A/N: Alright, guys, this is the last chapter. I thought there would be a few more, but it ended up being shorter than I thought and it’s good anyway because at least I stopped at a good round number:) Please enjoy this last chapter of The New Member.
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Song on the side is: “Flash Delirium” by MGMT, because… well… crazy stuff happens in this chapter so I thought it might fit. *shrugs*
Chapter 20
*Zayn’s P.O.V.*
“Where is he?” questioned Louis for the billionth time.
We were all wondering the exact same thing, yet Lou thought it his job to yell and complain about it until all our ears were sore and our minds full of worry. Liam was nearly half an hour late and the interview started in ten minutes. There was no chance of him getting here in time, and I had accepted that, but whatever the reason keeping him away had me sweating and shaking in my spot. Liam knew how much I was relying on him to be here. The others may not realize, but I was aware how important Liam’s role was. He kept us together, and without him here, then… then… honestly I did not even want to consider it.
I would have to take over that role until we could find Liam, wherever he was, and I was hoping that he had just gotten a little too caught up with Danielle. That being the case, then I could beat the living daylights out of him, but if he was in trouble, then I needed to be out there looking for him. Now, instead of waiting for the talk show to start.
Liam also did not understand that I would be gone after the tour is over, and I could not take his place whenever he got lost. He had to remember his role as the sensible one or the band would fall apart after I leave, and I could not bear the thought after all the work I had been into it.
Lost in my aggressively depressing thoughts, I felt Louis grab my shoulder to ask that danged question once more and I blew. I grabbed his hand and twisted, causing him to squeal as I pushed him against the nearest wall.
“Listen,” I ordered. “Just shut up, Lou. Alright? I don’t know where Liam is and I don’t know if he’s alright, but I do know that he would want us to focus on what’s happening right now. I’m hoping that he shows up, but if not, we have to be prepared to go out on our own. So calm the heck down, hear me?”
Louis’ eyes squinted harshly, and he did not even struggle in my grip as he sneered, “You haven’t been around enough to be giving me any kind of orders, Zayn.” That surprised me so much that when he shoved against me I stumbled back and he dropped off the wall I had held him to. He straightened his collar and flattened the front of his shirt before saying, “And if Liam doesn’t show, so be it. But that doesn’t make you the boss of me.”
He stormed off backstage and I could feel my whole body go weak. This was not going to go well. Thankfully, no one had seen my fit of anger but Niall and he seemed too deep in thought to care.
“Hey,” I said once my blood pressure was down from the level only Louis’ annoyance could bring it up, too. It was weird how I still remembered a time when his attitude and non-stop mischievousness was my favorite part about him, the part I loved. “You doing okay, Nialler?”
“Of course!” Niall chirped back with fake enthusiasm. “Why wouldn’t I be? Liam’s just a tad late, but other than that we’re all good. Right?”
I stared at him with wide eyes and decided that an optimistic Niall, even if it was pretended, was still a better Niall than if he were hopeless. I realized once I began to walk away that that was the biggest conversation we had had one-on-one for a while, but I guessed it was from hidden distrust of the boy. I loved him, that was for sure, but right now I did not need to wonder if what I told him was safe information. Niall was just too easy to hack. His mind could receive plenty of information, but it was also so easy to hack into.
“Yo, Zayn?”
I turned on my heel to face him, a perfectly sculpted grin on my face. “Yea, buddy?”
Niall chuckled and said, “Are we still friends?”
“You and me?” Niall nodded. “Course we are. Always will be. If everything goes well today I’ll even take you out for drinks, k, mate?”
Niall smiled from ear to ear and it filled me with enough happiness to forget that Niall had ever done something wrong. I honestly just needed to forgive him. It happened a year ago, and what was done was done. Liam had told me so I would know just in case, but it was something that needed to be forgotten about now. Niall had handed over valuable information about our private lives to a reporter who could use it at any time to make Niall do anything she wanted.
Even though it was none of Niall’s business to tell a reporter that my grandfather had died of drug addiction or that Liam’s mother once sold a stolen pearl necklace. Those were things that should never be let out to the public, but Niall slipped up a long time ago. Time to forget what will not affect us now.
With a short nod to Niall I headed off in the direction Delia had a few minutes ago, knowing Harry must have followed. As I turned the corner, I stopped mid-step to hear Delia whispering quietly to Harry just a few feet away.
“How are feeling?”
Harry hesitated a while before answering. “Tired. Like usual. I’m really worried.”
“About the interview?” Delia asked softly.
“Would it be stupid to just say life in general?” They both laughed quietly, as if they were unsure whether to think that was funny or not. “I don’t know. I just… Will you wear these for me today? I don’t know if I… can.” There were a few moments of shuffling feet where I considered if I should stop eavesdropping on their conversation when Harry said, “You look really pretty today.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Harry asked, and I mentally begged him not to get angry. If Delia wanted him to back off today then he should, even though I was totally sure she was nuts for doing down my mate.
