A/N
Hello hello!
I'm back! So sorry for all the wait, I was having major writers block in between updating this and my other book (The Journal). Please cut me some slack, thanks! Besides that, I tried making an extra long chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy.
Thank you again!
___ Continuation from last chapter
I tried to get to him as quickly as I could but unfortunately I wasn't fast enough as he had already launched himself off the couch in panic and hit the hardwood floor with a bang, landing on his side.
I rushed over to his side, heart in my throat, to try and make sure he was ok.
He was still seizing, his eyes were dilated and held panic in them but it was like he was in a trance, he was foaming at the mouth with his tongue hanging from one corner.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no” i say, quickly grabbing a towel that was nearby and scooping the poor cat up in my arms.
“Will he be ok?” Louis asks, worry filling his voice.
“I don't know, Lou, but we have to go to the emergency animal hospital right now” I say, leading the way out to the car.
Louis drives while I sit in the passenger seat with Griffin, who isn't seizing as aggressively but still continues to tremble in my arms.
We reach the hospital in about 10 minutes because, thankfully, it was not too far from my house and get out of the car.
I rush to the front desk with Louis close to my heels and immediately the woman sitting behind the desk recognizes me as this isn't the first time that Griffin was rushed to the emergency room.
“Hey, Liam” She says, getting up from her chair, her eyes then shifting down to the blanket covered lump that i'm holding in my arms “Oh no, what happened?”.
“Griffin” I start, my eyes watery “H-he started having another seizure except it was much longer than any he had ever had before.''
“Alright, honey, lets get him into a room and get him checked out. Would your friend want to come in with you?” She asks gently.
“Yeah, of course” Louis says behind me.
“Ok, follow me, boys” She says, leading us into a room, labelled 1.
She puts a towel down on the table and carefully sets Griffin down on it.
“Here, wait here for a few seconds, and keep an eye on him, the doctor and the vet technician will be here shortly,” she says with a small smile before exiting the room.
I bury my face in Louis’ shoulder, letting a couple of tears fall “What is going to happen to him, Louis?” I ask, sadly.
“I don't know. Liam, but whatever happens, just know that it's for the best. Whatever happens, you still gave him the best life” Louis says, trying to reassure me.
After a few seconds, two people walk into the room, a boy who looks to be in his 20s and a woman wearing white clinical clothing and a stethoscope around her neck.
“Hello, boys, my name is Dr.Morgan and this is my assistant” She introduces herself and gestures to the boy beside her.
“Hello, my name is James” he gives us a smile.
“So, i have heard that your cat has been having seizures?” The doctor asks us.
“Yes” i say “he has been having more and more seizures this year, and his medication isn't working as well on him as it used to. And recently, he started being less interested in his food or playing. But today was one of the worst cases I have seen.. He had a pretty big seizure in the morning but seemed to have calmed down afterwards.. Until tonight.. Me and my friend were watching a movie and everything was fine until he started seizing again and even fell off the couch that he was laying on”.
“Oh, that sound horrible” She says, giving me a sad look “Let’s get him checked out”.
She checks his heart rate and does the regular procedure that they do in check ups but in the middle of it, Griffin starts to convulse again.
“Oh dear” Dr.Morgan says and we all watch poor Griffin and wait for the seizure to run its course.
After it is done, she picks him up with a towel and hands him to James, who immediately takes him out of the room.
“Where are you taking him?” I ask.
“We have to do some brain scans to see if any damage has happened from the seizures, since he had 3 large seizures today, it should not be good for his brain health.” She explains before leaving the room herself.
We wait anxiously for what feels like ages until the vet tech comes back in holding Griffin followed by the vet.
“so unfortunately, the brain scans show lots of damage to his brain due to the large amounts of seizures that he's been having so sadly we have no choice but to euthanize him because he will not be able to thrive and live normally with the amount of damage to his brain at this point” The vet says, giving us a sad look.
I freeze after hearing the news.
Memories of the time we shared filled my mind.
He might be just a cat but to me he is much more. He was my friend when it felt like the whole world was against me. And now… I have to say goodbye.
“Y-yes.” I say, trying to gain stability to my voice “i-if its the best option for him, then yes.. I dont- i dont want to see him in pain any more”.
“ I'm really sorry, hun, but it's for the best” the vet says, trying to comfort me.
James, the vet technician, brings out two syringes and two small bottles filled with solutions.
I hold Griffin, knowing it is the last time I am able to, while the vet readies the first syringe.
Griffin moves his head, slow and tiredly towards me, a look of almost understanding washing over his blue eyes. As if he knows that his time in this world is coming to an end.
