A Broken Dream (A One Direction Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirteen: Breakfast

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I woke up to the sound of laughter and the smell of... Eggs? My eyes opened reluctantly and I slipped out of the bunk onto the cold wooden floor.

"Ow." I rubbed the arm I fell on lightly, I was definitely awake now.

"Leah!" I heard Harry scream before I was picked up and placed back on my feet.

"Are you okay?" He looked over my face and then I realized it. He looked like my mom when I scraped my knee after falling on the playground. I giggled and his face turned to confusion.

"I'm fine Harry! You looked a lot like my mom just then." His face softened and he hugged me. I was hesitant at first, but hugged back. Feeling the warmth radiating from his body was new and scary but I felt... Safe. I was safe here.

"Hey, Louis made breakfast. Better come get some before Niall eats it all." He snickered as Niall stared at him with narrowed eyes. I giggled again and followed Harry to a mini kitchen and matching table booth. The pack of boys were sitting with half eaten plates of eggs and sausage and toast, all if them piled into the large booth. There was room for at least three more people despite the already four boys.

"Good morning Leah! How'd you sleep?" Liam spoke up. Everyone turned their attention to me, except Niall who was staring at his eggs hungrily.

"Good, thanks. What about you?" Liam looked a bit taken back by my question, but quickly answered.

"Very well." Harry handed me a plate and I turned to the counter. There were plates full of food, food I'm sure couldn't be eaten by six people. I took one egg and three pieces of sausage. I was never a big bread person.

"Is that all you're eating?" Niall looked at me like I was mental.

"Yeah... Why?" Niall just sort of looked at me like I was a murderer.

"Don't mind him. He thinks everyone should eat like an obese middle aged man." Louis said, making me giggle and Niall slap him. My heart sunk a bit. If he could reach over so easily and hit one of his best friends, he could hit me without even a second thought.

I ate quickly, that's what I was used to. At home, if I didn't eat quickly I didn't eat. Simple as that.

"Are you done?" Harry looked at me, concern etched into his features.

"Yeah, I'm done." I began to get up and wash my plate when I heard whispering behind me.

"She didn't eat much." "What if she has an eating disorder?" "What if..." I didn't let them finish. I placed my hands on the table, making myself noticed.

"Okay one: y'all are awful at whispering. Two: I don't have an eating disorder. I'm used to not eating at home and when I do I had to eat quickly or not at all." I pushed some hair from my face and stared at them. Their faces went from shock to soft in a matter of seconds with a dribble of pity.

"Well," Liam cleared his throat. "How about we watch the news?" I immediately regretted saying anything. You could cut the awkward with a knife. Liam reached behind Niall's head and grabbed the remote that was sitting on the windowsill.

"In other news, the boys of One Direction were spotted leaving a hospital in Georgia with-get this-a little girl." One of the reporters on E! News started with a picture of us behind her. I loved her dress, hated her voice.

"Oh, um, let me just.." Liam began lifting the remote towards the tv and I rested my hand on his.

"No, leave it here for a minute, please." He set the remote down on the table and I sat quietly next to Harry.

"Don't you think she's a bit young for these boys?" She was talking to the other correspondent.

"She's definitely young, but she looks beaten up too. Whatever their doing, they better be doing good!" Then the topic switched to shoes. Liam switched the channel to a soccer game and I cuddled up into Harry's side. He looked over to me, shocked. He pulled his arm gently around me, careful not to scare me.

...

•Harry's POV

We arrived at the hotel directly after we finished cleaning up our breakfast. Leah sat delicately in the booth as we cleaned and I couldn't help but to look at her every so often. A mask of calm settled onto her face with small twinges of pain when she would move.

"When we get in the hotel room I'll help you change the bandages." She nodded her head in understanding.

Exiting the bus, I could tell Leah was nervous. I couldn't do anything but tell her that everything would be okay and hold her hand. The boys and I tried to shield her as much as we could.

"Aye darlin, they all just want to get a nice shot of a pretty girl." Niall told her, but she looked around expecting to see someone different. I sighed and Niall looked at me with heavy eyes.

We got checked in and up to the hotel room after a while. One of the security guys brought Leah's bag up. She mumbled a thanks and put the suitcase on one of the beds.

"Hey, so next door is Zayn and Niall and Liam. In here is Louis and me with you. We'll be here for a few hours, ya know, getting ready and stuff. Then we'll get to the concert hall and you can stay backstage or come on stage with us..." I smirked but she just scoffed.

"Since Lou isn't here, you get the bathroom for now." She pulled an outfit out of her bag and slid past me into the bathroom. I sat on the bed and Louis came sauntering in.

"So, how is she?" He flung an arm around my shoulder.

"She's so sweet and lovely and brilliant but...ugh." I held my head in my hands.

"But what?"

"She just so broken. I'm not sure how to fix her." A smirk found its way onto Louis' face.

"We'll give her the time of her life. We'll show her that people care, okay Haz? We'll make her better, promise." He patted my shoulder when I heard it.

"Uh, Harry?" I shot up from my sitting position and made my way to he bathroom. The door was open and Leah was standing with a box of bandages the nurse had given her. Her shirt was raised a bit, revealing little puncture marks on her hips.

"W-will you help me?" Her face was flushed and her eyes were on the floor. I grabbed a washcloth and wet it a bit. She jumped back when I placed it on the marks.

"Did I hurt you?!" I panicked.

"No, no, I just... bit nervous ya know..." She bit her lip.

"Hey, look at me," I tilted her chin up with my finger.

"I am not going to hurt you or touch you like he did, understand? No one ever will hurt you as long as I'm here." I stared into her eyes deeply and gently stroked her face with the pad of my thumb. A tear slid down her cheek and I simply brushed it away.

"Now come here, we have to fix these."

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I love you! Stay beautiful,

Brittany