Prove Me Wrong (Ziall side Larry)

ii.

They weren’t friends. They weren’t even acquaintances. The number of times they spoke in secondary school could be counted in one hand, and there would be no need for fingers. Because the truth of the matter is, they have never talked until today. Well, Zayn talked and Niall stuttered, but still.  

 Unless.

Unless one would count that disaster attempt at a conversation (okay fine, confession) during their senior year that Niall wanted to expunge from his life’s history and his memory.

“Go on, Nialler. If you don’t do this, you’ll never know,” Harry goaded.

“What if I’d really rather never know, Haz?” he whined.

“I will refuse to acknowledge you as a friend if you don’t talk to him NOW, Niall,” Louis hissed.

“Calm down, Boo. We’re here to encourage Niall, not antagonize him.”

“Haz, we did not raise Niall to be a spineless pansy.”

“M’not a spineless pansy!”

Niall was many things, alright. He was loud and boisterous and (sometimes) obnoxious and fun and laughs way too much. He was also sometimes bashful and easily coerced into doing something he would normally not do like that time when Harry begged him to pretend that they were dating to get Louis jealous. And boy was Louis ever so livid. Barely a week into the acting and he was ripping Niall’s throat like an enraged banshee. And when Harry was finally able to stop gawking at the spectacle that was unfolding in front of him, he shouted for Louis to stop because “it isn’t real, Lou. I just…I asked Niall to do it to make you jealous.” To which Louis answered, “but why would you do that, Hazza?” And Harry said, “because you keep dating all these people and I just want…I thought…I wanted you to see ME. To look at me like you look at them. Because I want you to love me. I need you to f-feel what I’m feeling ev-every time you-you’re with someone who isn’t  me. I just…” and then Harry was sobbing uncontrollably and it was painful to look at him. And the next moment, Louis was beside Harry, shushing him and whispering to him and Niall sat there, dazed and forgotten. The next day, it was like nothing happened except Louis and Harry became LouisandHarry and Niall got a week’s worth of free lunch courtesy of Louis.

So yes, he was many things but he was not spineless. And he most definitely was not a pansy. Therefore, armed with confidence that he didn’t have and a bunch of meddling best friends egging him on, Niall went on to commit the single most embarrassing moment of his entire existence. During which, at the time he committed it, Niall wasn’t aware could top the football mishap or the unintentional food fight.

“Here’s the plan, Nialler,” Louis said. “Zayn always leaves the last after football practice. Being team captain and all, he needs to make sure that every single equipment’s in the proper place. And, you know, he has to be sure no shenanigans are taking place in any corner. You with me so far?”

Niall nodded so he continued, “Also on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he discusses strategies and whatever the hell he needs to discuss with the coach. So, since today’s Friday, it’s the best time to tell him .Just go in there and tell him everything we practiced.”

“Do I really need to do this, Lou?”

“Yes. Because I’m so tired of all your pining and moaning and not in the way I would like you to moan at all.” That earned him a “Boo, really?” from Harry and a blush from Niall.

“Ni. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Was all Harry could say before Louis shoved him in the locker room.

 

He ventured deeper into the area and breathed a sigh of relief when he spotted Zayn standing, hands on his waist, like he was doing some sort of ritual or was in the middle of cooling down after a day’s training. He can only see the upper half of Zayn’s body because the lower half was covered by the rows of cabinets lining the screened entrance to the actual lockers and shower area. 

It’s now or never, Niall, he told himself. So, he opened his mouth and proceeded to declare his colossally epic crush on the team captain, while the latter was busy staring at him (he turned to Niall midway through his speech) like he just spouted an ancient spell to summon something and Zayn was torn between amusement and worry for Niall’s sanity.

 He was almost done with his carefully constructed spiel (he practiced this so many times with Louis it was excruciating) when he heard a snort.

 A snort that most definitely did not come from Zayn but from somewhere below Zayn. And no, it was not the thing below Zayn, exactly. And before he can even comprehend what was happening, the snort was followed by another and another and then came the thunderous laughs.

Because oh. The whole team was right there. They were sitting on the floor and Zayn was neither in the middle of a ritual nor was he cooling down. He was discussing something. With the team. And Niall just declared his infatuation for Zayn in front of the fucking football team. 

He would have keeled over right then, sure that the paramedics would declare him dead on the spot. The cause of death: utter humiliation.

Or he would have liked to dig a hole, jump in it, and never come back out.

But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to murder Harry and Louis.

Instead, all Niall could say was “fuck” and in the midst of the incoming onslaught of tears, he turned and ran.

He was already out the door when Zayn snapped out of his stupor and shouted for him to wait.

Niall can remember that night like it was yesterday. Because that’s the way human memory works. People have the uncanny ability to vividly recall instances that caused them great pain and mortification and heartache. And every night for many months, Niall’s memory tortured him by playing the scenario over and over and over again.

Overtime, the unbearable pain eventually ebbed into a dull ache. But it was still there. The shame. The sting. The memory.

He remembers just running. Away from that place, the mocking laughs, the nightmare.

He remembers Harry and Louis shouting his name, catching up to him, and just engulfing him in a hug as he cried his throat raw. He remembers the days that followed where nobody taunted, teased, nor made fun of him in any way (which was a blessing. But he couldn’t help but wonder why).

As a precaution, however, Harry and Louis never left Niall alone for more than a minute after that. Sometimes, even Liam, who was filled in on what happened when they had an emergency sleepover at Harry’s that very night, would take time off his busy schedule and accompany Niall.

The fact that the team may just be biding their time before they beat Niall to a pulp for having the gall to talk to their captain was not lost on his best friends. And Niall thanked the heavens every day for giving him the greatest mates anyone could ever ask for (his vow to kill two of the three of them forgone in lieu of their undying devotion to Niall as he strived to repair his dignity and mend his heart).

But it was because he was always flanked by his overprotective posse that Zayn never got the chance to catch Niall alone and talk things out.

Pretty soon, they were all heading to uni and Niall vowed to forget the whole incident.