“Just don’t… not today.” Delia sounded tired. “I just want to help you, and be friends.”
“That’s not what I want, though.” Harry argued. “What if the best way for you to help me is to date me?”
“It isn’t, Harry.” Delia said fiercely, and I wondered how Harry or Louis found the strength to go up against her when she meant business. “Talking with you, and caring about you, and being there when you need me can help you. Dating you wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
“Why are you so stubborn?” Harry replied, and I wanted to shove a gag down his throat and carry him a safe distance away from the girl he liked too much. “You said that you cared about me and that I deserved better than what I got. I spilled everything to you last night and that doesn’t seem to matter to you?”
“It does matter.” Delia said. “You just don’t understand.”
No, actually I was the one who did not understand. What was going on between them that had Harry so upset?
“No, obviously I don’t.” Harry huffed.
“Harry, wait, take a deep breath and-“ I heard heavy footsteps heading in my direction and before I could even scurry off Harry was passing me without a second glance. His face was red and his wrists, usually covered with those bracelets of his, were bare. I peered around the corner and saw Delia furiously wiping at her eyes.
So… just a recap.
Liam was nowhere to be seen.
Louis was angry.
Harry was angry.
Delia was frustrated.
I was frustrated.
And Niall… well, he was still Niall.
All is going just perfect, then.
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*Niall’s P.O.V.*
All is going just perfect. I said to myself as we walked out onto the stage, hearing the audience cheering wildly for us.
All is just fine. A part of me knew that I was just trying to trick myself into a false sense of security, but the other greater part of me was being easily manipulated. I was almost too blind by the foolish optimism to find my seat. I sat down in the chair at the very end, and watched as Zayn sat next to me, Harry beside him, Louis, and finally Delia.
I was not blind enough, however, to miss the barely hidden scowl directed at Delia when he placed himself between her and Harry. The boy was getting more jealous, and definitely more obvious. At this moment, I was almost sure he had reached the peak of his boiling point, and would bubble over any minute.
“Hello, ladies and gentleman,” greeted a familiar man’s voice. I recognized it as Daniel’s even though I was too busy staring off into the crowd and waving at the fans. “I would like to welcome back One Direction to London Today!” The crowd went wild, but I could hear the majority of the fans asking the question on everyone’s mind.
“But guys, where is the beloved sixth member, Liam today?”
Louis was quick to recover, “He wasn’t feeling well. He hopes you can all forgive him.”
The crowd sighs in sympathy as all good fans would, and Daniel said, “Of course we can, poor lad. And I hope you can forgive Sandra, my beautiful co-host for not being with me today, but we do have a lovely guest to help me out. May I introduce Nicole Hartelle.”
I gasped at the sound of her name, and prayed to every being in the universe I had ever heard of that there was more than one Nicole, with the long black hair and porcelain skin. That there was more than one woman going by that name, and that this one was not the reporter who could ruin my career with a simple word. I wished so bad that there were.
As my eyes landed on her familiar smirking mouth, I knew that there was not.
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*Delia’s P.O.V.*
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
That was all I could focus on for the moment. If I let my thoughts stray to the fact that we had no idea where Liam was and he could be lying dead in a ditch somewhere then I may go into a panic attack on live television. Or if I began to replay what happened between Harry and I in my mind. I wanted to help him, and last night we stayed up talking, not about him, but about silly things, like why bananas do not just come pre-peeled and how Katy Perry ever got onto the pink cloud in the first place. It seemed to help him, and get his mind off things. One day we would really have to talk about why he did what he did, but until then I just wanted to be whatever he needed.
A girlfriend was not what he needed. I knew that better than he did. He had begun to push me on the matter this morning and I wanted to slap him for it. That was a horrible split second thought, but it still came and I hated that he even made me consider it. I hated him for trying to make me do something I could not do. I cannot fall for him, and even though part of me knows it would only take one move from him to make me fall completely, the other half hates him.
I absolutely hate Harry Styles… for making me love him so much.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
That was all I could do. The rest of my band were answering all the questions Daniel and that Nicole woman were asking, so I was not needed. I even noticed how Niall’s skin glistened with nervous sweat, or the way Zayn’s eyes glanced over the crowd every few seconds in fear, and Louis’ fidgeting hands never escaped my attention, and I knew they were all signs of panic. But I was not needed. I really had nothing to offer that would be of any help to this at all.
Daniel shot question after question, and I heard no sound beside the loud ringing in my ears, but Nicole’s eye-catching toss of her hair shut it off. It was like the silence before the storm as she said, “Niall, it is really nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Nicole.” He would not meet her eyes. It meant he was scared.
