freedom rings [h.s]

one

Although I had a car, it was always easier for me to walk. I had my shortcuts and my ways around the city so I knew all the tricks and trades of the place. It was easy to make a living.

My family was always crazy rich and half of them were selfish, crazy, idiots. A lot of people used to say I was like my mom. I'd leave and not come back for a while. That was true for the most part. A lot of people used to say I was free like a bird in the wind. I wasn't too sure about that part.

Anywho, I was walking and I saw a couple of girls giggling and laughing. Tiffany and Roxanne, the most hated people on my list of Grade A idiots. They tried their best to make my life a living hell to no avail.

"Awh, look who's wandering the streets all alone. I wouldn't be surprised if someone came and mugged you," Tiff smiled stiffly.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be surprised with that cakey makeup of hers, if she joined the circus. "You know, there's an upcoming show at the circus, you might wanna check it out. Cleaning an elephant's ass could surely help you clean your own," I smiled back.

They continued to throw insults my way as I stalked off in the direction I had previously set my mind to. I had been heading home and I was glad for it. A long day in the cold and I was ready to crawl in bed. Not without some kind of confrontation, obviously.

I climbed the steps to my front door and opened it to the warmth of the walls surrounding me. My father sat on the couch, his phone in hand, rambling on about business. He quickly hung up and started ringing out his own lecture.

"You left this house with no note, no goodbye, and you come back three days later with a nose ring? You think you can do whatever you want whenever you want but this house will not be ran this way. You're going to end up in jail or on the side of a road somewhere." His voice rang through the house, probably waking up the kids, and Lorelei. 

"What do you expect from me? I've been doing what I wanted since I graduated, and it's not like you've had a hold on me at all for the last... how many years?" I shrugged and made my way up the stairs and into my bedroom.

Exactly how I'd left it. I checked my drawers to make sure my money was still there, and I checked my closet to make sure no one raided my alcohol or my clothes. Guess no one cared enough to attempt to help my sorry ass.

I changed into an oversized t-shirt and panties, sliding into the chair at my desk. Logging into tumblr, I noticed I had several messages. The usual, from fans, and couple not so innocent to my eyes.

Anonymous asked: your curtains cant hide whats behind them. great silhouette btw ;)

What kind of joke was this? I let out a breath I didn't notice I was holding in. I smiled to myself, realizing it was probably something my sister thought would be funny. I doubt anybody had any real guts to casually stalk me.

I exited out of the site and made my way for the door. My sister, Leah, stood in the doorway. "What, Leah? I'm a bit busy right now," I huffed.

"Oh, I'm sorry I can't see my sister after a week of her mysteriously disappearing. I don't like being here as much as you do, but I don't have a choice. So pipe down, and give me a good ole sisterly hug." She wrapped her skinny arms around me and dug her head in my chest. Casual fourteen year olds, I must say.

Leah and I were completely different people. She was so sweet and nice, and didn't think anyone she loved could do wrong. Like myself for example, she would find any way she could to justify my actions no matter how morbid.

"Dad is so mad right now. I can hear him talking to Lorelei about you. He's all like 'oh my god, Josie did this, Josie is gonna end up here, blah blah blah.' I can't stand it." She vented to me. ?Leah clung to me like a baby.

We were five years apart and I didn't expect her to understand why he'd be even slightly upset. Any parent in their right mind would be furious. I suppose that made be and Jared even more further apart.

Sometimes, I'd do anything to even live with a stranger.

"You'd what?" She waved a hand in front of me. "You'd live with a stranger?"

Well that spoiled my next runaway. "Yeah. I mean it's not like any of you like me anyway. Complain, complain, complain about everything I do. Damn, it's like demon mom Lorelei has everyone under her wing."

I peeled Leah away from me and made my way down to the kitchen. I was starving. To my surprise, Lorelei was standing in the kitchen. I surveyed the fridge as she lectured me about curfew, and living under her roof. 

"You know, this isn't your house. If you had any sense at all, you'd realize that you do not own me. So get your bitchy, dictator ways out of mine and we'll be good." It was fun challenging her. It was like fighting another animal for territory.

Her skeletal figure never won her any favors but she shut the refrigerator door on me and stared at me with cold gray eyes. "You are not special. The streets do not play games. Go upstairs and think about what you're putting all of us though."

I bent down and put my face in hers. "You have absolutely no idea, do you? Mocking me with some kind of motherly tone? Well, I can mock you with something much better."

Jared stood at the foot of the stairs, clutching his blanket. "Josie?" 

I embraced him in warm hug as he told me he missed me. I loved him to the moon and back and I'd do anything to keep him safe. To that, I did not avail as the bruises on his face still surfaced, and the scratch on his arm hadn't healed. 

"Josie is gonna be here in the morning so why don't you get onto bed?" Lorelei's voice came from around the corner.

Jared gave me one big squeeze and ran off to his room. I stood once again face to face with the wicked step-mother. "Why do you do this to him? Why do you hurt him? He's a child! He deserves nothing but the goodness of the ones around him, and he is trapped within these walls."

I retreated to the four walls of my bedroom, saving myself from the oncoming war of Lorelei's skeleton army.

The digital clock on my bedside table read, 11:07. It felt so much late than it was, and I needed a shower but instead I crawled in bed and the darkness took care of me.

. . .

a/n

hello hello. so this was previously written as a Harry Styles au but I deleted it back in 2015 for unknown reasons unbeknownst to me. i decided to reupload because i was looking at previous comments i found and saw that users @CurlyHaz_ and @BlazingDreams followed it. also, after reading through it, i realized it wasn't such a bad story so here goes another shot at this. i also saw that it had almost 2k reads back in 2015 after only a few chapters so who knows where it could've gone. i've thought about uploading some other old stuff but this is all i have for now.  

flower crown has been in the works for quite some time and i have recently figured out what I want to do with it, and where i want it to go so check that out if you're interested.

much love, A.