Niall's Girl

Chapter Five

This is a longer chapter, I know they're kind of all different sizes, my bad! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading :)

-Laura xo

Chapter Five

 Three hours later and I was walking home from school. I waited until Sadie turned off down her road before pulling my rucksack off my shoulder and grabbing my phone where it was lying at the bottom. I wasn't really sure how to re-engage the conversation.

'A zombie apolocolpyse happens. What do you do? Go!'

His reply came a minute later.

'Eat my leftover Nandos, then fly to Ireland, grab my mum and head to a desert island.'

'You're only taking your mum?'

'Well I'm sure there's a few spare seats on the plane if you want to come ;)'

I scoffed; as if he really needed to ask.

'Haha I was thinking more your band mates, but yeah I'll come!'

'You're weird Emma, that was so random !'

'I'm not weird, I'm prepared. You're just a fool for not thinking about it before. If I hadn't brought it up and it happened, you would have been screwed!'

'Ahahaha ! Well then thankyou :)'

'You're very welcome :p'

I unlocked the house, sliding the key back under the plant pot. On the mat in front of the door in the hallway lay a pile of letters. I picked them up so they wouldn't be trampled and flipped through, seeing if there was any for me which, of course, there wasn't.

There was, however, a letter from the school. Since my older brother Jonny was at university, I knew it must have been about me so I lay the rest of the pile on the kitchen counter and took it up to my room with my school bag and a packet of Jaffa cakes.

I sliced the envelope open, trying to do it in one smooth motion like they do in the movies but I failed miserably and ended up spending five minutes peeling small slithers of paper across the top.

Dear Mr and Mrs Charleston,

This letter is to inform you that your daughter, Emma Charleston, did not manage to present to me the homework due and therefore was assigned a detention after school on the first Monday of school.

Mr Peter Peeves
Head of the English Department

The letter made me really angry. For one, what even was the point! I went to the bloody detention, so why bring it up again?! Two, why did he have to tell my parents? What happened to 'at sixth form you will not be treated like a child'?! And three, Porno Peeves really needed to drop the grudge! I will say it again and again - it was not my fault the whole class saw him watching gay porn! (Okay, it was a little.)

In a moment of anger, I told all of this to Niall, who just thought it was all hilarious.

'Hahahaha Emma ! Peeves really does hate you !'

'Shut up Niall -_-'

'Hahahaha !'

After that, I refused to send him any more messages for a while, the so-called silent treatment. Even after his pleas (yes he actually pleaded) and his unhappy faces, I managed to hold my own and didn't reply until I'd finished the recorded episode of Geordie Shore and eaten the whole packet of Jaffa cakes.

To be honest I totally forgot I was pretending to be mad at him (i hadn't forgotten it was crazy I was able to pretend to be mad at him, he's Niall frickin' Horan!) and by accident I was so shocked about something that happened in the show that I relayed it back to him in anguish.

'Hah you're talking !'

'Dammit... I forgot I was mad' I replied honestly.

':)'

'So, whilst I'm not angry at you, what have you been up to?'

'Just relaxin while i can really, head to Europe on Thursday'

'It must be cool going all around the world'

'Yeah, dream come true'

His reply made me really smile. It warmed my heart a little to hear him happy.

But then my mum arrived home and ruined the moment.

'Emma, you better put this shopping away quick, the ice cream might melt!" She shouted through the hallway.

'Got to go Niall!' I managed to type out before closing the twitter app and running to my panicked mother's aid.

***

I didn't hear from Niall again all night, and I didn't message him either. I needed just a little time to let it sink in that I, Emma Charleston, obsessive niall girl, was actually talking to my idol and he seemed to want to talk to me, too.

I was also distracted by a distressed call from Sophie, telling me that her and Eric had broken up (yet again) and that I needed to go over to mend her broken heart. I am a loyal and loving friend, so of course I took her ice cream and Oreos.

So when I finally got home, I was exhausted from watching The Notebook and soothing my best friend's heartache. I decided it would be more beneficial that I actually got some sleep instead of staying up all night talking to my favourite teenage heartthrob. Besides, it was his second to last night in England, and if the update accounts were correct he was headed out with some friends.

I woke up bright and early that wednesdy morning at... Holy shit! Twenty past eight! I threw on my uniform, left my hair in the messy bun I had slept in and grabbed my bag, stuffing whatever was on my desk into it before running out of the house. I made it to school gates just as the bell rang and signed in relief. But it would seem I tempted fate, because Mr Peeves stepped out from the shadows, like some creepy murderer from a horror movie.

"Ah, pushing time a little here aren't you, Miss Charleston?" He said in his horrible nasly voice.

I groaned mentally. This was just my luck and if I didn't get to maths in the next thirty seconds I would end up with another telling off, and possibly another detention, too.

"Yes sir, that's why I really need to get to maths," I said, in the politest tone I could muster whilst cursing him to the depths of hell. I jogged past before he could answer.

Double maths went quickly. It was my favourite subject by far - no complicated words or arguing with my teacher that the poet didn't use nettles as a metaphor for burning flesh, when he said nettles he really just meant nettles. Break time rolled around quickly and I found my friends in our usual spot.

Before I had chance to collapse next to Eric on the inviting sofa, I saw Sophie and Sadie exchange knowing glances and they stood up and grabbed me like a well practiced troop, marching me off to the bathrooms.

"Your hair... It's just..." Sadie looked horrified.

"It looks like a bird's nest," Sophie said more calmly before pulling a brush from her bag and grinning evilly.

Thirteen minutes of torture later, I was 'more presentable' as Sophie put it, but Ben just said I 'now look less like an ork from Lord of the Rings.'

