Just Hold On // L.T. ✓

11

~‪Where do you go when your story's done?‬,

‪You can be who you were or who you'll become~

Louis' eyes opened, and he felt his neck at an odd angle, and he was struggling to get coherent thoughts out. He had no idea where he was, and the hard surface under him was not a mattress.

He felt around him, feeling compact walls and no knob or handle to let himself out. He knew that he wasn't in his bathroom, and not in his bed. But where was he?

Louis felt his head for injuries, but he didn't feel any pain coming from anywhere but his brain. And it was too dark in the room, too. Had he been kidnapped? The job! The job was today! Oh no, oh no! Louis felt as if he had overslept.

But he also was having trouble remembering what the last thing he did last night was. Going to the soda machine for some root beer, and then? And then there was nothing.

"The closet." Louis said, feeling his dry mouth and gagging. "I'm in the closet. What kind of symbolistic bull....this was Luke. This was Luke." He felt around the sliding doors, and realized that they were now glued shut. As in, Louis was unable to move them.

"Help!" He yelled. "Please help!" As his hands moved frantically, looking for a way out, he found the note. But of course, he couldn't read it.

Louis started to cry once he realized that his phone wasn't on him. "I need this money, Luke. I need it, you idiots. My family needs it. My family needs me." Louis cried, trying to open the door, but he just didn't know how. His body felt weak, his mind felt weak. He was weak. Spineless.

"Stop it. Stop crying, you idiot. It isn't over. This isn't over yet. We're not finished yet!" Louis pushed on the doors with all of his might, but they didn't budge. But when he tried to kick them, he felt it move, just slightly.

Louis started talking to himself more and more as he continually kicked at the doors. "It doesn't matter if they hate you, Louis. There are so many more people out there that love you. People that are counting on you to get this money. I am Louis Tomlinson. And Tomlinson's don't give up."

With one final kick, the door came free, and Louis recoiled from the sunlight that was being let in through the window. The first thing he did was look at the note in his hand.

Housekeeping will find you about noon, but by then the job will be over! We never wanted you on the team anyways, really! Stay in the closet where you belong! - Luke, perrie, and Palmer

Louis picked up his phone from where it was next to the bed. Checking the time, he cringed.

10:11.

The job started eleven minutes ago.

And there was no way that he was going to make it there in time to save the job.

But Louis was all about time crunches, wasn't he?

Less than sixty seconds later, Louis appeared on the street in front of the hotel, shoes in hand, as well as a yogurt and Simon's credit card, yelling, "Taxi!"

---

"I'll pay you five hundred dollars to get me to the Shell next to the speedway as fast as you can." Louis told him, thrusting Simon's credit card forward.

"There are closer Shell's." He said.

"I need to go to that one specifically. Please. My best friend works there, and he messed up on his first day, and I need to help him. Come on man."

The driver went speeding off to the tune of Louis' lies.

Louis put on his shoes and ate his yogurt at the speed of light. He remembered all the details, of getting the car from behind the Shell, which the others presumably already did, going inside and getting roadtrip snacks from the store, and then picking the others up from the back at approximately 10:28. There were twelve minutes until then.

In his rush, Louis had remembered his cigarettes and his lighter. "Can I smoke?" He asked the cabbie, who nodded fervently, driving as fast as he could. Louis really respected that.

Louis lit up his cigarette, mentally preparing himself. He had already broken his cover of being deaf, but that didn't matter anymore. All that mattered to him was getting through this job safely and getting back to his family on time. The thought of getting caught didn't even cross Louis' mind.

Two minutes later, the cabbie dropped him off at the Shell, gave him Simon's credit card back, and Louis stomped out his cigarette and started running towards Charlotte Motor Speedway at full speed, ready to save the day.

After all, Tomlinson's are heroes, and they never give up.