He purrs softly, doesn't even react as the vet injects him with the first syringe, which will sedate him.
I watched tearfully as his eyes droop and slowly shut, the medication taking effect on his weak body fairly quickly.
“Goodbye, old friend” I say softly, stroking his head gently one last time as the vet injects him with the second syringe, which is what will cause him to pass away.
---------
We head home after the ordeal.
I have a sinking feeling in my heart but I reason with myself that I gave the best life to Griffin that I possibly could and now he doesn't have to suffer anymore, and 15 years isnt bad for a lifespan of a cat with such bad epilepsy, right?
I sigh as I pack the last of my things into my suitcase, trying to force down the feeling of dread and sadness boiling at the pit of my stomach.
I shake my head and stand up, going around the house to pick up things for Misha, since he will be staying at Louis’ house during my time away at the field trip.
I put his travel bowl into the bag when i notice Louis standing behind me, worry swimming in his cobalt blue eyes.
“Are you sure that you are ok, Li?” He asks with a frown.
I give him an unconvincing smile “Yeah, I'm alright, bit sad of course but what can i do.. Don't worry though, i'll be fine, i promise”.
“Everything will be ok..” He says reassuringly “ Now come on, we have a lot of things to do tomorrow… the trip is in 2 days. Lets go to bed, love”.
“Yeah, lets go, you can stay in my room” I say, placing the bag at a corner and following him to my room.
---------
The next morning consists of making sure all my things are packed and going over to Louis house to help pack his things and to drop off Misha.
“Aww kitty!” Louis sisters squeal, rushing over to pet the cat, who tries to hide more in his crate.
“Now, now girls” Jay tells them “Give the kitty his space”
“Ok mum” They say simultaneously.
“alright, Payno, come help me pack” Louis says, turning to me.
“Of course” I reply and follow him to his room.
____
It was night time.
We had finished packing everything and the whole family was at the dinner table to eat.
“Thank you so much, Mrs.Tomlinson” I say, thanking her for letting me stay over.
“It's nothing, really. Also, call me Jay, honey. You are also a part of our family, Liam” she says with a kind smile.
“Thank you so much” I say again “I am really blessed to have such kind people like you in my life”.
And I mean it.
She was like a second mother to me.
If there's anything good in my life at this point, its Louis and his family.
“oh Honey..” she says, before passing me the bowl of food “here have some more rice, you must be hungry after working so hard all day”.
A/N ok so idk what british people eat for dinner lol do they eat rice normally?
We finish eating our meals, friendly conversations being passed around. The atmosphere is warm and just really nice.
I offer to wash the dishes, no matter how much Jay protested and got thanked a million times in return.
After that, me and Louis went back to his room to hang out a bit and then get ready for bed.
“Remember we have to wake up early tomorrow” I remind Louis while setting an alarm on my phone.
“Oh great” Louis replies, sarcasm dropping from his voice “I love waking up at the ass crack of dawn”.
I snicker at his response “Well it seems the Gods have gone against us!” I say dramatically, while falling back onto the bed.
He laughs while switching off the light and lays down beside me on the bed.
“Well, Good night Payno”
“Goodnight Tommo”
_____
Ring ring~~
Hmmm, why is there music playing?
Oh shit! Its 7 am!
I lazily move one arm and shuffle around until I find my phone, switching the alarm off.
Going back to sleep would be so nice right now.
But no matter how tempting it is to slip back go dreamland, I force my eyes open a slit and groggily look around a bit, still not fully aware of my surroundings.
I am laying on my back, Louis almost glued to my side, and yet splayed out, taking up 90% of the bed.
The blankets are half up to my hips and the other half tangled with his legs.
His eyes are still shut in deep sleep as if the sound of the alarm hasn't fazed him one bit.
I get up, untangling myself from the boy before lightly shaking him while calling his name.
“Louis! Lou, wake up, we gotta get ready come on”
First time there's no response.
Second time there's no response.
Third time, he finally budged.
“hmmm, 5 more minutes” he waves me off, turning to his side and falling back asleep.
“this boy” I mutter to myself, getting up from the bed and walking into the bathroom.
As I'm brushing my teeth, I think to myself.
Hmmm, haven't seen Hobbs in a bit. Wonder where he is.
Maybe he's off doing something important, I'm sure he will be back.
I shrug it off and finish up getting ready, taking a quick shower and getting dressed in grey joggers and a hoodie.
I blow dry my hair before styling it up into the usual quiff and once I'm satisfied with that, I exit the bathroom to find Louis shuffling out of bed like a zombie.
