The Runaway {Narry}

Chapter 6- Misery Loves Company

He shut off the lights and locked the door. 3 times just to be safe. Locking and unlocking it until he was sure. The only light was coming from an uncovered window. It let in a soft stream of warm light. Although nothing about the place was warm.

He settled onto the couch with his face between his hands as his body shook uncontrollable. He was incredibly upset. His eyes were red and swollen as were his feet. He had ran at least 10 miles to get to where he was, maybe more.

His stomach growled with hunger but he ignored it. Instead he wrapped his small body in a blanket that hung from the chair beside him. He focused his eyes on the wall wishing he could just totally disappear.

Harry:

"Steve, anything yet?" My dad asked into his walkie as we gathered around in a clearing. Everyone was eating except me. I was too determined to find Niall. Why should I eat?! It's not like he had food that he could eat, where ever he was.

I had spent the last 4 hours frantically searching for Niall and going over other people's tracks thinking that they might have missed something. Terrible scenarios played through my mind. He could've just been walking home and some creep kidnapped him. Or he was running away and he stumbled and broke his arm or scratched his face. What if... he- I couldn't even bring myself to think about the last part. There was no way Niall would do that. He didn't hate himself that much...did he? "Harry?" My dad called. "Hmm?" I said looking up at him.

"We've gotta go." He said. I noticed that everyone else had already started on their way back into the woods. "We're about a mile from Swan Lake." He said.

I nodded and sulked after the group.

It's been 144 hours 45 minutes since Niall disappeared. Almost a full week. His face was now all over town and the news. It had instantly become a worldwide campaign for bullying. Maura and Bobby were taken to grief consoling. Everyone was starting to give up.

I hadn't been at school since that day. Today was my first day back. I pulled into the parking lot and glanced over at the passenger seat where Niall once sat. Instead of climbing out, locking the car and going into school. I sat there and relived the day in the locker room.

He didn't mean to kiss me it just happened. The feeling of his lips on mine was alien and scary. It was scary because of how much I enjoyed it. When he kissed me thoughts of making him mines pulsed through my mind. I was already possessive of him anyways, without all of the sexual and romantic tension. I wanted nothing more than to protect him. Sadly enough I was so busy protecting him from everything else that I didn't bother protecting him from myself. I was so terrified that someone might have seen us.

I couldn't let that one kiss ruin my reputation. I wanted to punch myself in the face for caring more about what everyone else thought than what Niall thought. I had spent the last month preaching to him that the only opinion that mattered was his own and here I was doing the exact opposite.

If only I knew then what I know now. Except I did know. I did now that he was fragile. I did know that he fancied me. Heck, I've known that since year 6.

I had never had a problem with it. I was flattered actually but I wasn't gay. I always felt bad when people would bully him. But I never fancied him back. I've been straight for as long as I can remember yet now, things are different. I feel as if I had a huge open wound inside my heart. Niall left and took a part of me with him. I didn't fancy him, it was a different kind of love. Like a protective big brother love that I was feeling. Maybe it was romantic but it didn't matter anymore. Even if we found him I doubt he would still have feelings for me.

I knew about love, I mean I loved a girl once. Her name was Caroline. She really was lovely. She was the girl that I gave everything too. It ended all too soon when I found out she was giving everything she had to every guy on the swim team. We broke up and I stopped loving her. When I kissed Niall I felt like I could love him.

There was a soft tap on my window that cause me to jump. I looked up to find my friend Louis staring in at me. I glared at him and grabbed my bag. I pulled out my keys and climbed out.

"You scared the shit out of me." I said.

He laughed lightly and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"You trying to be like me Styles? Always 20 minutes late?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I was just thinking."

"What about?" He asked. "Oh." He said when he saw my face. "Sorry mate, I forgot."

"It's alright." I sighed.

"Zayn's throwing a party tomorrow night, if you wanna come."

"Will there be booz?" I asked.

"Tons and tons." He said with a smile.

"I'll be there." I said. Anything was better than sitting alone in my room waiting for news. We had stopped the search parties because the police had taken over. Plus maybe a little alcohol would help me clear my mind.

"Alright! It'll be just like old times. Oh and I think Penny's coming. She got eyes for you Haz." He smirked. I rolled my eyes and pulled open the heavy school door. I assumed that the bell had rang at least 20 minutes ago. I split up from Lou and headed to my first.

I pushed the classroom door open and looked at Mrs. Michael's.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"That quite alright Styles." She said. Was she seriously pitying me? The only thing worse then people who pitied me were bullies. I sighed and slid into my seat. I noticed a lot of sympathetic glances from my classmates. Penny sat beside me. She whispered my name a couple times but I pretended not to hear her. I hated how suddenly everyone cared. But yet they still didn't care about Niall. They only cared about me. God, everyone was messed up.

I barely paid attention to anything or anyone. Except for Niall's empty seat and empty lunch table. I skipped out on footie practice unsure if I'd be able to handle seeing the place where everything happened. I made my way home and found my mom in the kitchen. She was leaning on the counter for support and the phone was pressed to her ear. I could tell that something was wrong. "Mum." I asked. She hung up the phone and looked at me with glistening eyes.

"Mum! What is it?" I asked.

"They found a body." She managed to say.

"What?! It's not Niall's is it?" I asked. I too was now leaning on the counter. My heart was pounding so hard I could barely breathe.

"They found it in Swan Lake it fits his description." She said. Not even a second later I was limp in her arms, sobbing my eyes out. I don't think I had ever felt this terrible.

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