Climbing the Walls (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

*Haley's P.O.V.*

Well, three weeks have passed since the deaths of Derek and Dani. Last week was Derek's funeral and now I'm standing in the musty old funeral home in my hometown, wearing a black dress and surrounding myself with sad people who are mourning the life of the beautiful Danielle Manchester.

They boys had to postpone a couple concerts for the funerals, but the fans were supportive, which was much appreciated.

I was sitting on an old, stiff, outdated floral couch next to Niall. His arm was around my shoulders, comforting me as I leaned sadly into his side. The whole gang was scattered around the room amongst the throngs of kids from my school. I was happy none of them had fangirled over the presence of One Direction. I would not have tolerated that at my best friend's wake. Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, in waltzed the devil himself.

He was dressed simply in a tight black button up shirt with dark gray pinstripes which was tucked into a pair of black dress pants. His curly black fringe hung in his ice blue eyes as the flickered, surveying the room. I watched him, tensing up. As his eyes found mine, all I wanted to do was look away. But I couldn't. Niall must have followed my gaze, because he tightened his grip on me protectively.

"Is that him?" Niall whispered angrily. I nodded curtly. Chase smiled, the corners of his thick pink lips raising the way they would if he was waving to a friendly acquaintance. He waved awkwardly and I managed to lift one corner of my mouth and swipe the air in front of me in response. It was like we were strangers. Even though the thought was slightly disturbing, it actually comforted me. Strangers was an improvement on what we used to be. I glanced over at Niall as Chase sauntered over. His wondrous blue eyes were cautious and full of warning. Chase didn't even seem to notice. "Hey, Haley," he smiled.

"Hey there, Chase," I replied, forcing myself to smile. All I wanted to do was puke. Being in the presence of the boy who broke me and the boy who fixed me mixed with the stuffy smell of the old room and the fact that my best friend had killed herself can make a girl feel a bit sick. His amazingly blue eyes made their way to Niall.

"Hello," he smiled charismatically. "I'm Chase." He extended out his pale, slender hand to Niall who grasped it and shook it firmly. I saw that he was smiling, but the disgust was evident in his eyes.

"Niall," he introduced himself. Chase's grin widened. His kindness was creeping me out.

"Pleased to meet you! Love the accent by the way," Chase complimented with a wink. Dafuq...? Niall blushed and looked down.

"Tanks," he mumbled. "I get that a lot." I giggled at that, gaining curious looks from both boys. I just looked at them, smiling stupidly. Oops, was that not supposed to be humorous?

"Uhm, Haley, may I talk to you in private for a moment, please?" Chase requested politely. It seemed like he was asking Niall more than me. Niall looked at me questioningly and I gave him a reassuring look, following Chase. He slipped his soft hand into mine as he led me away from my safe haven. His touch felt so wrong. Horrible memories came flooding into my mind and the room began to spin. He still smelled the same, looked the same, felt the same. It was haunting, really. He took me out into the hall and stopped once we reached the corner at the end. He turned around, his ice cold eyes burning into mine. I kept a straight face, masking my confusion and fear.

"Yes?" I asked calmly. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with something I had never seen in them before: sadness. Regret. He looked almost apologetic.

"Haley, I know we ended on a bad note..." he started.

"Yeah, no shit," I grumbled, becoming uneasy. Just looking at him made my stomach churn. Sirens were going off in my head, telling me to run away.