A Tribute to Zayn Malik

                “Lads, we’ve got to change management.”

                “You know they won’t allow it. We signed the contract and-”

                “Forget the contract. They can’t do anything if we leave.”

                “The penalty is too much-”

                “We have a massive amount of money, is that really all you have in mind, Liam?”

                “I’m on your side, alright?”

                Niall cursed. “I’m worn out too, Zayn. We need a break.”

                “Don’t we all? I think we just have to get through this tour and then take a year off.”

                “Our contract doesn’t end until how many years.”

                “I can’t stand myself. We can sue them for overwork-”

                “But we agreed to the terms and conditions-”

                Zayn cursed. “We were 16! 16, Liam! Louis was barely an adult too! And what do you think other 16 year olds do? We could barely think! We’re what, 22 now? Do you think we’ve matured enough to stay free of their dirty works? And what happened to privacy? Wasn’t that in the contract?”

                The table was overturned.

                Zayn cursed. “Of course it wasn’t. A decent life wasn’t part of the contract.”

                “Sometimes I wonder if I really want all this,” Harry said, “if we have to go through all this.”

                Liam’s hair was soggy with sweat and he brushed it back again.

“And then we have our fans. They’ll take it harder than us, lads.”

“You all think I’m mental.”

                Nobody said a word for a while. They’d have to make the decision soon or everything will fall apart. They sat in silence in the humid air that pressed down on their shoulders, weighing down on them and pulling them down under like the anchoring decision that lingered at the edge of their consciousness.

                Their soundless thoughts were louder than ever.

Finally, Louis spoke up after a night of silence.

                “Zayn. You do know they’ll force you to leave because of what you said to them? You know they’ll cover it up so it looks like it’s your fault and they’re still modest as a saint? Like he always says, the media shows what they want to show. They don’t care about us, or the fans. Are you sure, Zayn? Are you absolutely sure?”

                He sat down slowly, rubbing his tired eyes, his jaw firm and unwavering.

                “The fans…I don’t want them to get hurt. I want them to know the truth about what’s happening, that I never wanted to leave, that I’m not some bloke who abandons his lads for little things. I want them to know what’s happening behind closed doors. And even if they take away my voice, the truth will leak out somehow, sooner or later. I just hope the fans stay strong until it does. And I want them to know that we are nothing without them, as we always say.”

                He smiled, for the first time in a long time.

                “I still believe in us, lads. And to answer your question…yes. I am absolutely sure.”