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An entire month had flown by, as it was now in the midst of July. The events over the past few weeks had to be altered because of Liam's drunken rage. Louis had to take a week and a half off of performing because of his fractured rib. After the injury to her hip, Eleanor stayed in the hospital much longer than Louis. Her injuries caused by Liam were not as severe as Louis', however, it took her longer to heal because of the cancer.
Though Louis could never truly and completely forgive Liam, he decided to make amends with him after Liam begged for forgiveness every day. The words that were said to Liam by Eleanor had hit him quite hard, and he realized daily how much he wished he could take it back. Since that time, he had not touched alcohol of any type and surely didn't plan on it either. The revelation of Liam's dark side scared him deeply, and he never wanted it to be released again. He and Niall had even confronted Danielle and confessed about breaking into her house. They apologized to her and made it even by replacing everything they damaged in the house. Liam even gave her a check for her to spend it how she'd like, as he knew he didn't care about having excessive amounts of money for himself.
The slightest bit of sunlight that peeked from behind the clouds shined in through Eleanor's window and onto her face as she awoke in her bed. Though it was mid-summer, her flat was quite chilly, as she cuddled up with her duvet and tried to stay warm. As she stretched, jolts of pain went through her body. Her muscles felt weaker and more stiff than usual. With a final sigh, she got up out of the bed and over to the thermostat. Her teeth chattered as she walked across the cold hardwood floor and over to turn up the temperature.
She then made her way to the bathroom, stopping to take a look in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were more prominent than ever. Her bare head looked strange as small fuzzy brown hairs were grown in splotches. She had not done anything to her hair since shaving it off over a month ago. Every day, she either stayed in her flat and left it bald or went out and put on her wig.
Looking at her reflection, she began to make silly faces. She put on a smile to see if she looked remotely pretty. She stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes. Walking back to her bed, she grasped her left shoulder as it throbbed.
She plopped down on her bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. As she hit the home button on her iPhone, the lock screen lit up and she saw that it was past 11 in the morning. She rolled her eyes, she hated sleeping so late and being so tired all of the time, but it was because of the chemo. She scrolled through her listed notifications and saw that there were countless numbers of messages, tweets, and missed calls to her.
Eleanor furrowed her brow and scrolled back up to the top of the lock screen. The date at the top was Tuesday, July 16th. It was her birthday. Feeling foolish, she hit herself in the forehead. Her mind was still all over the place, and the numerous medications that she was on surely didn't help.
She went to her recent calls and looked at the first name to pop up. The first call that she made a point to return was to her mother. Clicking the contact name, she waited for an answer. After a few rings, Kim picked up on the other line.
"Hello, sweetheart. Happy Birthday!" she said to her brightly.
"Thanks, mum. I love you." Eleanor responded with a smile on her face.
"How are you feeling today?" her mother asked with care.
Eleanor felt her shoulder and her stomach throb just thinking about how she felt. She shook it off and responded with a lie. "I'm feeling great. I won't let anything hold me back today."
Kim smiled lightly. "That's great to hear, darling. Well, we shall be coming over to your flat in a couple of hours."
"Sounds great, mum. I love you." Eleanor said.
"I love you too, Eleanor." she responded, hanging up the phone.
Eleanor went back to her missed calls and saw that she had also gotten calls from Louis. Clicking his contact name, she put the phone up to her ear. Almost instantly, he picked up on the other line.
"Hello?" he said.
"Well hi there, love." El replied.
"Is there something you wanted?" he asked her with sass.
She laughed. "Oh, is that how we're gonna be today? Was there something you were looking to tell me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." he said, smirking.
Eleanor laughed again and cleared her throat. "My birthday..."
"Oh, is that today?" he teased. "I'd no clue."
"Really? I'm sure you left me over 4 calls, 6 text messages, and even a tweet because you had no clue that today was my birthday..." she said, raising her eyebrow in victory.
"Dammit..." he laughed. "You got me. I suppose I need to work on my ninja skills a bit."
