"I'm Better Than You Think." (Niall Horan Fanfic) <3

Hi! I'm going to start this story now, it IS an A/U story, it was the only idea I had haha.

Xx,

Aspen

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Chapter One

It's hard to explain the pain I feel. My life is the worst. I get bullied, not only at school, but at home, too. My name's Laura, I'm 16, and I live in England. I go to high school, crappy ol' high school. I only have one friend, his name is Louis. He's a two years older than me, but he's the greatest person I know. He's one of the only people I know that doesn't bully me. If I'm not at home, or at school, I'm with him. We've never had feelings for each other, just the best friend feelings.

The pain I feel? Oh, yeah. You see, my parents have never exactly cared for me... I'm the oldest in the family and they make me do everything that keeps my little brother and sister alive. The reason they do this is because they're on drugs. And they have been for a while. The only other person who knows this is Louis, but he's never told anyone that, and I'd like to keep it that way.

"LAURA!!!" My father yelled from downstairs.

"Ughhhhh, what?" I groaned, getting off my bed, and walking downstairs to see my dad sitting on the couch with a cigarette in his hands, taking a long drag.

"You need to take the kids to the school." He said in his rough, raggedy voice. I nodded, yelling "ELLIE! KYLE!" I saw them come down and forced a smile onto my face for the two 7-year-old twins. They smiled back as they grabbed their backpacks and headed for the door. I sighed, grabbing my own shoulder bag and walking out the door without saying anything. My parents had bought a house near both the high school and the elementary school so Ellie, Kyle, and I could walk to school and they wouldn't have to bring us to school or buy me a car. Caring parents, right?

I took both of their hands as they started to skip to the elementary school. I looked down at their smiling faces and smiled at them. If it weren't for them, I would have run away from my awful life already. If I weren't here, our parents probably would have left them on the side of the road to die.

"Okie dokie, guys, I'll see you after school. Have a good day. Learn something!" I said as I let their hands go, watching them run up to the door of the school. I sighed as I checked my watch and saw that I was going to be late if I didn't get my butt to high school now. I sprinted out of the parking lot of the elementary school and rounded a corner, seeing all my familiar classmates parking their cars in the parking lot of the high school. I jogged through the lot, and ran up the steps. I heard people mutter "Freak," and "Asshole" as I walked past them in the hallways and ignored them, rolling my eyes and stepping up to my locker, putting my bag in and taking out my books for my first class, English.

As I walked to class, I looked down at my ripped, faded blue skinny jeans, my white t-shirt and black converse. I sighed, knowing my clothes were one of the main reasons people chose me as their target. I looked around and saw Niall, the popular boy at school. He was laughing his obnoxious laugh that made all the girls swoon, except for me. I couldn't stand Niall. He thought he was so cool, being that Irish foreign exchange student from last year that loved it here so much, his parents let him stay with the family he was staying with, the Payne's. I couldn't stand Liam either, but whatever. I couldn't stand any of the popular people, especially Amy Green. Such a blonde... SUCH a blonde. I shrugged, walking into the English room and sliding into the seat in the back corner of the room. I opened up an old book of mine, Where The Red Fern Grows, one I had read many times, but never got tired of. I continued reading, waiting for class to start.

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Okay, guys! First chapter! Wasn't the greatest, but ya know, whatever. I promise it'll get better! Promise! Haha(:

Xx,

Aspen