I Refuse to Fangirl (1D fanfic)

Chapter 19

Hey guys, just a quick reminder. Anyone is free to submit any banners, covers, or fan art. DM me if you have something you want to submit and I will give you my social media so you can go submit it 😝

Also, there will be SIX MORE CHAPTERS! And then it'll all be over oh my goodness. I'm actually going to finish a book guys! This is incredible.

Stay Gold!

~cmfsif

Trigger warning: deals with topics of abuse (I apologize to my viewers who have issues with this. It won't be in every chapter. This is the last one for a while)
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~Chloe River~

Forest's head tilts up to say something, "Chloe, I...That's not what I—" After stumbling over words a few times, he gives up and sits down.

"I know that's not what you meant, For." I let out a breath of air, uncomfortable in this situation. "But that's how it sounds."

There is silence. Complete and utter silence.

"I've just barely admitted it to myself..."  I mumble. "But you saved me from him this time. You've already seen his true nature, so I guess you should know the full truth. Let me start by telling you the more recent events. Basically, I'm now hanging out with One Direction because I refused to fangirl..."

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"...And now Niall and Harry and I have been in a fucked up love triangle."

"But which one do you like?" Forest's query makes my stomach drop.

"I'm not sure. There's fireworks with Harry and crackling fireplaces with Niall. I don't know which one I prefer. Harry feels like a nonstop adventure, beautiful and exciting. But Niall feels like home. I've only ever felt at home with Drake... It's been 3 years since I felt at home..."

Forest sits next to me, wrapping his arms around my trembling body. He and Drake were always extremely close. Like...ridiculously close. "I'm sorry, Chlo. I miss him, too," he breathes. "He's the reason I'm not homeless...or dead..." He lets out a small chuckle at the memory.

One time, Forest was swimming in the pool when he was 8 years old. A 9 year old kid shoved him down and I started screaming as Forest couldn't get back up. He was stuck at the bottom of the pool and my 7 year old self knew to do nothing but yell.

The lifeguards were paying little to no attention through the noise from the other kids. Drake, who was eating his lunch on a deck opposite from the pool, was 12 years old, and yet the second he heard my screams, he sprinted the length of the deck and took a leap of faith over a balcony railing, landing on the hard pavement, which scraped up his feet. He was big for a 12 year old, but not by much, so it was a miracle when he dove into the pool, wrapped his arms under Forest, and in one not-so-swift motion, began kicking upwards.

I was screaming, treading water in doggy paddle, tears rushing down my cheeks, because now my best friend and my brother were below surface. I tried to yell for a lifeguard, but my voice was much too small and much too high to grasp any of their attention. The lifeguard chairs seemed so high in comparison to me. They were like angels in the sky, the sun glistening against their sunglasses; if only they'd just answer my prayers.

It was obvious that Drake was struggling. Forest was dead weight against him. Drake never knew what quitting was. He only knew try harder. He was inches from the surface, when a superhuman strength overcame him and he completed the last push. Forest gasped for air. Drake's arms were hyperextended to hold Forest's flushed face above surface, but he himself was still bobbing below the water. You could hear his sharp breaths being cut off by water, until finally he stayed up long enough to yell for the lifeguard. Forest quickly joined in, and unlike mine, the angelic figures could actually hear their voices. It wasn't long until both boys were helped out of the water...and Drake was offered a job the moment he turned 14.