"Stuck In The Friend-Zone Again and Again"

"Another Night"

^ugh who do I have to sell my soul to to get puberty to be my bitch like Luke did

The show that Niall attended was incredibly fun and had an extreme high energy vibe, as did the one  after it.

After driving god knows how long to get to Newcastle, performing, then Cardiff, and performing two shows there, we were on our way to Birmingham.

I yawned, checking the time and seeing that it was close to midnight. "I'm tired."
Calum mumbled an agreement, half asleep in his bunk, while Michael and Ashton said nothing, as they were already asleep.
"Go to sleep, then," Luke chuckled, stifling a yawn of his own.
"You too," I said sleepily, tucking myself under the covers of my bunk.
"Okay," Luke said, setting his phone beside him on his bunk and curling up.
"Good night," I said faintly, barely hearing Luke say the same back to me, for once in my life falling asleep as soon as I've resigned to it.

----

*Third Person*

He was grabbing her, pulling her hair, touching her in places he shouldn't be.
He was moaning, telling her how good she was, all the while she cried and begged for him to stop.
She was scared.
Finally, she screamed.
And screamed.
"Please stop! Don't! Please! I'm scared! Stop!"

Her quiet cries had woken Luke long before the other boys were awoken by her whimpers of fear.
He didn't quite know what to do; he didn't even know if she was awake or sleeping.
In his mind though, he knew. This had been going on on and off for weeks.
Eventually, she started mumbling, which woke up Calum.
"No"
Then, when she was full-fledged talking, Ashton woke up.
Finally, she full on screamed, clearly in terror, and Michael bolted upright.
The boys rushed to their feet, clamouring to stand beside Paris's bunk.

She woke with tear streaked cheeks to Luke shaking her shoulder.
"Paris!" Luke said. "It's okay! It was just a dream!"
Paris immediately collapsed into sobs again, prompting Luke to climb up and hold her while she cried, curled up in a ball as if to protect herself.
The boys sat down on the edge of Michael's bunk, just waiting for when she was ready to talk, not caring that it was nearly 2 a.m.
After a few minutes, Paris stopped crying, and she just continued to cower in Luke's embrace, still thoroughly terrified.
"Are you okay?" Ashton finally asked.
"I-I'm fine," she choked out, her voice hoarse.
"Bullshit," Michael said, but there was no trace of the usual cocky zeal that came along when he said those words, only a gentle accusation that she was putting on a brave face and didn't need to.
"You're obviously not okay," Calum said quietly.
"What's been going on, Paris?" Luke asked her gently. "You've been having nightmares like this for weeks."
She simply shook her head.
"Can you at least tell me how long this has really been going on?" He asked.
"Since before we left," she whispered, her voice gravelly from a combination of sleep and screaming.
All of the boys' eyes widened.
"Since before?" Calum breathed disbelievingly.
She just nodded.
"How long?" Ashton asked.
"A few days," Paris said faintly.
Something clicked in Luke's brain.
"Oh god," he breathed, his eyes going wide. "It's not because of-?"
He turned and stared, horrified at what he'd realized, into her eyes.
She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears, and she nodded.
"Oh Paris," he sighed, pulling her into a hug as she allowed a strangled sob past her lips.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly, rubbing her back as she sobbed into his shoulder.
"What's going on?" Michael asked worriedly, not sure what to make of the situation but picking up the clear vibe that something was very wrong.
Luke looked nervously at Paris, not sure if she wanted him to say.
"Just tell them," she choked out. "I've got nothing to lose."
"At that party..." Luke began. "The one we threw. Paris... She was nearly raped."
All three boys' mouths dropped, and Paris cried even harder.
"What?"
"That guy from your football team..." Luke said to Calum. "Shane. He was trying to drag her to his car to take her to- to-"
Luke couldn't even finish.
"That fucker," Calum growled.
"Who does he think he is, messing with her?" Michael scowled.
"With any girl for that matter?" Ashton added, brow furrowed angrily.
"Can I tell them the other bit?" Luke whispered to Paris.
"I don't care," she mumbled through her tears.
"But the worst part is... is that she's afraid of... you know..." Luke trailed off.
"Rape?" Calum asked, confused.
Luke shook his head.
"Sex?" Michael put in.
Luke nodded.
"That's terrible!" Ashton exclaimed, looking at Paris in concern. "You must have been scared out of your mind!"
"I was," Paris said hoarsely. "If Luke hadn't have seen him trying to drag me out..."
She broke down in sobs again.
"How did we miss all of this?" Calum asked.
"You were drunk," Luke replied.
They all looked incredibly guilty.
"If we hadn't have been drunk..." Ashton trailed off.
"We could've protected you..." Michael said, looking ashamed.
"We're so sorry," Calum apologized for them all, leading Ashton and Calum to apologize for them as well.
"It's okay, you were enjoying yourself, I understand," she smiled faintly, peeking out from Luke's tear soaked shirt.
"But we should have been there for you," Calum persisted.
"You're only 16. You're like our little sister, we're supposed to be there for you; we're supposed to protect you," Ashton insisted.
"You're here for me now," she pointed out.
Michael frowned. "All the same, I wish I could beat that fuck boy's head in."
Paris chuckled dryly, then yawned.
Knowing how exhausted Paris must be, Luke suggested they all return to bed.
The boys agreed reluctantly, heading back to their respective bunks.
Luke peeled off his shirt, wet from Paris's tears, and dropped it on the ground.
When Luke started to get down, Paris grabbed his arm.
"Please... Please stay," she begged with wide, glazed eyes. "I can't be by myself right now."
Luke smiled sadly, crawling back up to Paris again. "Of course."
Luke lay on his back, putting one lanky arm around Paris's body and pulling her so that she was curled up against the side of his body, and using the junction of his broad shoulder and strong chest as a pillow.
"How bad is it?" He whispered after several moments.
"Some nights I'm scared to go to sleep," she answered truthfully.
Luke sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's not your problem. You're not the one with stupid genophobia," Paris whispered back.
"Anyone in your position would have been scared. You have genophobia and anxiety. That's not your fault. And I could've been there for you," Luke told her.
"Can you just sing?" Paris begged, silent tears beginning to stream down her cheeks again.
Luke could feel the drops hit his skin, and he reached up to wipe her eyes before beginning a quiet rendition of Wherever You Are, soothing Paris slightly as she cried herself to sleep.