Sprinkle of Magic
Chapter Twelve
The next morning was a struggle. Maerin woke up later than she'd intended, and the fight to get clothing on was a challenge. In the end, she only ended up changing her shirt, sticking with the basketball shorts. They were easier to handle than pants at that moment. She'd slipped on a sock over her toes sticking out of the cast, and put one of her old converse over her other foot. She knew it was going to be cold, so she grabbed a small blanket and stuck it in the pocket under her chair. She wore her hair in a simple braid, and even went without makeup. When she had her bag slung over the handle of her chair, she wheeled herself to the door and pulled it open. She was shocked to see Niall sitting at the top of the stairs. He looked as ragged as she felt. "Morning." She spoke the soft word, causing him to turn his head. He tried his best to give her a smile, but it didn't seem to be working. "Were you...Waiting for me?" She asked in a small voice, and he simply nodded. "Thank you." She said again before he stood from the stairs, walking over to her. He swiftly picked her up, and she wrapped her arms around him as she had the previous night. He carried her into the kitchen before sitting her down at the table.
"I'll go grab your chair, then we can go. Am I allowed to drive your car?" His voice was a bit hoarse, and sympathy flowed through her. Maerin could only nod, a soft smile on her face. He returned her nod before he ran upstairs, coming back down seconds later with the chair. Instead of setting her in it like she'd thought, he took it outside, and put it straight into the car. Maerin couldn't help but sigh when he came back in, scooping her up again. He carried her out to the car and set her in gently, trying not to jostle the leg too much. "Keys?" He asked when he got into his own side of the car.
"Oh! Sorry." She mumbled before she opened the glove compartment, pulling out her spare set of keys. She'd left her actual keys in her room. "You keep this set. I obviously won't be driving for a while." He only nodded in response as he stuck the key into the ignition and started the car. Maerin rolled her window down a little bit before going back into the glove compartment, grabbing her spare pack of smokes she kept there. She didn't want to fight with trying to reach into the back to get her bag. She lit one up, and was actually shocked when Niall held his hand out. She hesitantly placed one in his hand, along with her lighter, and he lit it up before handing the lighter back to her. "I...Erm...I didn't know you smoked?" She was trying to spark up any sort of conversation, which was odd, since she'd brushed him off for weeks now.
He simply shrugged. "Occasionally." Was his tense response, and she gave a nod before focusing on the scenery going by her.
When they got to the school, Niall got her chair out first, then set her into it before he grabbed his own bag. Maerin had a feeling that he didn't want her around any longer, so she started to wheel herself away, only to be stopped by the boy. "I..I need to go ask our choir instructor if I can spend the day with her." Niall gave a tight nod and he wheeled her up, taking her straight to the choir room. He stood behind her while she talked to the instructor, who was more than happy to have her, and she invited Niall, as well, but it seemed he had an actual class first. He had his third hour free, though, so he agreed. While he went off to his first class, Maerin wheeled herself to her free period instructors, handing them notes saying she would be in the choir room all day. They all agreed and gave her their condolences for her leg before she finally wheeled herself back.
She got straight to work. She was having a little problem with the timing, and by the third try, she was ready to give up. "It's alright, love. If this is too challenging for you right now, do you have another piece?" Maerin searched her brain, which did hurt a bit, but she did have another song. A song that actually meant something to her. She showed the instructor on her phone, and they spent the rest of of the first hour trying to find an arrangement on the computer. When her actual voice lesson came around, they worked on the other songs for the concert, and the third hour was spent sitting in the instructors office, working on her piece by herself while Niall worked on his.
When the final bell rang, she wheeled herself into the main room, and Niall pushed her to her classrooms so she could hand in the work she'd missed before they went back to the car. "Are you hungry?" She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, but she nodded. Her stomach took that moment to rumble quite loudly, and both of them laughed before the awkward silence fell over them again.
Maerin turned up the radio while Niall drove, rolling down the window. She was surprised that it wasn't as cold as she thought it would be. The sun was shining for once, and she couldn't help but smile as she leaned her head out the window a little bit. She could feel Niall's eyes on her every once and a while, but she ignored it as a familiar song came on. Without hesitating, she sang along to it.
"I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rinds, in the movies.
And I'm not proud of my address,
In a torn up town,
No post-code envy
But every song's like
Gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ballgowns trashin' a hotel room
We don't care
We're driving cadillac's in our dream
But everybody's like
Cristal mayback diamonds on you time piece,
jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care.
