"Shadows come with the pain that you're running from. Love was something you never heard enough." Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction

-

Zoey Willow Hunter

THAT morning, when Mother Nature came to visit my ovary system-it was the wonderful cherry on top of the cupcake that was my life.

After the massacre that was the ceremony last night, I had rushed to my room and cried myself to sleep. With my dress and makeup on. Therefore, in the morning, I had a filthy face, a stained pillow and an uncomfortably twisted dress on my body. Not to forget about the state of my underwear.

The bed beside me was empty. There was a suitcase missing-Nico's.

I was avoiding even thinking about him at all. I cried enough last night; he didn't deserve any more of my tears. Today was the day we went back home, the flight was at 10 pm. I'd have to be at the airport at least two hours before the flight.

It was 10 am, though. I still had 10 hours to spend in a beautiful city- New York. Originally, I had planned to visit the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty today with Nico. Now, I wasn't too sure what to do. My hopes of spending time with him had fallen and gotten buried; just like my friendship with him.

After a much needed shower and endless scrubbing of the previous night's chaos, I was ready to start the day. The plan was: pack my bag, have breakfast, say goodbye to everyone at the MAC-since everyone was leaving today, explore NYC and head to the airport.

The question nagging in the back of my head was: Will Nico be on the plane with me?

Just as I finished tying my combat boot's laces, there was a very angry knock at the door. Behind it was a pissed-off Walters, holding Nico's arm. The boy I fought with last night looked beaten down and exhausted. He held his suitcase with the other hand.

"You!" exclaimed Walters, walking in the room.

I answered with the most logical answer there was: "Me?"

"Yes, you! And you," he pointed to Nico. "I'm tired of you two, to be perfectly honest."

Nicolas grimaced, "why? And please, let go of me."

"Kid, as kindly as I can tell you this, shut up," sighed Walters, fed up. He pointed to Nico: "You! Don't you dare take an earlier flight and leave Zoey. You will both leave together from NYC. Before the end of the day, apologize to her. Take care of her for me."

"Where are you going?" I asked, meeting fatigued fiery eyes that had traveled around the world.

He blinked, "I'm leaving, my flight to Amsterdam is in a few hours. I can't very well leave while knowing that the two people responsible for mail are behaving like crap towards each other, now can I? Zoey, I need you to promise to have fun today and enjoy New York. Apologize to Nico before the day ends. Don't let him leave you here alone. Spend your day together."

Finally, Walters pulled Nico in a hug and patted his back. Nico nodded solemnly at something he had said, once he was free from the hug. The mailman turned towards me and hugged me as well, I felt tears gathering in my eyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much," I sniffled. My nasal situation wasn't doing too well at the moment; being sick and teary at the same time was exacerbating the amount of tissues needed.

"Same here, kid. Don't let go of him that easily," he whispered, pulling away. "One day you'll realize that you love him back. See you soon."

Harry Walters walked out of the room swiftly, closing the door behind him. My mouth had dropped open; the second to last sentence he had said was blinking in my head, flashing in neon lights.

One day you'll realize that you love him back.

Back.

Did that mean that Nico loved me?"

The boy himself stood before me, scratching the back of his neck. Eyes glued to the ground, yawning. I stared at him for a solid ten seconds; until the impact of the tension in the room hit me full force.

"You gonna stand there all day?" I said, after blowing my nose, "Forrest? Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Hm?" He looked up; meandering thoughts clear in his eyes.

A part in my mind whined: whyyyyyy is he so handsome?!

"I was saying something," I said calmly. "You didn't hear me."

"Probably wasn't worth hearing anyway," he mumbled.

Asshole.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I walked to the bathroom and gathered all of my toiletries in the tiny duffle bag I brought them in. Soon, it was as if no one had entered it. Hopefully no one would notice the missing minuscule hotel perfumes; I always stole them. They smelled like heaven to me.

The plastic bag full of medicine for my fever was beside my bed. A smile passed by my face at the memory of Nico taking care of me. It had meant a lot more than he thought; whatever that was.

Speaking of the devil, he was lying down on my made bed, back facing me. I was ready to start shouting at him for ruining the bed, but once I saw his face, I couldn't bring myself to.

He was sleeping.

"Fine. Sleep." I spoke to him in a hushed voice. Reaching towards the covers of his bed, I pulled them to keep him warm. His nose crinkled and snores were being emitted by him. "I'll wake you up in half an hour so we can go."

