Rye's PoV
thursday 14th december
3:10pm
"is your hand feeling any better?" Brooklyn asks as me and Mikey return from the bathroom. i hold up my now bandaged hand.
"it's alright, just swollen" i shrug and sit down.
"will someone please explain what's going on?" Harvey asks and the boys all look towards me.
"Rye hasn't been himself at all lately" Andy starts, "for 3 months" he adds and i role my eyes but sigh and nod.
"what do you mean by that?" harvey asks again, looking from me to Andy. i also turn my gaze to Andy.
"pissy moods, not speaking to us at all, unless he had to or if he was annoyed at us for an unknown reason. yelled at us a lot. wouldn't tell us what was wrong, was never at the flat unless it was for sleeping or watching whatever on his mac, pushed us all away, didn't let us help him with anything, i could go on" Andy says and my jaw clenches.
"Rye.." brooklyn starts.
"i'm fine fine" i say shaking it off.
"but it's okay now, apparently. you know, we found out a girl was the reason he was acting up and now a girl called Faith seems to have made him somehow feel better" andy finishes.
"right then okay" harvey says, still confused.
"that isn't all that's happened.." i mumble.
"oh really?! i had no idea! why don't you finally tell us the whole fucking story!" Andy snaps.
"Fovvs calm down" Jack says and he sighs.
"yeah i know sorry sorry" Andy says half heartedly. Harvey looks rather startled by his words.
"you good Rye?" Mikey asks and i nod, "ready to explain..?" i also nod.
"okay.. where do i start" i say and they all look towards me. the beginning it is..
"3 months ago.. i was on social media and i was just a scrolling through everything. i don't know why, but i found this one hate comment and it just really got to me for some reason.. i then found myself reading more and more until all positive comments pretty much just looked like lies to me.. all i could focus on was negativity. it went on for about a week and i suddenly got a text from a random number. it was a girl, saying an old mate of mine had gave her my number. basically a sort of set up type thing. and we got talking. we became close within 4 days, yeah that quick. i felt happy? when i was talking to her i guess. but i didn't realise everything she was saying to me was just.. wrong. she played me, used me i suppose. took advantage of the fact that i wasn't going though a good time. she made me feel as though she was the only one i could talk to, trust and help me. this was 4 weeks into talking.. i hadn't realised the whole time shed also been controlling me and sort of making me feel worse at the same time i thought she was making me feel better" i pause and they just nod.
"then, i guess you guys had obviously picked up on my change of behaviour and then tried to help.. except i wouldn't let you and got annoyed every time you would ask me what was wrong, try and help me or even just speak to me.. it was her fault. she told me things, at the time i didn't realise how harsh and bad they sounded, but looking back at them now, i feel stupid" i say and pull out my phone, opening imessage, "read through some of them if you want, i don't care anymore. she's the main reason i lashed out at you all. you'll understand if you read some of the things she said" i add and hand them my phone. they look at me, but Andy takes it. i sit and wait for them to finish.
"Rye, what the fuck is wrong with yo-" andy pauses but stops himself, "actually no never mind.. like you said she sort of brainwashed you in a way and took advantage of the fact you were going though a bad time.."
"i honestly can't believe i was that stupid" i say, "i read them back with faith the other day and honestly felt like a complete idiot" i add.
"your mind wasn't in a good place.. she slowly fed you information and made you feel like she was your only friend.. and then you put your trust in her and believed what she said.. the text then have gradually gotten worse but the way she's worded some of the things.. yeah i can see why you didn't pick up on them at first" Mikey says and i nod.
"i guess i should finish the story then.." i say, i suddenly feel a lot more relieved.. wow.
"yeah" Andy says and nods, sending me a reassuring smile. i knew then he was staring to understand..
"it went on for 2 months.. all that texting, me getting annoyed at yous.. and yeah. she asked to meet me a week before we stopped texting. i agreed.. we were going to meet on the saturday.. only, we suddenly became busy. it was the day Blair came home randomly to talk about the tour. i told her i couldn't go on the saturday morning and she got pissed off at me.. i don't know why she wanted to meet so badly that's the thing.. and that scares me still. the full day she didn't text me. at around 11pm or something, she posted something on her snapchat of herself with a guy.. that wasn't too well nice to look at- it was sort of sexual" i cringe and so do they, "me being the idiot i am, asked her about it. and that's when i found out she'd had a boyfriend the entire time we'd been texting.. the worst part is, i'd stated falling for her.. but that's only because of the way she sort of brainwashed me.. i feel like an absolute idiot now. but yeah.. i got pissed off at her for not telling me. and we never spoke again after that.. i didn't know who to talk to so for 3 weeks i just didn't talk to anyone.." i say.
"those 3 weeks being the ones before this one?" brooklyn asks rather dumbly making me smile a little.
"yeah brooklyn those ones" i say, "but then.. Faith.. i tweeted something on my old twitter account and it must have came up in her suggested or something like that cause she didn't follow me or have a clue who i was. we got talking and yeah.. i found out was going to the London show and felt like i then had to tell her who i was. she didn't believe me at first.. but once i told her.. the story, she did. and i was happy about that. she then told me her story and, honestly, i just can't believe someone like her has so much shit happen to her.." i pause, "we've talked ever since.. You boys obviously know about her, maybe not you though harvey" i say and he nods.
"the girl yous were snap chatting last night right?" he asks.
"we all love faith" Brooklyn says and i laugh. but that's true.
"wait is she okay? just from when she suddenly didn't reply for a few days and you got beyond worried" jack asks and i frown.
"it's not really something i should be telling you" i shrug, "but like, she's fine, just someone she cares about isn't doing to well at all i guess.." i say sadly.
"her niece right..?" brooklyn asks. and i nod. obviously Jack had forgotten what i'd told them a few days ago.
"oh right yeah i remember now" jack says, "i feel bad.. i hope it gets better" he says.
"i think we all do" i say and the boys nod.
