Everything went by in a rush after that. It was like my body had a mind of it’s own, because it began running up the stairs quickly and straight into my room. I ran over to the closet and pulled out my duffle bag. I threw everything I could find into it, which was more than when I first came to this place. I shoved my clothes inside and then carefully pocketed my picture of my mother and I. 

I looked around my room, tears brimming at the edges of my eyelids. “Oh god.” I grabbed my hair, spinning around. Everything was getting out of hand, but I had to get out of here. I had to leave and clear my thoughts. I wanted to get out of here. 

I zipped up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I looked at the door to my room and then over to the porch door. It would be easier for me to get out unnoticed if I went down the side of the house. I figured I could do it. It wasn’t that bad of a drop. 

So that’s what I did. I looked over the edge of the railing that enclosed the porch  and then threw my bag over the side. It fell to the ground with a thud and I wasn’t too far behind it. I swung my body over the side railing and then slowly climbed down from the side of the house. I jumped to the ground when I had only a few more feet to go. I then grabbed my bag and started to walk off. 

I didn’t want to look back at the house because I knew I loved it there. But I had told Maura and ruined everything. I was never meant to be happy, and the Horan family would be much better without me. And Niall. 

My chest hurt just thinking about him. 

I didn’t have a phone to call him, and he wouldn’t answer even if I did since he was at school. I didn’t leave a note for him. I left nothing for him. And for that, I’m a terrible person. 

I am such a terrible person. I ran down the road, not looking back and all I could think about was how much I would hurt Niall by doing this. I sniffled, rubbing my hand under my running nose. I hugged myself closely and just kept going. 

Just like I had hope for, Maura didn’t see me go. I knew that she was upset with me. She had every right to be, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t still love me like one of her own children. I just happened to be the wrong fit for a family like theirs. I was the poison invading their lives. 

I hate myself. 

I don’t know how long I had been walking, but I got off the road to avoid any searching eyes for me, if they were searching for me to begin with that is. I bet they were, but I hoped they weren’t. Even so, I got off the road and trekked through this woodsy part of the country. The sun was starting to set and I knew I had been missing for hours. I needed to get to a bus station. I don’t know where I would go, but I had enough money saved up so that I could at least get a couple states away. Surely, not enough to get back to New York, but at least to some place that I was comfortable with. 

When the sun had finally set I managed to find my way out of the woods that I was in. I was back at the road again and there were signs that said I was getting closer to a town, one with a bus stop hopefully. 

After another hour of walking in the dark, I came up to the two sign and it looked promising. Though, I needed to take a break. I judged the time to be around ten at night, which meant that I had been walking for almost twelve full hours. My legs were shaking and my feet ached. My stomach even growled terribly since I skipped out on breakfast that morning to stupidly tell Maura that I was practically f.ucking her son. Which I didn’t. Almost did, but still didn’t.

I leaned against the sign and slumped to the ground. I breathed in and out deeply, trying to calm myself as my thoughts went rampant. I leaned my head on my knees and let out a heavy sigh. “What have I done?” I spoke out in a frustrated tone. “Why did I have to go and tell Maura?” I punched the ground next to me, hurting my knuckles. “Why. Why. Why!? I’m so stupid!” 

I continued to punch the ground for some time until my knuckles were bruised and bloody. I wiped my eyes, probably smearing some blood on my cheek in the process, but I didn’t care. I didn't care about anything at the moment other than getting the hell out of here. 

I hastily got up from the ground and began walking into town. The air had chilled down quite a bit and I was stupid and didn’t bring my coat with me in the rush of packing.  I hugged myself tightly and saw the upcoming lights of the town ahead of me. Though, before I could get any closer, a pair of headlights beamed from behind me. I looked back and stood off the road so I wouldn’t get hit. That would only add to my misfortune. 

I squinted at the lights coming at me and then turned back around, still walking towards town. I heard the engine of the car rev up and then it sped past me. I stopped for a second and so did the truck. It skid to a stop and then started to back up quickly. I recognized the truck almost immediately. “Oh no.” 

The driver door opened and without shutting the truck off, Niall came running over to me, tackling me into a hug and picking me up slightly from the ground. “What the hell were you thinking!?” He yelled at me, letting me go. I watched his expression go from relieved to extremely pissed up. His face flushed red and his brows furrowed. “I have been looking all over for you! You just decide that running away is going to fix everything!? What the hell kind of bull is that!?” Niall shoved me and I stumbled back. 

“Niall, I-“

“No excuses!” He shoved me again. “So what she knows now? What does that have to do with anything?”

“Everything.” I muttered, staring at my feet. Niall wasn’t having it. Next thing I felt wasn’t a shove, but a full blown punch to the face. I fell back, the wind knocked out of me. Niall fell over me and straddled my waist, grabbing the collar of my shirt tightly. 

“You- You’re not allowed to do this.” He was blubbering by then, tears streaming down his beautiful face. “I love you and you love me. We are supposed to be together. You don’t get to run away.” He fell to my chest, crying into me. My face hurt like hell, But Niall still deserved my open arms. I hugged him tightly, feeling my own fit of tears come on to me. 

“I’m so sorry. I had to get away.”

“You should have taken me with you.” 

“I know.”

“I love you.

“I love you too.” I rubbed circles into Niall’s back just as he did that morning. We laid there together for a while under Niall realized that his truck was still running and we were basically spooning on the side of the road. That didn’t end well the first time we did it, so we got up quickly and walked to the truck hand in hand. “We’re not going back tonight, right?” I asked. I had walked a ton and we had to be a few hours by car away from Niall’s home. 

“No.” Niall cranked the heat in his truck when he saw that I didn’t have my jacket with me. “But I have to call my mom. I hope you understand.” I nodded and Niall sighed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pressed a few numbers, dialing his mom. They spoke on phone for a few minutes before Niall hung up with a huff. 

“What happened?” I asked, worried about what was said on the phone. 

“She wants us home tonight.” Niall, pulled onto the highway from a main road in town. I groaned because I didn’t want to go back there. Niall could sense my frustration and pulled off the side of the highway, flashers on for safety. “Pick a place.” He told me, pulling out his phone again. 

“What, why?”

“Because I’ll take you there.” He looked over at me and the small light on the highway lit up his blue eyes. “So pick a place. Anywhere you want to go. I promise I will take you there.” I watched as his thumb swiped across his screen and he pulled up his GPS map.

“Anywhere?” I asked in disbelief. 

“Anywhere.”

“I-“ It took me only a second to think about it. “Manhattan. I want to go to New York.” Home. That was where I wanted to go. Manhattan was my life before Tennessee. If anything could make sense in my life, it was New York. 

“New York it is then.”

A/N: Things are wrapping up! Only a few more chapters to go! Also, no one asked questions, so no answers. Feel free to ask. I only bite a little.

Much Love

Jachxx