Misery Business (Sequel to Never Let This Go) *Paramore*

Chapter Twenty-One: Nooses

This may or may not rip your heart out. Be ready.

Hayley's P.O.V.

I'm snuggled up against Taylor for the whole movie, none of us make a single sound. The whole day was perfect, I enjoyed every moment with him. I'm just feeling extremely guilty about killing myself tomorrow at noon. I'm hoping I'll be up by noon, honestly.

Eventually I fall asleep on the couch, and wake up alone in my bed, with no sign of Taylor. I sit up, my head no longer resting on his pillow, and call his name out. Soon enough, he slowly walks into the dark room and looks at me. I hold my arms out as if to bring someone into a hug and he walks over to the bed, pulling himself under the covers and kisses me softly, wrapping his arm around me as we lay down. "Is that my pillow?" he asks quietly. I giggle at his reaction.

"Yes, Taylor York I stole your pillow," I explain in a hushed voice half asleep. "I couldn't sleep without it,"

"Your adorable, I love you so much," Taylor replies softly.

"I can't believe I fell in love with my best friend," I respond in almost a whisper, turning to face him. "Whatever happens with Angela and us, whatever it could possibly be, just know I love you more than anything in the world,"

"What are you saying?" he asks catching a version of my hinting. My eyes start to sting and I know I can't cry, because that will give me away.

"Nothing," I whisper turning around to face away from him, I feel his lips softly touch my shoulder and I fall asleep, more nervous than ever, because I don't want to leave Taylor behind.

-----

I wake, like always, with my face in Taylor's chest, and his arm tight around my middle. I feel him kiss my head and I take a moment to wake up a little before realizing it's 11:01. It used to be really early for me, but it's late for today. "It's late," I say sitting up. "I promised my mom I would stop by for lunch,"

"Okay, I'll go," Taylor says getting out of the bed. I do too and walk to him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a passionate kiss. "Well good morning," he tells me after pulling away from our shared kiss. I giggle and kiss his cheek softly.

"Be careful, I love you," I respond as I walk him to the door in his clothes from yesterday.

"Love you too," he replies getting into his car and driving away. I shut the front door and run up to get dressed as fast as possible, throwing on simple make up, and finding my noose hidden in my closet. I sigh and look at it, it was left it at the door before Taylor got back.

I slowly walk into the backyard, surrounded mostly by trees in the back and on one side. There's an old oak tree there and so I walk in its direction, knowing that this is it. My hands are clammy and I'm shaking. Okay so now I'm nervous. I guess it makes sense though, because I'm not exactly ready to leave just yet. I'm basically ending my life, and my band that means a lot to millions of others, and I'm leaving my own Mom to rot.

I tie the long rope to a high branch once I'm done climbing to it, as three kids who live nearby show and run over to me. There is a little girl, dark hair and very sweet, who is maybe seven. Then there are two boys who are twins, maybe eight years old. They're all related, but their parents are never paying attention to them and always let them run around without supervision. "Miss Hayley, what are you doing?" the little girl, Lacey, asks me.

"I'm building something," I explain to her making the rope tighter. They don't know what this is so it shouldn't matter too much.

"What are you building?" she asks in her sweet, excited voice.

"A swing," I say simply. It's about 11:45 so they need to leave soon, before I scar them for life. I already feel guilty. At this point, the twins, Ted and Sammy, are climbing the tree up to me. "Hey, guys, get down, I don't think that's a very good idea you can get very hurt," I tell the two. They just giggle and climb higher. I sigh and lean on the tree with my back. Why?

"Miss Hayley can you show us how it works?" Sammy asks me softly. He is now across from me on the tree, Ted is still climbing. All of a sudden, his foot slips and he almost falls off the tree, so I catch him and pull him back up while he screams.

"You kids need to get down now," I tell him. They frown at me, but they listen. Sammy leans to me a little, but I help him onto the first branch down. When I lean, I fall, my hands holding onto the high branch avoiding the noose for the children here. The twins run away screaming, but Lacey stays with a shocked look as my body falls through the rope.