CHAPTER 17~ TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF GRIEF
THEME SONG: STORY OF MY LIFE, ONE DIRECTION
[KITCHEN PARLOUR, 6:50]
LIAM'S POV
She and Harry slipped in through the back door, her whispering about something as they got some crisps out of the cupboard.
"Rebecca, Harry we need to talk to you," I murmured, fighting back the lump in my throat. They followed me to the parlor, ghost white like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Liam, I, um-" Rebecca started to say. She stopped however when she saw Louis and Zayn sitting at the kitchen table with Niall.
"Liam," growled Harry. "What the bloody hell is going on?"
I shook my head and told them to sit down. Rebecca looked terrified, and Harry looked angry.
"I'm not sitting down. And why the hell is he-"
"He's dead," Niall says, interrupting the taller lad. Harry's eyes narrowed.
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Ms. Lane, come here please." Rebecca looked between harry and I and then proceeded to do as Louis had instructed her to do. We all thought he'd be the best one to tell her because the two of them were the closest.
"Louis, what is going on?" she asks him quietly. Louis grows quiet and his encouraging smile falters. Tears had begun to prick the edges of his eyes.
"Ms. Lane, I don't know how else to tell you this... you're brother was killed this morning, or last night we're not sure yet... I'm terribly sorry... I.." Louis didn't know how to continue. There was no right way to go about this, we all knew this.
Rebecca stopped. As in ceased. Her jaw locked and she became very still. Her chest heaved up and down in sync with each of her short, rapid breaths. She strode over to the wall and she leaned her head against its surface and sniffled a quick second before becoming quiet again. Straightening up suddenly, her face flushed and a deep shadow of anger clouded her face as she tightened her fist. Swinging her arm, she punched right through the ancient wall. Louis rushed over and pulled her back before she could do any more damage. She shoved him away. "Don't fucking touch me!" With that she flung open the door and booked it, the door slamming into the adjacent wall and knocking down several pictures. Louis looked back at us, stunned.
"Go," he said to us.
"What?" I said.
"One of you, go after her! Make sure she's okay."
"W- why?" Harry's face paled.
"Because she doesn't want me there." his face began to grow scarlet. He was hurt. You could tell.
"You need to go after her."
" No, she doesn't want me with her. Go. Now!" he ordered.
We all sat and stood there a bit stunned of his demand. Louis never raised his voice, not because hie was upset, at least. But then someone else spoke up. Someone so unexpected. "I'll go," said Zayn.
That was the first time that Zayn had really spoken. It was also the first time that he had offered to console someone~ especially someone who was related to Wyaat. Everyone else seems to feel the same.
"You can't fucking go," Niall said first. "You were a bit of an arse to her."
"Just a bit?" Harry .
Zayn shoots Harry a glare.
"A massive dick!" Niall continues.
"Okay, Niall, I got it." Zayn huffed.
"Well, why do you want to go?" Harry snaps at the dark haired lad. "I think we are all at least allowed to ask that, right?"
"A bit out of character Zayn, he's right." Louis agrees.
"Zayn, does this have anything to do with Safaa?" I ask him. Zayn looked at me and Narrowed his eyes. He had found his mother when he was fourteen and shortly after he was arrested, his mum had put a restraining order against him. He had lost his family- everything. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so selfish. And in that span of a moment, a subtle flicker of emotion flashed across Zayn's eyes and I knew that was it.
"I just think that she's heard too much bad news from all of you, she needs an outside perspective."
I sputtered for a second, I didn't know how to respond. I finally gave him a nod and he went out the door.
[The pond, 7:00]
Zayn's POV
I had to wander a bit till I figured out that she was at the pond. Weaving my way through the brush and branches. I saw her raging at the sky above her. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. I stayed back and waited to see what she would do.
"Why? Why him?! No this can not be true!!!" She screamed. She picked up rocks and hurled them. "Why would you do this to me? I don't care if you control everything. Do you hear me?! I DON'T FUCKING CARE!!! That should have been me! I haven't got shit to live for!" She tore off a branch and flung it into the small body of water as she continued. "Why, why, WHY?! Why did it have to be him? I didn't even get to say goodbye! I didn't even get to tell him I was sorry, I BROKE HIS FUCKING HEART AND I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO FIX IT! I TOLD HIM HOW MUCH OF A FUCKING DISAPPOINTMENT HE WAS! THAT WAS THE LAST THING I EVER SAID! He was the only constant thing I had- he fucking protected me from everything and YOU took him away!!!" Kicking at the dirt, she stumbled backwards and fell into the tree. This only fueled Rebecca even more. She tried to get back up but was too weak and finally collapsed and crumbled into the rocky dirt. "WHY NOT ME?! BRING HIM BACK, PLEASE BRING HIM BACK!" I emerged from where I was hiding and approached her cautiously. As I was kneeling down beside her, she threw herself onto my chest and began to weep. She didn't even look to see who I was. She clutched the back of my shirt in a quivering fist and her tears just flowed freely. It was heartbreaking.
"I didn't even get a chance to fix it.. A-a- and I just- I never got a chance to say goodbye. I didn't even get to say goodbye!"
I didn't know what else to say. What was I supposed to say? I'm sorry for your loss? That bastard was no good? He killed a man, he deserved it?
"I remember when the six of us were just kids.." I began. Rebecca shuttered and unwrapped herself from me. She was wide-eyed and semi-petrified. No doubt she had heard about me on the news four years ago. Everyone has. "We were at the park, the one by his old place; Wyaat and I were racing back and four from the benches to swings. He tripped and fell. I didn't notice at first so I kept running. I didn't hear him all of a sudden and I stopped and turned around. He was on the ground not moving. I ran as fast as I could over to the bloke and when I kneeled down next to him, he shoved me over and bolted over to the swings. He was inventive, that one. Anyway, according to the other lads, he won that race." I chuckled softly at the memory. Wyaat was good then. We were only eight and six then.
"Y-you.. You knew my brother?" she spoke up softly. Her voice was all raspy and rough, no doubt was it sore and her vocal cords were strained. She looked up at me and I felt something move in me at that moment. This was something hard to witness. She reminded me of Safaa. Her face was splotched with red and tear-burned from crying and her voice so, so quiet.
"Yeah..." I whisper. "All of us did." I felt my shoulders soften and my heart warm up towards the girl.
"C-can you tell me another story? P- please?" she said through hiccups. I nod. She still kept her distance and she rubbed her face with her sleeve.
"But why don't we go back to the house first though. The other lads have other stories I'm sure." I tell her. I offered my hand to help her up but she still refused it. She got up on her own and diverted her gaze. I don't blame her, though, I was cruel to her.
We made our way back, and as we arrived to the porch of the kitchen, Louis was just stepping out. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him and wept bitterly. She had given him a proper fright, but he quickly reacted and melted into her embrace. He rocked her to and fro and whispered sweet reassurances.
"Why don't we go into the living room, Miss Lane? Niall and Liam had bought a teli, I'm sure there are some video's we have around here of Wyaat. Your mum always had a camera in her hand." She nodded and they ventured into the house, not even giving me a second thought. The rusty screen door slammed shut and I was left alone outside in the overgrown yard.
I'm unfazed; I expected nothing less.
I was shut out.
Again. . .

Notes