The Gang // AU One Direction

Chapter 16

I was sitting at lunch listening to Mallory and Heather talk about an essay they were writing. Well I wasn't exactly listening. My head was somewhere else. That somewhere else being the library yesterday morning. I haven't seen Niall since fifth hour yesterday. He had gone to Louis' and stayed there. Since then I haven't seen him. Zayn was here, sitting at his table picking at his food. He was quiet today.

"Calli you have Hamilton right?" Mallory interrupted me from my thoughts and I nodded.

"Yeah." I told her.

"That's what I thought. Dang. I was hoping you could help us." She slumped down in her chair and started eating her sandwich.

"Maybe I could anyway?" I asked and she handed me her paper displaying the essay topic. I read it quickly and started to think of a few ideas for them. A few minutes later there was a yell from behind me and I turned around in my chair to see, only two tables behind me, Niall face to face with Joey Bradshaw. Zayn was a few feet behind them. I watched as Joey shoved Niall only to be shoved back. They were arguing about something. Finally, as more people started to join me in watching them, Joey shoved Niall even harder and that was it. Niall went for him.

"Stop! Niall stop!" Zayn screamed before Niall could even lay a finger on the guy. Thank god for Zayn. He was between the two boys now and he told Joey something which led him to the other side of the cafeteria sitting down. Niall turned around after Zayn talked to him and as he was walking back to his table, he stopped when he made eye contact with me. I could see that he was mad and he let out a deep breath and looked away from me. I turned back to the girls and they continued their talk.

Ten minutes later, lunch was over and I hurried to get to Pre-Calc so I could talk to Niall. I was surprised when he was already there in the back with his work on the desk. I decided to sit next to him.

"Hey. Are you okay?" I asked him immediately. He didn't answer me. "Are you going to ignore me?"

"No." He replied.

"Well then talk to me." I urged and he gave me an annoyed look. I just waited for him to say something. Finally he softened his expression.

"I'm fine." He sighed.

"You don't seem fine." I claimed and the bell rang before he could say anything.

The first few minutes of class, he was quiet and just payed attention to the teacher without making a sound. It was so unlike him. We finally had some time to do our homework. I looked over at Niall and he was working on a problem. His eyebrows were scrunched up and his lips were parted as he stared at the problem. He looked up and turned to me, his eyes still holding that annoyed look from earlier.

"What?" He asked.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?" I questioned quietly.

"You probably shouldn't talk to me anymore. You don't want Liam to get mad, right? Save yourself the trouble." He snapped and my mouth dropped lightly.

"That doesn't mean we can't just be friends." I told him. He shook his head. "Why are you shaking your head?"

"I can't..." He whispered.

"You can't what?" I asked.

"I can't just be friends with you." He admitted, finally his expression softening. "I don't want to. It's impossible for us to do that."

"No it's not." I argued and he let out a laugh. I wanted to think he was finally just going back to being his cocky self but I knew something was wrong. I could sense it in how he was speaking to me. Something was off.