We aren't caught up in your love affai-"
Her voice faded as Niall turned down the radio. She pursed her lips a little bit, annoyed that he was ruining the first fun she'd had in ages. "We're here." He said simply, and Maerin finally lifted her head to look out the window. It was a quaint little diner, different than the pub she'd gone to on her first night, or the restaurant that Niall used to work at. She'd learned that after he ran after her that night, he'd gotten fired. Sure, she felt guilty, but he didn't have to chase her out.
She was shaken from her thoughts when he pulled her door open, leaning in to pick her up. She left him effortlessly lift her and set her into the chair. Some days, she wished she had crutches, but apparently her shoulder had been dislocated during the fight, and she didn't want it out again. "What do you want? My treat." She gave him her best smile, genuinely happy for some reason, but he shook his head.
"Nope. My idea, I'm paying." She was about to protest, but she saw the small smirk on his face, and she wasn't going to ruin the happy atmosphere they finally had.
"Fine, fine, but I'm paying for dessert." Niall rolled his eyes, but he agreed to her deal as he wheeled her to a table. They ended up ordering a pizza and wings, one of her favorites from the States. She gave a sigh as she thought back on her time there. The adventures she and her mom went on...Her head instantly snapped up as she remembered something. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall and her eyes went wide. "Shit." She gasped out the word before she clamped her hands over her mouth. She never cursed in front of people, it was one thing that her mother had never tolerated, she still had scars to prove that point. Niall just tilted his head as she lifted her hands, gripping her hair. "My mam. She's at the house by now." Realization hit him, and they got the rest of the food to go as he pushed her to the car. He set the pizza in the back seat before he got Maerin settled, fitting her chair in afterwards.
"Rain check on the dessert." Maerin jumped at the sound of his voice, but she couldn't help but smile as she nodded, noting the grin growing on his face.
It didn't take them long to get back to the house, and when they finally pulled into the driveway, Maerin couldn't bring herself to open the car door. "She'll want the guest room, it's her old room." She mumbled a bit, trying to sort out the thoughts in her head. "You can take my room, I'll sleep on the couch, it'll be easier for me, anyways." Niall shook his head to protest, but Maerin had finally opened her car door. "Help me out, please." Niall only nodded tightly, getting her into her chair before he grabbed the pizza. Maerin started to wheel herself around the back, but was surprised when Niall stopped her. He set the pizza on her lap, then picked her up, chair and all, to set her through the doorway. She gave him a small smile, which he returned, before she wheeled herself in enough so he could shut the door. "We're home!" She called out, and in mere seconds, a woman with flaming red hair ran to her, bending down to wrap her in a tight hug.
"My baby! Dear Lord I didn't know what to think when they said you were in the hospital! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Maerin was peppered with questions, but she brushed them all off, wrapping her arms around her mother timidly. She never knew her mother to be so emotional.
"Hey, mam."
"I'll go grab your chair, then we can go. Am I allowed to drive your car?" His voice was a bit hoarse, and sympathy flowed through her. Maerin could only nod, a soft smile on her face. He returned her nod before he ran upstairs, coming back down seconds later with the chair. Instead of setting her in it like she'd thought, he took it outside, and put it straight into the car. Maerin couldn't help but sigh when he came back in, scooping her up again. He carried her out to the car and set her in gently, trying not to jostle the leg too much. "Keys?" He asked when he got into his own side of the car.
"Oh! Sorry." She mumbled before she opened the glove compartment, pulling out her spare set of keys. She'd left her actual keys in her room. "You keep this set. I obviously won't be driving for a while." He only nodded in response as he stuck the key into the ignition and started the car. Maerin rolled her window down a little bit before going back into the glove compartment, grabbing her spare pack of smokes she kept there. She didn't want to fight with trying to reach into the back to get her bag. She lit one up, and was actually shocked when Niall held his hand out. She hesitantly placed one in his hand, along with her lighter, and he lit it up before handing the lighter back to her. "I...Erm...I didn't know you smoked?" She was trying to spark up any sort of conversation, which was odd, since she'd brushed him off for weeks now.
He simply shrugged. "Occasionally." Was his tense response, and she gave a nod before focusing on the scenery going by her.
When they got to the school, Niall got her chair out first, then set her into it before he grabbed his own bag. Maerin had a feeling that he didn't want her around any longer, so she started to wheel herself away, only to be stopped by the boy. "I..I need to go ask our choir instructor if I can spend the day with her." Niall gave a tight nod and he wheeled her up, taking her straight to the choir room. He stood behind her while she talked to the instructor, who was more than happy to have her, and she invited Niall, as well, but it seemed he had an actual class first. He had his third hour free, though, so he agreed. While he went off to his first class, Maerin wheeled herself to her free period instructors, handing them notes saying she would be in the choir room all day. They all agreed and gave her their condolences for her leg before she finally wheeled herself back.
