Unconditional

Chapter 7

As Niall and I walked back, the sun already was starting to set. He sighed.

"Liz," he said, stopping before opening up the door, "why were you so worried about Zayn?"

"I...." I really didn't know. "I feel this...emotional connection with him. That I can't explain. Like....Oh I don't know. I just feel like we have a connection, even though we're the most distant in our little group," I said. Niall smiled.

"Alright, I see." Niall opened the door. "After you," he said, motioning me in.

I threw my towel in the bathroom and went back to my room. I changed into a pair of baggy black Adidas sweats and a black t-shirt. All of the boys were in the kitchen when I got there, and Louis looked me over.

"That outfit is...horrible," he shook his head with a sassy purse of the lips.

Zayn and I both started to laugh, and I couldn't help but stare at the way his beautiful brown eyes shine or how happy he looked. He then looked at me and smiled. I quickly glanced away and silently cursed at myself for letting him catch me staring.

"I'm actually wearing this because I was thinking we should play manhunt." I said. The boys glanced at each other.

"Hell yeah!" All five of them yelled. They all went upstairs and came back minutes later, dressed in all black. Niall had even painted his face black with my eyeshadow.

"You dick," I said. Niall grinned.

"That's not a nice word!" He make a mock cry face. I laughed.

"Let's go play manhunt!" I said. We went outside. There was a reasonable sized yard.

"No going beyond the brook in the back, no going past where the beach starts on the left, no going past the dirt road in front and on the right," Liam said. We all looked at him. "What?" he shrugged, "I went exploring."

An idea suddenly hit me, and I realized we didn't have captains or teams. So I immediately then shouted,

"Team captain. PICK FIRST!"

"I'm the other team captain," Liam said. I looked at Niall.

"My team, blondie." He came over next to me.

"Louis," Liam said.

"No. Me and Harry go together," he said, pouting like a three-year-old.

"Yeah, me and Boo," Harry nodded. Liam sighed, but he ultimately gave in.

"Ok. Harry, Louis."

"Zayn," I said.

"Since you picked first, we hide first!" Louis yelled in my face energetically.

"Erm...two of you have to make it back," I said, "and we'll count to...100. 1, 2, 3..." The three boys ran off into the darkness.

"BASE IS THE FRONT STEPS!" Niall yelled.

*97-ish seconds later*

"99, 100!" Zayn, Niall, and I yelled.

"Niall, hide right there in the bushes, since you're painted all black. Zayn, you go to the right, I'll take left. Holler if you see them coming my way."

I started off to the left without listening Suddenly, I heard a low whisper.

"Your curls looked so cute today, Haz."

It had to be Louis and Harry. They were the only ones it could be. Then I saw one of their phones glow. I quietly snuck up behind them, as stealthily as a ninja. They picked a horrible hiding spot, right behind a tree. I reached in between the double tree and tagged each of them.