Never the Same...

I'm the She in, "She's Not Afraid...."

Zayn interlocked our fingers together as we all got into the elevator. 

I was thankful for the way that he was trying to make me feel comfortable. I smiled up at him and he just shoulder bumped me.

The elevator was packed with us, three large men, and a skinny young girl.

She looked shocked, considering her eyes were glued to Harry. Who in return was leaning on an opposite wall, and texting. I cleared my throat, quite loudly, and that got everyone's eyes on me. 

"Harry," I motioned to the little girl. He seemed to just be seeing her. I smiled as he knelt down to her level as they start a conversation.

Liam wrapped an arm around my waist and whispered, "not many people would've made a big deal out of a young fan like that. Good girl." 

I laughed to myself and Zayn just squeezed my hand. Niall made a step and came to my side. Nothing was said but he nodded in approval. I smiled at them, but in all honesty I did what anyone would do. I mean, she's like seven. Only a heartless person would ignore someone of that caliber. Just saying.

We hit her floor and she got off beaming like a ray of sunshine. Cliche I know, but that's how she looked. We all waved to her and she hopped down the hallway. The doors closed, we waited a few minutes, and then Louis blew up!

"What are you keeping from everyone?!" He was directly in my face. I was backed up against the wall.

Zayn took a step inbetween us. Then immediately I was surrounded by three bodyguards, and 4/5 of One Direction protecting me from an irrate Louis Tomlinson. I was shaking, and Harry slipped his hand in my empty one. Zayn still had a deathly cold grip on my right.

The floor dinged, "Come on Louis. Just forget about her." One of the bodyguards was trying to just get us all in the suite so we could privately "Hunger games" it out.

He snorts nastily, then walks off with the guards, and Liam. I stand stark straight up and my shaky breath is an indicator that I wasn't breathing. 

"Love, please don't let him scare you. He's not bad, just....really stressed out." Harry tried soothing me.

After a minute or so I finally looked at them. Louis' words had just processed in my mind. 

"what are you keeping from everyone?" 

The switch. The one I shut off when I crumbled by my front door. When my relatives tried getting in and I broke. The switch I flipped when Hunter tried consoling me. I had decided right then to not let people hurt me. Louis was not going to be any different. 

"SCREW YOU TOMMO!" I marched out of the elevator and straight into the hotel room.

I walked in and the room was breath taking. It was massive, large sitting room, fair kitchen, and two bedrooms.

"What?" He exited a backroom. He looked calmed down but now I wasn't.

"You want to know what I'm hiding?" I was still striding right up to him. Fear, fear crossed his face.

I knew that all the boys were in the room now. When I was inches from his face I stopped, he was a head taller than me but still, I was not a force to be reckoned with. "Go, sit your ass down on the couch."

No one moved. "You heard her." I spun to see who just spoke. Paul. Was. Here. 

I took an uneven breath in and all of the boys clammered onto the sofas. I walked over and hugged Paul. He kissed my forehead. He nudged me towards the boys. I pulled a chair in front of the guilty and terrified boys.

Louis looked like I just kicked him in the stomach. Zayn and Harry looked like they were very uncomfortable. Liam and Niall seemed infatuated in my every word. The bodyguards spread evenly but convientently within earshot.

I sat down, "I'm eighteen, and I burried my parents a month ago. They died in a freak car accident. I never had a good bond with them but I mean no home life is perfect. They were on a date and headed home when a drunk driver drove into their lane and hit them head on at ninety miles per hour." I choked back some tears.

Louis was about to start talking but I cut him off, "No, you want to know what I'm all about so you're going to sit there, shut up, and listen." Paul chuckled at that.

I combed my hair back and readjusted my ponytail.

"Two years ago I started dating this guy named Logan. He was sweet at first and I honestly thought he was probably the one......oh how wrong I was." I started to cry. All of the boys looked defeated.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Six months into our relationship he started to get rough. I thought that it was just a power trip and he was just exerting his position but it lingered. He was jealous over the dumbest things. I have a friend, Hunter, and he's not even straight but Logan didn't care. He would get angry about us spending time together. One night I had fallen asleep on Hunter's floor after movie marathons and Logan showed up and dragged me home."

I grimaced at the memories flooding back. The fear that I experienced, the paranoia that still lingers in my peripherals.

Louis was crying, as was every member of the Boy Band sensation.

"Once we got back to my home, my parents had been on vacation, he brought me inside and for the first time ever, he physically hit me. Many times. He said that I was a slut and that no girlfriend of his was going to be seen sleeping at other guys' houses. I had a severe swollen eye, and bruising on my arms and legs. I slept on the kitchen floor and he passed out on my couch."

I wiped away the streaming tears, Liam stood up and went to stand near the window.

"Many scenarios like that happened, I was so scared of him. I never told anyone what he had done. Hunter, and my friend Emily saw the bruises one day when I was changing and they pushed me to tell them what had happened. I lied. How was I supposed to explain what I had done wrong to deserve these marks?" 

Niall cut me off, "No one deserves that. You didn't do anything." I wiped my running nose and weakily smiled at him.

I took a long breath, "Hunter pushed the topic more when we were alone. The bruises were every where and he made me show him. I finally broke and told him. Hunter, is a tall, slim, muscular guy. He's built like you Louis." That earned me a small smile from Lou.

"I broke up with him when I was seventeen. He didn't take it well. He swore he'd change, and to never lay a hand on me again, but I stuck to my words. He didn't take it well. He was always clinging to me after that. I couldn't go into the bathroom without him standing outside my stall scaring other girls out. At my eighteenth, he showed up, uninvited, and crashed the party with his friends."

Paul brought me a box of tissues. I thanked him and the others all grabbed for them. Harry and Zayn looked pissed.

"They beat Hunter within an inch of his life. My injuries were minor compared to him. I was battered and beat with my friend possibly dying in my backyard. "You're never going to get rid of me. I will always find you and keep you my single lady baby." He whispered into my ear before hitting me one last time. I didn't see him again until my parents funeral." 

I was holding in the fact that I wanted to break into a billion pieces, even though Niall and Liam were barely keeping quiet. Louis looked sick. Paul looked furious.

"That's not even my main fear, Niall, do you remeber that guy from the plane? The one that was grabbing onto me." I stared at him.

"Yeah...." He swallowed.

"That was Logan."

"HE'S IN THE UK?!?!?!?!?!?!" The boys all shot up and screamed in unison.