"Yes, yes. You most certainly do." she chuckled.
On the other line, she could hear muttering and quiet whispers. Louis then hit the button to put El on speakerphone.
"Hello?" she asked. "Louis?"
In that instant, five familiar voices began singing together into the phone. "Happy Birthday to you!"
"Oh, God...no." she sighed.
"Happy Birthday to you!" they continued in harmony.
"Please, boys..." she laughed.
"Happy Birthday, dear Eleanor..." all five sang, holding out the last note.
Eleanor's face was red with embarrassment. "This isn't necessary at all."
"Happy Birthday to you!!" they finished.
"Thank you so much!" she chuckled. "You boys are all insane, and I miss all of you. Hope everyone is doing well. Much love!"
They said their goodbyes and Louis took her off of speakerphone.
"So, how are you feeling today, babe?" he asked.
"Well, there's no way I'd be able to lie and say that didn't brighten my entire day." she said through her smile. "I'm doing just fine."
"I hate that I can't be there with you today. You know if I could, I would." he admitted. "If we didn't have a show in two days, I'd fly all the way back to London just to be by your side."
"It's alright, I understand." she assured him. "I'm sure you'll make it up to me the next time we are together..."
"Mmmm. Indeed, I will." he laughed mischievously.
"Oh, is that a promise? I certainly hope it is...for my sake." she laughed. "Oh! May I speak with Liam?"
"Sure, yeah." he said, calling Liam over to him. "Here he is. Be quick, you know I don't like to share."
Eleanor snickered at his joke and rolled her eyes. Liam approached Louis with a smile and grabbed the phone.
"What's up, babe?" he said.
"Just checking in on you." she responded lightly. "You sound quite dapper...that's definitely a good sign."
Liam smiled. "Glad to see that your words helped, yeah? They truly did, Eleanor. I know that I can be quite stubborn at times and act like a prat. But I decided that you were ultimately right...and I realized that you only had my best interest at heart. It's still a struggle, but hell, one day at a time and it all turns out better."
"I'm so proud of you, Liam." she admitted. "If you ever need anything else, I'm here for you."
As Liam began to speak, Louis cleared his throat in an attempt to be nonchalant. Liam got the message and laughed.
"Your lover is suggesting that I'm taking up too much of your time together." Liam said to her. "Happy Birthday, again. Love you."
He handed the phone back to Lou and gave him a playful shove before walking away.
"You'll call me later, yeah?" Louis said, holding the phone back up to his ear.
"Absolutely." Eleanor said.
"Alright, good." he smiled. "I pray you'll have a lovely time today. You deserve it more than anyone. I love you."
"And I love you as well." she smiled. "Goodbye, Louis. Have a good time with the boys. Try to stay out of trouble."
"Oh, well I don't know how much I can promise you about that last part." he teased. "I'll talk to you later, Eleanor."
They both hung up the phone and Eleanor couldn't help but smile. She felt more than blessed to have Louis and the rest of the boys in her life. Taking her own advice, she had to stay positive and never let anything bring her down. She stood from the bed and a sharp pain stabbed in the left side of her abdomen. Crying out in pain, she immediately sat back down onto the bed.
She was strong, but she wasn't superhuman. She wouldn't let her pride get in the way of her health. Picking up the phone, she dialed the number of her doctor and placed an appointment within the hour.
**********
After driving straight to the health offices, Eleanor sat in the waiting area of the building for nearly an hour. She scrolled through her mentions on twitter, surprised that most of them were fair. She then came across a tweet that stood out to her. In it, the person was speculating what had been happening to her for her to be at the hospital so much.
Swallowing hard, she typed "Eleanor hospital" into the twitter search box. Her face drained of color as she saw that people were beginning to catch on to her strange activity. Most of the tweets were stating that she was pregnant, while others suggested that she may be sick. Her hands shook and her stomach churned as she didn't know what to do about it. Was she really ready to tell the world about her condition? How would they take it? Would people see her differently?
As all of these questions rushed through her mind, a small voice came from beside her.
