Turning Tables

Finley thanked God, or Allah or Buddha or whoever for some divine entity were on her side in her plan. She'd flown out of the car much faster and farther than she had thought, and was thankful for it. She landed hard against the ground, her lower half smacking the sharp gravel of the road's shoulder and her upper half landed -a bit more safely- against the dying grass of an open field. The pain was instantaneous and incredible. It surged through her body as if she were a ship on the stormy seas. Fire ran up and down her legs and her back felt electricity fumble through her ribs. However, the pain subsided ever so slightly, just enough to note that nothing was broken. She was scratched and bleeding and aching, but nothing was broken nor fractured. Bruised perhaps, but no serious damage done.

Vaguely she heard a car screech to a stop and she prayed it had been Zayn. She prayed and hoped that he hadn't let his running from his second family cloud him from his need to save her. He suddenly came into view above her and kneeled beside her, leaning over her body. His face hovered over hers, steadying himself with hands placed on either side of her head.

"Finley, what the hell?! Are you alright?" Panic and concern filled the tan skinned boy, eyes heavy with fear. Finley coughed and tried to move. Her back was much to sore but the pain was slowly dulling by the minute. She knew she would be sore for awhile after this but she would be alright nonetheless. Pain still moved through her and made it hard to lean onto her elbows so she surrendered after a few attempts.

"I'm fine," she managed, pain tingling in her ribs as she spoke. It was minimal and bearable, but completely new and frightening. She forced herself to move her legs and breathed in relief to find that the burning only occurred in her cuts which were surprisingly few in number. With the fire of suffering cursing her, she gritted her teeth and managed to pull herself into a sitting position. She popped her back and the shock of it stung at first but felt the relief a moment later. The pain still remained but a lot of the tension and aching disappeared.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked, voice loud with fury and fear and passion and love all at once, a conflicting mess of everything her felt for his girlfriend and for the stunt she'd just pulled. His brows narrowed but he didn't seem angry, just really fearful.

"I wasn't," she muttered and she couldn't argue with it. It had been a really stupid thing for her to do, and perhaps she cared more about Zayn's part in One Direction than he did, but she felt it was right and necessary. She never did idiotic things, especially not to this degree. She knew how important this was, however, for him to be a part of something much bigger than himself. Part of something he loved dearly- amongst friends and a family and the music he treasured more than his own breath. As if they'd read her thoughts, a second car screeched to a stop and she could see four boys making their way toward the pair. "But you aren't either."

"What do you mean-" Zayn cut himself off as he noticed the other fractions of One Direction. Finley let out a long sigh of relief as they rushed to her aid. Niall knelt beside her, opposite Zayn and Liam got behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder to keep her upright. Louis remained at a distance but Harry stepped closer. They were such a welcomed sight, she hadn't seen them in so long. Louis and his beautiful icy blue eyes, Harry and his raging curls, Niall and his innocent smile, and Liam and his stern but kind exterior. They were just as much family to her as Zayn.

"This was your motive, wasn't it?" Zayn whispered to himself, piecing it together at last. "A distraction. I have nowhere to run."

Finley stayed silent but gave a curt nod and hid her eyes from his. She'd been just deceitful as he'd been these past few days. Perhaps they were both liars at heart.

"I think it was a great plan," Louis said, breaking the silence. His eyes held more pain than Finley felt. "Are you hurt?"

"Scratches and a little sore, but I'm fine," she said and assessed herself once more. The sting of pain was still there but it was much less significant than it had previously been. She only felt sore in her back and her legs felt a little like her wounds had been salted. However, she could withstand it. She was strong.

"I thank you," he said, and she felt her injuries take the backseat as Zayn's problems became more solid and she watched it all unfold in front of her. "As for you," he stepped closer to Zayn as he got to his feet. He pushed Zayn slightly but Zayn shrugged it off. "How could you? How could you leave us high and dry, no real explanition? You gave us no idea where you'd be. No warning."