“How have you all been lately? Good? Bad? Horrible?” Her eyes darkened. “Don’t lie to me, babe.”
“It’s, uh… been somewhere between bad and horrible, I-I guess.” That was the wrong answer, and I knew that by the whispers in the crowd. The fans had no reason as to why he would say that. They were already wondering what we had kept from them. If they knew…
“And why is that, Niall?” The dark-haired woman purred. “Do tell me. Why is that?”
Niall glanced around the room, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. His hands never stilled, and once brushed Zayn’s fingers. I noticed because Zayn tensed and I knew that Niall had just given him a secret message, and he understood it.
After a complete minute, Niall caught each one of our eyes and mouthed, “Sorry”, before turning to Nicole.
“Because we aren’t getting along very well.” He said. “We all hated Delia at first, and I’m not sure how much better we’ve gotten since then. Maybe it’s worse. We don’t really get along. Some days I don’t feel like I even like the rest of them... or myself for that matter.” He mumbled the last part under his breath, and only the four people closest to me could hear him. Zayn was the only one who did not seem completely shocked.
The fans were looking at one another in surprise, checking to see if the person next to them had heard the same thing they did. One Direction were all best friends, and were happy together. That was what we had told them at least. They were wondering what else we had lied about. And if something like that was hidden from them, than could they really trust us.
“What?” someone from the audience said, and that broke the silence, as suddenly everyone was asking questions.
“Why is she in the band then?”
“What do you mean you aren’t getting along?”
“Why did you lie?”
“Are you breaking up?”
Some asked questions, but the majority were arguing that he was joking, and that it could not possibly be true. One Direction were perfect, and when exactly did that become an act? They were best friends, like family, and that was a reason I love them. I knew that was what they were thinking, because it was the things people screamed at me in the nightmares I had when Harry was gone. They yelled how much they hated us for pretending. And I thought it was right of them.
Nicole, meanwhile, was laughing. “Oh, believe me. It’s true, darlings.” she told the fans who had risen to their feet, but she was met with cries of outrage. “If you don’t believe dear ole Niall here, than see the proof for yourself.” A tv screen slid out from the wall, Nicole appearing with a remote, and suddenly I was watching the last month of my life being played before my eyes.
I saw four of us arguing in a dressing room as Zayn slipped out the back. I watched Harry roll his eyes when I spoke and mumble things under his breath. Louis pushed me into the stage trap with a pleased smirk. Liam ordered Niall to shut up when the blonde man insisted I was a witch, on the basis that Louis was right. Zayn convincing Liam not to talk to me. Louis asking Harry if he was starting to think “patronizing with the enemy” was an alright thing to do. I saw myself yelling at Louis, and at Zayn, and Niall behind the mall. Louis shot me the bird behind my back, and Niall snickered. Louis shot me the bird to my face and I threw a microphone eat him. Argument after heated discussion after sabotage. It was all on tape. Even the recording of a flight attendant retelling the argument that took place between Harry and I on the plane.
Not only the things they did to me, and I to them, but I also saw things I had never been aware of. Liam sneaking off in the middle of night, and a few times with Harry at his side. Zayn was caught several times in odd places without us, mostly walking into important looking buildings. Zayn angrily pushed Louis against a wall and told him to stop being so selfish, and Louis did the same with Niall, but told him to stop making fun of him. Harry walking into a public restroom with tears running down his face. The boys eating lunch together before bursting out into arguments. Even the simplest things, like glaring at each other, and walking farther apart than would be acceptable. It almost hurt to watch.
I knew that at times we had difficulties, but watching it all play out like this really put into perspective just how screwed we really were. I wished I could have seen this before it was shown on live television, maybe so I could have at least prepared.
“But what about what happened at Ed Sheeran’s concert?” screamed out a girl, bless her.
Daniel chuckled, “Most likely a stunt put together by their management. I’m sure that man had no intentions of hurting Delia.”
“Yea,” Louis retorted. “That’s why Harry went home with a black eye.” No one seemed to care what we had to say, though.
Niall leaned forward in his seat and said, “Let us explain what all happened-“
Zayn interrupted, “See, Delia was blackmailed-“
“Shh!” Daniel commanded and the two boys looked ready to kill. “No time for you to clean up your messes now. I believe you owe us something.”
“And what would that be?” Louis’ voice had reached a whole new octave and I swore at any moment one of the boys would throw themselves, hands outstretched, at Daniel or Nicole’s throat.
The hosts locked eyes a moment, longer than was necessary, before Daniel felt like explaining. “See, last time you were with us you played a game. Truth or dare. The rules were simple. If you refused to do a dare, or we found out that you lied to us, than you would have to do whatever we asked.”
