Stronger

Chapter 7

"Holy shit, Paige are you okay?" Zayn asked worriedly, ushering her out and towards a bathroom, I followed behind, disgusted that my clothes were ruined.

I rushed into the men's room, where Paige was throwing up in a toilet. as Zayn held her hair back.

Attempting, and failing, to clean my shirt, I watched her in the mirror, a feeling of sympathy washing over me.

"You're pregnant," I mumbled, almost positive neither of them heard me.

Paige sat back on her calves, burying her face in her hands and letting out a sob.

"It's Niall's," she got out between cries. Zayn assisted her up, while I stared blankly at the sink, still running with the hot water I had used to clean my shirt.

"He doesn't know?"

She shakes her head.

"Babe, you have to tell him," Zayn tells her, stroking Paige's hair gently.

The crowd erupts in cheers outside, though none of us are very excited, though I assume the home team scored.

"You do. He could be thinking anything right now. Maybe that you're cheating."

"No! I would never!"

"Then tell him you're pregnant," I advised, putting a hand on her back. "Or I'll have to."

Paige broke away from Zayn, her eyes still teary, makeup smeared as she nods.

"I will. I have to. After the game. What if they lose?" she asks, now worried. "What if he leaves? What if he doesn't want the baby? What if he doesn't want me anymore?"

"Paige-"

"How am I supposed to handle this stress?"

"Paige-" Zayn chimes in, though he's interjected by the worrying and hormone filled girl.

"I can't do this!"

"Paige!" Zayn and I say simultaneously, finally catching her attention.

"You'll be fine," Zayn reassures her.

"And maybe Niall wants a baby, you don't know," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. I really just wanted to get back to the game, in all honesty.

Paige nods, now smiling. She stops pacing, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

"Harry, you smell like vomit."

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes.

*

We arrived back at our seats after what seemed like hours of maneuvering between the dense crowd that seemed to never dissipate.  I've only been to one game ever and I don't quite remember it being this packed; then again it was a championship match.

Taking my seat, I began to search the field for the three boys that abruptly intruded in my life.

It hadn't occurred to me that I have only known them for a week, and I'm already feeling as if we've known each other for longer than that.

They had so graciously sucked me into their little entourage, not even questioning whether I was a good person or not.  I think that's why I found them so comforting.  They always seem to see the good in every situation.  With the exception of Paige being pregnant of course.

Niall and Louis could've simply told me they were sorry and went on with their day.  But they didn't. They invited me over and continued to interact with me. 

Not that I needed any interacting, but it was the thought that mattered.

It mattered a lot.

"Harry?"

I looked up to see Paige searching my face with a worried expression on her own.  Or maybe it was sympathy.  I couldn't be sure.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" she was now whispering softly.

"Do I seem otherwise?" I asked, trying to push my previous thoughts back.  But with no success.

"I don't know, you seemed kind of lost," her voice was now back to its normal frequency.

"I'm fine, I promise," I told her with a reassuring smile.

"Okay good, let's get back to the game yeah?"

I nodded before averting my attention back to the game that had been going on for quite some time now.

I scanned the field, looking for the feathery haired boy that always found his way to the top of my priority list.

With no luck I eventually spotted Niall who was doing some odd hand shake that only he seemed to know.  I laughed.

"He does that a lot," I heard Paige confirm from beside me.

"He always has a new hand shake towards the end of every game, he says its his 'good luck' routine," she continued with a smile on her face.

All I could do was stare at her, my eyes occasionally looking at Niall, but they mainly stayed glued to her.

I envied her.  I knew I did.  I couldn't quite place the reasoning, but it was there. Now that I look back, it's always been there.  Lurking.

I was still staring at her when I saw her lips turn up into one of the cutest smiles I've ever seen.  I followed her line of sight to the source of her sudden happiness, and I landed on Niall.  He was blowing kisses to her in the corniest way possible before his teammates told him to stop.

I found it.

I found the reason why I was jealous of Paige.

It wasn't the fact that she had Niall, it was the fact that she HAD Niall in the most intimate way possible.

They shared every moment together it seemed like and all the things they did, corny or not, was eating me up. 

I craved that.  I craved the way they were.  I needed it.  I needed someone to do that with.  Someone to share my deepest thoughts with and to not hide anything.  I wanted to be open, but nobody seemed to want that from me.  Everyone wanted me to be the best introvert I could be and I succeeded well at it.

That was until Louis.

I shared my whole life story with him, something I hadn't done in 11 years, and he loved it.  I knew he did.  The way his eyes deepened, as I spoke the biography that was my life to him, gave it away.

And secretly, deep down, hidden beneath my best friends doubt and incontinence, I knew I loved it too.

It's falling.

My walls were falling fast.  The ones I built so high, they were now at eye level and it scared me.  God, did it scare me.  I was scared of what might come of it; what might come of tearing them down completely.

Would I be okay?

I couldn't be and I wouldn't be.

Amidst my sudden realization, I managed to look up at the field.  And at the same time, seeming almost rehearsed, I spotted Louis, who was already looking back at me; his sweaty forehead allowing his fringe to stay attached.  His eyes were piercing through me and I wanted to look away.  I needed to look away.  But I couldn't.  He held me there for what seemed like ages, before winking and tearing his eyes from mine.

Then it hit me.

Just like I thought it would.

I had feelings for Louis.