How Did We Get Here // Luke Hemmings & Zayn Malik

Chapter 17: Horrible night

We stay in silence for a while until he asks "so, do your parents know you're walking around in the night or are you those rebels?" I laugh "I'm a rebel." He chuckles, sipping down his drink "no but really." I cross my arms, resting on my elbows "my parents are divorced; it's just me and my dad whom he's at work this time of hour." He nods slowly and continues eating. I ask "so what were you doing before you saw me?" he stops chewing and swallows "It was my mum's birthday today. My sisters and dad threw her a surprised party four cities away. I was just coming back. And you know what's funny; I got lost and ended up finding you walking in the streets alone." I wipe the grease with a napkin "it's a small but small world." He chuckles and continues eating his burger. We stay silent for bit, trying to eat our food in peace when a family of five walk in.

There were two little boys about the age of two and a little five year old girl carrying her doll with both hands. Her brothers are jumping up and down and she's behind them, instructing them to calm down or they'll get hurt. She was cute so, she melts my heart to pieces. Zayn coughed "Goodness that is so cute. Protecting her brothers at that age is amazing." I smile "I wished I was the youngest. Being the older one sucks because you have all eyes on you. They follow your footsteps, good or bad. You're the role model they look up to. You have to grow up at the speed of light. I just wished there was someone there for me." Zayn leveled his head towards mine "yeah, it may suck being the older one, I should know but it's such a blessing Emma. I mean come on, they look up to you. They think of you highly. Sure it's hard to keep up, we all make mistakes but when you watch them grow into great things, you take the credit for it. You influenced all their motives."I laugh "such a guru. *in a Yoda voice* to the force, I need guidance, Master Jedi." Zayn burst into laughter, the side of his face crinkles to let his big smile radiate. He covers his mouth with his sleeve trying to talk "What was that? Was that Yoda?" I giggle, nodding my head yes. He nods no, looking outside the window "that was the worst impression I've ever heard someone trying to be Yoda. It's an insult to Yoda's dead ashes." I bit the straw and sip some soda.

Suddenly the two brothers started to run around the place, panicking the little girl but her mother told her it was fine. Zayn asked "so, I don't know much about you, except the fact that you're American, your parents are divorced and you make the worst Yoda impression." I scoff "Hey! It takes gut. Don't strip me of my pride." I laugh throwing him a fry. He scoffs and throws it back. I added "besides there really isn't much to me. I'm one of those boring people who will die with a house full of cats. My life is that boring." Zayn contemplates the idea "so, everyone has a story. See you may have that one thing that differentiates who you are but there are other factors that play. Like the cat lady may had a pet snake or she may have been a stripper." I laugh "A stripper! God Zayn, that escalated quickly I must say." We laugh when suddenly a one of the little boys trips on his shoe laces and slams his face against the floor. Zayn and I jump out of our seats and run towards the boy on the floor who is not moving.

I put my knees on the sides of him, almost sitting on top of him, turning him facing up. Zayn lifts his head upward. All that happened in a split second when I hear the little girls screams and cry for her brother Josiah, following by her parents screams. Zayn yells "check if he has a pulse rate." I immediately put two fingers on the side of his neck, feeling two seconds later a pulse. I yell "Yes!" Zayn puts his ear over the boy's mouth to hear for breathing. The mother yells "Is he breathing?" she falls next to me, keeping her hands close to her mouth while the father hold the screaming girl in her arms. Zayn instructs me to move aside and he climbs on top of the boy. An employee yells across "we called an ambulance!" utter chaos break loose and my heart sinks.

Then I hear a sniffle behind me. The other little boy was hiding, crying for his little brother while no one was there to comfort him. I thought about his scared state. I quickly went and hugged him, bringing him close to my chest. I cover his ears and rock him back and forth. I tell him that everything will be okay and not to worry. I pick us up from the floor and I walk outside to the play ground. He immediately screamed "No! Josh! Josh! Take me back!" I hold him tight while he tries to wiggle out. I try to calm him "hey, it's going to be okay, we just need to give josh some space." He stops wiggling his way to freedom and starts babbling in my shoulder. Minutes pass and an ambulance roars its way through the parking lot.

I return the kid back to the mother, as Zayn and I watch them leave, following the ambulance. I cross my arms and we watch the cars ride until they were no longer visible. I turn to Zayn "that was so scary. My heart broke seeing his family crumble in tears." He clicks his tongue and hugs me, holding me tight under his grip. He whispers closely to my ears "that was a horrible experience." I dethatch myself from him "I should get going Zayn; I have to get up early tomorrow." He sighs and we walk over to his car. Once were inside, he stays frozen and silent. Suddenly he starts crying, his loud screams fill the car, bouncing back and forth. He looks at me and covers his face with embarrassment. I didn't understand what was happening but I reached over and hugged what I could reach of him.

His uneven breaths "I...I ... it was so... I was so scared! It was... I ..." I patted down on his hair and soothed him for a while. About 10 minutes later he stops crying and he clears his throat. I shyly asked "can I have your number, just to keep in touch with you... if you want I mean it's not like..." he cuts me off "I would love for you to have my number." I hand him my phone and he quickly put his number down. He hands it back and starts the car.

Once he stops at the stairs of my house he ask "is your dad home?" I look over at the empty parking lot and responded "no not yet, but he'll be here soon." He smiles and I open the door to get out. He reaches over for my hand, stopping me "I'm sorry you had to see that. Me breaking down in tears." I shift in the seat "Zayn, there is nothing to be sorry about. Breaking down is part of being human and frankly that situation was horrible. I mean the kid didn't even move, or react for that matter, making us conclude the worst." He lets go of my hand and looks away "I know but anyways good night Emma. I just hope I didn't ruin this first date." My stomach flutters "Date?" he looks at me, smiling "good night Emma."

I playfully roll my eyes and get out. Zayn doesn't leave until I'm inside my house. As soon as I close my doors, I recline back against the door and start wondering about Zayn. He cried in front of me and he felt towards the little boy. Zayn is like this image or idea inside my head that I know I shouldn't entertain but somehow it manages to pop in my thoughts. I looked at my phone for the time and it was 11:05pm. It was late for a school night and considering that I wasn't going to take a shower right now, I had to wake up real early in the morning.

I grumpily walked up my stairs, kicked off my shoes and slammed my body on my bed. This day had been so long; fun, tiring, sad, depressing and new. So much commotion in just one day is exhausting. I closed my eyes and waited for tomorrow to come.

I woke up to complete silence. There was no coffee machine brewing or cars honking or air circulating. Just complete silence. I shift in my bed, looking for my phone. When I gave up looking, I rub my eyes and red the clock. 'It was... I can't really fo... holy shit its 9:45am!' I jump out of bed, knowing I've missed two classes already. I take a quick shower and try as fast as I could to get ready.