The Time Capsule (Harry Styles Fanfic)

Chapter 26

Madden's POV
3 months after leaving

   "Rent is due! Either pay up soon or you'll be evicted! You have one fucking week left! Last warning." My landlord, Jerry, yells through the door as his fist pounds on the wood.

   I just roll my eyes and do my best not to worry about how I'm going to come up with the money I need in a week so I'm not forced to leave.

   I could always call my parents and they would loan me the money, but I feel bad doing that. None of them know where I am, and I haven't planned on telling any of them yet.

   I sent home a postcard to my parents and to Harry when I figured out where I was going to be staying and how. It had taken 2 weeks, and I was sure they had all been worried.

Hitchhiking to California had taken a lot more effort than I had ever anticipated, and for days I was scared I had bit off more than I could chew and needed to return home with my tail tucked between my legs.

But I refused. And I endured, and here I was 3 months later. Living in a rental home with my roommate, Imogene.

Imogene..she was something else. And I meant that as fondly as possible. Imogene was my exact opposite in every way imaginable and she complimented me so well that it almost seemed like fate for me to be here.

   I met her on one of my toughest days, and she told me she worked night shift at a popular bar here in Los Angeles, California. She spoke of for me with her manager and they let me work for the night, just to see how well I did.

   I ended up making enough tips to buy myself a hotel room for the night, and the rest was history. We worked together every night until we saved up enough for a deposit on the rental house we were now in.

   I was attending UCLA, a fact I still hadn't shared with anyone else. It wouldn't be long before my parents found out, though. First semester was coming to an end soon, and while I had been granted a scholarship and a couple of loans, my parents were probably going to be receiving a bill for my college tuition shortly.

   Keeping it a secret that I had applied and been accepted to UCLA had been challenging. It happened way before the shit with Edge went down, and it seemed like the perfect solution when I decided I needed a break from my old life to make a better version of myself.

   Besides, seeing the oceans in California had always been a dream of mine, and they were amazing. Everything was amazing here, but it would never be home. Home held so many things for me that California could never have.

   Harry being the main one.

   I missed him so much it hurt. I constantly thought about the way I left, and I knew he probably hated me. He had every right too.

   I'd hate me too.

   "Was that Jerry again?" Imogene asked, coming out of our shared bathroom with just a towel on.

   "Yeah. We got a week to come up with rent or we're being evicted."

   She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't sweat or sweets, I'll pick up a couple extra shifts at the bar and you can too. We'll be fine!"

   "I know, but you gotta stop wasting all your money on blow. I'll make up my portion and you have to make up yours." While Imogene was the ying to my yang, she liked to party, and sometimes she let that take priority over our bills.

   "I know, I know. I'll chill out on that for a little while and just only do it when the men offer it to me. Which luckily for me, is pretty damn often." She stuck out her tongue as she passed by me and I caught glimpse of her tongue piercing.