Motel 6 // n.h

[33] Police Station

  "Hey, Avery?" Sam said from the drivers seat. 

  "Y-yeah?" She asked.

  "I have faith in you. We all do."

  I had to admit, the police station was intimidating. Cops wearing belts with an assortment of weapons passed the little waiting room, and I felt guilty just looking up at them, even though I hadn't done anything wrong. 

  Sam spoke with the woman at the front desk in a hushed tone as Avery and I sat together on the hard plastic chairs in the waiting room. There was a table of assorted magazines, and I even found a picture of me on one of the covers but I didn't bother to see what people were saying about me.

  "I hope the person we talk to is nice." Avery said, nibbling on her bottom lip anxiously.

  "I'm sure they will be." I said. "After all, I am Niall Horan." I joked, trying to get her to crack a smile. I was successful, and even got a giggle out of her. I really wanted to know what Sam and the lady at the front desk were talking about, so I leaned in- but it was no use. 

  A few seconds later, Sam came back to us and smiled.

  "A private investigator is going to be speaking with the both of you shortly." He said. I gave him a small nod and held on to Avery's hand, rubbing hers with my thumb, wondering what everyone else was doing back at the hotel and wishing I was there, but I knew that I had to be with Avery for this.

  "I've never been in a police station before." I said, breaking the silence, trying to get Avery's mind off of things. "I expected everyone to be eating donuts." I looked over at Sam, who shot me a glare.

  "That's not all that we do, Niall." He said, a bit annoyed. "We also eat cupcakes." That earned a chuckle from Avery, and I realized that he, too, was trying to distract Avery.

  "Do you think they'll give us a donut?" I asked him, playing along.

  "Who knows, kid." Sam laughed. "Maybe if you're lucky."

  "Sweet." I chortled. I glanced over at Avery quickly to see that she wasn't even paying attention, though, by the faraway look in her eyes she practically wasn't even in the same room as us. "You're a brave woman, babe. I'll be with ya the whole entire time."

  "I know, I just-"

  "Hi, Ms. Holmes and Mr. Horan?" A voice interrupted. I looked up to see a rather tall, lanky man with glasses and a badly receding hairline. He wore khakis and a button up shirt and appeared to be around mid- forties.

  "That's us." I said, standing up and shaking his hand. 

  "If you could come back with me, I'd like to have a little chat with the both of you." He smiled warmly at Avery and we both followed him down the narrow hallway to the room where we'd spill all the secrets of Avery's past.

  Right before entering the room, I gave Avery a look, and she smiled. I couldn't believe that we were finally going to be getting some help. It seemed weird to have things finally fall into place, like for all these months we've just gotten used to having nothing go our way.

  "Please, have a seat." The investigator said. I plopped down on a leather couch and Avery sat down beside me, still holding onto my hand tightly as if it were for her life. "My name is Mr. Smith, and I'm the private investigator here. I work with all sorts of cases, so I'm sure I've gotten much like yours and I can find help for you guys. Now, can you tell me what you'd like to report?"

  "Uh, it's about my ex-boyfriend." Avery said timidly. "Jake Yoder." Mr. Smith's eyebrows raised immediately, and then he glanced from me to Avery a few times.