Happily (Niall Horan)

Chapter Forty-Two: This Means War

Monday, May 13, 2013:
Hayleigh:
"How are we going to do this?" Harry smirks at Liam and I.
"I say let me take the living room, you get the hallway," Liam replies and I raise my hand.
"What about me?"
"You get the bedrooms," Harry informs me and I lock and load my Nerf gun.
"Let's do this, boys," I say, putting my fist in front of us, and the other two do the same.
"We're going to slay Ziaous," Liam grins, adjusting his vest that was filled with foam bullets.
"Making us, Lirreigh, win," I give him a high five. We all head to the hotel door quietly, and Harry gives us a hand signal as he opens it. Liam goes high and I go low as we clear the hallway, guns aimed and ready to shoot.
We give each other a salute before going to our sections, me pressing my ear against the door before opening it silently. I hold my breath as I peek my head around the corner, spotting Zayn talking to Paul.
Holding back a smile, I tumble roll behind the couch and lift my head to see the two guys laughing. Zayn's gun hangs loosely in his hand as I hear Paul promising him to tell him if he spotted us.
I swiftly fire my gun, the bullet hitting the bodyguard straight in the forehead. "Traitor!" I shout, hitting him again in the leg before moving my aim to the black-haired boy. He shoots first but I lean left, missing it. I fire but unfortunately miss as well, it sticking to the wall between his arm and torso.
I crouch behind the couch and he opens a closet door to hide behind. "How are we going to do this Hayleigh?" His voice calls out and I take a moment to tighten my ponytail.
"You're going to surrender," I say fiercely and he chuckles.
"I doubt it," he replies, and I turn my head to see his gun pointed straight at me, a stupid smirk on his lips. I act quickly and move his arm in a way so that I receive his gun.
His jaw drops as I laugh, and firing so it hits straight in his chest. Zayn drops to the floor dramatically, clutching his heart as he gasps for breath. "I've been shot," he exclaims, his legs spazzing before he lay there motionless.
"Where are the other two, Z?" I ask, kicking his boot.
"I'm dead, Hayleigh," he whispers and I shake my head, holding back a laugh. "I can't tell you."
I stick out my tongue, "Meanie." I abandon Zayn and leave the room after clearing it.
I see Harry in the hallway, sprawled on the floor with his gun missing. "Louis got me, but Liam got him."
"So is it us against Niall?" I ask, cautiously looking around.
"Niall shot him in the kitchen," Harry tells me and I roll my eyes.
"Great."
He grabs my hand, "You have to win this for us Hay. Let us go down in victory."
"You guys are acting like you're actually dying," I mutter under my breath before letting a smile slip on my face. "Wish me luck."
"I can't. I'm dead," Harry states with a small smirk.
"Don't be a smart aleck."
***
I stealthily walk into Niall's hotel room, and freeze when I see him standing with his back to me. I raise my Nerf gun, "Ready to lose, Horan?"
He swiftly turns on his heel and points his gun at me. "I'm about to win, Ryan."
I eye him carefully as we start walking in a circle, kind of like those western melodramas that have showdowns. I blow my side bangs out of my eyes, readjusting my grip on the weapon. Suddenly, I make a decision and fire but miss. He starts running towards me, tackling me towards the ground like I had the football and we were in the Super Bowl.
My arms get pinned on each side of my head and I glare at him as he smirks down at me. "Guess who's gonna win?" He whispers and I roll my eyes.
"Who are you, Michael Vick? I'm not one of things you run into during football practice, Niall."
"You mean you're not a tackle dummy?" He raises his eyebrows and I squirm but he doesn't let go.
"How exactly are you going to shoot me when both of your hands are pinning my arms down?" I ask, watching him closely.
"It's called having teammates," he leers and I let out a fake laugh.
"It's called 'They're already shot so now you're on your own,'" I reply in a mocking tone.
Niall pauses for a second before looking at me again, "I guess you could surrender."
I give him a look, "Really?" He shrugs and quickly glances at his gun, about five feet away while mine was against my side but was out of his sight. I move my leg and kick his shin. When he flinches, I roll us over so I'm peering down at him. I grab my gun and aim it at him, letting go of his wrists.
"How are you going to tell the others that you lost to your best friend?"
Niall sighs, leaning his head against the hardwood. I chuckle before firing my weapon, the bullet landing straight in between his eyebrows. He squeezes his blue eyes shut and hoists himself on his elbows, "Hayleigh, that fucking hurt."
"Awe," I pour before kissing his cheek. "Oh well."
"What did we just walk in on?" Louis's loud voice makes Ni and I look up at him. My cheeks burn when I realize I'm still sitting on Niall and scramble to stand. I grab Ni's hand and help him stand as well as the other four boys cackle at the awkwardness.
I clear my throat once they calm down,  "The only thing you walked in on Louis was me kicking your team's butt. Team Lirreigh are the ultimate champions!!" I slap my teammates high fives while Zayn and Lou glare at Niall.
"Niall! How could you lose?" Zayn complains.
