Hiding in the Shadows

Meeting

Louis was the one who called Simon and gave him their demand. Simon wasn't very pleased but in the end he agreed, if only because he couldn't really have the entire band go on strike.

At four that afternoon Harry, Louis, Liam, Niall, Simon, the two heads of management Peter and Blake, Mark, Dr. Hernandez, Nate, Bradford, Jon, Josh, Dan and Sandy were all sitting in a large conference room in the hotel.

"So boys," Simon started things out. "Why did you call this meeting exactly?"

"I didn't." Niall wanted to clarify. He was in enough hot water as it was, the last thing he wanted to do was add to it.

"We wanted to talk about Niall." Louis answered simply.

"And what is it about Niall that has you so concerned?" Simon asked.

"Everything." Harry answered simply.

Louis didn't miss the way Niall flinched at this so he decided to clarify a little. "Our concern isn't Niall exactly. It's how you all treat Niall."

"Come again?" Simon asked thoroughly confused. While Simon still talked to most of the boys regularly he had never really been looking over management's shoulder, but rather trusted them to take care of the band while he focused on other things. He didn't really know anything about the boy's day-to-day lives.

Liam rolled his eyes, tired of the game they were all playing. "Management has been running Niall around like a dog for five years and security has been helping. If he 'screws up' in their eyes they send him to Bradford. It's not healthy and it needs to stop."

Simon felt as though he'd missed quite a bit of the story. But before he could even get the chance to try and clarify his confusions, Peter and Blake were going off about how Liam was making things up. At the same time Nate was defending himself by saying he was only following the orders of Peter and Blake. Bradford insisted he was only doing what he was hired to do. Dr. Hernandez decided to round out the group by going on about how unhealthy Niall currently was. Simon was getting a headache.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze and turned to look at the small blonde boy currently standing and glaring at them all.

"Mr. Horan-" Peter started to scold.

"Shut it." Harry objected and then turned his attention back to Niall. "What's up Ni?"

Niall was scared and yet furious all at once. He couldn't believe what they were all doing here. He had been woken from some much needed sleep only to have some food forced upon him and then be dragged down to this little room. He had paled as he watched more and more people enter and still he had not been told what they were here for. Now they were all screaming their lungs out about how they were completely in the right to torture him. He couldn't take it anymore so he'd screamed. Now though, he'd gotten what he wanted and really had nothing more to say. With his head bowed Niall slumped down into his seat knowing full well that his little outburst would cost him dearly later on.

Simon waited a couple of minutes in the silence to see if Niall was planning on continuing but the boy was staring resolutely at the table and wouldn't meet anyone in the eye. Shaking his head he decided to move on. "Alright I have some questions."

Everyone nodded in understanding and waited nervously for Simon to begin.

"Louis," Simon started. "Since you are the one who insisted upon this meeting, why don't you go around the table and explain to me why everyone is here. At that time if those people have anything to say they may do so, otherwise I want silence."