She got straight to work. She was having a little problem with the timing, and by the third try, she was ready to give up. "It's alright, love. If this is too challenging for you right now, do you have another piece?" Maerin searched her brain, which did hurt a bit, but she did have another song. A song that actually meant something to her. She showed the instructor on her phone, and they spent the rest of of the first hour trying to find an arrangement on the computer. When her actual voice lesson came around, they worked on the other songs for the concert, and the third hour was spent sitting in the instructors office, working on her piece by herself while Niall worked on his.
When the final bell rang, she wheeled herself into the main room, and Niall pushed her to her classrooms so she could hand in the work she'd missed before they went back to the car. "Are you hungry?" She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, but she nodded. Her stomach took that moment to rumble quite loudly, and both of them laughed before the awkward silence fell over them again.
Maerin turned up the radio while Niall drove, rolling down the window. She was surprised that it wasn't as cold as she thought it would be. The sun was shining for once, and she couldn't help but smile as she leaned her head out the window a little bit. She could feel Niall's eyes on her every once and a while, but she ignored it as a familiar song came on. Without hesitating, she sang along to it.
"I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rinds, in the movies.
And I'm not proud of my address,
In a torn up town,
No post-code envy
But every song's like
Gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ballgowns trashin' a hotel room
We don't care
We're driving cadillac's in our dream
But everybody's like
Cristal mayback diamonds on you time piece,
jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash
We don't care.
We aren't caught up in your love affai-"
Her voice faded as Niall turned down the radio. She pursed her lips a little bit, annoyed that he was ruining the first fun she'd had in ages. "We're here." He said simply, and Maerin finally lifted her head to look out the window. It was a quaint little diner, different than the pub she'd gone to on her first night, or the restaurant that Niall used to work at. She'd learned that after he ran after her that night, he'd gotten fired. Sure, she felt guilty, but he didn't have to chase her out.
She was shaken from her thoughts when he pulled her door open, leaning in to pick her up. She left him effortlessly lift her and set her into the chair. Some days, she wished she had crutches, but apparently her shoulder had been dislocated during the fight, and she didn't want it out again. "What do you want? My treat." She gave him her best smile, genuinely happy for some reason, but he shook his head.
"Nope. My idea, I'm paying." She was about to protest, but she saw the small smirk on his face, and she wasn't going to ruin the happy atmosphere they finally had.
"Fine, fine, but I'm paying for dessert." Niall rolled his eyes, but he agreed to her deal as he wheeled her to a table. They ended up ordering a pizza and wings, one of her favorites from the States. She gave a sigh as she thought back on her time there. The adventures she and her mom went on...Her head instantly snapped up as she remembered something. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall and her eyes went wide. "Shit." She gasped out the word before she clamped her hands over her mouth. She never cursed in front of people, it was one thing that her mother had never tolerated, she still had scars to prove that point. Niall just tilted his head as she lifted her hands, gripping her hair. "My mam. She's at the house by now." Realization hit him, and they got the rest of the food to go as he pushed her to the car. He set the pizza in the back seat before he got Maerin settled, fitting her chair in afterwards.
"Rain check on the dessert." Maerin jumped at the sound of his voice, but she couldn't help but smile as she nodded, noting the grin growing on his face.
It didn't take them long to get back to the house, and when they finally pulled into the driveway, Maerin couldn't bring herself to open the car door. "She'll want the guest room, it's her old room." She mumbled a bit, trying to sort out the thoughts in her head. "You can take my room, I'll sleep on the couch, it'll be easier for me, anyways." Niall shook his head to protest, but Maerin had finally opened her car door. "Help me out, please." Niall only nodded tightly, getting her into her chair before he grabbed the pizza. Maerin started to wheel herself around the back, but was surprised when Niall stopped her. He set the pizza on her lap, then picked her up, chair and all, to set her through the doorway. She gave him a small smile, which he returned, before she wheeled herself in enough so he could shut the door. "We're home!" She called out, and in mere seconds, a woman with flaming red hair ran to her, bending down to wrap her in a tight hug.
"My baby! Dear Lord I didn't know what to think when they said you were in the hospital! Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Maerin was peppered with questions, but she brushed them all off, wrapping her arms around her mother timidly. She never knew her mother to be so emotional.
"Hey, mam."