Nicole smirked, tapping her long red nails on the desk in front of her, and said, “You lied, my dears.”
My heart was pumping, my head pounding, and all I could think was Oh crap oh crap oh crap like an alarm inside my head, because everything had gone wrong. I had been optimistic this morning, but I should have known this would happen the second Liam was late. Everything I had worked for over these five weeks was ruined, down the drains. It was hopeless, anyway, ever since our first night all together. This was never destined to play out as we planned.
Daniel smiled, a showing of teeth just as cold as the head of Modest’s. “Now, I know exactly what I want you to do.”
“And what is that exactly?” Louis questioned, eyes flaring with anger. That quickly disappeared as soon as Daniel spoke.
“You have to watch Harry and Delia kiss right here on live television.”
It was shocking that no one muttered a single word of complaint or defense. It would not have helped. The fans were repeating a chant of, “Derry Stylford”, which I could only guess resulted from Tori’s suggestion of the ship name on twitter and no one would be able to hear me say no over the screaming. Niall and Zayn shared confused glances, gaping mouths, as though they had just hopped on a tardis and become the twelfth doctor with no warning. Louis looked about three seconds away from a coma, and I hoped a paramedic could be on the scene soon, because he was about to be out cold.
Harry, the frickin idiot, was frowning. How dare him! This is what he wanted anyway, is it not? He gets to kiss me on live television and I get humiliated because the seconds our lips touch I know I will lose it. As hard as I have tried to deny it, I know how I feel about Harry and I know it would take one kiss for me to admit it to him. And show him how I feel. I was not strong enough yet to do that. I could not get hurt, so I could not tell Harry how I feel, and that means I could not kiss him. But what choice did I have? The hosts were right. We had lied to everyone, and now I am receiving my own personal punishment. It is only fair. I am going to make a fool of myself and get my heart broken all because I lied to protect a boy band.
There was really nothing I could do about it.
Harry, an unreadable look on his face, leaned around Louis, eyes trying to catch mine. I took a deep breath and leaned in, also, feeling like I was about to explode from all the pressure built up in my chest. Harry’s gorgeous full lips were only a few inches away from mine now, and any second the whole world would, but most importantly Harry would know how I felt.
My life was over anyhow.
Another deep breath and- a different pair of lips than the one I was looking at met mine roughly, hands grabbing the side of my head. Thin lips pressed against my mouth, they were soft and more feminine than Harry’s would have been. I knew that there was no way this was Harry kissing me this way. I jerked away from the grasp on my head and met the bright blue eyes of Louis Tomlinson.
They were gone within a second though as he turned to do the same to Harry as he did to me. Harry, however, was prepared and jumped out of his chair before Louis could grab him by the collar.
Harry was looking down at Louis in anguish, “What the heck, Lou?”
Louis did not reply, but instead just smiled. It was an unearthly wide grin, giving him a manic expression as he glanced around the room. He looked entirely too pleased for a boy who had kissed his enemy, than attempted to kiss his best friend.
“Louis!” Niall exclaimed, though he barely looked surprised, a bit more exasperated. Harry was staring at Zayn as though he might hold the answers, but neither could explain why Louis had done that and Louis looked very incapable of anything at the moment.
I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, and then, used the same hand to slap the back of Louis’, not even hard enough to bring him out of his happy stupor.
Louis had kissed me. And then tried to kiss Harry. Nope. It still made no sense. The only good thing about this was that the hosts behind the desk looked almost as surprised as we were, and because of their shock one of the cameramen shouted, “Cut to commercial!”
Now that we were off air, I expected Harry to lunge at Louis, to jerk him into responding and slap him hard across the face. Instead, Harry huffed and marched off the stage, swinging his arms angrily back and forth. It was Zayn who had the idea to yank Louis up by the shirt collar and drag him off the stage, the smaller boy making no noise of protest. I followed closely behind, Niall’s hand on my lower back leading me off stage. If the audience had made an outcry, or questioned what just happened I would not have heard it over the same questions ringing in my ears.
Why on earth did Louis Tomlinson kiss me?
Was he having some kind of mental breakdown?
The five of us entered a side room, filled with drinks and snacks for the quests and employees to use. Niall locked the door behind us, and suddenly all eyes were on Louis, who was watching the floor with a goofy smile.
“So...” I began. “Mental breakdown it is.”
Niall chuckled, but it was weak as he said, “Louis, why did you think that was going to solve anything? Do you really feel like that helped?”
Louis’ head snapped up now, making Niall jump back in surprise. His eyes narrowed in on Niall, and his tongue moved around in the corner of his cheek, looking for the words to say.
“We were all screwed, Niall.” Louis said. “What’s one more headliner?”
Harry looked on the edge of pulling his hair out, as Zayn’s phone rang in his back pocket. He turned and flipped it open.
