Age is but a Number & State of Mind (Fan Fiction - Harry Styles/Liam Payne)

S1E1

Prologue: {"Madyson. I need to go to an interview with the boys. I'll see you in a couple of hours," Harry yells from the bathroom. As I slip my petite figure into a cream-colored cocktail dress I reply with a simple okay, and when he's done combing his hair he walks over to give me a mind-blowing kiss before he's out the door.}

It's the day after my birthday when I fight with my parents. I beg them to let me stay at Connie's, but their go-to response is that it is a school night. To clear my mind, I decide getting some fresh air will do me good. Maybe, if I have time, I can buy some ice cream. 

However, I don't anticipate the walk home to be terrifying...

Devouring the last of a chocolate covered ice cream cone, I begin to feel a shadow creep up from behind me. I accelerate my speed to a sprint, but I guess I'm not fast enough because the next thing I can remember is my body being pound against a brick wall. My shirt is savagely torn by a manly hand and their hands are trying to undo the clasp of my bra. I close my eyes in shock and cry out in fear. 

The memory becomes a blur and the next thing I experience is someone much younger than my rapist carrying me. I can't exactly see his face but I am tired and too afraid to witness what fate has in store for me. With eyes shut, I'm ready to escape to another part of myself... 

I wake the next morning to the sound of my mom and dad screaming at each other. This tells me that last night is no nightmare, but a cruel event of reality. How did I get here?

I am determined to find out what chaos lies outside my door. I try hard to push off from my bed, even though I am in excruciating pain, and make my way to the living room. However, what comes next is a mystery. Almost collapsing onto the cold wooden floor, I do not feel the harsh impact but a familiar grip instead. I know you!   

While I regain my balance, I study the boy standing right beside me. 

I think of how a human being could recognize the boy belonging to his group known as One Direction. I would be lying if I didn't say I was a fan, but I wasn't the type to faint or tackle him to the floor because of his hotness. It was you.

"Do you know who I am?" He pauses before he asks the second question. "Better yet, do you know what today is?" His look shows deep concern.

"Yes. It's Wednesday. Also, I know who you are...." I know it's not the time to make jokes, but I can't resist. I am in a bit of a mood to tease him (maybe to deflect the serious situation).

"Yes?" His expression is similar to worry as he may be fearing that I cannot recall who he or anyone is for that matter was. 

"Harry Styles from One Direction," I giggle through the British accent that doesn't succeed to come across the way I would have liked.

Harry sits across from my parents while I lean on the arm of my grandmother's ultramarine colored couch. I feel tears rush down my face as I think about the possibility of being raped by a stranger with no morals, or... Him?

My mother's gentle hands try to comfort me, but I'm oblivious. I can only find myself staring at Harry's mesmerizing features. His face is handsome, and his emerald eyes are more than gorgeous. As our eyes meet, I am paralyzed and starstruck. However, one thing that takes me by surprise is his expression. He has a painful, yet relieved look and it makes me want to know what is troubling him.

Our focus is interrupted by my dad laying a box of tissues onto my lap. I use the perfectly good opportunity to wipe away any mascara smudges escaping from below my lower eyelid as well as my runny nose. I whisper to my mom, asking if I could have a few minutes alone with Harry. She automatically agrees and taking my dad's hand, leads him to their bedroom which he doesn't seem to mind.

I sigh and then begin to talk, stuttering at the first word I speak. "Why, why are you here?'

Instead of responding, he sits next to me and my heart rate starts to beat rapidly. When he sits down, he is merely inches away but still close enough to make my arms break out into goosebumps. I guess he notices because he takes off his cardigan to cloak it around my shoulders me.

My stomach is doing somersaults.

After a minute of silence, maybe to collect his thoughts and what I assume he is doing, Harry answers me with a hint of agony in his voice. "Well, I, uh, carried you home... You see, I had just eaten dinner with a friend and decided to explore Los Angeles on my own. The first time I was here, I performed; the boys and I left abruptly after that. We flew to New York that day to shoot an interview.

"Anyways, I heard someone, a female's voice, pleading for another person to stop. I followed the yelling. There stood a thin, maybe in his late forties, leather wearing man; he was pushing a girl, you, against a wall. He was trying to stick his tongue down her, your, throat. I shouted for him to stop, but in the end, I ended up tackling him to the wet cement. We fought for a while, but I managed to restrain the guy. I gave the guy a good kick to the place it would hurt the most and as planned, he screamed out in pain. I used this advantage to run to where you sat slouched on the floor. I carefully picked you up and carried you to a nearby park bench. Laying you onto the bench, I covered your torn blouse with my cardigan and took out my phone to report your attacker. While waiting for the police, I searched, in your shorts-pockets, for your phone. I called your mum and explained the situation to her. She came to get you.

"After speaking to the officers about the incident, I asked if it was okay to come and see you in the morning. So... Here I am."

I attempt to take in all of what he is telling me.

I can't help but feel a sense of relief. I wasn't actually raped, and I'm glad Harry was there to save me. "Thanks, for protecting me. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused..."

As if on cue, my parents begin to enter the room again. My father, approaching Harry, presents his right hand for him to shake it. "Thank you for coming." It seems like he wants to say more but leaves it at that.

I volunteer to accompany him to the front door. Since it isn't far, I'm sure I'll be able to ignore the discomfort I feel from yesterday's horror. 

We pass the threshold when he turns around. I remember I still have his cardigan and take it off to give it back to him. For a moment, Harry and I are both smiling, letting our eyes be quiet goodbyes. Then, we hug before he gets into a red Jaguar. 

I watch him drive away and like that, Harry Styles is gone.

2013-2014: Hakuna Matata! This is my first piece on Wattpad. If you like it, please comment and tell me what you think. It would mean the world if you did. Okay, catch you later. ✌

[ :) Hello from the future: This will be a short fanfiction, but I do believe you can find a story here (somewhere). I wrote this when I was 17 and just starting to explore a passion for writing. Wattpad has become a place of experimentation and I am grateful to the website for allowing people like me to share their works. SPOILER ALERT- my writing may be all over the place and switch between past and present tenses. I apologize in advance! That is how my brain functions and the story has been written and revised several times throughout a span of four years. Therefore, I ask that you take a chance on me and treat this fanfiction as a writer's journey- one where I have fun while producing something I can honestly say I am proud of. ]