"Hi." a young girl said, sitting down in the seat beside her.
The girl looked fairly young, as she was short and skinny. She had a bandana wrapped around her head, covering the lack of hair on her scalp. Her skin was pale and the bags under her eyes were purple. She was very clearly sick, having some form of cancer.
"Well hello there." Eleanor said, smiling to the child.
"My name is Lilly." she spoke softly. "I'm seven years old."
"I'm Eleanor." she laughed. "I'm 20...well, no. Scratch that, I suppose I'm 21 today."
"I know who you are. You're Louis Tomlinson's girlfriend...and you're very, very pretty." she blushed, then dropped her head. "Today is your birthday? I'm sorry, I should know this...I get my days confused some times. Happy Birthday."
"Thank you so much, and it's okay. I can understand that." she assured her. "So, what brings you here?"
"I have this golf ball in my head. Well, I mean, it's not like an actual golf ball or anything, that'd be insane. But it's a tumor in my head and it makes me really sick all of the time." Lilly ranted. "Have you ever played golf? I've always wanted to, but I never got the chance..."
"Well, yes. I've been to play a few times in my life." El said. "I hope you get well soon."
"Thanks, it's okay though." Lilly stated. "What about you? Why are you here?"
Eleanor looked around, uneasy, then whispered. "Well, I'm actually sick too." she said, pulling back her wig the slightest bit to show Lilly that she had lost her hair. "But you can't tell anyone."
"Why don't you want anyone to know?" she asked curiously.
Eleanor exhaled loudly, stumped by the question. "Well...I guess...I guess I'm just a bit scared."
"What's there to be scared of?" she asked, her voice still peppy.
"Hmmm...I don't know." El said, feeling foolish. "I suppose I'm worried what people will think once they see the real me..."
"Eleanor, I think you're the most beautifulest girl in the entire world. No matter if you're sick, you're still gonna be the same pretty girl." Lilly said, smiling to her.
Tears filled the rim of Eleanor's eyelids. "Thank you, Lilly. That's very sweet of you."
Lilly nodded her head and looked down, twiddling her thumbs.
Eleanor took a deep breath and continued. "You mean to tell me that you never worry at all?"
"Well, when I first found out about being sick, I was just really confused." she confessed. "When I got a little older, I understood more and kinda worried. But not really anymore."
Eleanor smiled and shook her head to herself. There she was sitting there, full of fear and anxiousness, while a seven year old sat beside her full of bravery. She couldn't help but to feel ridiculous, knowing she needed to face her fears and move on.
Lilly smiled as she spoke again. "Besides, aren't you so excited to see heaven? I bet it's so lovely there."
As Eleanor smiled back to her, tears fell from her eyes.
"Why, yes...I do suppose I am." Eleanor responded through her tears.
"Why are you crying?" Lilly asked, confused.
Eleanor shook her head and smiled. "You're just...a very sweet girl. I'm happy to have met you."
A woman walked from the office window and approached them. "Alright, Lilly. I'm all set. Are you ready to go home?"
"Hi, mom. This is Eleanor." she said happily.
Eleanor wiped the tears from her face and greeted Lilly's mother.
Lilly turned to face El. "Can I...Do you mind if I get a picture with you?"
"Oh, I don't mind at all!" she said, smiling. "Only if I can get one on my phone too!"
Eleanor fixed her makeup from where she had cried, and took the picture with Lilly. They exchanged contact information for future reference. Saying goodbye, Lilly and her mother left the building. Soon after, they finally called for Eleanor to go see the doctor. She named off multiple symptoms that she had been feeling lately, and especially throughout the day.
"So, pressure in the stomach and pain in the left shoulder, yeah?" he asked, checking over his notes one last time.
"Yes, that's about it." she responded
"Well, by the looks of it, it seems that you have a swollen spleen." he informed. "It is very common for leukemia patients to have this. One of the spleen's normal functions is to remove worn-out blood cells from the bloodstream. If leukemia or other diseases cause the spleen to become too large, it may become too active in removing blood cells, leading to a shortage of red blood cells or platelets. So, taking out the spleen may improve red blood cell and platelet counts in some patients."
