Seeing Blind |NH|

Chapter Eight

Just as I was about to call Esta, I saw her and Zayn walking back towards us with bags in their hands.  She was laughing at something he was saying.

"Oh my god, is that food?" Louis asked, as they reached us.

"Indeed, it is!" Esta said, cheerily.

"Sweet!  Thanks guys," he said, taking a bag for himself.

"Who said any of it was for you?" Esta asked, straight faced.

We all paused.  I chuckled, knowing this girl could put down some food.

"Yeah!" Zayn chimed in.  "We went and got the food.  No one said any of it was for any of you."

We all turned to him.  Usually, he couldn't keep from laughing when he was trying to joke around with us but not this time. 

"Are you serious?" Louis asked.

"Uhh, yeah.  This food belongs to me and Esta," Zayn said, setting the bags down on the spread out blankets.

Louis looked him and then looked back at Esta, who was as straight faced as ever.  But I could see she was about to break.

"You guys aren't serious," Louis said.  "I know you're not.  There's way too much food here."

Esta finally broke into a smile and then a laugh.  "God, Louis, of course some of this is for you all.  Geez, what kind of people do you take us for?  We go and get this delicious smelling food, bring it back and then not share?  Damn, dude.  But," she said, reaching for the bag Louis still had in his hand, "That is my bag.  And Niall's."

I piped up when I heard my name.  "Thanks, Esta," I said, sticking my tongue out at Louis as she and I sat down with everyone else.

"Is everyone out to get me today?" Louis asked.

"It's a conspiracy," Esta said, laughing a little.  "Here's your food, little one."  She handed Louis his food while the rest of us laughed at his expression when she called him little.

"You're gonna pay for that, new girl," he said, taking his food and sitting down.

"Oh no, I'm so scared.  Whatever will I do?" Esta said, dramatically throwing her hand over her face as she threw her head back onto my shoulder.  "Whoops, sorry Niall."

I smiled at her, "You're fine."

Louis glowered over his food at her, "I see how it's gonna be.  Just you wait.  Payback's a bitch."

"Is she, now?  Does she look a lot like me?" Esta smirked at him as she took a swig from her beer.

Louis just looked at her, irked and a bit perplexed.  "I don't know if I like you anymore.  Niall, you brought her, control the new girl."

I laughed, "Uh uh, man.  You're on your own for this one."

After we finished our food, we all kind of just laid down under the sun for awhile, to settle our stomachs.  I somehow ended up falling asleep.  When I woke up, the sun was further into the west.  I lifted up my head and looked around me.  No one was there.  I sat up and put my sunglasses back on and looked around.  I found them all a bit further in front of me, playing volleyball.

It looked like Zayn and Esta were on one team while Louis and Danielle were on the other side.  Everyone else was watching.  I walked up beside Harry as Esta scored a point, slamming the ball past Louis' head.  She cheered for herself as Zayn came up behind her, picked her up by the waist, and twirled her around as Louis threw the ball back at her, which she caught.

"I hate you both!" he said, pouting.

Harry and Liam were doubled over in laughter.  "What's going on?" I asked, rubbing my eyes a bit.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't sleeping beauty?" Louis said, as he came up to them.  Zayn and Esta were still celebrating their victory. 

"Ha.  Ha." I said, sarcastically.

"Dude, you're on my team," Liam said.

"Huh?"

"We've been playing couples volleyball.  They already beat Harry and Kendall and just beat Louis and Danielle.  Our turn."

"I have to be a couple with you?"

"Well, had you not fallen asleep, you'd probably had been paired with Esta but...snooze you lose," Zayn said, a little cockily.

Behind my sunglasses, I gave him a glare at his attitude. 

"That's true.  I wanted to be on your team but you looked so peaceful sleeping, I didn't want to wake you so I settled for second best," Esta said, coming up behind Zayn.

Zayn gave her a semi shocked look.  "I'm never second best, sweetheart," he said, wrapping his arm around her.  For some reason, that didn't sit too well with me.

"Yeah, yeah," she said.  "You boys ready to lose?"

"Oh, those be fightin' words," Liam said, grabbing the ball from her hands and heading over to our side of the net.

"Lose?  Who said we were going to be the ones to lose?" I said, glaring at Zayn more than anything else.  "I do believe it's time for me to kick your asses!" I shouted, joining Liam on our side of the net.

Kicking their asses was apparently not in the cards for any of us today.  Zayn and Esta beat us...badly.  Watching them celebrate was a bit disheartening.  She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him as he spun them around. 

'That should be me,' I thought. 'She's my friend.'

Once that was over, everyone wanted to get back into the water.  "I think I'm gonna sit down for a minute," Esta said, walking back up to our stuff.

"Me too," I said, following her.

"Good game, Niall," she said, sitting down on the blanket.

"You and Zayn make a good team," I responded, sitting next to her.

"Nah, we'd have been a better team," she said, lighting jabbing her elbow into my arm before wrapping her arm through mine and resting her head on my shoulder.

"Oh, but, of course," I said, grabbing a beer for us both from the cooler, taking a sip as I handed hers to her.

We sat there for a few minutes before she decided she was ready to go back in, "You coming?" she asked, putting her hand out for me to take.

"Yep," I said, taking it as she helped me to my feet.

Just then, someone giddily said, "Holy shit!"  We looked around and what I had dreaded and totally forgotten about, was in front of me - a fan.

"I'm so sorry," she said, shakily, "You're....uh...could I possibly..." she trailed off.

"Uhh," I looked at Esta who looked confused, even behind her sunglasses.  "Umm, yeah, sure."

"Oh my god, thanks!" The girl said, pulling out her phone and snapping a selfie with me.  Esta watched all of this silently, her arms crossed.  Before the girl walked away so I could explain, Harry came up and the girl screamed.  Loudly.  Right into my ear.  Harry hadn't been paying attention and looked up.  Just then everyone else showed up back at our spot and the girl really began to freak out and everyone, and I mean everyone, started looking at us, which caused more people to recognize us which in turn, caused anyone who did recognize us to then start to bombard us.  Within a matter of seconds, all five of us were surrounded.  With Esta being pushed aside into the background.

I didn't see this until, at some point, I looked around for her, as the crowd was starting to die down, and noticed Esta standing there, confused and unsure of what the hell was going on.  Mostly, I noticed the look of hurt, that despite her having her sunglasses on, I could see, which only made me more mad at myself for not telling her and warning her.