"I guess he got distracted," Louis jokes, and I slap the back of his head.
"Ow!"
"Stop acting like a arse," I comment, pulling my phone out of my pocket when it begins ringing. I answer the call, walking away from my rambunctious friends as they continue to tease Niall. "Hey Presley!" I greet, once I get somewhere quiet. "What's up?"
There's a pause before a sniffle. "Hayleigh you need to get back to London."
Niall:
"Guys would you shut up?" I groan, burying my head in the couch pillow, covering my ears.
"About what? Oh you mean us walking in on you and Hay?" Harry questions innocently and I lift my head to glare at him.
"We weren't doing anything!" I protest but Lou talks over me.
"I'd never thought that Hayleigh could be that fierce," he states before giving me a wicked grin. "Then again, I never expected Niall to take the lead."
I feel my cheeks turn red and I stand up, aggravated. "I'm leaving now." Walking down the hallway towards where Hayleigh disappeared, I hear Liam crack another joke. I roll my eyes and burst open the closed door. "Hayleigh can you please tell those idiots that they didn't see- babe, what's wrong?" I furrow my eyebrows, concerned as I see tears in her eyes as she ends the phone call. "Hayleigh?" I close the bedroom door and take a step closer to her.
"Not now, Niall," she replies, laying her head on her knees against the wall. She sniffles, making me rush over and take a seat next to her.
"What's going on?" I ask softly and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me.
Hayleigh just shakes her head, "Nothing you need to worry about."
"Okay we didn't hear any voices so we figured you needed to be broken up," Louis and the lads barge in, still chuckling about what they think they saw. Their grins disappear when they see Hayleigh's head buried in my shirt.
"Hayleigh what's wrong?" Liam questions, guilt flooding his features.
"If this is about the comments," Zayn starts, "we were joking. We didn't mean any harm."
Hay sits up, and wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "This isn't about those dumb jokes guys. I would just like to be alone right now."
They each give her a sad glance before filing out of the room, Harry closing the door with a soft thud, but I don't move. I keep my eyes on her as she stands, and blows her nose gently into a tissue. Without turning to face me, she states, "Please leave Niall. I need to be alone."
Shaking my head, I reply, "Nice try, Hay. I'm not leaving."
"And why not?" She turns her head to look at me.
I step closer to her and grab her hand, "Because I know you never want to be alone. Please tell me what's wrong?"
"It's complicated," she chuckles dryly and looks at our hands before me. "I'll only be a few minutes."
"Are you mad at me?" I ask, not knowing what the hell is going on.
"And why would I be mad at you?" Hayleigh throws her hands up, done.
I slowly shrug before carefully saying, "I don't know. Why else would you want me to leave you?"
"Not everything is about you Niall," her harsh words and tone surprise me and I simply bite my lip and nod as a reply. I start to leave but she speaks again. "And if I was mad at you I would have no one to give me a hug right now," she breaks and almost falls but I catch her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my head in her hair.
I close my eyes as she begins sobbing in my shoulder, rocking us back and forth as a way of comfort. I start humming a soothing tune, and rub her back as she cries like never before.
I need to know what is going on.
After a while, she starts to calm down slightly and we get comfortable on the bed so we can talk. "Are the fans being mean?" I ask first, needing to know. "Do you want me to tweet something?" She places her hand over my mouth, stopping me from continuing. I nod and she lets go, me staying silent.
"It's not the fans so breathe Niall," she giggles but it's half heartedly. "Do you remember Becca?"
"Of course I do," I assure, wondering how she could think I would ever forget about the girl.
Hayleigh's eyes start to water again, and I squeeze her tighter. "Well," she sniffles again, "She's in the hospital."
I gasp as Hayleigh begins crying again.
"She was on her way to a friend's party when her and her dad were hit by a drunk driver," she cries out, burying her head in her hands as she hiccups. "Shh," I comfort her, "Hayleigh, Becca is a strong girl and I know she's going to be just fine."
"She's in a coma, Niall," Hay looks down at her lap before collapsing against the pillows, brown eyes staring at the ceiling. "I've been in a position like this where someone I love with all my heart is so close to dying and it didn't end well, Niall. I can't go through that pain again," she opens up and my jaw drops slightly as I have never heard any of this.
I stutter and sit up, looking down at her as she covers her eyes with her fingertips. "Hayleigh what are you talking about?"
Her body tenses, as if I wasn't meant to have heard the information. "Boo?" Silence consumes the atmosphere and she sits up again, this time leaning against me.
I play with her fingers until they're intertwined. My mind swirls with possible ideas as to what Hayleigh let slip.
"I used to know someone," she starts, her voice hoarse from crying.
"You don't have to tell me if you're not ready," I interrupt honestly and she pinches the bridge of her nose as she takes a deep breath. Her cheeks are stained red and her brown eyes remain watery as she begins.