"I'm going to need surgery?" she asked worriedly.
"Well, first we have to send you over to the hospital for further testing. If it is an enlarged spleen that is causing you this trouble, then you will have to have a splenectomy." he explained to her, as she sat with wide eyes before him. "Now, it doesn't seem as if the condition of the spleen is in extreme danger right now, so odds are you wouldn't have the surgery today."
"Good..." she said lightly.
"However, since they will be doing further testing today, you will have to be admitted to the hospital and stay overnight. If your spleen is swollen, they will prep you today and do surgery tomorrow." he said regretfully.
"Right..." she whispered. "Right, of course."
After leaving the doctor's office, she made her way over to the hospital. While driving, she called Dani, Louis, and her mum to tell them what was going on. They were all disappointed and worried, and Eleanor assured them all that it was going to be okay.
"Happy Birthday to me..." Eleanor sighed to herself.
**********
The hours passed, night fell, and it was time to party in Chicago. All five of the boys headed over to a house party, hosted by a girl who Niall had previously talked to. Niall had already done two lines of coke before arriving to the house. They knocked on the door and were automatically greeted by smiling faces who offered them beers.
Walking in the house, they could smell marijuana burning and liquor pouring. Zayn and Louis' face lit up as they inhaled the familiar scent. Liam and Harry raised their eyebrows as they saw that there were over 30 people scattered around the house. Niall smiled as he saw the host of the party approaching him.
"Hello, Ashley." he said, nodding to her.
Ashley was about 5'2 with blonde hair, her natural dark roots beginning to peek out at the top. She looked like the typical pretty high school girl, with the typical slim body figure.
"Hey, Niall...boys." she smiled as she looked at the other four guys.
Harry chimed in. "It was very lovely of you to invite us here tonight."
"Oh, it's no problem. You guys can go ahead and get settled in, help yourself to the booze and drugs." she said, winking to them. "You guys do drink, right?"
"These lads?" Niall laughed aloud. "Oh yeah, they'd drink out of a hooers boot or even suck a wet beermat..."
Ashley furrowed her brow. "What?"
"That's his mick banter coming out of him. Just ignore it...we all do." Liam teased.
"Hey now, respect the Irish." Niall stated, laughing. "Well, I'll see you boys around."
He wrapped his arm around Ashley's shoulder and walked away, picking up a beer from the cooler. Louis looked beside him to Harry and laughed.
"What?" Harry said.
"I suppose we should keep our distance..." Lou smiled. "We apparently don't have a good reputation with one another during house parties."
Harry snickered. "Oh, piss off."
They laughed and walked in the house further, approaching the kitchen. Harry grabbed beers and passed them along to the rest of the boys. When Zayn stretched out his arm to hand one to Liam, he shook his head.
"I'm pullin' it old school tonight, boys. No drinking for me." he insisted.
"Oh. Suit yourself..." Harry said, putting the beer back into the cooler.
They branched off from one another, deciding to mingle around the house. Nearly an hour had ticked away, and all four boys were buzzing. Zayn and Louis made their way onto the back porch by themselves, taking a seat on the patio chairs. Harry and Niall were in the back room with Ashley and her friend, Holland. Meanwhile, Liam was in the kitchen chatting with the few sober lot that was there.
Holland returned to the back room, with a bottle of vodka and shot glasses in her hands. Niall rubbed his nose as he had just done another line of coke, his sixth one of the night. She shut the door behind her and grinned.
"Shots for everyone!" she shouted to the three others, who laid on the bed.
"Oh, I dunno, Hol..." Ashley sighed. "I'm feeling good already."
Holland burst into laughter and mocked her. "Bitches be like, 'I'm so fucked up! I'm done for the night!'"
Harry and Niall raised their eyebrows and glanced at each other. Niall shrugged and they both laughed.
"Shut up!" Ashley responded, smiling.