He mutters something incoherent and stumbles into the bathroom, making me chuckle.
While he gets ready, I double check to make sure all my stuff are properly packed and then sit on my bed, scrolling through Instagram.
After about 45 minutes, he finally emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, his signature messy hair swept across his face instead of his usual quiff.
“You ready, Lou?” I ask from where I'm still seated on his bed.
“Yep, let's have some breakfast and then we can get going” He says, motioning for me to follow him out the room.
We settle on some toast and a cup of tea for breakfast, finishing up rather quickly before grabbing our luggage and placing them at the doorway.
Misha trots up to me as Louis is getting his stuff so I pick him up and hold him in my arms as I continue to wait for Louis.
“Ok, Payno, let's go!” Louis says, swinging his backpack over his shoulders.
I nod and release the purring cat, saying my goodbyes to him before me and Louis leave the house.
We call an uber and get to the airport, where we load up our luggage on the trolley and make our way to the spot where we are supposed to meet up with our school.
Most of the people are already gathered there, practically all of them looking tired as hell. I don't blame them.
I scan over the crowd of people, searching for the 4 specific boys, making me confused when I don't spot any of them.
Almost as if reading my mind, Louis responds with “huh, don't seem to see any of those hellspawns”.
“better for us, I guess. Let's enjoy it while we still can” I joke before we go over to one of the teachers and get our boarding passes and then take a seat on the uncomfortable metal seats.
About 45 minutes goes by, Roman Kemp shows up but there is still no sign of the other 3 boys.
When asked if he knew about their whereabouts, he just shrugged It off.
At this point an hour and 20 minutes has passed, our flight will be boarding very soon and the teachers are getting impatient when what do you know!
The boys finally show up, running, shouting and hollering obnoxiously.
They yell out some excuse dismissively to the angry teacher and have a seat across from us.
“Good mornin, Lewis” Niall wastes no time to shoot a sarcasm laced greeting.
Louis ignores him and instead chooses to glare down onto his phone.
I take a moment to look at the group and then back at Louis before diverting my eyes to my phone as well, until it was finally time to board.
We board the plane and look for our seats.
Turns out, the good news is that me and Louis got the window seats, him being seated in front of me.
Bad news is that the ones sitting next to us are Zayn and Niall respectively.
Seeing that Louis’ assigned seat is beside Niall and wanting to evade any fights on this flight, I quickly ask the teacher if I could switch seats with him for which I get a yes since he is right in front.
I also know for a fact that Niall, being the troublemaker he is, would never agree to sit with Zayn instead and lose the chance to annoy Louis for this 10 hour flight so I think it's best for Louis to sit with Zayn since he is the least annoying of the group.
I tell Louis about the plan and he agrees and sits in my assigned seat while I take his.
“Aw c'mon! I wanted to sit beside Louis” Niall whines next to me before he pauses for a second and then responds with “well I guess you're ok too”.
I just put my headphones in my ears and turn up the sound, drowning out his voice to the point where it's just white noise.
Oh boy, this is going to be a long flight.
---
'Wrdyiny jitsjyr nyiecj?"
Huh what? What's that even supposed to mean?
But sure enough, slowly but surely, the gibberish merge together to become words.
"Would you like hazelnuts or pretzels?"
I opened my eyes, looking around sleepily for the source of the sound.
Huh, must have dozed off.
I turn my head to face the air hostess, who is handing out snacks to people.
"Sir, which would you like?" She asks, a smile on her face.
"Erm, I'll take..I'll take the hazelnuts please, thank you" I say, politely.
"Here you go" she says, passing me a small pack of hazelnuts.
I thank her yet again and she continues on her way, passing out snacks to the rest of the passengers.
I close my eyes briefly, stretching my limbs as much as I can before looking back through the space between the seats to spot a sleeping Louis, his head lolling to the side.
"Chill out, your boyfriend is fine. He's not gonna die from sitting with Zayn for one flight" Niall says, shovelling pretzels into his mouth, an unimpressed tone in his voice.
"Oh fuck off, blondie" I say, a cold look taking over my facial features "why do you care if I'm looking out for my friend, anyway? It's none of your business".
He rolls his eyes but decides to take a long swig of his drink instead of answering.
I cross my arms, feeling irritated.
The flight continues. Thankfully Zayn does minimal teasing towards Louis.
I bare Niall's constant teasing, being glad that at least he didn't sit with Louis as Louis would not be able to contain himself and cause a scene probably and I just want this trip to be as less confrontational as possible please, thanks.