“Why did you…” Harry questioned. “Why did? First off… Niall. What got into you? You spilled everything! Have you and Louis both gone mental?”
Niall groaned and slid down to sit on his ankles. “It’s a long story. I just… I had to do it.”
Louis noticed Harry’s frustration and reached out to tough his shoulder. “Listen, Harry-“
“No!” Harry screamed, and in his rush to move away from Louis, ended up toppling into the snack table, causing the many sweets and finger foods to topple into him. Niall rushed to his aid, but Harry slapped his hands away, and made a mess while getting up out of the floor.
“Don’t touch me, Niall.” he said threateningly. “In fact, I can’t even look at you or Louis right now. You’ve both ruined everything. Our careers could be down the drains right now because of you two.” The pair stared down at their shoes like scolded children, and I felt like doing the same.
Harry was pissed. And when Harry was mad, his voice got deeper and louder, his eyes a more vivid green, and with his towering height it was impossible not to be afraid. He was terrifying like this. Because of his anger, I was not even able to have my own. I should be angry that we ruined everything. I should feel depressed because everything I had worked for was gone. But I was emotionally drained. I could finally release the feeling in my chest after all this time. I no longer had to act, or lie, or pretend, because everything was out on the table. Well. Almost everything, but I could deal with the rest now. I felt clean for the first time since I met One Direction. I was relieved.
“What is wrong with you?” Harry yelled, and I cringed. “All of you! Delia, if you hadn’t lied to us, than we would never have hated you. And then they would not have had that video that made us look like complete villains and we wouldn’t be in this mess. And Niall, if you weren’t so comfortable sharing things with the world than you could learn to keep your mouth shut. And honestly Louis, I don’t even know what to say to you. You frickin kissed Delia! Are you insane? And then you actually tried to kiss me? I don’t even…” He took a deep breath before turning to the last person. “And Zayn, for crying out loud, would you get off your cellphone, we have more important things than Tetris to worry about.”
Zayn slowly turned around, his face drained of color, as his phone was pressed to his ear. He tried to form words, but his mouth just opened and closed soundlessly. I knew something was wrong without even asking. I ripped the phone from his hands and let the voicemail go on speaker and repeat itself.
A weak, raspy voice filled the room. “Z-Zayn... I know you’re probably doing the interview right n-now, but… I… I’m sorry. I m-messed up… The ambulance should be here soon… I-I’m sorry. I-I can h-hear them now, and I don’t… Please forgive me. I’ll be at Westside if y-you want-“ The line went dead, but not before the distant sounds of emergency sirens echoed in the distance.
As Liam’s voice left the room, a silence followed in its wake. The five of us shared glances, and suddenly nothing mattered but Liam. Our careers did not matter, or the media, or fans, or management, especially not who kissed who. The only important thing was Liam, and everything else could be put on hold.
Niall did not even hesitate to unlock the door before we were all running out of it, ignoring everyone who gave us strange looks. Harry began screaming for Paul or anyone who could drive us to the hospital. I felt someone shoving me through the exit and it did not matter who, because I knew it was someone who cared about getting to Liam just as much as I did. The black van appeared within view, and Harry grabbed my hand to pull me inside of it as the doors opened. The rest of the boys piled in, and then the van was driving away before Zayn could even pull the door closed.
“Drive faster, Paul!” Louis demanded, and I felt the van lurch forward.
“Do you think he’s okay?” I asked the four boys around me, but I was met with silence. After a few minutes of no replies, Harry tugged on my waist, and dragged me into his lap. I rested my head in the crook if his neck, and let his smell calm me down.
“Liam better be fine.” Louis growled as we turned a corner quickly. “So I can kill him for making me worry so much.” Only Niall chuckled, as the rest of us prayed in our own ways that he was fine.
“Dear God, please let him be alright.” I mumbled into Harry’s neck, and he must have heard me because he began to rock me back and forth soothingly.
The van pulled to a stop in front of an unfamiliar building, but seeing as how I had no reason before now to visit the London hospital it should look a bit unfamiliar. The van door opened wide, and Harry pulled me out, barely letting my feet touch the ground. I read the Emergency sign on the doors before they slid open for us, and we were running inside. We passed a lobby filled with sickly people, and people complaining of broken arms as we made our way to the front desk. Everyone was staring at us, either because we were famous or simply because we were five teenagers running in a terrified frenzy through the room.
Either way, they would be no use in trying to stop us, security or not. We would be getting to Liam whether they wanted us to or not. From our speed, Harry and I crashed right into the front desk, breathlessly, asking questions before we had any air.
“Li- He… Where?”
“Payne… Quick!”
