Adopted By Harry Styles

3

Once we arrive at my house which was about a fifteen minute walk from Maddi's house, I open the door, allowing her to walk in.

"Your house is big," she says. It wasn't really that big, but it was if you compared it to the place she was staying at previously. "Are you the only one who lives here?"

"Yeah, it's just me," I say. "My family lives in Britain, actually."

She nods her head and looks around the house from where she's standing.

"You can walk around. I don't mind. And let me get you something to eat," I say. "Peanut butter and jelly sandwich okay?"

Maddi looks up at me and nods her head. I walk into the kitchen and she follows behind me. She sits at one of the stools by the counter as I get the bread from the cabinet.

MADDI'S POV

I sit at the counter and look around the house. I can't believe he lives alone. This house was so big. The house I stay at is probably only half the size of this, if that.

My mind races back to Mr. Wallows, my current guardian, and what he would do if he found out I was missing. He wouldn't care, I don't think, but I know he'd want to punish me anyway.

He told me that he doesn't want me, he only wants the money he's paid each month to take care of me. That money is supposed to go toward me, but Mr. Wallows spends it all on himself.

I watch Harry make the sandwich. Usually, back at home, I'm the one who does the cooking. Mr. Wallows gets angry if I don't do it. It confuses me why Harry's doing all this for me. He doesn't even know me.

"Here you go," Harry says, pushing a plate with a sandwich cut into four triangles in front of me. He sits down next to me with a sandwich of his own.

I take a bite of the sandwich. It was probably the most basic meal anyone could ever think of, but I haven't eaten all day, so it tasted a thousand times better. I eat the whole thing in about four minutes.

"You were hungry, huh?" Harry asks with a chuckle. I look over at his plate and see that he still had half of his sandwich left.

I look at him and blush. "Sorry," I whisper. He probably thought I was a freak now.

"No, no, don't feel ashamed. I was just teasing," he says. "I'm glad you liked it."

I nod my head.

"Maddi, I have to ask you if..." he starts and then stops, thinking of what he was going to say next. "Do the people at your house treat you right? I don't like how that man made you stay outside all night."

I knew this was going to come up. "He treats me fine," I say, even though I know, and I think Harry does too, that he doesn't treat me well at all. Mr. Wallows wouldn't want me to say otherwise, though. He'd get really upset, and I hate when he's upset.

Harry nods his head. "What's the man's name?" He asks me.

"Mr. Wallows," I answer Harry.

Again, Harry nods his head. "Now... I don't think sleeping outside is a right way to punish someone for missing curfew. How often does that happen?" He continues questioning me.

I shrug my shoulders. It happened more often than not, and, usually, it wasn't even because I skip curfew. Sometimes it was when he was drinking alcohol a lot, or I forget to clean the house, or I forget to make dinner. I couldn't tell harry this, though.

An awkward silence fills the room, but harry eventually breaks it. "Maddi, I need you to talk to me. I know it's a hard thing to do, but I can't have you going back there knowing he will continue to treat you like that," he says, sincerity in his voice. "How often does he make you sleep out side?"

There's no use in lying, but that doesn't mean I have to speak up at all. I shrug my shoulders again.

"Maddi," Harry says again, this time his tone was a little bit more stern.

"I don't know," I whisper. My eyes tear up, something that always happens when I'm frustrated or feeling anxious.

"Hey, it's okay," Harry says, noticing my distressed face. "It's okay," he repeats trying to comfort me. He rubs my back with his hand.

I use the back of my hand to wipe a tear that had run down my cheek. "I can't tell you," I admit to Harry.

"Why's that?" He asks, continues to rub my back in slow circles.

"I don't want Mr. Wallows to get mad at me. He tells me not to talk to people about him or else I'll be punished," I explain to Harry. A few more tears fall from my eyes as I'm reminded of Mr. Wallows and the terrible things he has done to me.

"You don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to let you go back there, okay? But I need you to talk to me about what happens at that house. It's going to help me talk to the police about what to do with Mr. Wallows," Harry says.

"But... what's going to happen to me?" I ask. "If I can't live with Mr. Wallows, I might get put in an even worse home." I squeeze my eyes shut to prevent my tears from falling and I cover my face with my hands. I felt embarrassed having Harry be able to so easily get my emotions out of me. 

"You'll be going somewhere way better, I promise," Harry reassures me. "You'll be staying right here with me."