"Take the damn shot and I will..." Holland retorted.
They all stood from the bed and walked over to the nightstand, filling their shot glasses to the brim. Giving each other a cheers, they threw back the shot and swallowed. Holland and Ashley had their faces scrunched as they slammed their glasses back onto the nightstand. They all four shivered and shook it off as the shot burned all the way down.
"Bloody hell, that's some strong stuff!" Harry said, shaking his head.
Outside on the back porch, Zayn and Louis were sat having another beer. Louis sat his beer down on the small glass table between them. He reached into his right pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
"Oh, cigarettes? Really, Tommo..." Zayn laughed.
"When have you ever known me to carry around a pack of cancer sticks?" Louis teased. "I'd like to think of myself a bit classier than that..."
Louis opened up the top of the carton, grabbing at something inside. He had a sly grin on his face as he pulled out a blunt from inside. Zayn's face lit up and he smiled.
"Ah, I like how you think." Zayn grinned.
"Don't you ever doubt me for a second, Malik." he responded, laughing.
He grabbed a lighter from the cigarette carton and flicked it, running the flame up and down the length of the blunt once more. After that, he put it to his lips and lit the tip of it, taking a hard drag. He inhaled again, allowing the smoke to set into his lungs. With ease, he exhaled the remaining smoke and smiled.
"On. Point." Louis laughed.
He took another puff before handing it over to Zayn. He took a puff and dragged it in to his lungs, then blew out.
"Yeah?" Louis said.
"Oh, yes." Zayn smiled, taking another puff.
He dragged it in again, before he began coughing. Louis shook his head, laughing.
"Sorry, it's been a while..." Zayn suggested, passing the blunt back to him.
Louis grabbed it and took another puff. "So, what's gotten you all off lately?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I just mean...I dunno, you seem to be distanced...more so than usual." Louis winked.
"I guess it's just everything..." he stammered. "It's just been overwhelming lately, you know? Everything is just starting to hit hard."
"How do you mean?" Lou asked, putting the blunt to his lips again.
"Everything's been crazy...you know how I get. It just makes me really uncomfortable. I know the fans have pretty much been insane since day one, but all the drama and media..." he explained. "I dunno, I just don't think I'm quite cut out for this...being famous."
"Ah, don't say that..." Louis frowned.
"No, like seriously. I don't really know how much longer I can handle it all." he said, grabbing the blunt from Lou's fingers. "I love singing...I love being with you boys, but it's just all of the other stuff that makes me miserable."
"I understand what you mean." he responded, nodding his head. "But it's okay. I mean, we are all going through it...together. I've got your back, mate...and I've got the weed, which is just as important."
They both burst into laughter and continued to "puff, puff, pass."
In the back room, all four of them were all clearly drunk as their heads spun and their words slurred.
Niall was ranting in his high and drunken state. "You know, I just really don't like him. He'd live in your ear and sublet your eardrum..."
"What the hell is he talking about?" Holland whispered to Harry.
He rolled his eyes. "Absolutely no idea...he gets this way when he's drunk."
"I'm getting bored...if I lay here on this bed any longer, I'm probably going to pass out." Ashley said, hopping up from the bed and stumbling around. "Plus, I can't fucking breathe in this dress. Someone help me out of it, please. I feel like a snake person..."
"What?!" Holland laughed.
"You know, like when those big ass snakes like wrap around you and suffocate you...that's how I feel right now..." she mumbled.
Niall stood up, off balance, and tried to focus on the zipper of her dress. He finally found it and pulled it down, releasing her from being so tied up. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Niall." she said to him as he plopped back onto the bed.
Ashley stood there in only her bra and a thong, and she felt liberated. She then reached down and unclasped her bra, throwing it across the room. She laughed aloud and twirled around.
"Woah, woah!" Harry said, laughing.
"Oh my god, Ashley!!" Holland shouted through laughter.
She twirled around again and fell onto the bed, laying next to Niall. He blushed and shook his head, laughing at her.
