Dark Lillie

42.

"Hey, how's Niall doing?" He greets with a mouth full of muffins.

"Weird." I state plopping down next to him.

"Weird? Why weird?"

"His parents are here and he's acting-"

"Weird?" He finishes. I nod.

"Yeah, for whatever reason."

"How much do you know about them?"

"Not much. Just that they kicked him out when he was younger."

"Well maybe that's why?"

"Yeah maybe...I don't know, just the way he was acting around them made me think it went further then just that."  

Ashton shrugs, finally swallowing all of his muffin.

"Try not to worry about it. You look exhausted."

"Yeah, I am. But I really don't feel like sleeping right now."

"Do you want me to get you some coffee?"

I nod thanking him. I tried looking for Zayn hopefully but no luck. I guess Niall didn't know he left. Niall still didn't know a lot of things. He still didn't know about Ashton. I guess I still didn't know things either. Like Niall's parents. I don't know why it bothered me so much. I guess maybe because I thought Niall and I were done with secrets. And this felt like a secret.

"Your worrying." Ashton says giving me my coffee.

"Am not." I lie.

"Yes you are. Your tapping your fingers three at a time consistently. I do the same thing when I'm nervous." 

I blow my hair out of my face stressfully.

"Must be a Zeller thing." I say, still not use to the fact that Ashton and I shared my father's last name.

"Actually for me, it's Irwin."

"Oh?"

"My mother gave me her last name. I never understood why, but now I think I might."

The last part of that sentence came out sharp and icy. I don't say anything about it though. He needed to grieve the person he thought our dad was.

"Is that them?" Ashton says suddenly, looking past me. I follow his stare.
It was Niall's parents.

"Uhhh, yeah."

They stood close to each other and, to me, it looked like they were scanning the cafeteria. When their eyes fell and locked on me, I looked away feeling completely and incredibly claustrophobic.

"Oh my God, are they coming over here?" I say panicking.

"No-well yes now they are. Why are you freaking out?"

"I don't know-"

"Lillie?" A voice interrupts. Niall's mothers. I turn around trying to put on a greeting face.

"Yes, hi." I stand up, but not quite sure what to do next. Do I hug them? Or like, I don't know shake their hands? I didn't have to make my mind up about it though.

"We didn't really get a chance to be introduced to each other. I'm Maura and this is my husband, Bobby."

Bobby shakes my hand not exactly having the happiest look on his face. But Maura on the other hand looked...intrigued with me. It gave me chills. I mean she seemed really nice but there was something else about her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though.