(Author's Note — Hey guys, this isn't a full chapter but I'm posting the second half of this (chapter 2.5) somtime later tonight. Just so you can have a little something because I'm taking a long time!)
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Hailey's POV
"I'll text you," Shyann smiled as she stepped out of my car. I nodded in agreement and watched her walk to the door. I decided that instead of going straight home, I would stop to get a drink at Starbucks before going back to my empty fridge. I drove down the smooth, black highway, watching the trees around it. I thought enough how me and Niall used to love to climb those. "A trust exercise" he would say. "I won't let you fall off and into the road."
I cleared my mind of the thoughts. Niall wasn't supposed to be in my mind. What was in my mind, was doing my errands for the day.
After paying the barista an absurd amount of money for a latte, I checked my mental calendar. I was going to meet with Niall's friend, she was nice and her and I had been getting closer. The two of them were like siblings, or so I thought. I loved it too, because she was like his sister and I loved being around her happy energy.
Her name was Fairyanna, though her and I actually have the same name, she goes by her middle name so Niall can tell is apart.
Fantastic. Now he's back in my mind. The caffeine of my coffee have me the enrgy to push past it and steadily drive down the road. The sun was a glowing orange color, turning the horizon into a creamy peach. Fairy lives in a small town, rural. Many tall oaks and small ponds. The dirt of the drive way crunched under my tires as I halted to a stop. Her nearly kept front lawn was green and blooming, even with the snow. I knocked on the hardwood door so hear her call to me from the backyard. She was sitting in front of Her completely frozen pond, dangling her boot-cocered feet over the top of the ice.
"Hey, doll," she chirped. I smiled at her bubbly voice and we walked to the car. Her voice drained on as she song along to every song on the radio, not missing one word. I turned the volume down and she hummed instead.
"How's Niall?" I asked.
"Niall?" she looked over at me.
"Yes."
"I'm sure you know more about how he is than I do," she giggled and continued singing, the ing the volume back up.
"Well," I reached for the volume to turn it down. She looked at me with annoyance. "I have doubts about that."
"What do you mean?" she turned her legs to the driver seat, giving me her attention.
"I dunno," I picked at the leather wheel cover as I drove. "We haven't spoken much.. Lately."
Yeah, just lately...
"Why not?"
"Can you answer my question first?" I needed an answer. Now.
"Oh? Um, he's good. He lost Marcus."
I halted to a complete stop, shoving us forward a little.
"Marcus!?" I yelled.
"Yes?" she said it like it were obvious.
"He lost him? How?"
Marcus is — maybe was Niall's dog. My baby, pride and joy. I missed him a lot on the days that me and Niall were apart. And now he's where?
"He, um, put him down," her voice for quiet. My eyes widened.
"W-why wouldn't be tell me? I loved that dog, Fairy. I really did," Tears spring from my eyes. Pathetic tears.
"I don't know. Can we continue, you know, driving?" she pushed. I was a little aggravated at her short and unsympathetic answer, but I drove on. And almost as if in cue, Niall tested me. A picture, of him and Liam drinking.
Wow.
—Hey, how ya doin? Me and Liam are havin a blast aha
Why? What happened? I didn't know, but I was going to find out, so I responded.
—Niall, baby, what happened to us?
