Adopted by One Direction

Niall's POV: Ch. 20

➡Niall's POV: August 30, Wednesday

It has been two weeks since the tour started and we're already exhausted. These past fourteen days have been full of traveling, whether to an interview or show or something like that or going to a new place/country.

We've had barely any free time at all.

"Niall! Get dressed! We have a photo shoot now!" Liam shouts at me just as I lay down in the hotel bed.

"One minute!" I yell back.

"Now!" Is the reply.

I slowly get up with a groan and get dressed into comfy clothes because we'll change there. Everyone piles into the car and Liam counts heads before he tells the driver to drive off.

Once we get there, Lou is shoving clothes into our hands. Quickly changing then getting in front of the cameras is the routine. Lily sits in a chair looking at us quietly. We haven't had much bonding time recently because of our busy schedule.

"Smile!" The photographer says before snapping the picture. We do this for hours before we start individual shots. Everyone goes back to their wardrobe to change since I'm first and I smile for the camera. He takes a dozen or more and my cheek muscles start to hurt.

"Next!" He shouts and Louis takes my spot.

Good luck, mate.

I flash a grin at Lily which she weakly returns. And that's when I notice it; the dark purple bruises under her eyes. She yawns over and over and I can't believe I missed it before. She was so exhausted and hasn't even spoken up! I feel like a terrible person and an awful parent.

"Lily, why didn't you say anything?" I ask in a sad and desperate voice. Was something going on? Is she having sleeping problems? She starts to chew her lip; a sign that she's nervous.

I go to hug Lily and she gets out of the chair and takes a few paces back. That makes me stop cold. "Princess... What's wrong?" I walk a few steps towards her and she takes double the amount back.

I bite my lip to keep from crying. This hurts worse than girls hugging all the other boys but never me. And that is painful. "Why not?" I whisper in pain. I walk forward a little faster and Lily shrieks as her eyes go wide with fear.

She stumbles backwards and tries to go back faster than I go forward. And then she trips and goes sprawling, something flying out of her hand and skidding across the floor.

By now, everyone in the room is watching us and when the object finally stops moving Louis cries, "My phone!"

We all stare in shock at Lily's pale face. Louis unlocks his phone, smiling because it has been lost forever, then immediately frowns. "W-what is this?" He whispers in a pained voice. He looks up at Lily. "Come here please," he demands in a shaky, uncertain tone. Lily stays put and Louis walks over and picks her up.

Lily screams and starts to cry. "They said too!" She sobs in a weakly.

Tears leak out of Louis' eyes and trail down his cheeks. "Baby, why did you do this?"

"What's wrong?" Harry asks.

Lily's head turns to the ground and refuses to explain. "She's making herself lose weight," Louis says with more tears making his cheeks wet.

My eyes immediately fill with tears and some slip over. "Why?" My voice cracks and is filled with so much emotion in that one word.

"Because they said too. And they said I was f-fat. And ugly. And s-stupid t-to believe that y-you adopted m-me j-just b-because," Lily cries.