Twenty-five: "Niall, do you think Harold hits my mother?"

                                    

                                          
Harold rips Niall off of me. Niall tries to stand on his feet, as Harold shouts at him, holding his shirt collar in his fist.
                          
"Harold, stop!", I scream.
                          
Harold looks at me and lets Niall go. I stand in front of Niall like a bodyguard. Niall takes my hand from behind.
                          
"Why should I stop?", Harold hisses at me.
                          
"Because you can't stop us from liking each other", I say.
                          
"Oh, yes, I can do that. Let me just tell your mother you're hanging out with that bratty little rich kid. He is the son of your mothers boss! You can not be with him, Maxine", Harold demands.
                          
"And why?"
                          
"Because if you break his heart, he can tell his mother to fire your mother!", he shouts at me.
                          
I get scared of Harold when he gets angry or pissed. Niall pulls me closer to his body, as I step back a few steps. Harold takes my shirt collar.
                          
"I tell you, if I see you with this boy ever again, you're dead, girl", Harold dares.
                          
"Fucking idiot", I mutter under my breath.
                          
Suddenly I feel a warm stinging on my cheek. It feels like someone slapped me with a wooden stick. My eyes flash to Harolds hand. He hit me. He really hit me. I watch him raise his hand again but this time Niall catches the slap with his face to protect me. Niall still holds my hand.
                          
"How could you slap your own step-daughter?", Niall shouts at Harold.
                          
Harold leaves to go into the house, leaving me and Niall alone on the front steps. I feel tears form in my eyes again. I've been crying a lot more than in Texas since I'm here. Niall pulls me to his car. We drive to his place.
                          
"You can sleep at my place for a few days", Niall speaks up, as we enter his bedroom.
                          
His mother and Missy both aren't home yet. I sit down on his bed. Meanwhile Niall picks out some of his clothes for me.
                          
"I'll be downstairs to get you something to cool your cheek", Niall smiles.
                          
I get dressed into the grey sweats and the purple Baltimore Ravens hoodie. Niall soon comes back with a bag of frozen peas. He gives them to me, so I can cool my cheek. We sit down on his bed, our backs laying on the headboard. I hold the peas to my cheek while Niall opens Netflix on his laptop.
                          
"Why did he hit me?", I whisper.
                          
"Because you cussed at him and he may won't controll his hand in front of your mother. He was angry", Niall says.
                          
"That's not an excuse", I whisper without air in my lungs.
                          
"It was just an explanation, not an excuse. Don't you think so? But now let's forget about the shit that happened today and concentrate on the things that happen now. Football season starts in two months. We will have to train outside again. We should ask Coach, if we can do that", he speaks.
                          
"Yeah but how long can I stay at your place?", I ask.
                          
"Let's say you can stay here for two more nights and if your mother and Harold still aren't okay with what happened, you could stay longer", Niall smiles.
                          
I nod and look at the computer screen. Niall put up The Blind Side. This movie always makes me cry when the boy and Michael have the car accident. I don't know why but I think it's sad.
                          
*****
                          
Niall presses his front against my back, our legs tangled and one of his arms around my waist. His warm breath hits my neck. I feel niall drawing circles on my stomach.
                          
"Niall, do you think Harold hits my mother?", I ask quietly.
                          
"I don't know but you need to watch them when they seem to be alone. Maybe your mother hides her bruises. I actually just think he slipped on you", he whispers in my ear.
                          
"Harold actually is a nice guy."
                          
Niall hugs me closer, as I sigh. Harold really is a nice guy. I really think he just slipped. I'll stay here for another night, just to make sure my mother and Harold calmed down from the thing with Niall. I really don't know why they don't like him. I think because of when I came home pissed and sad about Niall, when he told me about him and Amanda.
                          
"Niall, do you think my mother likes you?", I ask.
                          
"No, I don't think she likes me. Missy told me that your mother doesn't like me", he says.
                          
"Okay."
                          
"I just want you to know that I don't care about that. Your mom and Harold may never like me but I will always be there for you."
                          
"Do I need to talk to "my parents" about our friendship?"
                          
"You should try to explain them what we are and tell them, that I will always be there for you. They have to believe and trust you because you're their daugther and you're 18. You know what's best for you."
                          
"Yes", I smile.
                          
"It's 10 in the moring, do you think we need to get up?", he asks.
                          
"When do you need to be with the refugees?"
                          
"At 11:30", he says.
                          
"Then I'll stay with Missy, maybe Nia and Bella want to do something with us", I say.
                          
"Okay but next week you'll come with me. The children and Joel love you", he smiles.
                          
I smile to myself. Niall kisses my cheek and lays back down behind me.
                          
"I'll make breakfast for Missy, you and me now. My mom is on a buisness travel to New York. She's gone a lot", Niall says.
                          
"Yeah but I know how that is. My mother worked a lot, too, before your mom got her as an assistant."
                          
Niall gets up and pulls a T-shirt over his naked torso. The warmth leaves my body. He gets out of the room. I get out of bed and go to Missy's room. She's awake. Her hair stands in two-hundred different directions. She wears a blue shirt and grey sweats.
                          
"Good morning, Missy", I smile, as I stand beside her.
                          
"Morning, Max. Do you want to do something with Nia and Bella? They thought about having a girls day at my place. Nia and Bella will come by at 1:00pm. We just have to make some snacks and stuff", Missy smiles.
                          
Niall told Missy last night, that I would stay here for a few days. I'll go back home tomorrow after school. Niall's so nice to let me stay with him and his family. 
                          
"Sure, I actually wanted to ask you, if you could lend me some clothes", I grin at her through the mirror.
                          
She smirks. I smack her in the arm.
                          
"I'll give you something that you can wear", she smiles.