The Reason Why

A One Direction Fan Fiction {Niall Horan}

CHAPTER ONE

Sighing, I gently sat on the wooden bench beside Monica. My eyes lingered towards me viewing the elegance of the street, buildings, buses and homes. The corners of my mouth twitched as I lean back on the bench to breath in the sweet air.

“I’m hungry,” Monica interrupts as she slouches in her seat. She looks at me once and then slides her purse in front of her. As she pulls out her cell phone, my mind trails off into my thoughts. I thought of home first off. I think of how much Mum and Dad wouldn’t miss me; how much they wouldn’t care. I know I have done the right thing going off, getting myself away from my family but there is still that voice at the back of my head that constantly reminds me that it isn’t. I rolled my eyes.

Monica groaned, “Seriously Sam, isn’t there a restaurant close by?” She fumbled with her phone as she spoke.

“We definitely can not afford to be eating at any restaurant right now,” I informed her.

After leaving our homes, we had each brought a hundred pounds with us mainly for food. We had purchased a cheap hotel room but sadly the owners had kicked us out yesterday because the young couple beside us complained we were too loud. Monica argued in letting us staying in that hotel, even if it was another room but the told us to pack our bags and get out.

That pretty much means we’re living out on the streets now. I have a suitcase and a large messenger bag that I have to load around everywhere we go. I had brought extra blankets and a small pillow with me before I had left home just in case. I remember debating whether or not it would be necessary but I am really glad I brought them. Last night, Monica and I found a small alley way in which we slept in. It was pretty warm considering we were sleeping in the cold but the way the alley was created, any major winds were blocked off by a wall.

“Fine. There’s got to be something near here… like a corner store or-” Monica stood up with her large purple suitcase and dragged it along the leveled sidewalk. I called her name as I picked up my stuff to catch up with her.

As Monica lead us through streets and streets of endless buildings, she stopped suddenly. I stumbled behind her as she made a noise with her throat. She circled her surroundings and then turned to face me, “Have we been walking in circles?” She asked impatiently.

I shrugged slowly. I really had no idea where we were because I had never been on this side of the city before. The buildings we were surrounded by had looked strangely familiar for blocks.

“We need directions,” Monica blurted out the obvious and I nodded. She began to walk forward again, slowly this time, crossing the wide street.

On the other side, I had spotted a very expensive black car parked on the side of the street. I had never really been an expert on cars but from what I saw, this car was pretty luxurious. I narrowed my eyes at the car in wonder. Were we on the wealthier part of England?

I hadn’t noticed that I was standing in the middle of the sidewalk until Monica shouted my name. She grabbed my arm and dragged me towards a small trashy building.

CHAPTER TWO

As we walked through the tiny glass door, I had noticed signs and posters badly tapped onto the inside of the windows. 'Lost puppy' 'Kittens for sale' 'We sell tickets here!' were just some of the ones that caught my eye first.

When the door closed behind us, a loud bell had rung. An elderly white-haired man at the counter placed his magazine down and gave us a suspicious look. He narrowed his grey eyebrows and tilted his glasses forward. He must have thought we were troublesome teenagers dragging stolen items around with them. I gave him a shy smile, turning towards Monica.

Monica's suitcase echoed throughout the store. The store was dead and unbelievable silent except for the faint buzzing of the fridges and the heating.

"You've got to be kidding me," Monica growled, stopping in front of a shelf of endless junk food, "These bags of chips are highly overpriced. We might as well stock up on candy!"

I turned the next isle where the drinks were. There wasn't a large variety. The only drinks I recognized were bottled water, juice pouches and energy drinks. I narrowed my eyes at the bottom shelf where I found honey, jam and peanut butter. What a strange place to place spreads, I thought.

I didn't bother grabbing a water so I slowly walked to the end of the isle. I passed an elderly woman holding a bag of potato chips who had been chatting to herself and I allowed my face creep up into a sad smile. Just the thought of growing old made me feel effortless. As I turned to the next isle, I saw something fairly strange.

In the back corner of the store there was a chubby bald man standing with an expressionless face. He stood in an awkward position blocking anyone from walking to the back. I noticed that his eyes moved slightly, looking left and right every few seconds. He had moved his hands to fix his black shirt and then he crossed his arms across his big belly.

I narrowed my eyes at him while moving closer to the shelves in front of him. I pretended to browse through things on the shelves, things in baskets, and in bins. As I gradually made my way closer to him, I stopped at a white basket full of chocolate bars. I picked up a bar and pretended to examine it. Looking up at the large man, his eyes scanned me in an uncomfortable way. I swallowed nervously and put the chocolate down.

"Alright," a deep voice echoed behind him.

The tall chubby man flinched slightly as the other man came up behind him. They exchanged looks and the large man nodded in respect. I turned my back away from them and made it look like I was searching for something along the shelves. Heavy footsteps trailed on the floor and as I turned my head slowly in curiosity, I saw the shorter man's face. All I was able to spot was his outstanding blue eyes which looked sad and longing. The rest of his face was covered with his navy scarf and his dark hood. He looked away, suddenly, and I watched as he slouched towards the cash. He held a small leather wallet and a card which he handed to the cashier. A birthday card, I thought. I fumbled with loose pieces of my hair for a few seconds to look busy as I walked closer to the cash. As I watched, I saw that the cashier scanned the birthday card and gently hand it back to the man. The taller one nodded smoothly and then... both men turned to walk out of the door.

I shuddered on my own thoughts and narrowed my eyes at the cashier who grabbed his magazine and walked to the back room, like everything was perfectly fine. Pulling my suitcase with me, I walked towards the front door to see where they were headed.

Why had they left without paying? One nod from the larger guy and that was it. And I had witnessed everything! I started to panic like I was some sort of witness for a huge crime that had be going on for years. I thought of myself in a major motion film where I was the main character and now my life was suddenly put in danger all because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Looking out the dusty window, I hadn't spotted the two men walking. I caught myself leaning against a broken ice machine, staring at the ground while other people walked by. I was startled when Monica walked up behind me, "Now this is a reasonable price for candy," She smiled delightedly as she waved small bags of sour gummy worms in the air. I laughed with her.

I bent down to my suitcase and unzipped a smaller pocket to find some spare change. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Monica bend down suddenly, "Is this your wallet?" I looked up, questionably and looked at her. My eyes were glued on the wallet as a mental picture of the blue-eyed man holding the same thing popped through my head. My heart dropped as I noticed the wallet was leather.

"Oh my-" I managed to stutter. My mind ran in endless circles and a hundred million things ran through my brain. I gazed away from the wallet and I watched as Monica raised an eyebrow.

"Give me that," I lunged for Monica and snatched it out of her hands before she was able to question me. She said my name once and I stuffed the wallet in my coat pocket before any one else could see.

My head throbbed and my throat began to close, "Drop the candy, we've got to go. Come on!" I motioned to her as I walked out of the store. She followed me, empty handed, as I kept walking.

"Sam," I heard Monica shout close behind me, "Sam! Slow down! What's wrong with you?" She managed to grab my arm and stopped me. I turned and looked her straight in the eye. We were silent for a few seconds before she arched her eyebrows together, "Sam-"

"I... I don't know what I've just done but I have a strange feeling that I've just gotten myself into something really bad"