Making Headlines {n.h.}

A Night To Remember

*Niall's P.O.V.*

"Guys, you all need to see Dahlia, she is completely drunk!" Gabriela tells us, running into the V.I.P. area. I sit up in a panic. I completely forgot about Dahlia, for all I know she could be streaking across this club this very moment.

"Shit, are you sure?" I ask. My mind is running through a million places right now. I am not wasted or anything but I wish I wouldn't have taken so many shots so I could feel a little more secure right now.

"Sure as I can be. She is acting like an idiot, it's hilarious." Gabriela cackles loudly. The other boys look at me with worried expressions.

"Where is she?" I ask. My knee bounces rapidly off beat and I keep massaging my hands together.

"Last I saw her, she was dancing with a few other people. By now she probably has fallen over." I can't believe I wasn't more cautious with Dahlia's drinking. I was so caught up drinking and having fun with the boys I completely forgot about Dahlia. I wasn't even thinking about how much Dahlia should be drinking or where she was. I pray to god she doesn't do anything stupid that could cause a scandal. The last thing I need is to get in trouble for not following orders. I get up and move through the crowds of people. I can feel my muscles tighten and my breathing quiken as I am smushed between people. It seems as if there is less air the deeper I go in.

Suddenly, I see her in the midst of the many people dancing. She has her eyes closed and her hands are in the air. I also see a pair of meaty hands on her waist. I look to see a guy behind her. I watch in disgust as she moves her hips against his. I follow the hands to pair of muscular arms to a thick neck to a chiseled face. I know guys like him, they're just pigs that take advantage of drunk girls.

"Get off her," I say. My voice has an edge and I fold my arms across my chest.

"Oh hey Niall!" Dahlia says with excitement.

The guy lets go of her reluctantly and says, "Hey, man chill out. What's your problem?" I ignore him and look at Dahlia.

"Come on, Dahlia, we're leaving," I say grabbing her arm. She squirms a little but doesn't leave my grasp.

"Why are you ruining the fun, Niall?" Dahlia pouts.

"Who the hell are you?" the guy asks impatiently.

I don't know if its the anger in my bones from seeing that guy just take advantage of her or the alcohol in my blood but something makes me speak without thinking.

"I'm her fucking boyfriend, you dick," I spit before taking Dahlia away. I know we aren't really dating but we're starting to be friends and I care about my friends.  Plus, I was the one who brought her to this stupid club so I feel somewhat responsible for what happens to her.

We finally make it out of the club and I take out my phone to call a cab. Dahlia leans in to me as I make the call because she can't balance by herself. We get into the cab once it comes.

"I was having fun in there and you ruined it," Dahlia wines incoherently.

I sigh,"Dahlia, you can't just grind with some random guy."

"You left me alone, what else was I supposed to do?" she says barely comprensible.

"Anything but getting drunk and grinding with some asshole. Do you even know how much shit I could've gotten in because of you?" I try my best to be serious even under the effects of alcohol.

Dahlia looks down at her lap and suddenly her bottom lip starts to tremble.

"I'm sorry. I'm really, really, really, sorry." She looks up at me, the bottom rims of her brown eyes are edged with tears.

"Dahlia, it's fine. I don't think anyone saw."

"No, no, I fucked up big time." Dahlia starts to cry softly. Tears roll slowly down her pink cheeks.

"Woah it's fine really." I rub her shoulder trying to end her outburst. It doesn't seem to help and her crying just picks up. It's like a storm; soft rain at first and then hard drops mixed with thunder and lightening.

"I fucked up just like how I used to fuck up," she wails.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. Is she talking about how she is always in the tabloids for drinking?

"I was problematic that's what they said."
"Who said that?" I thought I knew what she was talking about but now I have no idea.

"My parents."

Dahlia told me a little bit about her home life when she was younger but I didn't think it had that big of an effect on her. She never had talked about her parents after that.

"Why would they say something like that?"

"I kept getting in trouble at school and I was too loud at home. That's why the kept hiring old mean nannies to take care of me." Her words keep getting mumbled together in her drunk drawl. It's hard to keep up with what she is saying. "Angelina was the smart, obedient one, they loved her, that's why they always took her with them." I'm guessing Angelina is her sister. I remember her saying how she didn't live with her parents for long periods of time when she was growing up.

"You are smart, you have your own acting career. That's something you should be proud of."

Dahlia shakes her head forcefully, "No, they said that it wasn't a real job."

It's like she won't believe anything I say. It's sad really. It's sad that her childhood was so detrimental that she can't hear any of my positivity. 

"Dahlia, you can't listen to what they said. Their judgement doesn't have any real power anymore."

"Your parent's probably loved you. This is all I know."

"Dahlia, you have your own career, your own house, and there are millions of people jealous of you. It doesn't matter if you didn't accel when you were a kid, you have won at life now. You have so many people that love you. If your parent's couldn't love you for who you were then, then it's their fucking loss," I say and my words surprise me. They are honest and tell the truth. I guess I had always thought of Dahlia as a dumb, alcoholic slut but after spending time with her, I see her personality and her achievements. For the first time since I met Dahlia, I believe in her.

"But Niall, nobody can love me and if they do then they're wasting their love." Her words startle me and I struggle to find the right words. 

"That's not true."

"It is, I know, because I am shit and I mess it all up."

 "No, don't say that," I say. She stays quiet and doesn't say anything for a few minutes. I wrap my arms around her, holding her, and we sit there in our drunken silence.

And then as fast as she had started to cry, she begins to smile. She looks up at me with an enormous smile. The kind of smile where her teeth show. Her eyes glisten from the left over tears. Its the strangest sight ever. A sad girl smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask dumbfounded. She was just crying her heart out and now she looks like the happiest person in the world. It just doesn't make sense.

She hesitates forming words,"Because tomorrow I will forget everything and it will be okay."