Keep Me From Falling Apart [Niall Horan]

Chapter Twenty Six

“Sorry. Exact amount or no ride,” the half-bald driver stated with no amount of emotion on his pale, wrinkled face.

“If you will take me home, I will get money from my mom and pay you,” I lied. My voice sounded whiny but I didn’t care. It was 3am and I was trying to get the heck out of here.

“Nice try, kid, but exact amount or no ride,” he repeated.

I sighed, shifting my footing. The whole bus of people were watching me with irritated looks on their faces. I’d been arguing with this man for a good 10 minutes.

“Fine,” I spat before trudging back down the steps and back onto the sidewalk. I pulled my bag further onto my shoulders, checking my phone, then I remembered that no one has my new number and I stuffed it back in my pocket. Well I had very few choices now. I could sleep on the street, I could steal a car, I could ride with a stranger, I could go back to the hotel and bang on the hotel door until Emma wakes up and lets me back in, I could wait out in the hall and pretend I locked myself out. All those options seemed good, but then I’d have to explain the luggage to Emma and I could get arrested or kidnapped or raped with the others.

“Ey, Louis, stop stripping! We’ve already left the club!” A familiar Bradford accent slurred somewhere down the street.

I scanned the street till I found Louis, Zayn and Harry. Louis was taking his shirt off while Harry giggled drunkenly. Zayn was stumbling beside him.

“Go ahead, Louis,” Harry encouraged as Zayn tried flagging down a Taxi.

“Let’s blame Michaela for my sudden need for nudity, since she made me streak the other night,” Louis slurred.

I started towards them. Zayn was having bad luck getting a Taxi while Harry quietly watched Louis strip from his clothes.

“Where’s Liam?” I wondered aloud, causing all the boys to look at me.

“Ayyyyeee! You’ll get to see me streak this time!” Louis exclaimed happily, throwing his shirt, which landed on Harry’s head.

“No, put your shirt back on,” Zayn demanded even though he was laughing, having given up on the taxi.

“Why are you three out by yourselves, drunk, at 3am?” I asked, knowing that whenever they were drunk they always have a designated driver or something to get them back safely. 

“Well, love,” Louis slurred, slinging his arm around me, “The adventure all started around 11pm. Hazza and I thought it would be nice to go out for a drink, so we started out.”

He paused, burping, and Zayn continued.

“But security caught them and sent them back upstairs, where they found me,” he smiled brightly as Harry giggled at Louis still burping.

“What a glorious moment that was,” Louis said, dazed as he stared up at the sky.

“Yes, yes it was,” Zayn agreed before continuing, “So then we all planned the sneak out at midnight, go to the club a few streets away… I forgot the name… anyway.. then Nicole and Eleanor wanted to come—”

“BAAABYY!! BAABBYY!!BABBYY!! OHHH!!” Harry shouted and Louis burped on him. They both started giggling at each other and Zayn continued on with the story. I was starting to think that he’d had far less drinks than them two.

“So at midnight, we all one by one escaped past the security—”

“AND WE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!” Louis screamed at a pole. Harry hugged the pole as he giggled some more and Zayn kept talking.