the fighter // harry styles (au) *ON HOLD*

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CHAPTER FIVE:

There were a million thoughts going through my head when Zayn began to explain it all.

It pained me when I began to realize that everything was starting to make sense: the hatred between my brother and Nolan; Harry seeming strangely familiar; Dad always acting on edge when he was around. I started to wonder if this was the reason why our parents were gone. The thought of them being forced to run without us because of a gang shattered my heart to pieces.

It wasn't until that moment I realized I had been so naïve, so caught up in my own life that I didn't realize what situation I was really caught in. It was like Zayn and I were forced into a pack and our lives depended on loyalty. The thought of my brother hiding weapons from me in our apartment or sneaking off to do “dirty work” made me feel uneasy and I seemed to lose my breath as I was overwhelmed with emotions.

I moved my face from my hands and stared at my brother in silence. He sat still as his face began to swell drastically from all his talking. A bruise had formed under his eyes, a black color that looked slightly unattractive. His cheek looked like a balloon ready to pop. Somehow, I could feel his pain and my eyes welled up with tears.

“Why would you hide this from me?” I asked him. My voice was so low, it was barely a whisper.

Zayn continued to look at me, but he didn't answer. Instead, Harry cleared his throat and I looked up at him. I had completely forgotten about his existence moments ago. “It was only to protect you,” He answered me with a stern expression.

I rolled my eyes. “That's the biggest load of bullshit, and an extremely brotherly excuse.”

My brother attempted to chuckle but groaned in pain instead. “It's my job,” He managed to mumble with a pained look on his face. He stood up and headed straight to the kitchen. I assumed he was going to ice his face.

I looked back at Harry and he was still staring at me. Feeling uncomfortable, I looked at the wooden floor. “So what, it's your job to protect me too?”

“More like babysit you from a distance,” He said and I could sense he was smirking at his own comment. I met his eyes again and my prediction had been right. “But yeah, technically I have to as well.”

“I don't need to be babysat,” I told him firmly. “I'm old enough to take care of myself.”

I stood up from sitting on my bed and began to pace around. I had the sudden urge to leave, to find Nolan and to be with him. It was crazy of me, I knew it, but I couldn't help it. I had to.

“You know you have to break up with him,” I heard Zayn say to me.

I looked over to him as he iced his cheek. I scoffed, “Excuse me?”

He rolled his eyes and walked back over to sit on the couch. “You heard me, Holland.”

I stared at my brother in disbelief. “That's not happening. I don't care what kind of clan you're part of or if you took an oath, I'm not doing it!'

“You're unbelievable,” He mumbled and sat back, closing his eyes.

I continued to stare at my brother and began to think about his request. To say I was beginning to feel conflicted was an understatement. He just didn't understand how it felt to have someone love you so unconditionally. It's just his jealously speaking, I thought to myself.

“It'd be the right thing for you,” Harry spoke softly behind me.

I turned around to look at him and raised my eyebrow. “Oh, and what do you know about what's right for me?”