"I used to know a girl exactly like Becca. She was absolutely beautiful, brown eyes and and brown hair," Hayliegh pauses, and I notice how thoughtful she looks, probably picturing the girl. "She loved school, and was very bright. She made friends wherever she went, and whoever she met loved her instantly. She just had that effect on people."
"What was her name?" I ask and Hayleigh looks at me with a sad smile.
"Gracie," she tells. "Gracie Michelle." She clears her throat, "Anyways, one day her older sister was babysitting her. They were very close, and had a very strong bond, even though she was nine and her sister was thirteen. They had an older brother too but he was away at a friend's house and their parents were at their grandparents house with their little brother."
Hayleigh looks down at her lap, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. "The sister went to the bathroom for about five minutes, leaving Gracie alone. Even though she was nine and knew better than to go outside alone, she wanted to go play so she did."
Hayleigh squeezes her eyes shut painfully, not being able to continue but stutters out the rest-barely being able to handle the memories. "W-when t-the older sister returned and found Gracie missing, she yelled for her before running outside, fearing the worst. She ran as fast as she could down the street, screaming when she sees Gracie being..." Hayleigh cries out, not taking the pain well. Even though I was almost crying myself, I rock her body back and forth as she was in my lap now.
"I-I raced after t-the van," she weeps, crossing her arms over her chest so tightly I didn't think she could breathe. "I thought I-I could save h-her but I d-didn't k-know they were a-armed."
A small gasp escapes my lips and I move her hair out of her face as she cries. "Hayleigh please tell me you didn't get hurt."
"I thought I could take them," she looks up at me, completely broken at the thought of her sister. "Gracie meant the world to me and I could not let them take her because they were mad at my dad."
"Your dad?"
"My dad used to be a lawyer," she explains, shedding tears. "T-They were mad because my dad lost his case that their friend was in. I-I recognized them instantly and k-knew Gracie w-was in serious danger." She covers her mouth with her hand as her breathing becomes ragged.
"I ended up g-getting shot, the bullet g-grazing my arm." She lifts up the sleeve of the T-shirt she was wearing to point out a scar I never noticed before. Hayleigh starts crying harder once more when I ask what happened to Gracie. My heart was broken when she told me someone found her, bleeding and beaten two weeks later on the side of the road.
Like Becca is now, Gracie was in a comma but passed away two days later. They caught the men trying to leave New York and charged them with murder but Hayleigh wasn't herself after that.
Of course her whole family was destroyed, but time healed the rest of them when they realized she's an angel up in heaven, watching over them. "It was my fault," once those words come out of her mouth I don't know what to do. "If I hadn't left her alone!" She whimpers, before repeating herself softly.
Hayleigh wipes her face once more, even though the tears still come. "You said you were thirteen?" I ask softly and when she nods, I continue a theory. I lower my voice to a whisper, "Babe...is this what they bullied you about?" She freezes, her heart stopping for about two seconds before she looks up at me, emptiness in her eyes.
"I didn't think you'd put it together so quickly," she bites her lip as she adverts her eyes to the window.
"How could they do that?" I ask out loud to nobody. "You lost a family member and they broke you down even more?"
"Kids can be cruel," was her excuse.
She chuckled dryly like she did earlier, "I'm such a broken freak. Tell me why you are my friend?"
I understood Hayleigh better that evening and my feelings for her changed. I thought she was a happy spirit in-and-out but I learned she has layers and used happiness as a cover. I like to think we became closer as well, especially when I grabbed her chin and made her look up at me.
"Hayleigh, don't ever ask me that," I said, adding, "We're all a little broken inside and it's wrong for you to think you don't deserve me because I don't deserve you. You are beautiful, inside and out and it's your past that makes you one of the strongest people in the world."
"How am I strong if I let them take my sister away from me and my family?"
"You went after her," I inform her. "You didn't let them take her so easily. You fought and got shot for crying out loud because your love for her fueled you. She's the reason you are who you are and she will always be in your heart. She never left you."
Hayleigh snuggles into my side as the tears finally stop flowing and she sniffles. "I miss her, Niall."
"I know," I whisper before squeezing her hand.
"She would've loved you."
"I'm sure I would've loved her," I tell her honestly. "And I know Becca reminds you of Gracie and that's why you two are so close. That's why we're going to London."
"Are you serious?"
"Becca is family and means a lot to you and and me. I know you're worried and I am to. But she isn't Gracie and she is going to be just fine, okay?"
"Okay."
Hey guys! I hope you are all doing well. You finally know about Gracie and how she died. I've dropped hints about her. She's one of the tattoos Ashton has, she's who went with Hay and her dad when they went horseback riding, etc.
I hope you all enjoyed it even though it was a long chapter. It might seem unrealistic to you but it does to me because I know someone whose sister was kidnapped a while ago. Luckily she's okay but it's a serious matter.
The song is Cry With You by Hunter Hayes. I was going to use it in the chapter but changed my mind. To me, it describes Niall's POV of  What's going on. Of how he's always going to be there for Hayleigh , and their friendship in general. Hope you like it!
I'll see you all soon! Happy Holidays <3
-Lex