It wasnt until lunch that I got chance to check my twitter, and I had no new message from Niall. I felt different today, more nervous. The whole situation had sunken in and I felt apprehensive to start a new conversation, like maybe he didn't want to talk to me, maybe he was busy, maybe he had even forgotten I existed. Most likely, he was hungover or still asleep. But I still felt like I was pestering him, and I would rather him not remember my name than remember me because I was the annoying fan who wouldn't leave him alone.

I sighed audibly, thinking I should just be grateful while it lasted.

"Trouble in paradise?" Benjamin elbowed me, gesturing to my phone as I realised I was staring at it intently. I glared at him and put the phone in my jacket pocket.

***

That night as I sat at my desk, staring down at some alien-looking life form in my biology textbook, I kicked myself for choosing to do four A-levels instead of three. Stupid stupid girl. When my phone chimed, I nearly ignored it because I couldn't really bear to read one more message from Soph about how today at school Eric's hands looked so good and she bet his hair still smelled the same. It had gotten about as weird as I could handle. I did check it though, sighing.

My mood brightened immediately when it wasn't from Soph, but from Niall.

'Hey :) you okay?'

I replied instantly, feeling way more ecstatic than is healthy, just because I got a three word message.

"Yeah I'm good! Had a run in with Porno Peeves this morning though. How was your night?;)'

I knew it had been a messy night for him, photos of him drunk stumbling into a taxi were all over my twitter timeline.

'I'm glad, I was gettin worried since you left so abruptly yesterday and I hadn't heard from you today ! What happened with Peeves? I don't even want to talk about last night, I bet you already know anyway stalker girl;)'

I smiled down at the screen like a Cheshire Cat before shaking myself. Yes, he was kind and concerned about my safety and literally my favourite person in the entire world but I needed to stop feeling this giddy every time he said something nice. I was pretty sure my heart would give up on itself soon.

'He cornered me at the gates, but I escaped!'

'Sounds like a proper weirdo to me, want me to come and beat him up?'

'Pfft , you and your chicken legs? You couldn't beat up a hamster, Horan.'

'Oi shut up !'

I giggled, loving the way we teased each other like I would with any of my friends.

'Only joking Nialler! Thankyou very much for the offer, but somehow I don't think making you beat up my English teacher is going to do me any favours.'

'They wouldn't have to know it was you and me !'

I felt dizzy at the sight of 'you and me'. I almost wanted to cry. (I'm a teenage girl, I'm hormonal, okay?)

'Yeah, because you're so inconspicuous, with your blonde hair and cute accent and you know, the fact that you're famous and all'

'You think my accent's cute? ;)'

'Uhm...I didn't mean that'

'Sure ;)'

I cringed. Way to be subtle, Emma!

For the next two hours or so, I chatted with Niall, talking about school and friends and random things. I almost forgot I was talking to a famous nineteen year old who belonged to the biggest boyband in the world; we just had a normal conversation and it was really nice.

'Flyin over for the first of the European shows tomorrow !'

I was wondering when he would bring this up.

'Excited? (Also do you know what a t-cell is because I'm completely stuck on this homework)'

'Hell yeah ! (Stop askin me questions about school you should know by now I don't know the answers;))'

'Fat lot of help you are'

':D'

I didn't get chance to reply before his next message appeared on my laptop screen. I felt my stomach colliding, as if it was anticipating that something bad was going to happen.

'I won't be able to get Internet connection all the time over there though'

My heart sunk rapidly. Here it was, here was the Internet break-up. He was going to say its been nice, but we won't be able to talk any more and then I'll cry myself to sleep for years and years and end up a crazy cat lady who all the kids are scared o-

'But I'll message you when I can !'

My heart stopped beating and I choked on the air in my throat. I banged a fist to my chest and suddenly took in a deep breath. I managed to regain the oxygen I desperately needed by panting heavily for the next minute. I think I was going to pass out. He wanted to talk to me? He was going to message me whenever he got the chance? I would have cartwheeled off the Empire State Building with happiness if I could. Or maybe not, that would have been counter productive.

I stared at the screen, making sure it wasn't my tired eyes hallucinating. But no, there it was. I spent a few more minutes staring, trying to decide how to reply to that. My options went from declaring my love to him to a more laid back 'cool'.

I had another option. I wanted to do it, but I was scared. I didn't want to push my luck, scare him away. But then, in a sudden burst of bravery, I thought you know what, yolo!

'Okay:) but if you miss me too desperately, you can always text me'

I typed out my number and hit the send button violently before I could hesitate and change my mind.

I threw myself onto my bed and dived my head into the pillow, nerves eating me from the inside like worms. 'I shouldn't have done that. I really really shouldn't hve done that' my thoughts swirled around my head like a mantra.

I heard the new message sound and got off my bed reluctantly.

'Thanks ! Although I'll try to stick to twitter, we're supposed to keep our numbers to as little people as possible'

I slapped myself on the cheek when I felt a small sting of rejection. He had definitely said that in the nicest way possible and I hadn't really expected him to accept it anyway.

'Yeah I understand :) I'll have to be going now, double English tomorrow morning with Peeves!'

I changed into my pyjamas before receiving his reply.

'Okay ! Sleep tight ! Talk to you soon?'

'Of course Nialler :) if I don't speak to you in time, have fun with the shows!'

I logged out before I persuaded myself to stay and talk to him for as long as possible. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat caused by knowing these few days of excitement and glee were over. I knew I shouldn't be this attached when we'd only been talking for two days.

Eventually, I fell into a dreamless sleep. 


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