Niall

~8~

~Madeline Payne~

I sit uncomfortably with my back against a black leather seat. My hands are cuffed behind my back. The metal of the handcuffs is cold against my skin.

"It will be okay," Zayn whispers, eyeing the police through the window. I feel tears prick at my eyes.

"I'll be in so much trouble," I tell him. "What do I tell my parents?" Zayn parts his lips, a reply on the tip of his tongue. He doesn't release the words as the front doors open. Two police officers slip inside. Zayn hardens his expression. He looks as if he has no emotions whatsoever. He looks strong compared to me. I look out the window, watching the darkness pass.

When the car is parked outside the police station, Zayn and I are led inside where the other partygoers stand, some crying, and others with a similar expression to Zayn. He leans against me gently in a calming manor.

I watch as one by one, the people get taken into another room. Before I know it, Zayn and I are alone. He watches me carefully.

"When they ask you what you were doing there, say that Styles forced you there. Tell them that you were told that you're drink was punch. You won't get into trouble. I've done that with other people. It works," Zayn states. I nod, contemplating whether to do as Zayn says or rat him out.

All of a sudden, Zayn is being ushered away from me, and I am left alone. I stand, being haunted by the silence. My heart pounds as my nerves begin overtaking me. My throat hurts as I take each breath. It's like standing outside in the cold of winter. The cold is sharp against my windpipe, making me want water. I swallow, but it only makes it worse.

"Come on," a voice says, knocking me out of my silence.

Before long, I am sitting in a chair, my hands uncuffed, and a man sitting in front of me.

"What is your name?" The man asks somewhat forcefully.

I bite my lip and stutter a reply, "M-Madeline Payne." He writes my name down in capital letters.

"Birthdate?"

"August 8, 1993," I reply. My heartbeat picks up deep within me.

"Why were you at that party?"

It becomes hard to take a breath. The air thickens and the world seems to spin faster than it already does.

"I, my.... Ha-... Zayn..." Sentences seem impossible to form.

"In English," I catch an officer mumble in the corner. I bite my lip to hold back a glare.

"Miss Payne," the man before me says, a stern look across his face, "Please answer my question."

My tongue remains tied. I open my mouth in hopes that all of my words will pour out, but I sit in stupidity.

"I, um, I just w-went. It seemed fun," I lie, biting my fingernails. The man looks unsatisfied and lets out a huff.

"Your blood showed alcohol. Why were you drinking?"

"I-I drank, um, because I wanted to," I lie again. The man lets out another huff.

He stands, grabbing my arm, "Come on." He leads me out of the room into a holding cell where Zayn and some of the other people from the party are at.

"Are you alright?" Zayn asks, wrapping his arms around me. The tears waterfall down my face.

"I couldn't blame Harry," I admit, sobbing into his shoulder. Zayn huffs.

"Then what do you say?" He growls, pulling me an arms length away and hardens his expression. His face makes me want to sit, close my eyes, and hug a teddy bear.

I bite my lip. Tears fall down my cheeks in waterfalls. "I said I just wanted to go," I confess. I catch a glimmer in his eyes-a sad glimmer. Tears. "Zayn?" This doesn't seem normal for him.

"You don't realize what could happen. You could go to jail for this!" He whispers in concern. The tears in my eyes continue to fall as Zayn blinks them away.

"My parents will bail me out," I tell him. I'm not exactly sure of that.

Zayn shakes his head. "Madeline, they know you had alcohol! You're going to be charged with underage drinking and trespassing, not to mention disturbing the peace!" I'm left speechless. Zayn once again holds me close to him.

"I-I'm scared Z-Zayn," I stutter into his shirt.

Zayn kisses the top of my head. "Shh," he says gently, "It will all be okay." For once, Zayn's embrace is calming. He seems like a different person when he is concerned. He seems like he was never been forceful or rude. He seems like he could never hurt a fly. That is the kind of guy I love. It's the guy I fell in love with. I guess everyone changes after they find love. Love does change people... most for the better, but Zayn for the worse.

"I love you," I say between my quieted sobs. Zayn holds me a little tighter. He doesn't reply. I listen to his breaths. They are deep, but soothing. It's like how some people are calmed by the waves of an ocean.

Warm lips press against my forehead sending a calming vibe through my body. Zayn has always been the type of guy that knows how to make a girl happy. He knows how to make anyone forget about the bad parts of a situation... as long as he didn't make the person feel bad. That was sometime the case when he was trying to act all bad boy-which was most of the time. I love this Zayn.

"You're beautiful," Zayn whispers, taking a piece of my hair in his hand. I blush with his words.

I wait for a minute, hoping that my blush faded, and then to Zayn with a weak smile across my face. "Thank you," I tell him quietly. He smiles.

"It's only the truth." You see, these were the types of words that drew me in. The made me weak at the knees as if they turned to jelly and made my face heat up. This is want made my crush on him come out for the first time. At that moment, I didn't think I would ever be his. To be honest, is isn't all I though it would be. Zayn has his good points, most of which he is currently showing, but his bad boy act is a turn off. I guess his looks help him get girls to crush on him.

"Mr. Malik," someone calls, opening the cell door, "You may leave." Zayn lets go of me slowly, kissing me on the cheek.

He looks at me with huge eyes and whispers, "Stay strong. I'll try to convince Liam to get bail money." I nod, not sure if any other reply. Zayn soon disappears out of sight.
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This couple is so ugh. I love them together but I hate them together! What about you?

I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! Thanks for reading!

Please vote and comment!

maddy