"Welcome to Calgary International airport. We are about to land shortly, so we ask the passengers to please stow their tray tables, fasten their seatbelts and make sure any personal items are under the seat in front of you.
Please remain seated as the plane takes you to the gate. Thank you for flying Air Canada" the air hostess announces through the speakers.
Finally, this flight is over!!
The 'ding' sound of the seatbelt light going off is like music to my ears and I waste no time in getting out of my seat to grab my belongings from the overhead bin, shoving blondie in the process but frankly, I couldn't care less.
"Come on, Lou" I tell him and we both, along with the rest of the passengers, exit the plane through the jet bridge.
We meet with the teachers at the arrival waiting area, waiting for our checked baggage to arrive and then plopping down at the seats to wait for the rest of the students to arrive.
Thankfully, Niall and his gang have sat away from us, which gives me and Louis a chance to talk amongst ourselves.
I stifle a yawn, raising a hand to rub my face "ugh that flight was so painstakingly slow" I say to Louis "don't know what you would have done had you sat where I did. Even I felt like strangling Blondie during the whole flight. I mean, have you heard how long he's been yapping away about God knows what? Like I don't care about his shitty jokes and rude comments. It's so fucking annoying.".
"If it was me, I'd probably have strangled him" Louis giggles, pulling his hood up,
"Thankfully Bradford bad boy wasn't bad. Bit annoying but at least he knows to keep his mouth shut for the most part. Definitely no where near the level of annoyance of that other annoying fuck".
I snicker quietly at Louis' scowl and throw an arm over his shoulders.
"Hey, in a sense, we will both be suffering equally with our roommates" I say, my voice lacing with displeasure.
"Ugh, so true. I don't know how I'm gonna deal with that little shit" Louis says.
I nod at him before something catches my eyes.
Orange fur with black stripes..
Its Hobbs!
"Oh Hobbs you're back!" I exclaim.
"Hey, Liam" He greets me with a chuff "sorry I was away.. had some business to attend to. Still have some more stuff to do so don't panic if you don't see me for a while during this trip Haha".
"That's ok. Just let me know before you disappear next time" I joke, petting his soft fur.
“Alright everyone. It's time for us to go to the hotel, follow the teachers to your respective busses” One of the teachers announces as everyone gets up from their seats.
I grab my carry-on and checked baggage, following Louis who is already walking towards the exit.
We get into the bus, Louis immediately taking the window seat so I shrug and take a seat beside him.
“Man, I could really go for some coffee right about now” I mumble, scratching my head.
“Same here, mate” Louis says, blinking sleepily.
I lean my head against the headrest of the seat, closing my eyes briefly when I hear shouting coming towards us.
Groaning, I force my eyelids open, revealing none other than the 4 boys who i very well do not want to see right now, especially in my state of fatigue. I just didn't have the energy to deal with them right now.
“I knew they would win!” Niall hollers “Cant believe i missed the match because of a stupid flight”.
“You bet that there was no way for them to win! You owe me 25 bucks, styles!” Zayn says, cheering “plus you still owe me another 20 from the last bet we had, so pay up”.
“Ugh, are you ever gonna let that go, Malik? And about the previous bet, i was fucking joking, i wasn’t seriously betting on it so i dont get why i have to owe you anything for that” Harry scowls at Zayn, his words slow in leaving his lips.
Zayn raises an eyebrow at him in return, not budging until Harry mumbles a “fine, you asshole”, rummaging through his pocket and shoving two 20 dollar and one 5 dollar bill into Zayn’s waiting hand.
Zayn smiles back at him “Thanks, babe” he winks, walking closer to us and taking the seat across from us, separated by the aisle of the bus.
Harry goes to follow him when he notices me and Louis there and he freezes on the spot.
We hold eye contact for a bit, before he breaks eye contact, averting his eyes away and sits down beside Zayn.
I lean my head on Louis’ shoulder and he softly pets my hair, making me smile slightly.
“Ah, what would I do without you, Lou” I say, in all seriousness.
“Same here, Payno. I’m so glad ive met you. You're the greatest best friend I could ever ask for” Louis replies, flashing his pearly teeth at me.
I retract my head from his shoulder, getting comfy in my seat.
I smile a genuine smile at Louis and out of the corner of my eyes, I can see Harry's eyes locked on us but when i turn my head towards them, he quickly turns away.
Weird.
I shrug.
Im not letting him ruin this trip for me. He's already ruined enough of my life, there's nothing he can do to ruin this for me.
I fiddle with my phone, not really feeling up to listening to music as I've already listened to my entire playlist over the flight.
I think to myself about what we might be doing on this trip. It sounds exciting.
