Taking Chances (Niall Horan Punk Fan-Fiction)

Chapter Fifteen: "Blame"

~Brielle~

The door closed in the front room, which made me frown even deeper. Today had been too stressful for me to even comprehend, so it made sense that God wanted to punish me by adding the little spat between Niall and I.

Of course I knew Niall meant me when he said he might lose someone he cared about; any fool would miss that obvious clue. But right now, falling into a relationship with him just wasn't a splendid idea. Between him, my parents' death, my lying best friend, and poor little Carly, I didn't see the spot he could fit in the picture.

I shook my head of the thoughts that plagued me and got up from the floor, which I'd sunk to after absolutely sobbing my eyes out, and walked out into the kitchen, where I noticed a slip of paper floating along the counter.

Went out for a moment, catching the store afterwards. Be back soon.

~N

I rolled my eyes and crumbled the paper up as I glanced around the room.

I've been alone all my life, with only a half present friend who I now distrusted. Being alone in a space wasn't new to me, but that didn't mean I enjoyed it. In fact, in this situation, it killed me more than ever. Anything was better than sitting with my thoughts, eating myself alive with worry, fear, regret, weakness - anything negative, it was there.

I tried thinking about my childhood, the happy times after my parents were gone, and I instantly gasped.

I grabbed my car keys and bolted out the door, ignoring the voices in my head that told me leaving was a bad idea. I didn't exactly think about anything besides my focus as I drove down the highway, more or less speeding. Of course some honked angrily at me, some flipped me the bird, but I wasn't paying any attention. I veered into the hospital lot, quickly shoving my way through the doors and the waiting patients. Obviously I didn't get through without incredulous looks, even if I hardly gave a crap.

"Carly Welsh," I blurted, a bit out of breath. The nurse nodded her head, giving me the room number that was already etched painfully in my mind. My little cousin was close to death, all because of him. Who would forget that? Who could?

The elevator couldn't lift fast enough, and I jolted up to the door. Some passing nurses and doctors gave me a disbelieving and wary look, but I completely ignored them. The door was cracked open just a tad, so I gently pushed it open a little more, my eyes instantly landing on the two familiar distraught faces.

Both my aunt and uncle were standing next to Carly with their arms wrapped around themselves, as if they were afraid to do anything with them as poor Carly lay there. Her eyes were closed now, so I knew I couldn't talk to her. Part of me dreaded seeing Judie, but the other part told me even if she tried to attack me, I needed to talk to family. This situation was too dire for me to keep away.

They turned to me as the door creaked slightly, each filled with hope. But only one pair of eyes turned into an icy glare the moment they landed on me.

"Hi," I whispered, gently shutting the door behind me. The glare Judie gave me never ceased, but I only paid attention to my Uncle, who was softly smiling at me.

"Brielle. I'm glad you came," he mumbled. I noticed tears in his eyes, though I could tell he didn't want me to. So I pretended I hadn't seen anything. "Carly's been asking for you since you left. I guess she wasn't done talking to you yet..."

I chuckled as I stopped next to her bed, overlooking her slightly peaceful face. Her injuries were too bright and loud for her to look completely at peace. It actually looked as if she was in pain as she slept; I cringed and my heart broke.