Ninas London (One Direction fanfic)

Chapter 31

I shake my hair in front of my face to hide my red cheek and falling tears. I let myself into the hotel room quickly and duck my head as I speed past Caitlin, jumping onto my bed.

"Hey, you," she says nonchalantly, grabbing the TV clicker and laying down onto her own bed. "What took you so long?"

I take a small, shaky breath, not knowing what to say. "I was talking to Phoebe," I mumble, burying my face in a pillow. It makes my cheek sting even more, but anything's better than causing more drama.

"What?" Caitlin asks, and I peek out and see her staring at me. A look of concern suddenly flashes across her face and she rushes over to me, ripping the covers off. "What's wrong?!" she demands. The worry and force in her voice make me all the more vulnerable, and I squeeze out another tear.

"Nina. Look at me, and tell me what happened."

There's no getting out of this. I slowly lift my head up from the pillow, facing Caitlin. She gently tucks my hair behind my ears and gasps when she sees my face. It must look really bad. The alarm in her eyes pushes me over the edge and I burst out crying.

"It w-was Phoebe," I bawl, resting my head in Caitlin's lap, who's now sitting next to me and holding me close. "She won't leave me alone, and she told m-me to stop hanging out with Eleanor and the boys, and that I should be scared if I don't..." The tears stream down my face and my cheek stings more than ever. Caitlin rubs my back and finger combs my hair, trying to take it all in. I can practically feel the anger radiating off her.

"So she SLAPPED you?!" she cries, her voice furious. "She's going to be bald in minutes, that little SLUT!" Caitlin gets up and storms for the door, but I pull her hand.

"Don't fight her again, please," I wail. "If she thinks I'm snitching on her things will only get worse! She already hates me!"

Caitlin gently but forcefully pulls her hand from my grasp. "Nina, you don't understand," she tells me seriously. "She can't get away with this! She has to stop victimizing you! LOOK at yourself! There's a bright red handprint on your cheek! I'm dealing with her right now." She rushes for the door and slams it behind her. I quickly get off the bed, and although a rush of dizziness hits me instantly, I stumble for the door. I reach the hallway just as Phoebe is opening the door to a seething Caitlin.

"I HATE you!!" Caitlin screeches, grabbing Phoebe's shoulders and pulling her back. Phoebe looks both surprised and angry, and claws back to release herself. Caitlin uses all her force to push Phoebe onto the ground, only feet away from where I'm standing, staring wide-eyed. Lauren enters the hallway too, watching the brawl with a look of horror and confusion.

"NEVER lay another one of your skanky little hands on Nina AGAIN!" Caitlin shouts, pinning Phoebe's arms down. She kneels over her and pushes her into the floor, but Phoebe's thrashes are too strong. Phoebe throws Caitlin off her and the two start clawing, kicking and hair pulling. I watch in terror, knowing there's nothing I can do without possibly breaking a bone. Lauren looks just as shocked, but the worst part is when she sees my cheek and undoubtedly figures out what happened.

"Hey! HEY!" I hear a man shout from behind me, and I turn to see Steve rushing towards us. Ricky follows quickly behind, looking pissed and angry. They each grab a girl and pull them apart, holding their waists as they scream and kick at each other.

"That's ENOUGH!" Ricky shouts, yanking Caitlin back even more as she kicks violently. "The whole floor can hear you!! I want an explanation. NOW."

All four of us girls are dead silent. We look at the ground, all knowing the truth but also knowing that Ricky and Steve just wouldn't understand.