Climbing the Walls (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

*Haley's P.O.V.*

"Liam!" I cried, not caring if I woke anyone. I slammed the bathroom door shut and bolted down the hall, banging in the door of the room he was sharing with Niall and Zayn. I banged on the door with one fist, clutching the tearstained notepad in the other. He answered the door groggily, his eyes barely open as he ran his hand through his light brown hair. He noticed my tears and automatically woke up. Niall must have heard my sobs because he came up behind Liam and pulled me into his arms.

"What is it?" Liam asked as Niall rocked me back and forth.
"Dani... B-bathroom..." I sputtered, sobbing uncontrollably into Niall's shoulder. Zayn was awake now as well. Liam's brown eyes turned to stone and he calmly exited the room and walked down the hall. I couldn't shake the image, it would forever be etched in my mind. The sight of my best friend's body swinging from the hotel shower curtain rod, held by a belt around her neck? Why? That was the only comprehensible thought I could muster up. Just why? Why would she take her own life? She had so much to live for! Did she know how much we would all miss her? Especially Julez, Meggy, and me. And Harry. Oh god, how would Harry react?

"What's wrong beautiful?" Niall asked, the combination his soothing Irish accent and sexy morning voice not even calming me down. When I didn't answer, Zayn carefully slipped the notepad out of my clenched fist. Tears welled in his beautiful eyes as they scanned the writing, the same writing that was in the wall in the dark hallway of graffiti. I cried even harder as Niall began reading as well, the words they were ingesting memorized as if they were carved into my skull.

Dear Haley,
I'm so sorry I left like this. It's just, I wanted to be with my mom and Derek, I miss them. Besides, I was bound to end up this way anyway. Once they release my dad from prison he'll be after me more than ever before. I just couldn't take it. Please don't be sad, I love you. You'll always be my sister, and I'll see you soon. I know it might hurt, but please, know that I'm where I want to be. I'll never forget the irreplaceable years of friendship we shared. They truly were the highlight of my life. I love you, bebbz ;*
Xoxo, Dani♥

"Oh, god," Zayn breathed. I knew Niall was trying to be strong for me, but I felt him shaking as he held me. Zayn tried his best to comfort both of us.

I guess Louis and I really do have a soul connection, because he walked into the room right then, clad only his boxers. "What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down in front of us. Zayn handed him the note, and when he was done he lifted me out of Niall's embrace and placed me in his own lap on the other bed. "You comfort Nialler, I've got Haley." Zayn did as Louis instructed, but Niall protested, insisting he was strong enough to comfort me himself. It warmed my heart that he wanted to be the one to take my pain away, but he needed to be calmed down himself first. Since there was no shirt on Louis to grasp, I clenched a few locks of his brown hair in my fists as the sobs wracked through my body.

"Liam, who's on the phone?" Harry's voice came from the hallway. No. He can't see her. "Why are you talking to the cops, Liam?" I jumped out of Louis' arms and he immediately got up and followed me. I ran down the hallway, but it was too late. Not only was Harry crying in the girls' room, but so were the other four living girls.

"You have a note on the bedside table," I mumbled to Harry. He looked at me with tears in his beautiful green eyes, breaking my heart. His pink lips were parted in an unbelieving O shape. He crossed the room and picked up his letter. "You, too," I said to a blubbering Julia and Megan. They went to retrieve their messages, not letting each other go. I watched Harry normally bright green eyes darken like a cloudy forest as they flicked over the note. He crumpled it up and pushed past everyone, crossing the hall to his own room. I sobbed pettily as I trudged back to Louis and Niall. I didn't want to be there when the cops arrived. I didn't even read the other notes. It just felt wrong to violate the privacy and sentimental value of the personal messages. This time I sat in Niall's lap, inhaling the scent of Armani Mania to calm myself. His sobs had subsided and I could tell he was controlling himself as best as he could for me. "I love you," I murmured into his bare chest.