Thorn (n.h)

XLV

Chapter Songs: (Basically the entire Gaurdians of the Galaxy soundtrack because Chris Pratt)

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Making it back to my cozy dorm around 10:30pm was comforting. I closed the door and leaned against it to find the dorm was silent. Eleanor wasn't here so I flopped onto my bed with a grunt, year three of university starting day after tomorrow. /Why./

I hear my phone buzz, my hand fiddles around on my bed then my pocket to find it.

/hey, made a friend so we went to hang out. Wanna join if you're back?/

I flip over onto my back and hold my phone over my face, tapping the reply box and tapping out my answer.

/sure el, where are y'all?/

/admin courtyard, near the Sammie's/

Sitting up and looking around the room, my tongue rolls around my mouth as my thoughts drift. /That was not Niall./ He was shaking, vulnerable and not...not him. Everyone, even those who haven't met him, know Niall is tough, rough and Not phased by anything simple.

My lip is pulled in between my teeth as I getup from my bed and leave without another thought on the matter. I trample down the stairwell and out into the warm night air. Cicadas are heard throughout the dark, the only other sounds are my footsteps.

Again my phone pings with a notification, I pull it from my pocket and take a look to see this time it's Zayn who is texting.

/something is up with Niall, he's not right/

I smirk and tap out an answer, /tell me something I don't know/

A few minutes later I'm almost to Sammie's and I hear another ping, /if you aren't busy do you want to come to my home this weekend, my mom wants to meet you/

My eyebrows furrow and I stop walking to reread the message, /why would she want to meet me?/

A few agonizing minutes pass and I open the new text immediately: /she likes to meet my friends. Yes or no?/

I smirk and call him bossy in my head and continue walking, /okay, why not./

My phone is returned to my pocket, reaching Sammies I see Eleanor on the other side of the glass, some people surrounding her. I open the door and meander around tables over to the group, my head watching my feet to make sure I don't trip.

"You're here!" I hear Eleanor call, I smile then finally look up, she is smiling and pulling out a chair beside her. But I notice a few familiar faces.

"Harry?"

"Yeah, this is Harry," she points to him and turns to Louis, "and this is Louis."

"I'm aquatinted with them thank you," I answer stiffly. I awkwardly sit in the chair that was pulled out for me and notice one face isn't among the three. Paige.

"How've you been, Rose?" Louis chirps from his seat next to Eleanor.

"Since when did you care?" I bite and he chuckles, so does Harry. I shoot the one with curls a disgusted glare, like he was gum stuck on the bottom of my shoe.

"Since we were friends, duh," my eyebrows raise and I can't help but laugh from my gut.

"Friends? Since when? Since Niall called you and Paige out or since Niall beat Harry to a pulp?"

Louis chuckles like none of it ever happened, his arm lifts and lands right around Eleanor's shoulders, "that's the past Rose, come on now."

I almost threaten them with Niall but with the way he was today, I don't think or know of he'll be able to do anything if I even mentioned it.