Breaking The Ice

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TJ's POV

I woke up to my head pounding, my mouth feeling like I'd swallowed a glass full of beer flavored sand, and my stomach feeling like the smallest movement would make me throw up. I immediately remembered why I didn't drink that often, knowing that the day I had ahead of me would be absolute hell.

I hesitantly dragged myself out of bed, padding down the hall and feeling like the fridge full of water was a mirage in the desert once I stepped into the kitchen. I pulled out a bottle of water and chugged it, finally waking up when I heard shuffling in the hallway and whispers making their way through the door.

"No fucking way, don't say anything to her." One of the voices said, that I quickly recognized as Niall's.

"It's better she hears it from us." Liam whispered back.

I inched my way toward the hallway, seeing the light peering in from the main hall as they had the front door propped open and seemed to be talking to someone else outside.

"She's gonna lose it. We can't just tell her and then leave. She's gonna be upset." Niall sighed. "I wish I had time to go kick his ass without missing my flight."

Considering I was the only 'she' in the entire building, I gathered that they were talking about me. I was in no mood to play any games, considering I felt like it might actually be my last day on earth if my hangover killed me, so I made my way down the hall and flung the door open.

There they stood, Niall, Liam and Rex, all standing there with their bags and ready to leave for thanksgiving break, looking like three baby deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle.

"Oh, uh...Hey Teej." Rex said, overly cheerful as he held something behind his back.

"Tell me." I snapped.

"Tell you what?" Liam asked awkwardly, knowing I knew him too well to even bother lying to me.

"What are you hiding?"

They all looked around at each other as I glared at them, before they collectively sighed and Rex held out what looked to be a magazine from behind his back as I snatched it from his hand. They all looked terrified, nervously biting their lips or rubbing their necks as I took it from him and they awaited my reaction.

I stared down at the cover story, seeing my own face with a headline that made me scoff out loud.

"What the actual fuck?" I said slowly, trying to figure out exactly what I was looking at.

"I'm so sorry, Teej. We-"

"What the fuck is this?" I asked them, the three of them looking at me like they didn't wanna say it out loud.

It was okay, they didn't have to. I knew exactly what I was looking at, and I knew exactly what had happened. I turned around, gripping the magazine in my hand as I stormed back to my room, the three of them calling out after me as I threw on the first set of clothes I could find and grabbed my keys.

I headed back out of the dorm, pushing past them as they all tried to talk to me, but I didn't hear a word they were saying. I was seeing red, my rage taking over, and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

"Teej, please wait! I gotta go to the airport or I'm gonna miss my flight!" Liam pleaded as he grabbed my arm just as I burst through the front door of our building, Niall and Rex quickly hurrying behind him. "Just let me talk to you for a second."

"There's nothing to fucking talk about." I seethed. "Go get on your plane, I'll call you later."

"What are you gonna do?" Niall asked worriedly.