Twenty-nine minutes later, my suitcase was packed and by the door. The sound of rain pitter-pattering in the city hit the windows with such calamity it almost made me want to crawl back in bed. My body was complaining about the quantity of movement that would be done today. I threw the chocolate stuffed croissant wrapper in the trash and finished up my coffee. Popping a painkiller in my mouth, I observed the boy sleeping soundly.

Nico hadn't moved. I guessed he hadn't gotten any sleep all night-insomnia must've been bad, or he had gotten nightmares. Or, by chance, he felt guilty about what he said last night.

It was my fault too, as much as I hated to admit it.

He was partly right-maybe I barged in his life too hastily. Why he was so angry about it last night; I would never understand why. My goal in being his friend was never to hurt him or damage his life, only to make mail delivering easier.

Should I wake him up nicely? I thought. Perhaps not.

"FORREST!" I screeched in his ear. The boy jumped in the air, groaning. He eyed me viciously, giving me a look that could kill. "Chop, chop! Let's go, we have a whole day of exploring to get to!"

"I fucking hate you," he murmured, rubbing on his eyes.

Scoffing, I knew he was only saying that because of the annoyance I brought him."Trust me, it's mutual," I lied.

We were soon downstairs, joining in the farewells of everybody. "I'll meet you in front of the door in ten minutes, yeah?"

"Mhm," he still looked lost.

I headed towards Jeanine and her family first. Iris and Gina were further away, so I decided to keep them for later.

Hugging Jeanine, I said: "I'll see you next year. Stay lovely!" It was a sentence I told everyone I only saw occasionally, ever since a very young age.

"Aw, don't grow too old! Love you! Say bye to that charming friend of yours!"

Confused, I replied:"Who?"

"Nico, of course!" She exclaimed. "I assume you made up?"

"You assume right," I grinned falsely, for the sake of the woman I wouldn't see for another year. "Bye!" I kissed her cheek and went to join Gina and Iris.

Gina, as expected, walked away before I could hug her. Iris hugged me and apologized in the name of her sister. She also commented about Nico, saying: "When it's love, the obstacles in the way do nothing but make you love harder." To which I had replied: "Love? The only thing I love is food."

Iris slid away when Levi was walking towards us, wishing me a good luck. He heaved a sigh and hesitantly met my eyes.

"Hey," I started, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Sorry about last night."

He waved me off, "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing!" I exclaimed, "It was a pleasure meeting you, though." Opening my arms for a hug, he obliged. I got on the tip of my toes and laid a kiss on his cheek, smiling at him.

Even though I didn't like him in that way, I couldn't say that meeting him was bad. I gained a new friend...and possibly lost another one.

"I was hoping for a proper kiss," he admitted, "But I guess this is all I'm getting."

Chuckling, I replied: "It kind of is. See you next year, buddy."

There, he got friend-zoned.

A few farewells later, I was dragging my bag out of the Tipton hotel. Nico was by my side, not saying a word. He had his earphones in, blocking out the world in the process. I took out an umbrella and opened it. Nico and I shared a look. Even though we both had hoods covering our heads, an umbrella would be better.

I lifted my umbrella high enough for him to get under it too, but he took it and held it himself, since he was taller. I found a café of which he name I couldn't care too much to remember. Since its style was a patio café, we saw the rain fall off while we stayed untouched.

As Nico shook the umbrella, I sat on a chair and took out the small map of New York I had in my suitcase.

"So? What's the plan for today, Hunter?"

"Oh, so you decide to talk to me now?"

"Hunter, we're spending the whole day together. Can you at least keep the beast inside you for one more day and then be a bitch to me when we get back to Canada?"

I sniffed, "I'll think about it."

"Oh, the mighty Hunter is going to think about it! I should feel honored that her mighty self is considering it."

"You really should," I replied. "The plan was: Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and then Central Park. And then we go home. But now, I don't think we'll be able to get to the Statue of Liberty, since it's raining."

"Why not?" He touched the tip of the menu.

I groaned; a cramp was hurting my entire lower body. "We need a boat thingy to get there. I doubt it'll be open. Plus, a boat ride in my situation might make me even sicker. So, we'll head to the Empire State Building, hang out over there and admire its beauty, go to Central Park even if it's raining and go home."

"Home? That's what you call it?"He asked, tapping his hand on the table.

"Stop that. And of course, my whole life is over there. Don't you?"

He shook his head, "My home is always rainy. And we have red buses and telephone booths."

"London, then? You'd never consider Ottawa home?"

