Hooch [a n.j.h. fanfiction]
04
"Mom, Dad! Did you see my goals, did you?"
Lance and Penny laughed at their hyper child.
"We did Niall, all of them. We might have to move you up another age. Those ten year olds aren't giving you enough competition eh?" Lance suggests to his son.
"Dad I don't think I can play with people two years older than me!"
"Son, you're a Horan. You can do anything!" Lance says.
The Horan family enters their car, leaving the fields. They continued talking about Niall moving up another age group. The kids on Niall's team couldn't keep up with him in skill. But he didn't want to make them angry by leaving the team. The other kids were really nice to him and appreciated his strengths and he liked that they were so accepting. They arrived at their home and Niall went upstairs to shower and change into something he could lounge around the house in. He then went downstairs and saw his mother watching a reality tv show while his father was on his laptop probably doing things for work. He decided to join his family on the couch and read the comic he's recently gotten into. The brother and the sister on the tv started to argue and Niall watch intently. He always wanted a little sister. He wanted to protect someone like his father protects his mother. Niall thought about what he would do if he had a little sister. He'd make sure no one would hurt her or say mean things to her or else he would beat them up and they would never bother her ever again. He smiled at the thought.
"Mom, Dad, can I have a little sister?"
Lance and Penny made eye contact and panic filled both of their faces. "Where is this coming from, Niall?"
"I dunno, I just want a little sister."
"Why?"
"Because I wanna protect someone. I wanna beat people up who are mean to her too," Niall replied, smiling.
Tears came to Penny's eyes and she quickly got up and walked away. Soon after you could hear a door shut.
"Niall, I never want you to say those words again. Am I clear?" his father states sternly.
"But-"
"No buts Niall! Don't ever ask again. I mean it." Lance got up from the couch to console his sobbing wife.
Niall had never been more confused in his life. But he couldn't shake the feeling that his parents were hiding something from him.
"Go Niall, Go!" The crowd of his fellow classmates cheered. Niall was currently dribbling up the field. He was at top speed and the pressure was on. He had one last defender to beat and then it was just him and the goalkeeper. He approached the defender and faked to the right before cutting to the left and setting the ball up for a shot. He struck the ball and it curved heading toward the upper left corner of the goal. It was if timed stopped. The stands had gone quiet praying that the freshman could win the final for their varsity soccer team. The ball traveled closer and closer and barely made it in. The crowd stood in joy and began cheering and screaming. The score was now 2-1 with four minutes left in the game.
Their coach told them to defend for their lives, so it was everyone working on defense. But, there was one minute and the other team was dribbling the ball down the center of the field. Niall was the last person back. The forward was dribbling at him at full speed. He made it to the penalty box and Niall only had one chance to slide tackle him. If Niall did anything wrong it could result in a penalty kick or a goal. Niall slid and successfully stole the ball from the forward. The referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the game. Niall's classmates and teammates rushed onto the field and began cheering. They were state champs! And it was all thanks to that one little freshman.
"You're lying, Dad!" Niall yelled at his father.
"I wish I were Niall," his father replied sympathetically.
Niall's knees became weak and he could no longer stand. Lance caught his son before he could fall on the ground.
"She can't be gone, Dad, she can't!"
"I'm sorry Niall, the police say she disappeared without a trace. They're still looking for clues, but they say it's unlikely that they'll find anything."
Niall broke down at his father's response and cried. How could his mother just disappear? How could someone take away the only person in his life he actually cared about? Niall was feeling too many emotions at once. He was angry at the person who stole his mother from his life. He could kill them if he got his hands on them. He was devastated that he would no longer wake up to the smell of pancakes cooked by his mother on a Saturday morning.
Lance held in his tears for the sake of his son. He had to remain strong so he could allow Niall to be weak. But the truth is Lance had never felt this devastated in his entire life. The love of his life had been taken from him. It was too much to handle. Niall broke away from his father's embrace and stood once again.
"I'm going for a walk. I need some air. I'll be back," Niall said. His voice was cold and distant. He grabbed a jacket and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Lance walked into his bedroom and cried. He cried hoping that his wife had the strength to hold on.
"We'll find you sweetheart. I'll never stop looking for you."
Niall walked, not paying attention to where he was going. His thoughts were drowning him, and it was the only thing he could focus on. When he finally started paying attention to his surroundings he realized he was quite a ways away from home. He also noticed he was not in the nice part of town anymore.
