My First | Harry Styles

Chapter Twenty Eight

Niall POV

24 hours Earlier

"Niall, come on this isn't funny anymore." Poppy sounded more concerned than she did five minutes ago as I continued guiding her down the alley. The drizzle of misty rain blurred my vision as we came to a dead end and a surge of panic crept into my chest at the sound of messy footsteps approach us. 

I spun Poppy around on her heels, which allowed a gasp to escape her pale lips. She stared at me as I detected fear occupy the colour of her eyes. I didn't mean to scare her.

"I need you to hide." I ordered, already grabbing her shoulders and gazing around for a spot. When I noticed a small gap between the wet brick wall, hidden by multiple rubbish bins, I dragged her over. She seemed almost unconscious to her own actions, as if she were allowing herself to be a puppet and let me master them to my will. At that moment I wished I kissed her, but I knew it would have only confused her more. So instead I gently positioned her in the hiding spot and squeezed her arm before retreating. 

Once I knew she was hidden, I calmly walked back into the centre of the alley. I could feel her watching me and just before the sound of splashing footsteps neared in, I mouthed to her, don’t move. 

"Well, what do we have here?" A familiar, cocky voice projected itself from the linking passage to my left. A tall statured boy with a contrastingly small size of self respect made his body visible from the shadow. His face brought back unpleasant memories, specifically one that to this day scared my lower lip. 

"Afternoon, Ty," I said in a sarcastically friendly voice. "Here by yourself, are you?" 

Ty chuckled as if the question was irrelevant and to reinforce it, two boys washed up behind him in an instant. 

"I could ask you the same thing," He said lowly. "However, I know for a fact that you are." 

Although his insistence to believe that I was alone was relieving regarding Poppy's safety, I realised that this was not going to end well.  

Ty took a few slow steps forward, with each one I stepped away until my back pressed against the wall behind me. No more space to retreat.

"How did you know where I was?" I said, eyes trying to zero in on all three boys at once but knowing it would be impossible.

The larger muscled boy on Ty's left scoffed, which neither Ty nor the other boy expected.

"Let’s just say that it took a lot of patience and punches to make them talk." 

His sneering laugh only encouraged my fists to ball tighter. The urge to run out at him and pound his nose in until he had none was most generating, but then I remembered the silent girl hiding, watching everything that was happening. 

"Who did you go to?" I asked through gritted teeth, biting extremely hard until my molars ached. 

The other boy on Ty's left stepped in with a crooked smile which made me only angrier.

"Stopped by your brother’s house. What was his name again? Well I can't remember, all I know is that he sure was calling out for yours." He mocked, cocking up one his eyebrows at me as he smirked. 

That's where I couldn't hold back the blood rushing to my head. My veins boiled as I stepped past Ty, roughly shoving his shoulder until he fell to the floor. With one of my already balled fists, I swung it at the dislocated area of his jaw until he was down completely. My breathing increased as I stepped to the other boy who's expression had morphed into one of concern. But I had no mercy.