first impression (a Niall Horan fanfic)

I pulled into my driveway and set my piece of shit car in park. I let out an annoyed sigh before opening the car door exposing myself to the cool air. It was mid March in Kansas, so the weather seemed to change every five minutes. I had the worse day at school and the last thing I wanted was to hear my mother yell at me. Fortunately, she had work until five so that gave me a little bit of me time.  

After unlocking the garage door, I stepped into the laundry room. Dodging clothes left and right I found my way to the kitchen. Immediately I dropped my bag and grabbed the leftover pizza and a glass of water. May as well be somewhat healthy right? The sight of my One Direction posters brought a slight smile to my face.  

'You're pathetic.' I thought to myself before shoving my headphones into my ears and listened to my boy band on full blast. Slowly but surely the memories of the day were replaced by fantasies.  

"One more day." I said to myself while pulling my dark ash blonde hair into a ponytail. "Tomorrow you'll be at the One Direction signing and everything is going to be fine. No matter what bullshit happens. It'll be great."

"Hayley, would you please take out your headphones during supper?" My mom said as I seated myself at the small table. I did as I was told before digging into my lasagna. My little brother, Logan, sat across from me. He had just came home from playing basketball at the park. For a twelve-year-old, he had quite the social life. Mine was nonexistent beyond my three best friends, but they don't really count since we spend every other weekend in someone's basement listening to One direction and talking shit on our ex boyfriends.  

"So, uhm, Hayley did you get the hotel reservation for tomorrow night, because I know you haven't changed your mind about going." My mom asked while setting down her water. 

"I made the reservation over a month ago."  

"You are seriously taking her to that stupid signing?" Logan said with a mouth full of food, "I mean, what if she tries to kidnap that Neal guy?"  

"For the last time it is Niall. Like the Nile River in fricking Africa, but spelled completely different. Please get it right."  

My mother interrupted our bickering, "Well whatever, doesn't matter because you are wasting money and time by going to this thing. Even if you did meet him, why the hell would he want you? I mean, look at yourself. you got a little muffin top, I thought you would have worked that off for tomorrow."  

"Can I be excused?" I said running to my room before any of my emotions could show. A simple 'how was your day' would have been fine. or even 'have you done your daily workouts?' But no, let's remind her just how shitty she already feels about herself.  

I quietly closed my door so my mother had no reason to invite herself in. I turned to see my bedroom walls. I always wanted cardboard cutouts and have every square inch of the walls covered with their heavenly faces, but my mom's new boyfriend decided that there should be a limit. According to him I'm "too obsessive with these five British guys". Neither of them were very happy when I clarified that there's four British boys and an Irishman.

I peeled off my jeans and tee shirt and slipped into an oversized hoodie and a pair of shorts. As I crawled onto my bed a few tears trickled down my cheek before landing on my comforter. I hate crying it sickens me but everyone has to cry every now and then. I let a total of maybe five tears fall before I forced myself to stop. I never cried anymore than the absolute minimum. My dad always told me that it's ok to cry every once in a while, but my mom looked at it as a source of weakness. She always said "we don't cry, we make the boys cry." I never fully understood how Dad and her got together but obviously not love, at least on my mother's part. I asked my mom one time and her response was short, simple, and to the point: alcohol. That's nice.

After spending a few hours listening to my boys and scrolling through Instagram and Tumblr, I looked up to see my mom standing in my doorway. Great. 

"what?" I asked raising my eyes slightly.  

"Are you packed?" she said. Like she didn't know the answer give me a fucking break. I finally convinced her to let me go to Kansas City just for a One Direction signing, not a concert a signing. Of course I'm going to be packed. Hell I made the hotel reservations over a month ago.  

"Yes. I am packed. Yes I did the laundry. Yes your favorite blouse is hanging up. Is there anything else you wish to know?" I said while scrolling through my Instagram newsfeed.  

"Do not be a smartass with me." she said while taking the liberty of walking to my closet. "What do you plan on wearing?" 

I sighed with an eye roll, "Jeans, One Direction tee shirt, and converses. The usual." I saw her shoulder slump and she shook her head. It was kinda funny honestly. 

"You are definitely your father's daughter." she said while turning to face me.  

'Well I'm certainly not Ryan's daughter.' I thought but instead I just nodded as she walked out the door. I shut off the lights after she left and cuddled up with my pillow before falling into a One Direction filled dream.