Holland chimed in, slurring her words. "Okay, I'll admit...I'm drunk as fuck, but I'm still not 'bout that life!"
Niall furrowed his brow. "What's that rubbish you're sayin' over there?"
"What, you've never heard that?" she said, looking to Niall and Harry. "'Bout that life?"
They both glanced at each other and shook their heads.
"Oh my God!" Holland exclaimed in shock. "What, do you British people live under a fucking rock or something?"
"Hey, I'm from Ireland!" Niall shouted.
"Well, you've never heard the expression either, so you're just as irrelevant." she laughed.
"Ah, whatever. It's still nonsense..." he responded.
Holland turned towards him and laughed. "What?! You're the one over there talking about damn ear wax or some shit like that..."
Suddenly, Ashley screamed at the top of her lungs and sat up in the bed.
"What is it?!" Niall asked.
Ashley looked down at her bare chest. "One of my boobs looks smaller than the other..."
Niall was cackling and the other two shook their heads, smiling at her stupidity. Then, out of nowhere, Niall grabbed Ashley and kissed her on the lips. Harry and Holland immediately stopped laughing, raising their eyebrows in shock.
"Well, I'll leave you two be..." Harry said, interrupting the kiss.
"Ah, c'mon...stay a while, Harry." Niall begged.
"Please?" Ashley said, smiling.
Harry shook his head and stood. "Nah, I'll give you some privacy..."
"I second that..." Holland said, standing up from the bed.
As Harry was walking away, he stepped on a pillow that had fallen from the bed. Not realizing it, he slipped on it and tumbled to the floor with a hard thud. Ashley screamed out in laughter, falling to the floor. Harry covered his face, embarassed, but still had a hard laugh.
"Oh my God!!" she shouted. "Oh!! Oh!!"
She tried to speak, but couldn't get anything out but delirious laughs. "You busted your ass! Oh my God!! You fucking idiot!!" She wiped the tears from her eyes, but continued laughing at him. "Ohh! Oh my God, I can't breathe! I can't breathe!!"
Harry grabbed the edge of the bed and pulled himself up. "I'm still alive!"
Holland finally caught her breath and got her laughter under control. Harry held out his hand and helped her up from the floor.
"Oh my God, that was hilarious..." she mumbled. "I didn't think I was gonna be able to stop laughing!"
They walked out of the room and shut the door behind them. Niall turned back to look at Ashley, smiling at her. He kissed her again.
"You know...you're like, the most beautiful guy ever." she said, her words slurring.
"Ah, stop acting the maggot..." he said, blushing.
"No, I'm serious..." she responded. "Those crystal blue eyes...the gorgeous blonde hair..."
"Well, I'm actually a natural brunette. I dye my hair..." he said.
"Oh my God, me too!" she said excitedly.
Niall reached into his pocket and pulled out another bag of white powder. Ashley smiled and grabbed it from him. She opened up the packet and turned it upside down, pouring it in a line between her breasts. He straightened out the line and kissed her. After pulling back from the kiss, he raised his eyebrow and grinned, going down to it and snorting it. He then licked the remainder of the coke powder off of her chest.
Kissing her hard this time, he cupped his hands around her breast. He let his hand trail down further, going underneath the lining of her thong. She smiled and kissed him again, as he kissed from her lips to her neck. From her neck, he began to kiss on her chest, flicking his tongue over her nipple. His fingers then went down further than her waistband, and she moaned out in pleasure.
Zayn and Louis had finished smoking, and they looked up to admire the stars. Their eyes were bloodshot red and they were glazed over. Still, both of them had a small smile plastered on their face.
"So you and Perrie still seem to be getting on well, yeah?" Louis asked him curiously.
"Yeah, absolutely." Zayn said, looking over to him. "I really really love her. I think she's the one."
Louis smiled. "You're a sweet guy and she's a lovely girl. I don't see a thing wrong with you two, it's annoying."
Zayn laughed at his remark. "Ah, we all have our moments...but I'm thinking of proposing..."
