The Labyrinth

CHAPTER SIX- DIBS

"I'm not confident with the ladies. I can't just ask someone out in a club. I'd like to say I'm a gentleman."

~ Christopher Parker

*Niall’s POV*

I stared out the car window as we drove back from the promotional lunch. I was avoiding the boy’s banter by watching the streams of water run down the foggy glass. The lunch consisted of two hours straight of old men in suits saying they liked our new album and they wished we could stay in New York for longer. They went on and on about putting our faces on billboards or toothbrushes or something but for the entire lunch, I couldn't concentrate on what they were saying; I merely looked outside and watched the rain pour down. Washing away everything from the dirt on the sidewalks to the tears on people’s cheeks. Washing away everything it could. But it couldn't wash away my thoughts. My thoughts of her.

Claudia. I don’t know what is it about her. I don’t even know if I really like her. She didn’t seem to like me and we spoke for barely any time at all. But there was something. Just something about her. Just the way she acted to the whole situation earlier this morninDg. It was completely different to what anyone else would have done. It was slightly crazy. I mean, she had pieces of glass stuck in her arm and she didn’t even notice and she didn’t even react when I took them out. How could she not notice? How could that not hurt her? But the doctor did say that he could tell from the scars on her arm she was no stranger to pain.

I’ve never understood self-harm. I have never understood why someone would purposely hurt themselves or damage their body and how they can think it will help. Or whatever they think it will do. Like I said, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand any part of it but that doesn’t mean I’m a stranger to it. We constantly have fans waving their arms in the air, showing obvious scars. If we meet them and see that they self harm, we try to help them and say they don’t need to do it and they are beautiful and deserve to treat themselves better, but this is different. The people I’ve seen, the fans, who have had scars on their arms, are normally 12-17 years old, so I’ve always assumed that people grow out of it. I’ve never seen anyone around my age who still has scars but she does. She has lots. And for some reason her age makes her different. I don’t why, it just does. It makes it harder for me to help and I don’t think I can. For some reason, it seems like she doesn’t want help.

“Niall, what is up with you? We have passed 3 Nando’s and 5 McDonald’s and you haven’t asked to stop for food even once!” Louis’ sudden voice shook me out of my trance as I dragged my eyes away from the window to face him. He was seated between me and Liam, while Harry and Zayn had called shotgun for the backwards seats. All the boys were staring at me as if I had done something wrong.

“Ahh, sorry I was just thinking and besides, I’m not that hungry.” I shrugged and looked back out the window only to be slapped on the head by Louis.

“You’re not hungry? Alright seriously, what is up?” Louis was staring at me with wide eyes and both Zayn and Harry did the same. Only Liam slight giggling could be heard from the other side of the car.

“What’s so funny Payne?” Louis spun to face Liam who was now silent from the sudden attention. I was staring at him just like everyone else, all of us trying to figure out what he was laughing about.

“Have you guys seriously not caught on? He has been acting like this all day, ever since the thing happened with the worker from the hotel.” Liam smirked and I dropped my head to the floor. How did he realize it was because her, even I wasn’t sure. Well at least, I didn’t think I was. I mean I barely know her.

“Oh no no, Niall I called dibs! You know I called dibs!” Harry spoke, crossing his arms over his chest looking. I don’t remember him calling dibs over her?