"Hey, I know you."
Niall turned around and was met with a boy that went to his school. The boy had shoulder length greasy hair. His jacket had a skull on the front and there was a hole in one of the sleeves. His jeans were torn at the knees, and he had on a pair of dirty converse. He was known among the school for hanging with not the greatest group of kids, even though his parents were well-known and wealthy real estate salesmen.
"Yeah, it's Zach, right?"
"Yeah. You don't look so good bro."
"I'm not doing real great."
"I have something that can help with that. Follow me." Niall didn't see a reason not to, so he followed him for a couple blocks until they reached a bar.
"I don't drink Zach, it's illegal," Niall says rapidly.
"Chill, it's fine. I know the bartender he can slip us something that can get your mind off of whatever you're thinking about. C'mon," he tried to convince Niall. He pondered the thought. What could happen? His life couldn't get any worse than this.
"Alright. Why not?" He said before throwing his head back, drinking the shot he was given.
"Amen."
Niall got up from his spot to go to the car, so they could drive to the cemetary. His face was void of emotion. He felt nothing. Niall had spent the last two months crying. It was like he was out of tears. All the people who had never talked to her to see how she was doing were here. All the people who didn't say one thing during the investigation. None of these people helped Niall and his father and search for hours and hours. None of these people hung up flyers. Now they decided to show up.
Everyone left the graveyard, but Niall remained. He had felt alone since his mother was taken. No one supported him.
Niall never understood why the police just gave up on finding his mother. She never gave up on anyone else, so they shouldn't have given up on her. Would they ever find her? Most people had abandoned the hope of finding her alive. Niall was on the fence. He wanted his mother to be alive, but it was unlikely.
Niall felt bad because the only thing he could think about through the entire ceremony, was how much he needed a drink. He didn't want to feel the weight of his mother's disappearance on his shoulders anymore. He wanted to feel the alcohol running through his veins.
Niall was broken glass lying on the floor that someone had carelessly knocked over, and the alcohol was the glue that held him together.
But it never lasted.
Lance and Penny laughed at their hyper child.
"We did Niall, all of them. We might have to move you up another age. Those ten year olds aren't giving you enough competition eh?" Lance suggests to his son.
"Dad I don't think I can play with people two years older than me!"
"Son, you're a Horan. You can do anything!" Lance says.
The Horan family enters their car, leaving the fields. They continued talking about Niall moving up another age group. The kids on Niall's team couldn't keep up with him in skill. But he didn't want to make them angry by leaving the team. The other kids were really nice to him and appreciated his strengths and he liked that they were so accepting. They arrived at their home and Niall went upstairs to shower and change into something he could lounge around the house in. He then went downstairs and saw his mother watching a reality tv show while his father was on his laptop probably doing things for work. He decided to join his family on the couch and read the comic he's recently gotten into. The brother and the sister on the tv started to argue and Niall watch intently. He always wanted a little sister. He wanted to protect someone like his father protects his mother. Niall thought about what he would do if he had a little sister. He'd make sure no one would hurt her or say mean things to her or else he would beat them up and they would never bother her ever again. He smiled at the thought.
"Mom, Dad, can I have a little sister?"
Lance and Penny made eye contact and panic filled both of their faces. "Where is this coming from, Niall?"
"I dunno, I just want a little sister."
"Why?"
"Because I wanna protect someone. I wanna beat people up who are mean to her too," Niall replied, smiling.
Tears came to Penny's eyes and she quickly got up and walked away. Soon after you could hear a door shut.
"Niall, I never want you to say those words again. Am I clear?" his father states sternly.
"But-"
"No buts Niall! Don't ever ask again. I mean it." Lance got up from the couch to console his sobbing wife.
Niall had never been more confused in his life. But he couldn't shake the feeling that his parents were hiding something from him.
"Go Niall, Go!" The crowd of his fellow classmates cheered. Niall was currently dribbling up the field. He was at top speed and the pressure was on. He had one last defender to beat and then it was just him and the goalkeeper. He approached the defender and faked to the right before cutting to the left and setting the ball up for a shot. He struck the ball and it curved heading toward the upper left corner of the goal. It was if timed stopped. The stands had gone quiet praying that the freshman could win the final for their varsity soccer team. The ball traveled closer and closer and barely made it in. The crowd stood in joy and began cheering and screaming. The score was now 2-1 with four minutes left in the game.
