You & I (Niam Horayne)

Guardian

So sorry for disappearing everybody! Author's note at the end of the chapter to explain things. Love you all! ❤

Chapter 64:

NIALL

I didn't sleep last, repeatedly calling Liam, just hoping he was okay. Not being able to know how he was was driving me insane, a huge weight being left on my shoulders. I had a really bad feeling, and it killed me not to be able to be there for him if he wasn't okay.

I never got an answer, and that terrified me, so I picked up my phone again, calling Zayn. It was now six in the morning, and I knew Zayn would be up around this time. I just really needed to talk to him, make sure everything was okay.

"Hello?" I heard Zayn mumble. I knew he was tired, who wasn't this early in the morning? Besides, knowing that you had school soon didn't help either.

"Hey, Zayn. Sorry for calling so early, but do you have any idea where Liam is or why he isn't answering his phone?" I questioned.

"I'm sure he's just sleeping, Ni. He still has time before he has to get up for school." He assured, and I tried to calm myself down but something didn't feel right.

"He always answers though. I called him last night- more than once. He always answers." I restated. "Zayn, I'm so worried about him."

"What? Why? What happened?" He asked, becoming that concerned and caring friend he always has been. I knew Zayn was the most trustworthy person, and I needed him to watch Liam for me.

"He's upset. This whole moving thing took a toll on both of us, but I feel like it hit him harder. I feel like he feels alone inside. Yes, he has you guys, but he's seemed so distant now. He wasn't eating before. Is he eating now?" I asked, and Zayn sighed.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seem him eat a single thing off of his lunch tray. In fact, he also never came to meet with us after school yesterday. He had to stay after to finish an assignment or something. He said he's meet up with us, but he never showed." Zayn divulged, and now I was truly worried, almost frantic over it all.

"Shit, Zayn. What if he never got home okay? What if something terrible happened to him? What if-" I began rambling, but Zayn cut me off.

"Niall, I'm sure he's fine. He probably went home, spent time with his mum, and fell asleep. I'll check up on him, yeah? I'll go to his before school and see if he's okay. It'll be fine." He offered.

"Yeah. It'll be fine." I repeated, needing to believe it myself. "Thank you, Zayn. Thanks for doing this. Please take care of him for me. I love him so much." I informed.

"I will. What are friends for? Now, I have to finish getting ready, and I'm sure you do, too. Bye, Ni. I'll call you later." He said.

"Bye." I hung up the phone and sighed, not feeling well at all, but I knew my dad would throw a fit if I skipped class. I got up and got ready, dreading the day before it even started. Truth be told, I didn't care about anything I would have to deal with today, I just hoped Liam was okay.
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LIAM

"Liam, Zayn's here to see you." My mum spoke softly as she opened the door. I was looking in the mirror, already feeling ashamed of the countless bruises on my face. I knew Matt would get a real kick out of it as soon as he saw them there.

"Okay." I mumbled, not in the mood for really speaking to anybody.

"Li, you can stay home if you want. You don't have to go to school today, sweetheart." My mum said, coming over and pushing my hair back a bit.

"If not today, then when? Because if I miss one day, every day after will follow the same pattern. And Matt will know he won. And Zayn and Louis and Harry will know something's wrong. And Niall would... I can't stay home, mum." I said, feeling so lost and hurt.

She sighed sadly and nodded. "Okay. It'll get easier, yeah? I promise." She kissed my forehead, expecting her words to help, but even as she said them I could feel the dull ache of hunger in my stomach and the numbness in my heart. I had no motivation for anything. I missed the feeling of life.

I still nodded and then stood up, grabbing my bag before walking out of the room. My mum followed behind me, and I hugged her before walking out of the house to see Zayn right outside. He looked unfazed when he saw my appearance, and I was so thankful for him hiding his emotions so well.

"Go ahead. Talk about it." I murmured, expecting him to fuss over what happened, why I didn't tell them, try to make me feel better, but I was surprised when he spoke.

"Okay, but you asked for it. You're lucky I'm not pissed at you for not meeting up with us yesterday. Harry was real disappointed." He scolded, shaking his head. "And now you're gonna be late for school if we don't start walking. C'mon."

I followed behind him down the stairs, the silence lingering between us. I expected Zayn to poke and prod at me, trying to get inside my head and understand every single emotion I was feeling. It was a relief that he didn't, but I felt like he already knew.

"Thank you." I finally said, feeling a huge weight off of my shoulders at the fact that he didn't pry.

"Well, who else is going to tell you that you should have been there?" He said, making me smile a bit. It was nice to smile.

"You know what I mean." I said, stopping in my tracks. He stopped as well and turned to me, giving me a smile of his own.

"I'm always here for you, Liam. You're one of my closest friends. Matt's a dick, and the bruises will heal." He said.

"Wait, how'd you know Matt did this?" I asked.

"I didn't, just guessed. Who else could it have been?" He shrugged. "Liam, I won't let you get hurt anymore, okay? That doesn't mean that you won't have to fight your own battles, but I've got your back. Matt won't hurt you, but that doesn't mean I'll allow you to hurt yourself." He added, and I felt tears begin to build. "You gotta eat, Li. Not for me, not for Niall, not for anybody but yourself. You have to take care of yourself."

"Why? I have nothing." I cried, and Zayn shook his head, pulling me into a hug. I let a shaky breath out as I cried into his shoulder.

"That's not true and you know it. You have people who love and care for you. You have a bright future. You have true love. You'll make it through. You're strong. You just need a little support."

"Thank you, Zayn." I repeated between heavy sobs.

"Don't thank me. I'm just saying crap. You're the one with the power to listen or not." He said, then added "But you better listen." I laughed at that, drying my tears a bit as I nodded.

"I will. Promise."

"Good. Because I hate being ignored. Which is what happened all day yesterday. Louis and Harry were too busy making heart eyes at each other to converse with me. I left early because they were snogging the lights out of each other." He said, shuddering in mock horror.

"But Zayn, wasn't true love one of your reasons for why I should take care of myself?" I asked, feeling a bit of spirit come back to me. I knew Zayn wouldn't push and pressure me to get better, he'd just be there, like a guardian. It was uplifting.

"Shut up." He laughed before we continues walking on, and things almost felt okay. Almost.

Hey guys. Time for my explanation. Guess it's less explanation and just more life, but I know I've neglected this story and this account, and I really do apologize. I've been gone for months, and that is not okay. I've just been so pressured by so many different things- school issues, family issues, and personal issues. I won't go into detail about them, but just know that it sucked, but I will do my best to write more now because writing is really my only way to truly escape reality, and I love writing this story.

Hope this chapter was decent, and next chapter soon. 😊