Complete (A Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter Four

Tick. Tick. Tick.

That clock is so loud.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Each passing second I grew more impatient, more nervous. I couldn't listen to any of the voices around me. People called my name but it sounded like it was being swallowed up by distance. Suddenly a few feet became miles. I couldn't shake it. What stood behind that door had the potential to change lives. Not just mine. Four lives were at stake here. Half of me was in "mama bear" instinct, ready to pounce and devour anyone who threatened the well-being of my children. The other half felt like a terrified and fragile girl. I hoped the winning half would be the stronger one.

'What do they want?' I thought. 'Surely this is all about money.'

With a deep breath and the support of Niall and Harry standing right beside me, I opened the door. Two elderly people stood before me, very average looking. I sized them up before even speaking to them. I knew their names but didn't know what they were about. They looked innocent enough but I had too many experiences in my short lifetime to believe that so blindly.

The woman extended her arms out for a hug and I simply offered one hand out for a handshake. Her smile faltered a bit before she accepted it.

"My, how you look like your mother," The woman cooed.

"Really? I think I look more like my father," I replied.

This time the man spoke up, "It's so great to see you. Look at you, all grown up."

"That's what people do. We grow up."

The exchange was forced and awkward. I made sure not to play nice to these strangers. They didn't fool me for a second. The hair on the back of my neck stood the entire time.

Niall's hand pressed against my lower back as he guided me to the kitchen table. Richard and Daisy followed behind and sat directly across from us. Harry took the seat at the end of the table, his eyes never leaving the elderly couple.

Richard broke the awkward silence. "We're Richard and Daisy, although I'm sure you've heard about us before. We're Ariella's grandparents."

Interesting. He's speaking to Niall and Harry instead of me.

"I didn't see you once in the seventeen years I lived with my mom," I challenged him.

"Now, Ariella, before you make this into a screaming battle, you should know that your mom wanted nothing to do with us. She chose her life," Daisy said in a quiet voice. Something about her demeanor told me that she wasn't as quiet and passive as she tried to seem.

"She married a man that destroyed her."

"She chose that life for herself. She is the one who started drinking. Her husband didn't make that choice for her," Daisy argued.

"She drank to forget about life with him. She wasn't a great mother. Hell, she wasn't even a good mother. She was practically a kid herself when she got into a relationship with my step-father. She was your daughter! You owed it to her to protect her, and you couldn't even do that."

Daisy said, "Your mother got knocked up by a man she barely knew and then expected her new boyfriend to pick up the pieces of her life."

I stood up this time and slammed my hands down on the wooden table.

"You two sat back while your own granddaughter endured a life of torture. I don't want to hear about how my mom's mistakes ruined everything. Your ignorance did."