Operation: Good Girl // Horan // Discontinued

Chapter Seven

~ARI~

So most of you are probably wondering if I took it or not. I did. I took the deal that Nicole had to offer me, where the prize was Zayn's love. Yes, I know it was a selfish thing to do. Yes, I know if he figured us out, I'd lose everything. But wasn't this what I've always wanted?

To love Zayn.

To be loved by Zayn. I'm going to get it, I'm sure, but what's that little pit in the bottom of my stomach? 

"It's guilt." Niall told me,smirking that unbelievable smirk once again. I almost forgot that he was here. "If you're going to ask me how I knew your question, might as well consider you mumble a lot and I have a really strong sense of hearing." 

I nodded. I knew I'd feel guilty, but what was guilt, anyway? You'd expect me to be familiar with it since I steal and am a streetrat. But I haven't. The thing is, I was great at blocking feelings away and apparently, I had blocked that out, too. Could Niall do that, too?

"Hey, Blondie?" I poked him on the shoulder. "My name's Niall, you know." "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, why did you come to the hospital?" I asked him. Niall was there, in the sitting room, where Zayn was supposed to be. The lad had left, something with the management and whatnot. I never believed it, though, so the thought that he had been listening to mine and Nicole's conversation popped up.

But wouldn't he be mad? I thought, so the previous idea was wiped away.

"I dunno, you left me at the mall. I wanted to see if you were mad at me." Niall said, once again, knowcking me out of my thoughts. 

"Oh." Was the only thingI could say. He was watching me, of course, it was almost like his blue eyes were burning my nape. But so what? What has he got to do with my life?

"I pride myself for being honest, Miss Jenner, but you know what I've got to do with your life? I don't know either, but you never really would know because you never let me in." The blonde said, surprising me. 

"How did I never let you in?" I glared at him. "You know how. You kissed me. You never mentioned anything about it. And you stole my damn wallet. Then we hang around like nothing ever hapened, don't we? F**k, just stop this stupid lie, would you?" 

"You think this is a lie? A f***ing lie? Niall, do you even consider why I choose not to let people in? No, you don't. You don't know how it feels like to get abandoned, twice. You don't know how it feels like, for someone to depend on you and you feel like you failed them. You don't know what it feels like to f***ing love someone who you know would never fall in love with you!

"So what do I do with it? I build walls, Niall. Walls that are ten times higher than me. But every once in a while, a bastard like you pushes a brick out of place just to tell me I'm not doing anything right." 

I break down. I cry like I've never cried before, not for when Zayn left for the X-Factor. Not for when Judy and Carl broke up. I was crying for the first time in years, and this blonde bastard was the only one to witness it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant anything. I'm so so sorry, love..." That went on for a while. When I finally stopped, Niall was still there. So it made me wonder, maybe he was worth taking down my walls for, maybe he won't abandon me, maybe he'll stay.

But maybe couldn't win anything, could it?

**

"You're in love with Zayn, aren't you?" Niall asked, taking me back. Probably fifteen minutes had past since my break down and Niall took me to an ice cream parlour. "Why do you ask?" I smirk. In those fifteen minutes, it was pretty clear that Niall hated any type of confrontation.

"I dunno. It's pretty obvious, though, if you're thinking you're fooling anybody, you're ridiculously wrong." He told me and I fake-face-palm myself. "And I thought I was doing so good!" I replied, with a faker British accent. He and I laugh so hard that I drop my spoon.

"NOOOOO!!! Ari, what did you DO!?" Niall shouts in my face. "I dropped my spoon. No worries, I'll get it." I replied, eyes still a little wide from the yelling. 

"No, you shouldn't. They have the worst service here. You'll never get another spoon, and their floor's too dirty to pick anything up from there." He warned me and I rolled my eyes. "Niall, it's spoon-lifting, not Grand Theft Auto." 

"Just finish your ice cream so we can leave. I need to find Harry, anyways...." He says and the curly man's name causes me to perk up my ears.

No....no, no, no, no, no, no, no!!!!

"Niall, where's Harry?!" I ask frantically. "I don't know." He shakes his head and my heart races. "Niall, we need to go, now. Pi is with Harry and I don't even know where she is." I shake my head furiously, and walk out the door, Niall hot on my tracks.

"Why are you so frustrated, Ari? Pi is with Harry, isn't that a good thing?" The Irish asks and makes me stop walking when he gets in front of me.

"What if they get mobbed? What if fangirls start a rumor and think they're together? They'll ruin her, bully her and make her life a living hell. She's only a kid, Niall. I still need to protect her." 

"You really love her, don't you?" He asks again and I realize I shouldn't waste anymore time. "She's my sister, now come on." I told him and took his hand.

Cue the chills running down my spine.