I mean, Canada is the second largest country in the world, surely there must be really cool things to see. Even though, of course, we won't be able to see everything throughout the trip.
Sure enough, im brought out of my daydream by the bus stopping in front of the hotel.
it's the hotel that we will be staying at for the duration that we will stay in Alberta for.
I get out of my seat, grabbing my backpack and carry on. I exit the bus, Louis in tow.
The driver of the bus opens the compartment that holds our checked baggage and he kindly hands me my bag.
“Thank you” I say, offering me a smile. He nods, smiling back before handing Louis his baggage as well. Louis thanks him as well and we both head towards the hotel, stopping in the lobby.
We wait a few minutes until everyone on the bus comes into the lobby, when the teacher speaks.
“So this is the hotel that we will be staying at. Remember your bus number.
You guys are bus 1, and this will be your bus number for the rest of the trip. Everyone on this bus will be staying on the 12th floor. Every floor that the students will be staying at, there will be two teachers as well to make sure no one is causing trouble. In case of an emergency, they can be reached easily. Your staff supervisors for your floor are Mr.Taylor and Ms.Johnson. Try not to move between rooms at night a sit can disturb other and do not stay in a different room overnight. You are allowed to visit other students rooms during the day but not allowed to stay overnight. Remember we are representing our school, so please be mindful. Be respectful to the people here and be respectful to the property. Alright, now that im done giving my lecture. When I call your name, come get your keys to your room. We aren't going anywhere as a group today as we just arrived. You are allowed to go out as long as you don't stray too far from the hotel but I imagine most of you will be staying in tonight as you are probably tired from the plane ride here. Anyway, let's get to it..” He says, listing off a few names until he lands on mine.
“Liam Payne and Harry Styles” He calls out. I go over to receive my key and so does Harry, us avoiding eye contact with each other.
He joins Zayn and Roman, the trio going towards the elevator while I wait for Louis to get his keys.
After a few minutes, he does and makes his way to me while Niall rushes past us, calling out for Harry and the rest to wait for him.
I shrug and turn to Louis, starting to walk towards the elevator “Well i guess we should head to our rooms. As much as I would rather not see Harry, let alone be in the same room with him, I really do need a nap and my eyelids are having a tough time staying open”.
“Fair point” Louis says, yawning “i’m feeling pretty knackered as well, not gonna lie. Lets hope blondie gives me a fucking break for once because holy hell” he shakes his head.
“I should probably have a quick shower as well. I feel kinda grimy after travelling for so long” I mumble, mostly to myself.
Soon enough, we reach the entrance to my room.
“Well, I'll see you later, Lou. Call or text me if you need anything” I say, waving him goodbye. He waves back and continues his way down the hall to his own room.
“I’ll accompany Louis and ill let you know if anything happens” Hobbs speaks up from where he was sitting.
“Yeah, that would be nice. Thanks bud” I say, ruffling his fur affectionately.
He chuffs at me before turning and slowly fading into thin air.
I sigh, turning to face the door to my room.
I take a deep breath before unlocking the door with the card key, opening it once the green light flashes.
I take my luggage into the room, spotting Harry sitting on the bed on the other side of the room.
I stop and we hold eye contact for a few seconds.
“Did you uh, want this bed, or?” Harry stutters slightly, his eyes darting around like he doesn't know where to look.
“Oh,” I snap out of my trance “oh, no, that's fine, ill just take the other one” I waved him off.
I place my luggage beside the closet and open up my suitcase, taking out my towel and some other toiletries.
I step into the really nice looking bathroom, locking the door behind me before I strip my clothes off my body and step into the shower.
I quickly rinse myself off before stepping out of the shwoer again.
Wrapping myself in my towel. After drying myself i put on my boxers, realizing ive forgotten to bring my clothes into the bathroom .
Oops.
I catch a glimpse at myself through the slightly fogged up mirror, my abs looking very prominent on my body. I guess my dedication to the gym is really paying off, huh?
I slick my still damp hair back and hang up my towel on the rack to dry before exiting the bathroom.
I grab a pair of grey shorts and a white tank top, wanting something comfy to sleep in after being cramped in the plane for bloody 10 hours.
I put on my shorts and turn around, the tanktop in my hands when I notice that Harry has been looking at me the whole time.
I give him an awkward look and watch him avert his eyes before quickly pulling the tank top over my head, and walk to my bed, laying down.
Soon enough, exhaustion weighs over me until I give in, slipping into a deep sleep.
A/N
And that's all for now.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I worked really hard on it lol.
Thank you for reading my book.
Pug hugs to you all!
Toodles!