The lady stared up at us in fright, eyes flitting back and forth between, trying to figure out in what way to respond to our gibberish. Thankfully, Zayn was there in the next second and said with articulation:
“We’re looking for a Liam Payne. Could you tell us in which room we could find him, please, ma’am?”
She nodded graciously, impressed with his manners, and shot a Harry and me an agitated look before beginning to type something into her computer. I heard Harry scoff beside me, but I was already hopping up and down on my heels, wishing that I knew where Liam was now.
“Are you family?” The woman asked, staring up at us at the same time Louis and Niall raced up behind us.
Louis never missed a beat. “Of course we’re his family. It’s quite obvious don’t you think?”
The woman bestowed upon him the same look that she gave Harry and me and I heard a similar scoff. She shrugged, and said, “I guess it doesn’t matter. He isn’t in ICU. You can see him, though he should be checking out in a few minutes. No need to rush really-“
Niall cut her off, “What room, ma’am?”
“He’ll be down any moment if you would just wait-“
I had had enough. “Listen, I’m sure you’ve been quite busy, and had to deal with people far more impatient than us. And I for one, would hate to even put up with us, but if you could, just tell us where we can find him.” I smiled at her pleadingly. “He’s our best friend, and whether he’s checking out or not, we just need to see for ourselves. You understand, right?”
She did not hesitate to give me a sympathetic smile and then said, “Room 331.”
“Thanks!” All five of us shouted over our shoulders for as soon as the first number had left her lips we were racing towards the elevator. She had told us he would most likely be down any minute, but I needed to see with my own eyes to know that he was alive, and that my worst fears had not come true. I had only know Liam for a month, but you only needed a few minutes to see how great he is, and just an hour to love him. That record was beaten only by Niall with thirty five minutes.
Harry still had my hand firmly in his when he pressed the elevator button, and he began muttering, “This lift is taking forever.” Zayn had his arm around Niall, who had his eyes closed shut, like he could block out whatever mental images had been put there of Liam in the hospital. Louis had his hand on Zayn’s shoulder, and I was about to send them both a weak smile when the elevator doors dinged and open with a hiss. Harry was so quick to rush inside of it that he ran tripped right over the feet of someone in a wheelchair and toppled into the floor.
“Watch out, you diphead,” Liam said. “I’m in a bloody wheelchair for God’s sake.” I ignored Harry’s extra-long body stretched out on the ground and leaped into Liam, wrapping my arms around his neck.
I squeezed tightly, causing him to groan, and I quickly moved away, thinking I had caused him pain. I looked him over, seeing that he had a large white patch on his forehead and a cast around his left wrist. His left hand was placed on his stomach, like something had caused him pain there, but other than that and a few cuts and bruises, he looked like he would live.
The nurse attempted to push Liam out of the elevator, but in the next second Zayn and Niall had flung themselves onto him, hugging him and slapping his back in that brotherly way guys found to manly up a hug. When the two pulled away, Louis moved in, and instead of simply hugging him he climbed into his lap and curled up there like he was a cat that had found a new perch.
“Umm…Lou?” Liam asked, chuckling.
“Are you alright?” Louis grabbed his cheeks, and inspected his face closely.
“Hey, you aren’t going to kiss him now are you?” Harry muttered as he lifted himself off the ground, rubbing the back of his neck.
Louis ignored him and instead repeated the question. “Are you alright, Li?”
“Yea, I’m fine.”
“Good,” Louis smirked and then slapped Liam hard across the face.
“What the heck?” Liam yelled as Louis jumped from his reach, backing up as the wheelchair rolled out through the doors.
“That’s for making me worry so much,” Louis explained. “Don’t every do that again. Zayn almost killed me because I couldn’t stop asking where you could have gone and if you were okay.”
Zayn smirked at the memory, “Yea, I did.”
Niall politely took the wheelchair from the nurse and she nodded at us as she walked away, allowing us to push Liam down an empty hallway.
“I’m really sorry, guys.” Liam began as soon as we were clear of anyone else. “I didn’t mean to-“
“Quit apologizing.” I commanded, and reached out to pat his shoulder. “You must have a really good excuse for not showing up.”
“Yea, man.” Zayn said. “What happened?”
Liam sighed deeply, which must have hurt, because he grabbed his side and inhaled softer and released the air slowly. He mustered, “I was walking to the studio from Danielle’s, when these three huge guys cornered me and started beating me up. I was knocked out for at least a good half hour, but then I came to and called the paramedics, and then I called Zayn’s phone because I knew he would check it first thing.”
My mouth dropped to the floor, figuratively of course, from the news that he had actually been beaten up. Who would want to hurt Liam?
“Were they those guys after Lake?” Harry asked, and the two boys met eyes, and shared a few words through eye contact, a trait I had learned to do myself from watching them.
“Wait… Who’s Luke?” I blurted.
