Let's Pretend [Niall Horan]

Chapter 20

- Faith -

••January 31, 2013••

My head throbbed as I walked into the kitchen with Aria closely followed. My head tends to do this when I was nervous - maybe I was too harsh with my mother. But I had to tell her. I had known it all and she was so clueless. Had she really expected me to be that stupid?! It kind of ached to think she actually thought I was stupider than a turtle. No offense to turtles. It was just - I was so hurt that she thought so. But I knew she did it for my own good. She tried so hard to keep me safe. Well, isolated. But I should be appreciative. All this was for my health so I couldn't have left her outside Gemma's house helplessly. She had never been one to know what to do when her plans got crushed like that anyways.

"Are you okay?" Aria asked from behind me. I jumped at her voice even though I knew she was in the kitchen with me.

"I'm fine - just my mother and I were arguing." I paused, thinking to myself, but finally decided that I could trust Aria and continued. "She had tried too hard to keep me safe all these years and out of any trouble... But I'm nineteen -- I can take care of myself..." I trailed off, feeling my lips tug into a smile. This was the first time I had ever stood up to my mother without feeling like crying or feeling like I was doing the wrong thing.

Aria nodded. "I completely understand." She placed her right hand on the counter, shifting her weight onto it while looking down, making her hair falling in front of her face as she sighed before continuing, "I don't know if this will make you feel any better but my mother and I used to fight every day. I left my family at a young age - that's why the Styles family was so close to me. Mama Anne took me in like I was her own daughter and Harry and Gemma were basically my siblings." She smiled, looking back up at me, yet I couldn't smile at what she was saying. It was sad. And I couldn't understand how she managed to smile so widely. "It was hard when I lived with my mom..." She trailed off a bit, her smile only fading slightly. "But anyways, just be grateful that your mother cares, alright?"

I nodded to show her that I was listening then she turned, smiling slightly while she grabbed a few mugs from the cabinets. My mouth is half gaped open and I couldn't help but feel completely and utterly confused. The sudden urge to know more of what had happened to her and Harry since those days bugged me, though I didn't ask. She would tell me if she wanted me to know, and she hadn't, so she didn't want me to know. But to call Harry her sibling then to never speak again like they were right now is what confused me most.

I didn't know what to say, so I simply replied with, "I'm sorry. About what happened to your mom, I mean." I made sure I stayed away from the Harry topic knowing it would make her uncomfortable from the look she just gave me when she spoke of her past with him.

"No, it's fine." She sends me a honest smile. "I'm just more independent now. And I always had my older sister and her son." I nodded and smiled as I poured the hot tea into mugs for everyone in the house.

"Can I have this for Max?" Aria asked, pulling out apple juice from the fridge. I shrugged and nodded, and she proceeded to pour it into a plastic cup for the little boy.

I put all the hot cups of tea on a platter and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, setting it on the center table.

"Thank you dear," my mother said as she took a cup of tea, and I nodded. I was confused. I didn't know if she was mad, which I expected her to be.  She'd get mad when I asked for Fro-Yo. Why wasn't she furious after what is said a few minutes ago?

I looked over at Harry who was sitting at the corner of the couch and extended my hand out, trying to hand him his cup of tea, but he didn't notice. Instead his eyes were glued on the little boy who was running around the house making airplane noises. I was suddenly curious again about what had happened between Aria and him. If Aria thought of Harry as her so-called sibling then what happened between then and now? I knew I didn't have much of a memory but I was quite sure that friends were not supposed to be this distant. Maybe I could get my uncle to help me, after all, that's his job.

"So-" I started, but suddenly the doors to the hall swung open and a man with black hair and Niall walked out. It was Zayn Malik. Another singer from One Direction. I knew him because I had met him at the meet-and-greet a while back.

"Get away from her!" Niall yelled, pointing at my mother, but I took his hand, pulling it down, so he'd sit with me.

"Do you know my mother, Niall? Wait-" I stopped myself. "Of course you do..."

"I do know Niall." My mother got up from her seat, extending her hand out toward Niall who was now sitting next to me. Instead of taking it though, he just stared at it her extended hand.

"Really?" Niall raised his eyebrow looking at her hand and then back at her, before nodding. "Fine, everything right now is so weird anyways," he said, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.   I noticed how he was completely different from how he was just a few hours ago. He was nervous, I think. Or possibly mad? I wish I had my memory from the past, since my journals and chats constantly spoke of how Niall and I were sole mates and how we'd understand each other without speaking a single word.

"Look at all the people here! It's like a miniature party!" Aria said as she sat down next to my mother. She seemed to be the only cheerful one, and it was actually nice to have someone who seemed so happy.

"Mother, before you say anything, I have to say I know everything so no need for explaining," I said, taking my tea and taking a sip from it as casually as possible.

"I don't know anything so I would love an explanation," Harry said suddenly. For the first time I seem to have his attention since he had seen Aria. I wanted to say something about Aria and him, but I didn't have to.

"Says the guy that isn't explaining to any of us why the hell you're all acting mysterious and jumping out of windows!" Zayn Malik retorted, obviously annoyed and unhappy with Harry. The two of them exchanged looks before Harry looked at me with an unreadable expression.

"I had to get her out of there. No offense," he half points to my mother, "but you creep me out and she needed to get away from you," he said truthfully and my mother nodded as if she was expecting it.

"Who is she?" I heard Zayn whisper loudly to Niall.

I blinked as I watched Harry then turn to Aria, biting his lip nervously.

"Aria is my... friend?" he said in a questioning tone.

"Wait, wait, so Mrs. Gray, first of all you aren't allowed to take Faith anywhere, okay?" Niall announced flatly, looking straight at my mother without any intention of being kinder.

"I know," my mother replied and everyone, including myself, paused looking at her with surprised facial expressions.

"My brother told me this would happen but I denied it. I suppose I should apologize." She looked straight at me, neither smiling nor frowning. "I'm sorry, Faith, as well as the rest of you. I shouldn't have tried to hide her from the world, but I think the time she actually spent at home helped her." Though that was all she said, it was enough for me. I had never heard my mother apologize to anyone and I knew she was not lying. Not anymore.

"Helped her?" Niall exclaimed. "How did that help her in anyway?!"

"It did, Niall." I took his hand, squeezing it making him turn to me. His eyes were darker than usual, but he didn't speak another word.

I thought this was the start of the happiest journey of my life. I was going to fix my future. It was possible and I was sure of it. And during the ride I would fix whatever happened between Harry and Aria.

I finally realized it.

I was my own person, and this was my family.

Crappiest chapter ever. I am so sorry. Forgive me.