"Yeah?" Louis asked, intrigued.
"Yeah." Zayn smiled.
"That's amazing...I'm sure it'll all work out." Louis smiled, looking back up at the stars. A tear began to form in the corner of his eye. "I'd really love to do the same thing, you know? To go ahead and plan my life out...my future, after One Direction. A future of sharing a home with a family of my own...but, uh...I'm not so sure anymore."
"Why do you say it like that?" Zayn asked.
"Eleanor called me earlier...they, uh...they found out that her spleen was enlarged. She's going to have surgery tomorrow..." he said softly, his lips trembling.
"Well that's quite the grotty birthday present..." he responded.
"Tell me about it." Louis said as a tear fell from his eye.
"Listen, I know you don't really talk about that a whole lot..." Zayn said assuringly. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you, bruv."
Louis bent down and cried into his hands. "It's just been one thing after the other, Zayn. At first, we all thought that everything could be okay...but her condition is terrible. It's constantly getting worse, and I just don't know what to think anymore. I'm so scared...I truly don't know how much more time I'm going to have with her before she's gone..."
Zayn wiped away the tears from his own eyes and got up from the chair. He bent down next to Louis and wrapped his arm around him. "It's all going to be okay, Louis. I love you." Zayn said, lying his head on Louis' trembling shoulder.
Back inside, Niall got up from beside Ashley in the bed and stumbled his way around to find a bathroom. The hallway spun in circles and he couldn't stand up straight at all. He had been drunk, and he had certainly been high, but he had never felt this way before. The wall on the right of him was the only thing keeping him upright. His head pounded and pounded, so hard that it felt as if someone was taking a knife and prodding his brain.
He dragged himself along the wall until he fell into the doorway of the first room on his right. Thankfully, it was a bathroom, and he could finally do his business. He stumbled his way to the mirror and looked into it. His face looked as if it was disfigured, with bubbles rising up from under his skin. Carrying on, he walked to the toilet and unzipped his pants. He placed both hands on the wall in front of him while he used it. He noticed a burning sensation as he pissed, and he looked down to see that there was also blood coming out with urine.
Unsteady and confused, he zipped his pants back up and continued to walk. As he approached the end of the hallway, dance lights came into view as blurred colors. The sound of the music faded out and the only thing he could hear was pounding, the beat of his heart, coming through his ears.
Harry and Holland stood at the edge of the kitchen talking to each other. Holland looked around the room and noticed that Niall was wavering back and forth at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, he doesn't look so hot..." she mumbled to Harry.
Harry furrowed his brow and looked to see that Niall looked very sick. Though Harry was drunk, he could instantly tell that there was something wrong. Ashley stumbled down the hallway with a robe wrapped around her. She saw that Niall was standing by himself, so she made her way to him.
Just as Harry and Holland walked towards Niall, they saw that his eyes rolled to the back of his head. They saw him falling backwards, and immediately ran to him. Ashley reached her arms out as she screamed, but he still collapsed to hit the floor. Frantically, she knelt by his side and shook him.
"Niall?!" she screamed. "Niall, are you okay?!"
He didn't respond.
"Niall?!" she pleaded.
He didn't move at all.
Harry made his way to Niall's side, trying to get him conscious. Ashley put her fingers to his neck, trying to find a pulse. Her eyes widened and she gasped.
"Oh my God!" she screamed. "He isn't breathing! He isn't fucking breathing!!"
END OF CHAPTER AUTHOR'S NOTE!! First off, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! Second, WHAT THE HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I'm sorry that I had to leave you hanging like that, but it's what I do best. Plus, this chapter is quite damn long, so I HAD to end it somewhere!! I'm still on a regular schedule and updating EVERY WEEK (or when each chapter reaches at least 300 reads). There are only four more chapters left!! It's getting crazy, y'all! Tune in next chappie to see what the hell is going to happen. I personally am psyched to write what happens next! I love you all!! PLEASE LEAVE YOUR THEORIES AND FEEDBACK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!