"Home is where my mum was. It's where she lived and where I grew up. I'm a guest in Canada. I don't belong there. Yeah, I have mates over here but everything I know is in London.

I undid my pony tail and redid it, putting the hair in what I hoped to be an acceptable bun. "What'll you do after high school, then? What do you plan?"

"Researcher," he said, faintly smiling. A memory went through his eyes and I felt like an intruder. "I want to help save lives, you know?"

"Hm," I answered, and it felt like nothing had happened between us. "I want to paint. But I know my mom and I will disagree about it. She wants me to be successful and all; but she told me that painting should be a hobby, not work. I don't know."

We stood up and opened the umbrella. He called for a taxi and we asked for the Empire State Building. Nico put the suitcases between us and the driver did his job.

"Want to know what I think?" said Nico, as my eyes were introduced to the feeling of driving around in a rainy city. Being stuck in a small town all my life had never prepared me to the beauty of big cities, their skyscrapers and busy people.

"Hm?"

"I think you should do what you want to do. After all, it's your life, right? Fuck what people think, do what makes you happy. You get one chance to live, why waste it on a shitty job you don't even like? Yeah your mom might be upset, but seeing you happy will make her happy. Plus, I think you'll be successful. Your paintings on our little island are more than ordinary, I'd say they're pretty amazing."

His sincere words slapped me in the face. "Thanks, Forrest. It means a lot."

Since when was he so composedly nice, with no sarcastic comment behind it? His calm attitude was freaking me out a little bit, he didn't seem like he had the heart to do anything.

"I totally imagine you owning an antique and art shop for some reason," he commented, "You'd call it something poetic like Zoey or Elisa or Something Blue."

I laughed, "That wouldn't be too bad. I could sell my art and antique objects, I find them pretty anyway. I really do like Elisa as a name. Who knows, maybe I will."

"I'll come visit," he chuckled. "You'll give me a free painting, since you know, I'm the one who gave you the idea."

"Obviously! I'll give you the worst one I'll have. It'll be a portrait of you."

He gasped, "Ouch, Hunter! You really did hurt me. I'll go dive off a cliff now."

"I'm kidding, you know that. Besides, you know you're good looking."

"And so do you, apparently," he grinned.

I hit his arm, "Shut up."

"Gladly."

We sat in silence for the rest of the ride. There were remains of the fight from yesterday, but it was better than I expected. Hopefully, we'd both get the balls the apologize before we got on the plane.

"Here you go. Thirty bucks." said the driver. I silently thanked him for not being one of those weird drivers whom asked you about your life story. I took out the required money just as Nico stuffed a twenty dollar and a ten dollar bill in the man's hands. Mumbling under my breath, I got out of the taxi and stood in front of the Empire State Building.

I gasped, "Crap, we're actually here. My God, Forrest, we're here." My heart squeezed in happiness.

"No shit, Sherlock." said Nico, taking the suitcases with him as he entered the building.

"Fuck you, Watson."

The sight in front of me made me grin too wide to speak properly. The lobby was awe-worthy. The history and architecture was mind-blowing, it was like the walls spoke for themselves.

Nico was staring at the walls, wide eyed. "We'll go get the tickets first and then go to the Main Deck first."

"Do I even have a choice, or-" I ran to get in the elevator before it closed, him smirking behind the doors. "Forrest."

"Hunter." He imitated me in the same threatening tone.

We stopped in the second floor, where the Visitors' Center was. There was a reasonable amount of people, but it was emptier than I thought it'd be. Nico headed straight to the shortest line of people to get tickets.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! I want yum-yum!" whined a 5 year old child, tugging on his mom's shirt beside us. "Mom-my!"

Nico glanced at him and I gave an apologetic glance to the mother. He continued on annoying her as we advanced at the same time. She tried to shut him up but he didn't listen.

"You don't  seem like the type to be good with kids," I remarked.

"Why?"

I shrugged, "You can be intimidating. And you're tall."

"Just because I'm tall doesn't mean I'm scary, Hunter. But I get what you mean, since your height probably often causes you to be mistaken for a kid."

"I'm not that short," I protested. "I'm okay."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, "Then why can I use you as an armrest?"

And he did. Just as the cashier yelled "Next!".

I elbowed him, pulled out my wallet and listened as a short-haired blonde woman talked about the prices and advantages of each package. I was set on getting a ticket to the Top Deck and Main Deck; for about 46$. It wasn't that bad of a price, considering that this was one of the best known buildings all around the world.

