My Love Next Door

chapter 23

***Ocean's POV***

I was running for what seemed like forever, but it was probably only ten minutes. I could hear someone running behind and I assumed it was Gemma so I just kept running. I was out of breath, my legs were begging me to stop because I wasn't used to running like I used to. I was still crying so it was hard to see and run. Harder than it shoud've been. I just kept running and running and running and after about fifteen minutes I was used to it. Soon it was twenty then twenty five then thirty minutes. It felt good to run. It had been years since the last time I ran like this. My dad and I used to run every morning and every night when he was alive, so after I got used to it I could keep going and going. What amazed me was that I could still the person running behind me and I could hear how hard they were breathing. They were really struggling to keep up with me, I heard them stumble a few times. It was really dark while we were running so they couldn't have seen me too well. As I ran past an alley I took a sharp turn into it and prayed they didn't see me. I stopped running and held my breath as they ran past the alley. I let out a huge sigh and tried to catch my breath. I walked out of the alley and looked around. I was in a park but I didn't know which one. That was a bad sign. I didn't have my phone to call somebody since I threw my phone out the car window on the way home. I didn't want to ever that thing again. I found a bench and sat on it and tried to recognize where I was. I slowly began to recognize a few things in the park. But still wasn't sure where I was. I didn't come to this part of town often in my life. Only a handful of times when I was younger. So I probably had been here once or twice when my dad wanted to go out with me after my team had won our game. You see, I was on the softball, basketball, soccer, and football team until last year. Suddenly I knew where I was, I was about an hour (by car) away from my house. That meant I was running a lot longer than I had thought. It meant I had been running at least an hour, if not more.

If I was right about the time, it was around two or three in the moring. I should really get back to the house, but i was a little scared to be honest. I didn't know what to expect when I walked back in that house. I didn't know how mad they were going to be when I came back. They're probably going to kick me out and leave on the streets and I'll have to go back to Zayn's place. I'd rather live under a bridge with trolls than with Zayn again.So, I decided against going back to the house and to just sleep on the bench until it was daylight. I was pretty exhuasted and I don't even know why. I've been tired all day. So, I laid down on the bench and closed my eyes. It probably wasn't even ten minutes before I passed out right there. I had a dream that I was in the hospital waiting for someone, I didn't know who, but someone to come out and tell me something important. I kept waiting and wiating and finally as I was about to my mother came out and stood right in front me. She was wearing black skinny jeans and her favorite hoodie, the one I bought her for her birthday one year and gray vans I got her for christmas that same year. She was telling me that things would be okay soon. That I shouldn't worry about anything from now on. That they would be leaving anytime now and she could make things right again. I didn't know what she was talking about and I kept asking her what she meant and she just kept saying I'd know soon enough. She was so confusing and then out of nowhere some man in black came and started to drag her away. I grabbed for her hand but she slipped away. I was yelling at the man and screaming for my mom to come back and starting crying. I went to run after her but I woke up with a start. It took me a minute to take in all of my surroundings. I looked around me and saw I was in a room on a bed when the last thing I remember was falling asleep on the bench. I sat up looked down and saw I was in shorts and one of my 5sauce tshirts. I was panicked at how I got in these clothes because I was not in these when I fell asleep. I got out of the bed and walked out of the room and realized I was back in the boy's house. There was no one home but on the kitchen table there was a note:

Ocean,
        Niall brought you back here last night and took you to your room. We didn't want you to sleep in your clothes so i offered to change your clothes. dont worry, the boys didnt see anything they shouldnt have. we went to the store to get stuff so me and you could make dinner if you wanted to tonight. we shouldnt be too long but you know how the boys are lol. so you'll notice there is a phone with a 5SOS case and headphones by this note. theyre for you. a gift from niall. he set everything up on the phone for you. so dont worry about paying for it or anything bc its already taken care of. so take a look at it. put all your numbers in it. take selfies, become a SELFIE QUEEN. all of our numbers are already in it so if you need anything call me. take care, love.
                                                Love, Nadia

I looked over at the phone and picked it up. It did have a 5sauce case, which was pretty cool. I can't believe Niall bought this for me. I feel realy bad about it, but at the same time I don't becaue I know he won't me thank him or take it back. So just was thankful he got me a phone. I'll have to do somwthing to thank him. I may just have to sing on Saturday. I had put music, over 200 songs on my phone, put in the contacts of people I could remember downloaded everything that was on my old phone, and they still weren't back yet. I was bored so I decided to draw until they came home. I went and grabbed a notebook and a couple pencils and a pen and got to work. When I drew it was like everything but my drawing faded away. I didn't have to think when I was drawing. I just drew what ever image was on my mind. More than half the time I didn't even realize what I was drawing until I was done. My hand flowed across the paper, shading, detailing. creating this image I had in my mind. I zoned out and didn't even hear the others come home until Niall was right behind saying, "She's beautiful." At first I didn't know who he was talking about and then I realized he was talking about my drawing. It was then that I saw what I had drawn for the first time.

It was my mother.