3 Years Earlier:
The courtyard was deserted, the dark metal fence looming over the cracked gravel and the weeds that clung to life through the brisk fall air. Cars zooming past on the nearby road provided enough noise to mask the gentle crunch of my footsteps as I snuck towards the rusted ladder on the far side of the building. I was supposed to be in class but Louis’ note had intrigued me.

I hadn’t been able to figure him out lately. Some days he would be bright and mischievous, the usual spark in his bright eyes. But others he was dark, like a cloud was hanging over him that he just couldn’t shake. I never knew which version of him I was going to get. Which is why I had been surprised at the note. Today had been a good day full of smiles in the halls, leading me to believe that everything was fine.

Abby claimed that I should just let him go, that I had enough to deal with without the added stress of trying to figure out how to get Louis to talk to me. Mona was still convinced that it was a total blow to my so called ‘popularity’ to be dating another freshman. Zoey was the only one I had managed to convince that Louis was actually a nice guy. But she also read way too many romance novels which brought her naïveté to a new level. We all loved her anyways.

The air was colder on the flat roof of the building leading me to pull my coat tighter around my shoulders but I couldn’t do anything about my dark curls that blew into my face obscuring my vision. Louis sat on the ledge overlooking the front entrance his hands deep in his pockets. I couldn’t read the expression on his face as he stared across the skyline and the thought scared me. Picking my way around the chimneys and up the ledges I cautiously approached the ledge, I didn’t really want to disturb him.

Loose pieces of tiles skittering across the roof turned his clear blue eyes towards me. The pain I saw in them had me concerned, part of me wondered if it had always been there but I’d just never seen it. Even though his eyes told a different story Louis gave me a small grin exposing a dimple in one cheek; it quick faded when he saw that I didn’t believe it. Sidling forward I took a seat next to him, my hand instinctively crossing to rest on top of his.

“What’s wrong?”

I tried to keep my voice gentle as I searched his face for some sign of the boy I’d met several months earlier. Whether it was out of worry or fear I couldn't tell you. I could see the conflict in his face, a clear display of the cautious decision making that whirled through his brain. Finally something clicked and he gently leaned forward as his lips grazed my cheek, his breath tickling my hair. When he pulled away I saw the familiar stoniness that told me that we wouldn’t be talking.

“Nothing.”

Even his briskness couldn’t mask the uncertainty in his voice as he stood up gently removing his hands from mine. He started pacing his steps quick as I turned to track him. Worry wrote itself across his face as he kept his head down and his gaze from mine.

“Nothing’s wrong.” He repeated seemingly mostly for himself.

Standing I placed myself in his path stopping his fervent pacing. Stopping in front of me Louis slowly raised his faze. Taking a deep breath I placed my hands on his shoulders my firm grip telling him I wasn’t going to let him go. My eyes searched him pleading him to talk to me.

“Louis you’re worrying me. What’s wrong?”

The pacing, his posture, and the look in his eyes had me terrified. Louis was an impulsive person and that often got him into trouble. Dropping his gaze from mine Louis took a deep breath his eyes closed. He brought up his hands to cover mine as his gaze locked with mine open and earnest.

“Run away with me.”

His question caught me by surprise leading me to take a step back. I didn’t know what he wanted to say but I hadn’t expected this and I didn’t know what to say. We were only 14 and had so much on our plates. I was still trying to convince my dad to not dwell in the past and Louis wouldn’t tell me what was going on with his family. The request seemed ill timed and not well thought out. Where would we go? How would we survive?

Seeing the look of shock on my face Louis grasped my arms a smile blooming across his face.

“Think about it Lil, my uncle has a house in the woods. They would never find us. We could live our own lives, free from expectations or burdens or Mr. Myers’ math class. We could be free together. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

A light giggle breached my lips before I realized Louis wasn’t joking. He really thought it would be better to go into isolation, free from the rest of the world. Excitement shown through his body like he had just suggested a trip to Disney world which made me feel awful when I lowered my head.

“I can’t Louis. My d-“

“Your dad, I know, I know,” His tone was blunt and annoyed, “but come on Lilly think about it please.”

Stepping away from Louis’ grip I shook my head not having the strength to meet his gaze. I wished I had never followed his note up here. Then everything could go back to the way it was, me pretending that everything was perfect when it obviously was not. Louis hadn’t told me why he wanted to leave and probably never will.

”I can’t Louis. I just can’t. I’ll see you Friday?”


Present Day:
The bell rings a loud and clear warning to those of us loitering in the halls. With a roll of the eyes I turn back to the girls who stood next to me various looks of boredom across their faces. We certainly had changed a lot since freshman year. Abby was less goofy freshman and more sassy senior. I don’t think I’d ever seen her turn down an argument or not stand up for herself (or someone else). Mona had grown into herself. She rarely stuttered and had lain off chasing popularity to be herself no matter what others thought. And Zoey, well she had laid off the donuts and romance novels, lost 40 pounds and had taken up lecturing us about beauty habits and what we should and shouldn’t eat. I couldn’t imagine how I had changed. The girls claimed I had but I couldn’t see it. I was still Lilly Peterson, the same girl I had been for forever.

“Conner is throwing a party tomorrow night we should so go.” Zoey chimed in as she stood her fingers poised over her cellphone. The things was permanently attached to her making me wonder if she super-glued it to her fingers.

“Fine by me.” I shrugged before grabbing my locker and slamming my locker.

Looking up I froze unable to move my muscles as my gaze caught a familiar pair of bright blue eyes. I had told myself I was over him but he still took my breath away. But he wasn’t the boy I knew. A darkness fell permanently over him, a darkness only I seemed to notice. His hair was shorter and styled matching his new ‘image’ of one of the school’s resident bad boys. I couldn’t help but notice that he filled out his uniform better, muscles rippling under his too small shirt.

“Cat got your tongue bitch.” His voice was cold as he noticed my staring, “Or are you simply showing your normal side, the retarded one.”

Before I could come up with a reply Abby stepped to my shoulder. She went to lunge towards him but I grasped her arm lightly. He wasn’t worth it, he wasn’t worth the words, the fights and the late nights of wondering what exactly went wrong. Catching my gaze Abby relaxed under my touch before flipping her long straight hair at him.

“Fuck off loser.” She called out to him before flipping him off.

With a small laugh I turned back to the girl ignoring the gaze boring into the back of me. I gave the girls a smile telling them I was alright even though I wasn’t. Over the years I had gotten good at hiding my emotions, perfecting a mask that hid what I was truly feeling. A look of caution crossed across the girls’ faces causing me to look behind me. Liam, Niall and Harry had joined Louis, they were bad news. Liam was the only person that made Abby afraid, Niall the only reason Mona still stuttered and Harry actually made Zoey drop her cellphone. Sending a glare at the boys I shouldered by bag and gave the girls a stern look telling them that they weren’t worth it.

“Come on or we’ll be late for class.”

Notes

Welcome to Bullies to Kidnappers!

Mona, Daphne, Naomi and I started this nearly 2? years ago. But a lot has changed since then: Naomi left the site and our writing styles drastically changed, so we decided to restart the story. We hope you like it as we've always had a lot of fun writing it.

Let us know what you thing and have and amazing holiday season :)

-A


"Run away with me."


But he wasn't the boy I used to know........