Keep Me From Falling Apart [Niall Horan]

Chapter Six

“Now you remember what you have to do?” I asked, my hand on the doorknob.

Shirley nodded happily. 

It had taken me two hours to come up with a plan and have her actually understand it and what she needed to do.

“Tell me,” I said making sure.

“I’m going to get my radio and I’m going to sneak down to the nursery and have all he nurses follow me so that you can get on one of their computers at the nurses station and track down something and you need at least 10 minutes,” she recited.

“Very good. Now watch the clock. Whenever the clock hits 11pm, you go. Okay?” I said.

She nodded, her grayish curls bouncing.

“I’m counting on you,” I said taking a deep breath.

“You can trust me,” she said as I opened the door.

“I hope I can,” I mumbled as I stepped into the hallway.

I had almost exactly 30 minutes before the clock hit 11pm. I had been so caught up with getting Shirley to understand the plan, that I had barely understood it myself.

I returned to my room and sat down in my chair, reciting the plan to myself.

When Shirley gets all the nurses off the floor, I have to work fast to get into the computers. I need to get onto the NYC College website and get Marie’s contact info. 

Of course, I thought about just getting Nicole to get me the info, but I knew she was already back in the UK with Harry and it was the middle of the night there. So I scratched that off the list.

I had a few flaws in the plan. Security cameras. Nurses that were too lazy to chase the crazed patient. Too many passwords that I couldn’t get into the computers. No Internet access at all. Shirley forgetting the whole entire plan. All these could defeat the whole purpose of the plan. But I had to try.

The only reason I was trying at all was because of Niall.

I didn’t want back into the program to photograph. To win the ulitmate prize at the end. To see the other girls. To travel. I wanted back into the program to see Niall. Because I knew it was the only way I would get to. Even if he wanted to see me or not, I wanted to see him. I had to see him.

Before it was time to put the plan into action, I needed to make on phone call.

I dialed the familiar number that I’d memorized years ago.

I knew it was late, that I had very bad chances of getting an answer, but this was once of the main parts of the plan, I needed an answer.

Four rings went by. I wasn’t dropping this call until Voicemail.

Five rings…

“Hello?” Whitney answered.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

I knew she probably hated me, but I needed her.

“Will you help me?” I asked quietly.

“Mimi?” She asked, clearly surprised.

“Don’t talk so loud. Don’t tell anyone you’re talking to me,” I said.

“What? W-why?” She stuttered as I heard a door click in the background.

“Look, I don’t care if you hate me, but I just really need your help right now,” I said.

She stayed silent for a minute. I was sure she’d hung up, but I could hear static.