Some scars don't heal || m.c

1.3

Songs of the Chapter-

Better Than Words by One Direction

Infinity by Against the Current

Something You Need by Against the Current

How to Save A Life by The Fray

I'm A Mess by Ed Sheeran

The Man by Ed Sheeran

*TAYLOR'S POV*

"You useless piece of shit!" A chair crashed into my side, following my dad's words.

I couldn't help it, a scream left my mouth as the hard wood flew into my ribs. Tears pricked at my eyelids as the pain increased with a kick to the same side. I don't know how much more of this I can take, yet I braced myself for the next impact. Yet, it never came. Instead, I heard my dad yell and crash to the ground. A hiss came from the person stood above him, clutching their hand to their chest.

As I watched, they turned towards me. Flinching, I backed into the bed from where I lay on the floor, scared of another attacker.

"Taylor, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you." The frantic voice of my safety sounded as recognition of the voice came to me.

Michael. Michael was here.

"Mikey?" My voice came out as a croak.

"Yeah." He breathed a sigh of relief and bent down to me. "Can you stand?"

He held his hands out as if he wanted to help but was unsure how to.

"Erm, I think so..." I swallowed heavily and tried to push myself up, using the bed as a prop.

Collapsing with a hiss, I realised that my rib was injured from the chair. Clutching my side, I tried again, this time grabbing Michael's outstretched hands in an attempt to regain balance. I managed to make it to my feet this time, trying to ignore the stabbing in my side.

"Dude! You can't just run off like that! Wait.... What the hell happened in here?!" A breathless Calum appeared at the doorway, panting his words out having obviously sprinted his whole way up here.

"Erm, nothing. I just punched Taylor's dad. It's not a big thing." Michael tried to brush him off, his attention fixed on me still.

"Not a big thing?! You can't just go round punching people Michael! Did you find her anyway?" Calming down, Calum looke around the room, for me I assume.

"Calum?" My voice just a whisper; I'd only met him yesterday, and despite having obsessed over them for years, I still didn't know him that well in person. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Taylor, hi! Um, I came with Mikey to get you." He stumbled over his words, trying to find a reason to just be standing in my room dressed only in shorts and a coat. Come to think of it, when I actually looked at Michael, he was only wearing a hoodie and shorts as well.

"Did you guys not get dressed before you came or something?" I asked, trying not to laugh at their attire.

Looking down at himself, Michael blushed, the colour staining his pale cheeks.

"Er, I guess not..." He mumbled.

"Guys, not to rush you or anything Taylor, but I think your mum is about o rush madly up the stairs any second, and considering your dad is passed out on the floor, I somehow don't think this is going to be a good look for us." Calum looked between us and the door nervously as he talked.

"Oh right, yeah sure. Erm, you guys can go now, it's fine, I'm alright. Thank you for coming, you didn't need to honestly. But I won't hold you up anymore, go get back to your bus before my dad wakes up. I don't know what he'll do if he still finds you here." My heart sunk as realised what them leaving would leave me with; a drunk, angry father, looking for someone to take it out on, and a mother who would just stand by and watch her only child get abused. Like always.

"What are you on about?! We're not leaving you here with him! Are you crazy?!" Michael stared at me like I'd just suggested that pigs could fly. His expresssion was so confused, I almost laughed in all honesty.

"Yeah, did Michael not tell you?! You're coming with us. He wouldn't let it be any other way. Did you really think we were just going to leave you here?" Calum looked almost as shocked as Michael did.

"Everyone else has..." I whispered to myself, not expecting anyone to catch it.

"Well, we're not everyone else." Michael whispered in my ear, making me flinch at his proximity.

"Come on guys, if we're going, we need to go now. Ash and Luke are gonna wake up soon." I'd forgotten about the two other boys they must have left on the bus. How were they even going to fit me on with all four of them already there?

"I can't just intrude on your bus like this! Go, it's fine. Seriously." I shook my head, trying to get them to leave, I didn't want to fall in any deeper than I already had; they'd only end up leaving anyway.

"Sure you can. Come on." Calum came alongside me and picked me up as if I weighed nothing, much to Michael's look of disgust.

"Excuse me, but where do you think you're going with my daughter?!" My mum screeched at us as we descended the stairs, me still in Calum's arms.

"Somewhere she'll be safe. Maybe you should have done that, but you didn't. So we will. Goodbye." Michael ushered us out of the front door, slamming it behind us.

••••••••

Oh no no don't leave me alone lonely now

If you loved me how'd you never learn

Ooh, coloured crimson in my eyes

One or two could free my mind

"I can take her." Michael's words came as soon as we left the house, my mum angrily shouting down the street as we did so.

"Nah, it's alright, I've got her." Calum shook his head at him.

"You know I can walk right?!" I spoke up softly from where I was clutched to Calum's chest.

"Yeah, but it's more fun this way. Makes us look more heroic." He winked down at me. I could hear Michael scoff from beside us as he rolled his eyes at Calum.

As we reached the car, Michael ran ahead and flung open the back door and motioned for Calum to place me down there. He tossed the keys to Calum and slid in first, despite the fact that he'd obviously been sat in the front seat coming here.

Sliding me into the back seat next to Michael, Calum walked round to the front of the car, got in and pulled away from the pavement in the time it took me to reach for my seatbelt; that boy moved fast.

"Here, I've got it." Michael reached across me to grab my seatbelt as I fumbled with it, my hands shaking.

"Thanks." I smiled up at him. "Sorry, I'm still a little shaken I guess."

"Hey, it's alright. You're allowed to be. I'm just glad we got there in time." His voice was soft, but seemed to be carrying a message I don't think I was reaching.

"You didn't have to come you know. Obviously, I'm glad you did, but it was my fault anyway so I guess I kinda deserved it." I hung my head in shame, I don't know why I was talking like this, but I just felt safe with Michael, he made me feel safe and I don't know why.

"Never say that again Taylor." His voice was a whisper, but fierce. "It's not your fault that he's an asshole that doesn't know how to treat his kids right."

I looked up at him, my eyes wide at his sincerity. Did this actually mean something to him then? He made it sound like he cared about what he was talking about, about me.

"You matter Taylor. And I'm going to show you that, even if you dont believe it."

He was right; I didn't.

Michael took my hand softly in his and intertwined our fingers as Calum drove through through the night...