Niall

~11~

~Madeline Payne~

"I'm not letting you go," Zayn yells, his eyes never leaving to road.

"Zayn, I promised Lee I would help. You know I don't like to break promises," I say with a sigh, not at all phased by my boyfriend's raised voice. Yesterday, I had made a promise to a man. Although that man is a stranger, I feel an odd pull to that house. I have only felt that pull one other time; the day Zayn had broken up with me. I felt like I should talk to the blonde headed boy that was sitting behind me, and that's what I did.

Zayn applies more force on the gas pedal causing the flashy, silver sports car to speed down the old country road much faster than the legal speed.

"Zayn, please slow down," I beg, gripping my seatbelt tightly with both hands.

A look of displeasure crosses the dark haired boy's face as he grumbles, "Why should I?"

"This is dangerous!"

Suddenly a force is applied to the brake and I am thrown forward, thankfully pulled back by my seatbelt. Zayn is barely fazed as he is the source of the harsh movement.

"Are you trying to kill us?" I shout, letting my harsh tone strain my throat. Anger allows the words to push through, despite the small, sharp pains much like those of tonsillitis.

Zayn shakes his head violently, not using the movement completely as an answer, but more as a way to tell me to be quiet.

Ignoring his unvoiced request, I begin ranting aimlessly, surprising myself with the occasional cuss word—though they're the smaller ones, the ones that seem to have less consequences in middle school than others. I've never been much of a cusser. I try to steer clear of those words as much as possible, but sometimes, my tongue has a slip up because of my large amounts of anger or depression.

My boyfriend, ignoring my words, presses on the gas pedal and I am once again thrown into a state of panic. It almost seems like those several hours of playing Grand Theft Auto with Liam have come to life in these last few minutes.

"Please," I beg, my anger suddenly replaced with terror. Tears begin to stream down my cheeks as I tightly hold my eyes closed. "Please stop," I continue, my lip trembling. I have never felt fear so intense; my heart has never beaten so fast and with so much force.

Zayn pushes his lips together with a stronger displeasure than a few minutes earlier, a huff of annoyance coming through his airways.

"Get out," he snaps, slamming his foot down on the brake. I, once again, fly forward to be grabbed by my seatbelt before I come close to the dash.

I exclaim, "What's your problem?" My voice shakes, despite the force I attempt to speak with.

"You're my problem!" He yells, making me flinch from the sudden rise in volume. "You're so whiny! You always complain and only worry about your own baby self! I'm sick of it."

"Zayn, please stop. I don't think you know what you're saying," I cry, tears rolling down my cheeks. The substance collects at the neck of my shirt creating a damp patch.

I catch an emotion-filled glimmer in his eyes; a tear. It lingers behind his tough exterior and seems to scream out for help. The Zayn I have come to love is banging on his walls to be let out, but the Zayn that I have come to hate is strengthening those walls.

"I know what I'm saying, Madeline. We're done. Get out."

And just like that, a piece of my heart shattered. It is surprising how one minute, love could never be stronger, but as soon as eyes open, that love is destroyed and broken pieces are left.

I stare at Zayn in a mixture of emotions; shock, hurt, anger. Which is right to feel, I'm not sure. What my ex feels, I don't know. His expression is hard, emotionless, but his eyes tell me something else. His eyes have a strange fire in them. It is something like longing or regret. The truth behind them is unknown.

"Now!" He shouts, his voice once again making me want to cower down. Gathering my purse and jacket, I climb out of the car.

Before long, I'm left alone, walking down the side of a dirt road to school. Wind nips at my bare skin and seeps through the material of my jacket. My defense to the cold steps in and I begin to shiver. The September air isn't necessarily cold, but the wind has a strong chill and the rain from a couple days ago still creates a gloomy sky. A white thick fog covers the ground, standing a couple feet into the air. After those couple of feet, the fog continues, but fades slowly as it gets higher.

I check the time on my phone, sighing as I see that I have ten minutes to get to school. If I get another tardy, I get a detention. My other two were because of Zayn. Both times, he insisted on me stopping by his locker and talking to him. I was several minutes late.

"Hey, Payne!" I hear from the road behind me. Louis. I turn around to see him stopped a few steps behind me his head sticking out of his window much like the dog that he is. Being a dog isn't a bad thing, though.

Louis is like man's best friend. He's probably the nicest of my brother's friends. He, unlike the others cares about other people's feelings. He despises bullies. Louis is always in a good mood and cracks jokes to lighten some situations. Before Zayn asked me out, I had a small crush on Lou. His deep ocean blue eyes seem to pull you in, but when I think about them anymore, another set of blue eyes comes to mind. These intruding eyes are lighter, but more of a crystal blue. My heart, despite the pain that still lingers deep down inside, flutters at the thought.

Shaking off the feeling, I make my way to Louis who sits in his navy blue sports car with his hair swept to the side and sunglasses over his eyes.

"Hi, Lou," I greet with as much expression as I can muster.

My fake positivity is obviously noticeable, for Louis pulls off his sunglasses. His blue eyes are revealed and they show sympathy.

"What happened, Madeline?" He questions, climbing out of his car. He places a hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing," I reply robotically. I've never been the type of person to be able to mask my emotions.

Louis gives me a stern look, his eyes digging into my soul.

"Madeline, tell me," He demands. His expression is hard, but it is not as intimidating as Zayn's. I don't think anyone could bring a look so sharp to their features.

I sigh, breathing my answer, "Zayn broke up with me."