Twisted Friendship

Chapter 3

I slammed my lunch tray down heavily on our table, "I can not believe you guys did that."

Harry cocked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

The lunch room was a buzz of voices accompanied by the thick scent of peanut butter. I glared at the boys sitting around me.

"Was that really nesscary what you did to Niall? He's the new kid."

Liam stirred his pasta and looked up curiously, "Did something happen?"

Louis shrugged, "Nope. Just a new kid at school and I had to show him his place."

"I would of done exactly the same thing." Zayn said modestly, running a hand through his hair.

I bit my lip, remembering Louis brutally throwing Niall to the classroom floor. Nobody said anything, nobody cared. Class continued with Harry and Louis whispering threats to Niall under their breath. The poor boy sat in his seat the rest of the period looking frigid, muscles tensed in case they attacked.

"He didn't do anything!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in frustration. "He wasn't even there a full five minutes!"

Louis leaned in close, reaching out a delicate hand to brush hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear. "But he hit you on the arm sweetheart."

Zayn dropped his sandwhich in surprise. "What?" he hissed, hand shooting out and wrapping around my wrist. He tugged me towards him and pushed my sleeve up, running a long finger down my bare skin. His brow was set with concentration as he examined the red spot carefully.

"Oh my god, it was an accident!" I huffed, trying to tug my arm out of Zayns grip. Zayn ignored my attempts and prodded the spot softly with his thumb.

"Besides," I continued "It was because you pushed him over! You pushed him into me practically!"

Zayn dropped my arm suddenly and looked at Louis, "So this is your fault?"

Louis let his gaze drop to the floor, "Yes. Well I pushed him, and he flew back and hit her. But you should've seen the way he was looking at her. He thinks he's all that because girls think he's cute."

"This Niall kid is not good news." Harry murmured, leaning over and rolling my sleeve back down.

I pushed his hand away, "Stop it! Stop it okay! I'm not five, you guys don't have to go beating up everyone that looks at me!" Clenching my hair in my hands, I looked at them desperatley "This is my life, not yours! Why can't you let me be?"

Silence fell upon the table. I listened to the echoing sound of a locker shutting in the hallway.

"Because someone might hurt you." Louis whispered. His gaze connected with my mine.

Harry brushed some curls from his face, "You do get into a lot of trouble."

The lunch room doors suddenly swung open behind them, revealing a very alone, very new, and very unsure Niall standing there clenching a brown paper bag. His blue eyes surveyed the crowded lunchroom, before spotting an empty table in the back.

Zayn smiled and cracked his knuckles, "Well this is going to be fun."

I gaped at him, "No, no your not." I closed my hand around his fist, "No way."

But Zayn just looked down at me and pulled my hand off, "I just wanna give him a warm welcome."