H.S. Fanfic

Prelude

Prelude

She stumbles into the elevator, tears streaming down her face and insistently presses the button for the doors to close. The young man running towards the elevators calls her name and she shrinks back against the wall of the elevator but it closes in time. Five sets of eyes stare at the distraught girl as she crumbles to the floor holding her mid-section as if she's trying to hold herself together.

"I'm sorry, but are you ok?" One of the young men asks in a heavily accented voice. She lifts her head and blinks back the tears only now realising she's not alone. She wipes vigorously at her eyes as she stands up and the young man puts his hand at her elbow to assist.

"I'm fine, thank you." She answers, her voice teary.

"Which floor are you going to?" Another voice asks, full of sympathy.

"I um, I don't know. I'm not staying at this hotel, but I really need to leave."

The young men all look at each other and come to an unspoken conclusion.

"I'm Harry and these are my friends. You're obviously trying to get away from that guy back there so in a non-creepy way at all, would you like to come to our room until the coast is clear."

She looks up at all five of them sceptically.

"How do I know I can trust you?" she asks slowly.

"I like Nando's." One off the boys pipes up.

A genuine smile lights up her teary face, "You're cool I guess."

"No you are, why don't you have raccoon eyes?"

"Raccoon eyes?" she questions sceptically now starting to re-think this situation as the elevator continues to ascend.

"You know, when a girl wears so much eye makeup that when she cries it runs down her face and looks like raccoon eyes," he explains, "I'm Niall by the way."

She bursts into laughter, "It's a pleasure to meet you Niall, and no I don't wear makeup."

"Why not?" Niall continues to question her.

"Not that you need it," Harry pipes up.

"I guess I kind of want whoever I'm dating to see me, not this perfectly plastered poppet. And I don't want him to get a fright when he sees me without it."

All of the boys burst into laughter knowing they made the right decision asking her to stay.