Path of Destruction

Chapter Nine

Louis immediately felt the pain rush to his face. Zayn had hit him predominately on his right side and he could tell that there would be quite a bit of bruising.

He clutched his face in shock. Louis had always seen Zayn as calm and mellow, someone who he would never expect to resort to violence.

Niall and Liam instinctively asked Louis if he was okay, and Liam proceeded to inspect what damage had been done.

Niall appeared to be completely in shock. Louis realized that Liam and Niall were still completely unaware of the situation.

Not for long.

Zayn pounded on Harry’s door.

“Harry please let me in! It’s just me. I am by myself!”

Zayn heard no movement behind the door. He began to worry and started to repeatedly bang on the door.

“Harry! Please just let me in before the others get here! We can talk, and I will make sure everything turns out okay, you won’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. You just have to let me in.”

He began to hear sniffling coming from the other side of the door.

Zayn waited for what felt like an eternity, when in reality it was about another minute. He was starting to lose hope. Sighing, Zayn turned and started to move away from the door.

Just as he took his first step, he heard a noise, that is when he felt relief.

Click.

Harry had unlocked the door.

Liam got an icepack for Louis’s eye and helped him hold it in place.

Louis groaned, he could tell this situation was going to get a whole lot worse before it got any better.

He noticed that Niall was being unusually quiet. On the contrary, as soon as Louis was situated with his ice, Liam unleashed the questions that Louis had expected would come.

“Louis what is going on?! What were you talking about earlier when you said no more secrets? And why did Zayn need to talk to Harry so bad? And why did Harry slam the door? Is he upset with us? And what did you do to Zayn to get him that mad?

Liam’s questions were coming a thousand miles a minute.

“LIAM! SLOW DOWN.”

Liam snapped out of it and took a breath. “Sorry Lou, could you just explain what is going on, because I am completely lost.”

Louis badly wanted to just spill everything that he had recently learned about Harry, but he knew that this information would have to come from Harry himself.

“Harry needs help. He is going through a hard time and he just really needs our support, even though right now it seems he doesn’t want it, we need to be there for him.”

Liam knew this was only the basis of the story, but he could tell that this is all Louis felt comfortable saying, so he didn’t push him any further.

Liam then glanced at Niall and noticed how quiet he was being. He hadn’t said anything for a while and he had a distant look on his face. Liam wished he knew what was going on in that head of his.

Nial’s POV

It all made sense. It was all clicking in my mind. Zayn and Louis were worried about Harry for something that he had been keeping a secret for months and I had known all this time. How could I have been so stupid? It was all right there in front of me, but I wasn’t smart enough to put it together. I could of prevented this whole situation.

Zayn quietly closed the door behind him. What he saw in front of him sent him into a wave of all different emotions.

Harry sat crouched on the floor; his face was tear-stricken and puffy from crying. He didn’t even glance up when Zayn made his way into the room, he just stared down, lost in thought.

Zayn got down on the floor next to him and put an arm around his shoulders, “Harry, everything is going to be okay, we will get through this. We can keep going to therapy and Dr. Avery can help you, it’s all –

He stopped talking as soon as his eyes glanced down.

Zayn smoked quite frequently. He knew it was a horrible habit, he knew it would eventually have a negative impact on his singing voice, he wanted to quit, but it was just something that he had struggled on and off with for about 2 years.

Given this information, when Zayn saw the tip of the object sticking out under Harry’s thigh, he knew right away it was a lighter.

“Oh Harry…” Zayn trailed off sympathetically. He took his friend and pulled him into a tight hug.

“It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay.” He kept repeating this as a way to comfort Harry. Even though Zayn knew that in a way he was really just trying to comfort himself. He thought that just maybe if he said it enough, it would be true.

Niall’s POV

I should have known when I first saw the cuts. This was over four months ago. Had it really been going on this long? The moment seemed so insignificant at the time. It was right after we had had some time off. We all went back home to be with our families. We spent 2 and a half weeks with them before returning back to London to pack for the X Factor tour. Harry and I were the first to get back. We were lifting our bags and his bracelets slipped down. I noticed multiple scratches he had all along his wrist.

“Harry man, what happened to your wrist?”

He hesitated for a moment. Looking back I can remember that for a split second panic crossed his face.

“Oh you know how many cats I have at home; I guess they hadn’t seen me for so long that they thought I was a stranger. They tend to lash out at strangers.”

“Geez, they must have been all over you! Those are some deep cuts you have there! Well, I guess they don’t call you the pussy magnet for nothing!”

Harry laughed back.

I can now remember the relief on his face after I had believed his little story.

How could I have been so naïve? I could have helped him and none of this would be happening now.

I was a horrible friend.