"We'll take the Top and Main decks Express passes," announced Nico, taking out two 100$ bills. Both tickets he had chosen would cost him 134$ together. I pinched his arm. He turned to me with a look of pain and disturbance in his eyes, rubbing the spot I had pinched.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"You are not spending money on me again, I refuse. Plus, you're getting the express pack? Really? Rich-kid much?"

He rolled his eyes, "Do you prefer waiting in line or being treated as a VIP and getting to the decks faster? You have no choice, really."

He took the passes and the change and then walked towards the elevator, completely discarding my protests.

"I'm paying you back when we get back home, Forrest."

Nico snorted, "Not a chance in hell, Hunter."

A few minutes later, we arrived at the 86th floor-the Main Deck. Now I knew why the Visitors' center was empty; because everyone was on the Main Deck. It was so crowded that I almost lost sight of Nico twice.

Considering the fact that I went to a school of less than 100 students, being crowded with almost a hundred people walking past me or bumping into me was scaring the crap out of me. "Nico!" I cried out, having no idea where he was. I clutched my suitcase tightly with my hand and got on the tip of my feet to find him.

"Hunter, c'mere!" he shouted, a little further away. He ran towards me, grabbed my hand and led me to the observation deck.

Nico mumbled a few pardon me's and scusi's, pushing through a small amount of people. He showed our passes to a security man and we went through an entry way, surpassing the crowd of people.

We stood in front of a fencelike figure, protecting us from falling. New York appeared from behind it, taking my breath away. The gigantic buildings seemed to pierce through the clouds, which were sliding away from the sky. The sun was breaking in, drying off the majestic city. I could see everything.

"Welcome to the Empire State Building," said Nico, breathless. He yanked his suitcase from beside him and went to stand as close as possible to the railing. He clutched onto it, smiling. It was a smile of relief.

"It's beautiful."

"I know. I've always wanted to come here."

"Me too." I put the umbrella in my suitcase pocket.

We stood there for a bit, letting the city's beauty sink into our bones. The wind warmed up, I felt myself get teary-eyed. Dealing with overwhelmingly beautiful scenery never was my forte. My eyes saw Central Park, The Hudson River and East River, The Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and The Statue of Liberty.

What was even more extraordinary was that all of that was right after rain, I felt like the city had been cleansed from all the bad that had ever happened in it.

"Oi, Hunter! There's a rainbow."

I laughed and went by his side, "That's unicorn poop right there, you know?" He put an arm around me.

"You're a five year old child," he stated, shaking his head.

"No, it's true! Somewhere, flying over the Big Apple, a unicorn named Lilly just went to the bathroom."

Nico eyed me weirdly, "You picked out a name for the unicorn?"

"Of course, haven't we all?"

"No one does that, you fucking weirdo."

"Forrest, I prefer being weird and interesting than normal and boring."

"That's just what weird people say to make themselves feel better."

I wacked the back of his head, "You're weird too!"

"Whatever helps you and Lilly sleep at night."

A moment passed and I smiled as the different colors of the rainbow signaled the end of a sky's sadness and the beginning of its joy.

"I'm sorry," said Nico, turning to me. "About last night. Everything came out wrong."

Did that mean that he meant what he said?

"What do you mean came out wrong? What did you mean, then?" I confronted him, his arm feeling heavy over my shoulders. I took it off. He looked flabbergasted.

Nico's eyebrows furrowed together for a moment, "Why are your knickers in a twist? I apologized, didn't I?"

"And thank you for apologizing! But what did you really mean that night?"

He rubbed the crease between his eyes, "I don't feel like fighting with you."

"So what you'll say is a reason for me to be mad?" I crossed my arms, "We won't fight. Just tell me."

"Zoey, I really don't-"

"Don't Zoey me, Forrest!" I exclaimed, "Tell me what you meant! Stop being such a chicken and tell me! Because if not, there is no point to us being civil to each other. I don't want to waste my time with someone who has negative feelings towards me."

I was completely aware that in normal circumstances, I wouldn't have said that. As much as I hated to admit it, my period was the reason for my flaming, impending anger.

His expression changed from frustrated to pissed off in milliseconds.

"Fine!" He cried out. "You piss me off. You annoy the fuck out of me sometimes. Why? Because you can be so fucking selfish. You act like the world revolves only around you. You're blind to others' feelings. You stomp all over them with your big-"

"I do not have big feet!" I cried out.

"What's wrong with big feet?" he protested, waving his arms around in the emotion.

"They're big!"

