In the Open

"Hey! I wasn't done with that!"

Nick's POV

I clench my hands into fists, gritting my teeth together as I watch Nadine cradle Zayn's hand in hers. "I'm fine, really. Don't worry about it."

"Get a room," I huff and scowl at the pair, my glare deepening when I see Nadine attempting to hide her blush when Zayn slides next to her, resting his arm behind her head on the couch.

Alex starts being his annoying self, acting as if Nadine should give him all of her attention. I try to control my temper as they playfully bicker, acting like children in middle school.

Finally I can't contain it anymore, and angrily snap at them, "Do you guys mind? I've had enough shit to deal with for one day, can I not just have one minute of damn silence?" I jump off the couch and glare at them.

Instantly, I regret my words as Nadine quickly gets off the couch and walks toward the front door.

"I'm going for a walk," she says in a tone devoid of emotion. Of course, Zayn offers to go with her, but she declines.

I watch her as she walks to the door, and can't help the guilt that crawls onto my face once her gaze meets mine; she walks out the door, letting it close softly behind her.

I fall back on the couch with a defeated sigh, ignoring the judgmental stare of my friends.

"What the hell man?" Zayn practically yells, rolling his eyes at me with a disapproving grimace on his face.

"What?" I mock surprise, although I know exactly what I did.

"You're a dick, you know that?"

"Of course I know that, and you've known that since the day you met me. Why do you care now?"

"I'm fine with you being a dick, but not to her, alright? You don't get to be a dick to her."

I can't help it; I laugh. A loud, ugly laugh that nearly brings tears to my eyes.

"And why not? What's so special about her?
Nothing. She is just like anyone else. I don't care about her, and I'll treat her however the hell I want," I say, my laughter finally dying down.

"Fuck you," he says, getting off the couch and walking in the same direction Nadine did.

"Where the hell are you going?" I yell to him, making him stop and turn to face me.

"I'm going to check if she's alright, asshole. She could get lost or hurt, and unlike you, I actually care about people."

With that, he walks out of the house, making sure to let the door slam behind him.

"Do either of you two idiots have anything to add?" I ask, not really caring about their opinions but asking anyway.

"Nope. I'm pretty sure Zayn summed it all up." Jamon says, the third person to get up off the couch because of me. Alex follows behind him, shaking his head, as if I'm a child who has disappointed him.

"Wow, what a nice evening it has been! Thank you so much for the company!" I sarcastically yell while they both just walk out of the house, leaving me alone.