World's Worst Boyfriend |z.h.|

Chapter 18

"And if he happens to be an actual jerk then screw him, I'll find you someone better." And just knowing that he had Kendall by his side (even though Kylie and Liam were always missing) somehow made everything a bit more clear. 

..

There's a difference between knowing what you want and knowing what you need. Niall didn't know whether he should take his parents permission before escaping the confines of his house to meet Zayn or whether he absolutely needed it. He had never been the kind to leave the house when it was just seven in the evening and that in itself was sure to arise questions because firstly, he was supposed to be sick and secondly, he never left the house at this time. And the only hours that he actually went out to for parties with Liam and the girls, it was always way beyond nine and he would, obviously like a sensible teenager, sneak out rather than inform his parents. So it was weird that he was walking down the stairs, towards the TV room where all his family members were sitting, there eyes trained on his figure. 

"What's wrong  Niall?" Maura frowned, obviously concerned as to why her son was out of his room. It wasn't even her fault that she felt so shocked and worried. From the moment Niall would come back from school, he would always stay locked inside his room studying or sleeping or playing his guitar until he was called down for food or some serious talks. For him to be out on his own will was rather rare. 

"I just wanted to go out. Get some fresh air. I feel suffocated inside the house today." Niall whispered softly , keeping his gaze locked with his mother's. He knew full well that lying was bad but he needed to follow Kendall's advice before he could change his mind and considering that he had already texted Zayn and prepared them both to meet at the park close by his house, Niall had only about half an hour left to prepare himself for his conversation with Zayn and deal with his parents. 

"Of course! Greg will accompany you." Bobby responded, smiling brightly at his younger son with a proud nod of his head . 

"No. That's not needed. I just want to be alone for a while. I'll be back in a few minutes." The blonde huffed, feeling awfully conscious with the way his parents and his older brother were staring down at him. Maybe he should think about putting the conversation with Zayn on hold or postpone it for tomorrow when they would cross paths once again in school. Or maybe, just maybe, he should forget all about it and rather focus on his education and on his sleep. Those were things he was really neglecting ever since Zayn Malik happened. 

"Is everything alright?" Maura asked, getting up from the chair to walk towards her younger son. She looked tired already and it might have been the old age creeping in but Niall was certain that just a few months ago, his mother looked more alive and young. 

"Everything is fine. School is just stressing me out." The boy replied honestly because all his lessons were nothing more than a hindrance and with the exams approaching, he knew he would have to start spending extra time at the library. 

"Is someone bullying you?"

"No. Zayn would kill them if they even tried." The words seemed to tumble down his lips before he could even process them and both his and Maura's eyes seemed to widen at the sentence he had just spoken. 

"And this Zayn kid is the same boy you brought home with you, am I right?" The woman asked carefully, her eyes frowning knowingly but there was still a hint of hesitance in them. It made Niall wonder that if he was ever to properly figure his sexuality out - which most certainly was anything other than straight - would his parents even accept him? A large part of him didn't even understand why a person's sexuality was such a major issue. If you're straight then everything is normal for you, there are no comments thrown your way for being with someone of the opposite gender and really, it's just peaceful in that sexuality department. But if you're anything other than it, suddenly it's like the entire world turns against you and  Niall didn't get why. If he was ever to have kids and they were ever to bring their partners home, he wouldn't frown or worry or ask a million questions and probe about his child's sexuality. He would just accept them, whether the person they loved was of the same gender or the opposite. As long as they treated them well.