Tonight's Cloudy Sky (Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 1- Five Best Friends

As I woke up, I felt the sun shining on my face. I slowly opened my eyes and immediately shielded myself from the light. I groaned and moved to the side, shuffling the covers around me. I laid there for a few minutes more; I wasn't able to sleep, so I listened to everything around me.

Mom was in the other room shuffling around, as she does every morning. I hear cupboards opening and closing, so I presume that she's making breakfast. My mom is a very sweet and understanding person, so she knows that I am too lazy to make myself food. I could be hungry all day, but won't bother to cook something because I don't want to get up. We've come to an agreement that, when I'm hungry, she'll get me something, and in return I will do whatever is possible to help run the house.

You see, I live in a single-parent family. It's just me, my brother Ryan, and my mom. We live in the peaceful city of Portsmouth, which is about an hour southwest of London, and right on the coast. We live in a cozy apartment that has two bedrooms and one bath- it's not much, but it's what I call home.

I hear a crash coming from the other side of the wall, followed by the high pitch whine of Ryan. He probably broke something. Again.

Knowing that I would never be able to go back to sleep, I sat up. On the wall opposite my bed was a poster of One Direction. God, I love them. I sighed as I admired their beauty. I wished I could meet them and tell them how much they mean to me, but I had accepted long ago that I would never see them in person. Giving one last fleeting glance at them, I flung my covers back and I was struck by the coldness in the air. I had heard mom muttering about the bills yesterday, and I realize that the heating was probably cut off. I stuck my arms into my sleeves and ran to the closet for a pair of sweat pants. Once I was warmer, I walked out of the room I shared with Ryan and found myself in the dark. Great- the electricity was cut, also. I sighed and shuffled forward.

I only made it one step before the lights flashed on and I was ambushed by people. They all ran to hug me, cheering happily.

"Happy Birthday, Amelia!" I saw around me all of my school friends. I wasn't the most popular girl on campus, but I had managed to hang on to the few friends I've had for the past couple of years since I moved to England.

I smiled, still in shock, at everyone as they ushered me over to the couch. Ryan walked shyly over to me and handed me a blanket to keep me warm. He then snuggled next to me and whispered a happy birthday in my ear. I pulled an arm out from under the blanket and wrapped it around him, pulling him close. We may be seven years apart, but we were as close as anything.

I looked over to my mom, who was sitting at the dining room table. Her head was resting on her hand and she stealthily wiped away tears. I tilted my head, silently asking what was wrong, but she shook her head and smiled. I could tell that she was hiding something.

"Go cheer mom up," I whispered in Ryan's ear. He looked confused at first, but he quietly rushed over to her when he saw the state she was in. When he got to her, he gave her a big hug and she threw her had back, laughing. Ryan's hugs solved everything.

I looked over at my friends, who were all huddled on the carpet in front of me. They were gossiping and having a good time. I caught the eye of Meredith, my best friend. I motioned her over to me.

"How in the world did you plan this?" I exclaimed quietly. "You're horrible at keeping secrets!" I slapped her gently on the arm and she giggled.

"It was not without great difficulty, trust me Amelia." Her thick accent clung to every word and I struggled to understand her. She had a tendency to talk faster when she was excited. "Do you know how many times I wanted to tell you?! It was literally killing me!" She waved her arms around as she exaggerated wildly.