Always Love You: A One Direction Adoption Story

Chapter 3

Roselyn POV:

I let out the breath I was holding once I was a safe distance away from the man at the park. It was somewhat unnerving - the furrow of concern in his brows. I was not used to it.

My aching feet did not carry me very quickly. By the time I had arrived at school from the gas station, I had missed my first 4 classes. The threats from the principal to call my parents rolled off my back, as I knew that the numbers they had on file had been disconnected. And anyway, these people didn't really care, or they would've stopped believing my stupid excuses for my bruised face or cut up hands.

The only good thing about the day was lunch - the first time I'd had more than a bite to eat all weekend. Unlike most kids, I dreaded spending that amount of time at home - 48 hours with no food, no water, and often no heat. School was a makeshift sanctuary. At times, I would consider going to homeless shelters to get something to eat when my Dad is in jail overnight, but you had to have a legal ID to get in, or a parent or guardian.

When school was finally over, I hid out in the library instead of heading home. It was warm, there was light, and it was the only place I would be able to do my homework anyway. Not that I was in school enough to understand it.

Before it closed, I used the bathroom, knowing I couldn't at home, and cleaned up again as best as I could.

On a normal day, I would stall to return home, but I was in a hurry to get out of the cold. I went into autopilot, keeping my head  down as I retraced my steps to my house. I accidentally walked into oncoming traffic, as a black SUV stopped about a foot away from me.

I gasped and looked up at the driver, who had an equally stunned expression on his face, and hurried off of the road towards my house, ignoring the pain in my feet as I almost jogged. The same expression of worry was plastered on his face, similar to the man I'd run into this morning, and their faces replayed in my mind. The more I thought about it, it was almost comforting to know that someone somewhere had a little concern for me.

Upon entering my house, I was relieved to find it empty. The electricity and the power had not been restored, but I didn't expect them to be. I decided to try to get as much sleep as I could, and I crashed onto the couch.

~~~

Liam POV:

"He guys! I have a meeting with our manager, Simon, and his assistant. I'll be back in a few!" I yelled out as I grabbed my keys. I heard scattered replies from the boys and chuckled as I locked the door behind me.

The drive was somewhat nerve racking, as I had an idea of what we were meeting to discuss, but I wasn't sure I or the lads were going to like it very much.

~~~

"We've only had a month off!" I exclaimed, exasperated.

"And I understand that, I do," Simon replied. "But you guys need to get back out there. You're young, you're energetic, and you're booking entire arenas! You need to keep the momentum going, and this tour is going to do just that!"

I groaned, knowing that I was basically defeated. But of course, Simon wasn't done.

"And, I think you guys should start working on a new song. Something to kick the tour off with, you know?"

"Right, of course Your Majesty," I replied sarcastically. "Anything else?"

"James, what's my timeline?" Simon asked his assistant.

"Umm, considering the tour has already been postponed twice... I'd say you'd need to get something going by November of next year. December at the latest. And rehearsals would definitely have to start by February."

"See! Now you have 2 more months off," Simon smiled, ignoring my look of disbelief. "Now, go on and tell the boys. I'm going to have to meet with you all again soon to prepare."

I stood, a bit unsurprised by the events that had unfolded. Simon always got his way. I headed out to my car and began driving back to the house, somewhat distracted by the upcoming tour. My phone kept blowing up with tweets and articles and mentions about it, and it was somewhat overwhelming.

So naturally, a teen almost jumping into traffic startled me into reality. I was grateful I had stopped in time not to hit her, and my look of surprise turned into one of amazement once we locked eyes. I soon realized: she was the girl Harry had seen this morning. Once I had seen her myself, I knew I had to help.

Before I could get her to stop, she had joined the crowd on the sidewalk. I drove up and down the street frantically trying to find her, but it was to no use. I rushed back to the house to deliver the news.

~~~

"Guys! You won't believe what just happened. Family meeting in the kitchen, come quick!" I yelled as I walked in, throwing my coat and keys down.

Slowly the boys trickled in. "We heard about the tour, it's all over social media," Niall stated.

"Is that because of you?" Harry asked. "You knew we wanted a longer break than just a few months."

"Simon is kind of pushy. I'm sure we didn't have a choice on the matter in the first place," Louis defend.

"Guys! No, it's more serious than that," I interrupted. "It's about that girl Harry ran into this morning."

"You found her?" Harry asked, hopeful. "How did you manage that so quickly?" Zayn added.

"No- well- I didn't find her." I started. "She must have been rushing home from somewhere and she walked into the traffic. I had to brake hard to keep from hitting her. And when I looked at her, I knew exactly what you meant Hazza. She really needs help." I smiled at him, which he graciously returned. "I'm sorry for doubting you earlier."

"So what did you do? You just let her go?" Niall asked.

"I tried to follow her, but she blended into the crowd. I drove up and down the street a couple of times, but she was already gone." I shrugged. "I mean, we could look there again tomorrow, since it wasn't that far off from Central Park. She probably lives in the area."

"Okay... how about you describe her to me? Maybe I can draw her so we can split up when we're looking tomorrow?" Zayn asks.

"Good idea," Louis says.

"I just remembered! The dashboard camera is always on! I bet there's a pretty clear shot of her on there, and then you guys will know exactly what me and Harry are talking about."

We all hurried over to the computer to log into the footage. Once I got to the clip, it was horrible to replay. She looked scared out of her skin, and the boys and I were in complete agreement that something was wrong.

There were visible bruises and cuts all over her, and she was ghostly thin. Not to mention the excessive bags under her eyes. And we were pretty sure there were cigarette burn on her arms and neck. We made a silent pact that day to get her help.