“Lake,” Liam corrected, and I shrugged since I had always been horrible with names. “He’s this kid I used to box with. He got caught up with some bad things a few years back, and he came to me for help. I wasn’t much until Harry came along and now Lake is fine and safe, thanks to him. But…I guess people were still after him, and when they couldn’t find him settled for me. I’m just glad they didn’t get to you, Harry.”
“I would rather they had,” Harry shook his head, but when he looked up he recognized the teasing smirk on Liam’s mouth. “I could’ve fought them off better than you, Li, and you know it. Better than you at least. They knocked you out.”
Liam chuckled, “But I was holding my own for a while.”
Harry smirked, “Yea? What’s the damage?”
Liam frowned now, remembering the injuries. “Nothing bad. I got a slight concussion and a few bruised ribs. But my wrist that got hurt at the concert did snap this time, and I’ll be wearing this stupid cast for a good month. I’ll still be able to sing though.”
“If we still have any fans to sing to.” Louis muttered, and the reality of what had happened at the interview began to sink in again now that I remembered what happened. What fans would want to stick around after they had been lied to?
“What?” Liam looked at Louis, confused. “What went down with London Today? Everything go alright?”
“Peachy,” I mumbled and no one else seemed to want to add their comments, so I continued. “We all screwed up, Liam. The worst was bound to happen, and it sure did.”
Niall suddenly slammed into the wall behind him and slid to the ground, hands clutching his blonde hair down to the darker roots. “And it’s my entire fault.”
“That was her, wasn’t it?” Zayn questioned him, moving closer to the boy. I was confused once again.
Niall nodded, and Zayn took it upon himself to explain to the rest of the class. “That woman, Nicole, was a reporter. She talked with Niall a long time ago, and he told her some information about us that shouldn’t be said. Mostly family stuff, like divorces and who gave birth at wedlock type of things that we wouldn’t want getting out for the sake of our families. And some stuff about who failed geography and who questioned their sexuality in year 5, but the point is she had that over him. He either had the option of saying what she wanted him to say, or she could spill everything on live television.”
After a long silence of everyone staring at Niall, whose head was hidden under his arms in shame, I spoke up. “Well I think he made the right decision. Blackmail really sucks.”
Niall nodded snort from beneath his arms. “Got that right.” He looked up, and I saw that his usually pink cheeks were stained with tears, and more were coming from his eyes. “I-I’m really sorry, lads. I’m an idiot, I know, but… please don’t hate me. Y’all are my brothers, and I can’t lose you.”
I watched as Louis motioned for a group huddle between them, and him, Harry, and Zayn all gathered around Liam’s wheelchair and started whispering. Niall glance up at me in terror, but I sent him a reassuring smile that seemed to calm him down.
Louis whipped around after a few seconds, and said, “We have reached a verdict!” I giggled a bit as Louis went on to announce, “You’re cute so we forgive you.”
Niall jumped up, laughing in joy, and collided with Louis, who could barely support his weight enough to hug him back, but was assisted when the rest of the boys all joined in. Excluding Liam, of course, but he placed his hand on Niall’s hip and was pretty much there in spirit. The hugging went from sweet and adorable to a full on wrestling match in a split second, and soon they were on the floor, laughing and pushing each other. I giggled harder and Liam was dying from laughter, clutching his ribs from the pain it took to do so.
Once the boys were off the floor, Niall got back behind Liam’s wheelchair and we walked to the exit in a group, Liam leading the way, and I was in the middle like they were making sure I was safe. The first time they ever did this, I felt like they were trying to keep me from running away, and granted, I might have tried to. But now, it just felt like I was in the middle, because I safe with them, and it was where I belonged, like Louis had said a long time back. I guess Louis had ended up being right about one thing after all.
It was pouring rain when we stepped outside the hospital and I once again cursed the bi-polar weather of England as it always seemed to change its mind every hour. The sky was dark and dreary as we stepped underneath the awning, waiting for Paul to pull up in the familiar black van I related with safety and comfort. The water bounced off the concrete and splatted at my feet, just within the dry area the above roofing formed, and the cars passing on the road to my left had their windshield wipers on full speed. It looked like it would be a bad day for London from such intense rain this early in the afternoon. It was pretty much a bad day all around.
“You know what caused this,” I stated, and five pairs of eyes turned on me. “Not telling each other everything. I didn’t tell you I was blackmailed, so you hated me. Niall didn’t tell anyone but Liam and Zayn that he was being blackmailed, so he had to tell everyone that we lied. Liam didn’t tell anyone except for Harry about Blake, so he got beat up. Zayn has a few things he needs to share, which caused him to distance himself away from us. Harry is having a bit of a rough time, though none of you seemed to notice, and that’s doing no one any good. And Louis… well he tried to kiss Harry so who knows what kind of messed up things are happening inside his head.”