And at that particular second, a cramp shot in the area under my stomach. I clenched my teeth from releasing a cry. Tears were gathering in my eyes. I was the kind of person who got horrendous period pains, the prescribed pills for them were at home. Sometimes they got so bad that I stayed home from school for two days, just because I couldn't move without getting stabbed in the uterus.

"You think I'm selfish?!" I half-shouted, half-whispered.

"I do!"

"Fuck you!" The impact of my physical pain and his words had caused me to start crying.

He groaned, "For fuck's sake, don't cry."

"Why not, Forrest? Is it selfish to cry now? Well guess what I think, I think I hate people like you! You're nice and mean and I hate it! You're fucking bipolar and I hate it! One second, you're my friend and the other you're insulting me!"

He stepped towards me, "I never wanted to be your friend!"

That was when the last branch snapped.

"Then don't be! No one's forcing you to be my friend, why don't you just stop then, Forrest?! You little-"

Nicolas Forrest grabbed my face and kissed me.

He kissed me like his life depended on it. I stood there, dumbfounded. The amount of passion and feelings in the kiss left me without sensation. I couldn't think, I couldn't function properly-I couldn't even move.

Kiss him back! screamed a small voice in the back of my mind.

I pushed him away with every fiber of force I could muster. Raising my hand, I slapped him as hard as I possibly could. The sound rang in my ears and I knew it was going to leave a mark. My lips felt numb.

"How dare you?" I said, my heart burning in fury. "How dare you kiss me? Friends don't kiss! Oh wait," I let out a lugubrious chuckle, "we aren't even friends anymore, are we?! Therefore, you have absolutely no right to kiss me!"

Earlier that day, Walters asked me to keep him from leaving me alone. He also wanted me to apologize. He never made me promise anything.

Nico palmed his cheek, eyes wide. They held pain in them, but I couldn't care. I didn't want to care anymore. "I-"

"I'm sorry for the waste of time. I'm sorry for our friendship. I'm sorry for trying to be your friend. I'm sorry for appreciating you as a human being. I'm sorry for seeing your bad side and not running off. I'm sorry I even tried to be someone in your life. I'm sorry for the two times we've kissed and the kiss from two seconds ago, when you kissed me."

Looking at him properly, I had to bite my lip to stop myself from sobbing. "I really am sorry. But you know what? You broke into my life too and impacted it in ways I never thought you would. Don't act like the fucking victim."

There, I had apologized.

Taking my suitcase, I turned around for the second time in two days and walked away from him. I touched my lips and retracted my fingers immediately, because the feel of Nico's soft ones lingered there.

Outside, I heard the rain pour down again, harsher than before. The rainbow was long gone by now, that was for sure.

-

IMPORTANT A/N:

PLEASE DON'T SKIP THIS.

I would like to address the fact that I hadn't updated in over a month. Guys, I'm not the worst author out there, but you act like it. Some don't update for a few months, but when I don't update for a month, I'm a criminal. I have a life too, you know? And this year is important. I get it that you guys want more of this story.

BUTwhen the comment section is flooded with "i'm giving up on this story" and "you're not dedicated enough to the story" and "is it over???" I seriously doubt my love for writing.

Did you know that someone called me "lazy" and someone else sent me an anonymous message saying "FUCK YOUU!!!!" and calling me a bitch.

please, just try to put yourself in my shoes, okay? please. Writing over 4 thousand words, which takes about 5 hours, isn't something I can fit in a weekly schedule.

I am not updating before Christmas Break. So, refrain with the threat comments.

can we have a moment for how wonderful 1989 is? tay swift did a wonderful job on this one, she won't be leaving a blank space in my heart with this album.

FOUR also came out-I love the boys, but this isn't my favorite. I have a few songs I like, but overall, I was disappointed. Take Me Home will always be my favorite album, also Midnight Memories.

(also, do you know how horrible it is when you find out that your crush already has a date to prom? it's horrendous. and partly why i wrote this chapter, i needed to get the feelings out.)

One Shot winners:

3rd place: @EricaNeDontDoCliche Congrats, it was an amazing idea and despite the several grammatical mistakes, the storyline was breathtaking. It's such a unique plot.

2nd place: @_hayley I loved yours so much! Your style was refreshing and calming to read.

1st place: DRUMROLL: @IDiedLaughing Congratulations, Diana and Joel are my OTP. The style of writing was amazing.

ALL REWARDS WILL BE DONE NEXT WEEKEND, THEREFORE 6/7 DECEMBER.

until christmas break,

with love,yas