The Power Within [Narry]

--Chapter 8--

“NIALL!”

“Is your knight in shining armor here to rescue you?” Jay sneers, the pungent smell of alcohol in his breath making me gag. He keeps his head right next to mine, relishing the fear oozing from every pore in my body. I haven't moved an inch since he trapped me against the pool ledge, and my limbs are still paralyzed with absolute fear. This happens every time: I never fight back. I'm always too scared of the consequences—whatever they may be.

The temperature of the pool feels like it's dropping with every passing second, numbing every fiber of my being. I find myself shaking from both the fear and the artic-cold water.

“Answer me when I ask you a fucking question, faggot,” his voice drops to a mere whisper, taking interest in my shoulder before biting it harshly. “You taste like bacon,” he hums, “No wonder Mr. Knight-in-Shining-Armor wants to rescue you; he probably wants the bacon all to himself.” At this point, I'm praying to the heavens above for the strength to knee him in the balls. My prayers are surprisingly answered because the next thing I know, Jay falls sideways into the freezing water.

I'm breathing as if I just completed a triathlon, willing my shaky legs to unstably walk forward as the water feels like a blade cutting through my mid-chest. I ignore the stares; I ignore the angry shouts as people go to help Jay. My only focus right now is getting to my friends who're sprinting towards me through the water. I would have awed at the speed they were moving at if my mind wasn't so...blank.

The bear hug that attacked me is the one thing that I needed the most and I realized this when I let go of my two best mates and felt empty.

“Let's get out of here, yeah?” Not needing to be asked twice, I head to the pool ladder with Nick and Ryan huddled next to me. Louis is right behind us with Zayn and Harry whispering behind him—well more like Zayn urgently whispering something to Harry.

The look on Harry's face is one that I immediately describe as venomous; the veins on his neck can be spotted a mile away, his forearms are turning an intense red from how tight his fists are clenched, and his eyes—oh his eyes—have darkened to appear as black as the midnight sky. I definitely don't plan on getting him pissed anytime soon because that look can send my soul straight down the fiery pits of hell.

Next to Harry, Zayn looks completely stressed out as he desperately tries to get something across to him. I see Harry take deep breaths, his shoulders slumping forward in an attempt to relax.

Unexpectedly, I gain feeling in my limbs again and my body doesn't feel like it's moving through the Arctic Ocean anymore. The water still feels cold, but not as bitter cold as it was just a few seconds ago. Huh, that's weird, but it wouldn't be the only strange thing that happened today.

Harry starts to lift his head up so I turn around quickly because I do NOT want to chance meeting his wrathful gaze. Okay, pull yourself together Niall. Stop thinking about those eyes that are burning holes through your back; instead, think about...nachos! Yeah, nachos...

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The next few days can only be described as pure shit.