wall right where he pushed me against it. Tyler, I can't believe you did this!

When I reach my music room, it's worse than the hallway. Everything is destroyed. Not one piece of furniture is where I left it. The boys file is all over the room and if I didn't know any better I'd swear there were pages missing. Shit! He took the pages with their phone numbers on it. I look around and see splinters of what at one point was my guitar.

I walk back down the hall, tears peaking at the corners of my eyes. "Dianne, we have a problem."

"What's that?" Her look was full of concern.

"The last page is missing from their file."

"OH! SHIT!" She makes sure she says both words, loudly.

"What's wrong? Is everything ok?" Zayn's face is as full of concern as Dianne's

"Here's the thing." I start and take a deep breath. "The last page in all my clients files has all their personal information on it. I'm talking phone numbers, email addresses, home address, birth dates, parents, girlfriend, ex girlfriends. Anything I would need to either get a hold of you and write a song." I hang my head in embarrassment. I wish I had on something other than shorts.

"Lauren, that's nothing a stalker fan can't get off the internet if they try hard enough." Harry says trying to make me feel better. It doesn't work.

"I just... I feel awful because y'all just met me not even 4 hours ago and n-"

"It's ok, I promise." They all put me in the middle of a group hug.

Just then the door opens. I assume it's john coming back to make sure we're all fine.

"Lauren? Are you here?"

"Ryan?" I try to work my way out of the hug. "Ryan, what are you doing here?"

"I was gonna ask you the same thing?" He wraps me in a hug so tight I lose my breath.

"You're a sight for sore eyes that's for sure."

He looks down the hallway, "damn, what hurricane hit here?"

I laugh, "hurricane Tyler. It's a long story."

"Anyway... I saw your Yukon outside and hoped you were in here. I'm wondering if you want to go to a glow rave tomorrow night?"

"Are you kidding?! You bet your ass I'll be there!"

"You can bring your friends too. As long as they're over 21."

"Oh I'm 21!" Louis interjects.

Ryan looks his way, "do you want to come?"

"What's a glow rave?"

If I could capture Ryan's expression I'd save it for every time I'm sad. "A glow rave is just like a normal rave except you wear all black and we give you glow in the dark paint at random time throughout the night and you paint the other people there. It looks really cool under the black lights and strobes." He looks to me, "I'll talk to Ben and see if he can make an exception for the other guys. Judging from their faces, they want to come too." He leaves to make a phone call.

"That sounds like hella fun!" Niall says joining Louis and I.

"Oh they are! When Ryan and Ben host them they get the best dj's. The last time it was Pauly D."

"This time Steve Aoki is gone be there." Ryan says from his phone call. "Ben wants to talk to you." He hands me the phone

"Yeah?... you know I'm a good girl, I never get caught... shut up asshole!" I say jokingly and hand the phone back to Ryan.

"Yeah man, I'll talk to you later." He hangs us and looks over at me "So wanna go get a drink?"

"Ryan honey, it's 2 in the afternoon." I could so use a drink after this morning.

"Yeah, so?" He eyes me knowing what I'm thinking.

"I'd love to but I shouldn't. I really need to get to working on a song for them." I nod towards the boys.

"You know, I could eat. Can we go get lunch?" Liam asks

"I know this great little diner down just around the corner." I reply

We all pile in my truck and head off to get something to eat.