Their coach told them to defend for their lives, so it was everyone working on defense. But, there was one minute and the other team was dribbling the ball down the center of the field. Niall was the last person back. The forward was dribbling at him at full speed. He made it to the penalty box and Niall only had one chance to slide tackle him. If Niall did anything wrong it could result in a penalty kick or a goal. Niall slid and successfully stole the ball from the forward. The referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the game. Niall's classmates and teammates rushed onto the field and began cheering. They were state champs! And it was all thanks to that one little freshman.
"You're lying, Dad!" Niall yelled at his father.
"I wish I were Niall," his father replied sympathetically.
Niall's knees became weak and he could no longer stand. Lance caught his son before he could fall on the ground.
"She can't be gone, Dad, she can't!"
"I'm sorry Niall, the police say she disappeared without a trace. They're still looking for clues, but they say it's unlikely that they'll find anything."
Niall broke down at his father's response and cried. How could his mother just disappear? How could someone take away the only person in his life he actually cared about? Niall was feeling too many emotions at once. He was angry at the person who stole his mother from his life. He could kill them if he got his hands on them. He was devastated that he would no longer wake up to the smell of pancakes cooked by his mother on a Saturday morning.
Lance held in his tears for the sake of his son. He had to remain strong so he could allow Niall to be weak. But the truth is Lance had never felt this devastated in his entire life. The love of his life had been taken from him. It was too much to handle. Niall broke away from his father's embrace and stood once again.
"I'm going for a walk. I need some air. I'll be back," Niall said. His voice was cold and distant. He grabbed a jacket and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Lance walked into his bedroom and cried. He cried hoping that his wife had the strength to hold on.
"We'll find you sweetheart. I'll never stop looking for you."
Niall walked, not paying attention to where he was going. His thoughts were drowning him, and it was the only thing he could focus on. When he finally started paying attention to his surroundings he realized he was quite a ways away from home. He also noticed he was not in the nice part of town anymore.
"Hey, I know you."
Niall turned around and was met with a boy that went to his school. The boy had shoulder length greasy hair. His jacket had a skull on the front and there was a hole in one of the sleeves. His jeans were torn at the knees, and he had on a pair of dirty converse. He was known among the school for hanging with not the greatest group of kids, even though his parents were well-known and wealthy real estate salesmen.
"Yeah, it's Zach, right?"
"Yeah. You don't look so good bro."
"I'm not doing real great."
"I have something that can help with that. Follow me." Niall didn't see a reason not to, so he followed him for a couple blocks until they reached a bar.
"I don't drink Zach, it's illegal," Niall says rapidly.
"Chill, it's fine. I know the bartender he can slip us something that can get your mind off of whatever you're thinking about. C'mon," he tried to convince Niall. He pondered the thought. What could happen? His life couldn't get any worse than this.
"Alright. Why not?" He said before throwing his head back, drinking the shot he was given.
"Amen."
Niall got up from his spot to go to the car, so they could drive to the cemetary. His face was void of emotion. He felt nothing. Niall had spent the last two months crying. It was like he was out of tears. All the people who had never talked to her to see how she was doing were here. All the people who didn't say one thing during the investigation. None of these people helped Niall and his father and search for hours and hours. None of these people hung up flyers. Now they decided to show up.
Everyone left the graveyard, but Niall remained. He had felt alone since his mother was taken. No one supported him.
Niall never understood why the police just gave up on finding his mother. She never gave up on anyone else, so they shouldn't have given up on her. Would they ever find her? Most people had abandoned the hope of finding her alive. Niall was on the fence. He wanted his mother to be alive, but it was unlikely.
Niall felt bad because the only thing he could think about through the entire ceremony, was how much he needed a drink. He didn't want to feel the weight of his mother's disappearance on his shoulders anymore. He wanted to feel the alcohol running through his veins.
Niall was broken glass lying on the floor that someone had carelessly knocked over, and the alcohol was the glue that held him together.
But it never lasted.
Notes
not my fave chapter :/ i might go back and make it better but here it is!
lmk what you think?
word count: 1477
@jordyhoran
No problem! Glad to hear you're still trying to write it! I feared this was going to be added to my long list of 'lost inspiration' pile. Glad to hear it's not the case. :)
Take as long as you need sweetheart. <3
3/30/16