“What?” Liam exclaimed at that last bit of information. “You tried to kiss Harry? Dude!
Niall laughed like Liam’s reaction was the funniest thing on the planet. “He actually managed to kiss Delia.”
“You kissed Delia? I can’t believe I missed that.”
“I sure wish I had,” I shuddered dramatically, but continued on with what I was saying before. “But we can discuss that later, the point is that we need to be honest with each other, because if we are going to survive this we have to stick together. Management is against us, media wants to ruin us, fans may hate us, but when it comes down to it, we have to be there for each other, because we are all in the same situation. So, no more secrets, alright?”
I am such a horrible person. I am telling them to be honest when I fully intend to continue keeping secrets from them. I am a truly despicable person, and yet I am not taking back what I said, nor am I telling them anything. Some things are not meant to be said.
Harry smiled down at me, and smiled, “Agreed. No more secrets.”
Niall nodded, “You got it.”
Liam was next. “Anything to keep me from getting beaten up again.”
Louis agreed, also, “Deal.”
Zayn was last, and I met his eyes, and noticed how his hand fidgeted in his pocket, most likely digging around for the usual cigarettes and lighters that I had confiscated from him. He finally huffed, “Yea, sure.”
I grinned widely at them, the five people that had become major parts of my life, and were the members of the biggest boy/ girl band in the world. If anyone had suddenly walked onto the scene and was seeing us for the first time, they would assume we were a bunch of best friends, who loved and cared for one another, and we had just done something that made us all very happy.
But the truth was: We were just a bunch of liars. And we all knew it even as we stared each other in the eyes and smiled.
Paul drove up in the black van, and greeted us, asking what had happened and how we were. We told him what we thought he should know, about what happened with Liam, and that Niall had been blackmailed and left it at that. Liam got into the van by himself, which made us all cheer, and, after taking the borrowed wheelchair back inside, Paul got in the van and began to pull away from the hospital.
I was finally able to relax now. Although I had no idea where I was going now, or what would happen next, though undoubtedly it would not be something fun, but I was alright. I had never wanted to be In One Direction, but even after everything that had happened, I would still step up and sing for them. If I were to go back in time, to the direct moment that change everything, I would still start singing to save their lives. I would still do it. It had been worth it after all. I loved these five boys was too much to regret anything now. This was my life now, and I was more than happy to go with it. Like Tori and my mother had said, this was a chance of a lifetime, and I just had to make the most of it. And if I had to be honest, there was no other life I would rather have if these five singing idiots were not a part of it.
I was nestled in between Liam and the window, with Harry across from me, the usual seating, staring out the window when I felt it. I shifted in my seat a few times, and heard the same rustling coming from the pockets of my jacket. I dug into several pockets before finding the right one, and pulled from it a folded up piece of paper.
I stared at the wrinkled paper in my hands curiously, wondering how it had gotten in the inside pocket of my zipped up jacket, but decided it was probably some to-do list that had been long forgotten about it. I glanced up to see Louis fast asleep on Zayn’s shoulder, a good few inches away from Harry, since neither seemed to want to make any contact with the other. Harry had his eyes closed but I knew he was not asleep, simply because I knew what he looked like asleep and that pained expression was not the right one. Zayn had his head in a book about angels and demons, but his fingers were twitching, like they were hungry to find a hidden cigarette somewhere. Liam was asleep on Niall, and Niall was bopping his head along to some loud music, and from what I could hear of it I guessed it was “Try Hard” by 5sos.
I used this one chance that no one was looking at me to unfold the paper, though I did not think it was anything important at the moment, I guess it was just a foreboding feeling, and glanced at the writing scrawled in the middle:
Your time is running out, Delia.
-Death to 1D.
A/N: OMG!!!! GUYS, THIS WAS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE NEW MEMBER!! I CAN’T BELIEVE I FINISHED IT!!!
This was the first book I ever finished, so I am very proud of myself. I really hope you liked it. I would really love to hear feedback about my book in its whole, like if you liked the building up to the climax, or if it needed more action or humor or if you loved it or whatever!!! Please tell me!!!
And yes, there will be a sequel, if that wasn’t obvious by how I ended the chapter and the fact that Harry is still messed up in the head, Zayn is still going solo, and people are still out to kill them… and that’s just a tiny bit of the drama in store for the next book.
If you really want the sequel soon, tell me, and I’ll try to start it as soon as possible, but I will need some comments first:) If there are, I will try to post the summary on here.
Thank you for sticking with my book, and all the comments and votes and reads I have received. I love you all so much for all you have done to encourage me and feel like someone actually cares about reading what I have to write. You are all so amazing and I can’t wait to continue this adventure with you in the sequel.
All the love in the world,
-Lisle