Every Minute's Like the Last; A One Direction Fan Fiction by Niallerbeast

Every Minute's Like the Last; Chapter Four

Nikki; One Week Later, Still 2011

I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut

My weakness is that I care too much

And my scars remind me that the past is real

I tear my heart open just to feel

I stayed with my family as long as the school would allow, which was a week off school. Since I’d flown in on a Saturday, I got a full week with my mom before it was Sunday morning and I had to fly back to school. Luckily, she was able to come home Wednesday, so I knew she was settled and healthy. 

I woke up at 3 a.m. in order to be at the airport for my 6a.m. flight. I said a teary good bye to my mother, and an even tearier one to my father at the airport. Not only did going back to school mean leaving my mom, but it also meant going back and facing Ethan. I hadn’t texted him back at all. I only got a couple more threatening text messages from him, mostly accusing me of running off with Louis. I should probably have sent a text, or at least asked Katie to run and let him know, but to be honest, I didn’t want him to hurt Katie, and I thought that texting him would only make it worse.

14 hours later, I was back at school. Louis had asked me to stop by, but I told him that I had to talk to Ethan first. I figured I’d rip the band aid off quickly, and told Louis that I would skip class tomorrow to hang out with him. He said he’d pick me up in the morning, because it was part of his big news.

I dropped my bags off in my room and went to knock on Ethan’s door. I could hear the gun shots and music from his favorite video game. The noises ceased and I heard the floorboards creak as he walked to the door. He pulled it open and I saw a few of his friends lounging around his room. He shut the door behind him and grabbed my wrist, pulling me into my room and slamming the door behind him.

“Ethan. I-“

“You?”

“I’m so sorry I didn’t call. I had to rush home. My mom was in a car crash.”

“I don’t care if your whole family was murdered. You don’t just fucking leave without telling me. Besides, that’s  a lame-ass excuse. I know you were with Tomlinson. Someone saw you.”

“What? How could someone see me? I wasn’t there. I can show you my plane ticket.”

“Nikki. Shut up. Are you calling my friend a liar?”

“Yeah. I am.” Ethan, who had been turned facing the window spun around so fast that I barely had time to register that his hand was extended. Suddenly, I felt his palm smack me across my tear-soaked face, with enough force to knock my unsuspecting body into the sharp corner of the wooden bureau next to me. Instinctively, I brought my hands up to my face and doubled over. My face was stinging, and my leg had a scrape across it from the impact against the bureau. 

“I never want to see you again Ethan! Ever! Get out of my room!” I screeched, using up all the force I had left in my body. Ethan sneered and bent over, grabbing me by the ponytail.

“You’re lucky I got all I needed from you.” Then, he spit in my face before leaving the room. I locked the door behind him and crawled under my sheets. After what felt like hours of crying, I finally fell asleep.

**********

“baby you’re a firewooork”

I sat up quickly and reached for my phone on the nightstand next to my bed.

“Hello?”

“Nikki? It’s Louis. Are you downstairs yet? I’ve been waiting ten minutes and texting you.”