"I gave you an explanation in my note!" Zayn said, his igniting with rage and emotion. Finley felt Niall put an arm around her waist and Liam tightened his grip on her shoulder. She leaned her head to rest it on Niall's shoulder as the three of them watched what was going down. Harry took a seat near Liam a few seconds after, gaze full of discontent.

"Oh, that our band isn't about the music any more? That's not true at all, Malik, and you know it. We're a band. We preform constantly. What are we about? Money? I'd still be doing this even if I didn't get paid, and so would us all," Louis spat, yelling at his friend.

Zayn snorted in laughter. "It's all about the money and being famous and the publicity. It's all about the girls and the parties. We're singing whatever is written for us, not what we write."

"I like what we sing. It might not all be our own work but it's terrific music, and I know you love it too. If you truly thought this was about the music, you could have came to us and sorted it all out instead of running away like some selfish prick," Louis fumed. It was obvious he was holding back something- tears, violence, or more rude words, or possibly a mixture of the three.

Zayn looked stunned, hurt even, but he knew Louis was right. He knew his best friend knew himself better than he did. Zayn could have easily sorted this out. It all could have been avoided. "I want my life back. A little normality. All Finley and I want is to be away from the media, away from One Direction."

"I do not!" Finley protested sharply. She wanted a little privacy now and again but she thoroughly enjoyed the band and the life they lived. If Zayn wanted a normal life, that was all on him. She wouldn't ask for that. She knew the secret to love; you love what you have, you love the situation, and you love him for all both of you are worth and you never lose sight of what's important- not each other, but happiness. She knew that but Zayn obviously didn't.

Louis and Zayn went on, ignoring Finley completely. "And you thought running away was the best way to do that? You thought it was best to leave us behind, worried and scared. We had no idea what to tell the media if we were asked about you. And had you left the way you did and word had gotten out, you would be more so the center of attention than ever with reporters always in search of an answer to their one fucking question; why?"

"I just need to get away from it all. We needed to be normal for once. We hate being so surrounded by the media," Zayn pleaded, once again declaring Finley's feelings falsely. Finley grew angry and shook away Liam and Niall. They watched her curiously as she struggled to her feet and at the first sign of failure, it was Harry who helped her to her feet.

"If you wanted to take a break and enjoy a secluded getaway, you could have told us. We would have understood," urged Louis, fighting with Zayn full force, trying to persuade him to see his side of the matter and Finley agreed whole-heartedly.

"No. Finley and I want this. A small town and no cameras following us around. We want a normal life together," Zayn fought back. Whether or not his pleas were effective on Louis or not, they only fueled the fury that dwelled deep within Finley. She realized now that Zayn was not the Zayn she'd know before this trip, this was someone else entirely. From that morning he woke her up, he'd been lying to her and keeping secrets. She tried to convince herself that the Zayn she knew would be open about his decisions and his feelings but when he'd failed to do that, and when he even only told half the truth, she knew he was long gone. Now, that coupled with his argument with Louis now sent her over the edge. He was putting words in her mouth and trying to convince Louis -or maybe even himself- that this was as much as fault as his. He spoke as if he thought he knew what was best for her, as if he truly knew what she felt.

Maybe it's best, Finley thought sullenly, nearly flinching at the bitterness she felt. Perhaps it's time this madness ended. It will set everything back into place.

Before Finley could speak, Zayn kept up his side of the argument while the tall boy with chestnut hair folded his arms and listened. His blue eyes were filled to the brim with sorrow and anger. "Finley is my everything and we want a normal life. A house, a wedding, maybe even a kid someday. As long as Finley Collins is in my life, I want no part in One Direction."

"Then I don't want to be a part of your life anymore," she called to the boy with black hair. Zayn turned slowly, confusion written clearly on his face, brown eyes wavering.

"Wha-what?" He asked, his words fumbling over his tongue.

"It's over," she whispered more to herself. "Our relationship is through."

