Downhill // Niall Horan

Chapter 6

Almost a week later, Niall was refusing to leave his bed. He insisted he was tired and simply wouldn't get up. Paul, one of the members of security, threatened Niall, saying he wouldn't hesitate to drag him out of bed, but even when Niall continued to refuse, he didn't.

"The flight's at eight tonight. He has to bloody get ready," Paul muttered with a shake of his head, throwing his arms up a little in exasperation as he turned to a few of the other people in the room, Zayn being one of them.

"What about that Jenny girl?" Zayn spoke up. The tattoos on his arms were visible, as his white short-sleeved t-shirt only covered the very tops of his arms. "Niall, do you still talk to Jenny?"

"Jenny? You mean that girl who they thought could help Niall?" Paul questioned, to which Zayn nodded to in response. "Of course he doesn't talk to her. She came around one time. She's no good."

Zayn scratched the back of his head and nodded again before letting out a sigh. He didn't know how to help Niall, and it really frustrated and upset him. He just wanted to know what was wrong. Him and everybody else.

Niall suddenly sat up in bed and glared at Paul, who was surprised by his actions, as was everyone else.

"Jennifer is not no good," Niall spat. "You can't say that about someone you don't know. That's basically calling her useless. That's rude and unfair. You should know better."

Paul didn't say anything. He hadn't meant to be rude or to anger Niall, but he supposed his words were a bit unfair.

"Do you talk to her, Niall?" Zayn asked in a soft tone after a moment of silence. Niall looked to him, the expression on his face unreadable.

"I dunno," Niall said, his gaze on Zayn's feet. He found it hard to look people in the eye nowadays.

"Do you?" Zayn asked. He was hopeful, because maybe Niall did talk to her, and maybe Jennifer was helping him, even a small bit.

Niall shrugged, and as if on cue, his phone made a small noise from where it was beside him, notifying him that he had recieved a message. Zayn and Niall looked at each other with their eyebrows raised, both of them knowing they were about to leap for the phone.

Zayn jumped at where the phone was, and at the same time, Niall hurriedly reached to get it. There was a moment where the two were both holding onto the phone and trying desperately to pry it out of the other's grip, but Zayn won.

"Zayn, give it back!" Niall exclaimed, his tone serious, yet it was still clear he was worried Zayn would read his texts.

"Ah-hah!" Zayn exclaimed in glee as he read the notifiction on the screen, displaying a text from a contact named 'Jennifer'. "So you do talk to her."

"Zayn, stop acting five," Niall spat as he snatched the phone from Zayn's hands and then went back to lying in his bed with a huff. "It's none of your business if I talk to her or not."

"But you do!" Zayn exclaimed, pleased by his new discovery. "Do you want her to come over?"

"What?" Niall asked, his eyebrows furrowing and his nose scrunching up a small bit in confusion.

"He wants her to come over," Zayn said firmly, in reply to his own question. He turned to Paul. "We'll get her to come over."

"What? Zayn, you can't!" Paul exclaimed, looking at Zayn like he had three heads. "Your flight is soon; we don't have any time to be bringing over girls to talk to Niall. And I mean that. So don't even try it, bud."

"Paul," Zayn muttered under his breath and then glanced back to Niall, who was watching in silence with a look of confusion on his face. They were acting like he wasn't in the room. Then Zayn turned back to Paul and said under his breath (in the hopes Niall wouldn't hear), "She might be able to get Niall to get up and go on the flight. Just let her come over for half an hour or something. Please."