Hopeless

Chapter 1

Phoenix's POV

I drew the blade across my wrist. It hurt, but I was used to it. The pain helped me forget my problems: Dad being an alcoholic; Mum in rehab for overworking (long story); Kris, my older brother, running the flat like it was a military base when Dad was at the pubs, which was all the time.

I heard the front door open and slam shut, signalling that Kris was home. Exiting the bathroom, I looked over at my little sister, Kamron, playing with the Legos I hid underneath my bed.

"Kam, go hide in my closet," I said, keeping my voice low and my eye on the door. She and I both knew what would end up happening: Kris would storm into my room, saying I was the reason Dad was always at the pubs, saying I was the reason Mum was always working. He would then begin to punch me, slap me, and kick me, saying I was the source of all these problems and calling me names like fat, slut, disgusting, and other names that shouldn't be repeated. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but it comforted me to know that Kamron was safe. "Her Closet," as she called it, had a trap door that led outside, where she could go next door, and the neighbour would take her in until I would text her that it was safe to come back.

"What did I tell you about going anywhere after school?" Kris demanded, storming into my room with his phone in hand.

"I didn't go anywhere," I said lamely, figuring it wouldn't work, even if I told the truth.

"Explain this," he demanded, shoving the phone in my face. It was a picture of me and a few of my friends outside the mall. It was taken a couple years ago, and I hadn't changed much between then and now. He wouldn't believe me if I told him it was from a couple years ago.

"Sorry. It won't happen again," I mumbled.

"D*** right it won't," Kris answered, punching me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me, and I crumpled to the ground. He continued the abuse, kicking me like a worthless, unwanted dog. Then, as suddenly as he came in, Kris left.

Crawling over to my bed, I texted Kamron, saying that it was safe to come out. She opened the closet door hesitantly, as if Kris would make a surprise re-entry.

"Are you...?" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I answered quickly. I forced myself to stand up and limped into the bathroom, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. I downed some painkiller and worked to make myself presentable for the day. My hair was a tangly mess, and the bruises were starting to show in my arms. Quickly changing clothes, I gently pulled a brush through my half-wavy, half-straight hair, which could've been called pretty, but was now a frizzy mess.

"Kamron, do you want to go shopping with me?" I asked my sweet 8-year-old sister as I snapped the light off in the bathroom. She eagerly nodded, so we went downstairs to see if Kris wanted anything.

"Kris, do you want anything from the store?" I yelled from the kitchen to the living room as I got my things together while Kamron got her shoes in. I heard paper rattling, so I grabbed the list from him without any sort of response. He was too busy playing Call of Duty, muttering expletives every once in a while.

****

I had just entered the mall, Kamron in hand, when the ear-piercing shrieks of pre-teen and teenage girls reached my ears. I pushed my way through the growing crowd only to have a flier shoved into my hand. It read that One Direction would be in town for several weeks, doing concerts, signings, interviews, and charity work. They were currently sitting in one of the smallest malls in England; in Lilyshire, England, to be precise. I shoved the flier into the pocket of my NorthFace and made my way to continue shopping with Kamron.

When we stopped at the food court, after buying lunch for Kamron and having a seat, I pulled out my phone and got on Twitter while stealing some of Kamron's chips. One Direction's mentions had exploded as I scrolled through my feed. After checking to see if any of the lads had followed me, I put away my phone and decided how to conquer Kris's grocery list.

****

Niall's POV

I saw her right as she entered the mall. The automatic doors slid open and a rush of autumn air blew in, as if announcing her presence. To the average person, she was just an average girl taking her little sister to school on a Saturday afternoon. To me, she was gorgeous. Her long, dark brown hair hung like a straight curtain to her mid-back; her NorthFace accentuated her waist; it looked like it was custom-made for her; she had curves in all the right places, and she was skinny, but not too skinny. I didn't want someone who was too skinny; I'd decided that when Harry had brought home his first girlfriend.

I saw the girl force her way into the growing crowd of screaming girls, and then she left. Part of me wished she had come to the front, so I could get a better look at her, but she didn't. I may not have known her name, but I knew that I wanted to get to know her.

Author's Note

Hey guys! So, this is my first fan fiction, and I've never published anything that I've ever written before, so this is new to me. While I live in the US, I've done my best to make this as British as possible, since I have ancestors from both England and Ireland, and it has always been my dream to go to Ireland and to go back to England.

I'll do my best to answer any questions I get, unless the answer will be revealed later in the story, then I will reply with "SPOILERS!" I'll update when I can, so patience from you glorious readers would be great! Please keep the comments PG, so no swearing... Unless you use a word like fudgesicles... If/when I swear, I usually make up words like fudgesicles or crumb nibbles.

I hope you guys like it and continue reading!

Lizzy-Luci :) (I'll use that for my signoff!)

P.S. Happy Birthday to Taylor Swift!