Zayn looked over the beautiful girl and felt his heart drop in his chest as if it were a cold dead organ, never to be used again. He tried to convince himself that he'd misheard, or that it was a dream, or that she was kidding but he saw the look in her eyes. It was a determined stare that he'd seen plenty of times in the past to know that this was real and that she was serious. "I can fix it, I can stay in One Direction for you. Finley, please."

"No, Zayn. This has nothing to do with the band or you staying in it, for that matter. It was just the push to set this in motion. Listen, I have spent the last three or so days with a man who was so much different than the man I fell for. You've become someone who keeps secrets and tells me lies. You make rash decisions and would rather run away form your feelings than deal with them. I can't trust you," she said strongly, but at this point her voice began to falter and tears welled up in the brims of her eyelids. "On top of that, right now, you're practically dictating my life. You're trying to convince Louis of things I never said, nor do I feel. I like that you're in One Direction, and as much as I loved you -and maybe I still do- I don't ever foresee myself getting married. To anyone. Or ever having children. It's... It's not the life I want. And if this is the kind of man you are, I certainly don't want it with you."

Silence fell across each and every one of the young adults, no one sure what to say or would rather not say anything. Finley stretched and moved forward the best she could. She was limping and her muscles yearned for comfort and relief but she could manage herself nicely. She wiped away her tears as she came to stand in front of a dumbstruck Zayn.

"I'm going back to the hotel to grab my things and then I'm driving to the airport and taking the first flight home," she cast her eyes at the ground. "It would be wise not to follow me. Maybe one day we can sit down and talk but right now, we both know deep down that this is best for us."

Zayn let a tear trickle down his face and the boys shuffled around in awkward silence. It was seeing the tear that truly tore Finley apart. She felt cold hearted and she felt like a bitch to do this to him, and here and now of all places. However, she knew that while both of them may be brokenhearted for awhile, this was best for her. She couldn't stay with someone she couldn't trust, she knew that much. Zayn would heal in time and one day, far off in the future, they could one day be friends once more. Perhaps it could grow to more than that if she trusted him ever again. She was out of second chances to give and was done forgiving mistakes. This was it, the time to walk away for good.

"Leave the band if you want, but I strongly suggest you stay. These boys love you with a fierce passion and connection that most families can't match. They accept you and only want the best for you. And if I was the reason you were willing to leave them behind... Then I'm not the best choice. I always was told that family outweighs love any day," Finley smiled through her crying and kissed Zayn's warm cheek, right where the tear had been. "Goodbye, Zayn."

She then hobbled to their rental car and not once did she dare look behind her. Luckily, he'd left the key in the ignition. She turned the car on, made a U-turn and sped down the highway. She let herself sob then and sob she did. She cried harder than she had in years but she kept telling herself it was the right thing. For her. For Zayn. For the band, for their fans. In the end and may that be one day soon, everything would set itself right again. Until then, Finley would have to deal with her broken heart and memories.

Zayn watched Finley go but said nothing. His heart ached and his head heart and he felt as if he couldn't breathe anymore. But he knew she was right. She had given him so many opportunities for him to tell her everything. He should have been able to confide in her. HE shouldn't tried to force a life she didn't want. Most of all, he shouldn't of lied to her. Or the boys. Although the pain in his chest was insufferable, he was already letting go of Finley for now. He was releasing the thoughts of her beautiful red hair and cold hands and secure hugs. He let it all go, for he could fix it all in the end. He knew he would. He wanted to.

Louis came to his side and for a moment did absolutely nothing. Then he put his arms around him and hugged him tight. As the two hugged, Zayn scanned the other boys- Liam, Niall, and Harry. I was crazy, he thought. He knew now that leaving had never been the answer and it certainly hadn't been because of Finley. Maybe it was the pressure or maybe he really did need a small getaway from the boys but now that he'd had it, he realized how much he missed them, how much they missed him... And how devastated each would be if Zayn truly left One Direction.

Louis pulled away and Zayn wiped the tear from his eye. "C'mon lads, lets go back to London."