One Division

Chapter Nine - Tattoos

Chapter Nine – Tattoos

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Cuz I can’t compete with your boyfriend, he’s got twenty-seven tattoos

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Niall had never looked so terrible. Literally.

First of all, no one had informed him that Kaiden was amazing at judo, so while Lo’s boyfriend had a blooming bruise on his jaw, Niall was bruised all over… everything. Next, Lo refused to go near him, much less style him.

Summer, Alexa, and Elyse were all doing their best, but they’d barely started working with the lads. The intimate knowledge Lo had, especially with the tips she’d gotten from Lou, was priceless. And Niall was suffering more than ever because of it.

The lads were all furious with him too. No one could tell the press or explain to the guests why Niall had punched Kaiden, because no one was supposed to know he’d ever been interested in Lo. Now, at best, Niall was just a drunk who had gotten in a quiet altercation with Kaiden.

Victoria hadn’t spoken to him since he ruined her party. She hadn’t even gotten to cut her cake before he’d gotten in the fight, and the rest of the party was tense and full of gossip instead of the calm, drama-free environment Victoria had prayed for. She hadn’t even gotten to meet the members of Little Mix that she loved more than she’d loved One Direction, because they’d left soon after the fight. Shaking their beautiful heads at the spectacle One Direction was making of themselves yet again, Little Mix departed, taking a small slew of people with them.

Only seeing her parents and little brother had calmed her down. They’d flown out to where their tour had taken them to simply to surprise Victoria on her birthday. It was actually Giancarlo who had managed to calm Niall down, hugging him and telling him that his big brother was scaring him. Niall sobered pretty quickly after that, offering to bring him to the best diner in Texas. No one knew exactly what Niall and Giancarlo had talked about in that diner, but from the innocence that filled both boys’ faces when they came back, the lads could only chalk it up to something that straightened him out for a little bit. Niall genuinely cried when Giancarlo left, and Victoria wouldn’t admit it, but she’d begun to forgive him then.

Still, she wanted to give him a hard time, and she left the room as often as possible when he was in it.

Niall didn’t like it. He’d become friends with her quickly to avoid this hostile treatment. Victoria sure knew how to hold a grudge and make it sting, and she really knew how to play herself as the victim every single time. The lads knew it. She knew it. The crew was catching on fast. It was fascinating how she knew how to capitalize on things and people that had wronged her. Niall would’ve clapped if he hadn’t been on the receiving end of it.

Eventually, Zayn had had enough of Victoria moping around so much, and he texted her, because she hadn’t showed up for breakfast again. She was pulling some passive aggressive bullshit where she didn’t go near Niall for long periods of time unless it was to deliver a scathing comment, and it was getting extremely out of hand.

To: Band Chick

Get out of bed

To: Cheekbones

Nope.

To: Band Chick

i swear to god, vic, i’m going to your room now. get your ass up.