It's Complicated {One Direction}

Chapter 7

Liam Payne

“Come on, you’ve got it. Zayn’s skating like a pro already,” Talia said to me, as I grabbed her arm for support. We were both looking at Zayn and Aleka, who seemed to be having fun, as always. Aleka was skating around him in a circle, and when she grabbed her hand, they both tumbled on top of each other. “Okay, I take it back.”

I laughed as we wobbled back out the door of the rink, and I immediately kicked off the ice skates and walked around in my socks as I looked for my shoes. Talia did the same, and began looking for the others. Monica and Harry were on complete other sides of the rink, skating with frowns on their faces. Niall and Liana were goofing off in the middle, falling on their bums and laughing it off as they got up. Louis and Mackenzie, however, were skating hand and hand around the rink just like the other people did. Zayn and Aleka were… nowhere to be found?

“Liam, mate, can you hand me Aleka’s shoes?” Zayn asked, and I turned around to see Aleka in his arms, her arms around his neck with tears in her eyes. I did as he asked, just as he set her down on the bench.

“What did you do to her?” Talia asked in a joking manner.

“I… Well, we fell and she happened to be at the bottom,” Zayn replied, lacing her converse onto her feet. When he put on the right shoe, she winced, so he kept it off. “It’s your ankle, isn’t it?”

Aleka nodded, and Zayn looked guilty. She kept her expression clueless, and tears streamed down her face.

“I’m so sorry! I told you I wasn’t good with water!” Zayn exclaimed, putting his head in his hands.

“It’s ice skating, Zayn,” I told him.

“It’s water either way,” Zayn replied. He turned to Aleka again. “I’m sorry, Aleka.”

“It’s alright,” Aleka said, and tried standing up. She winced again and grabbed her ankle as she sat down.

“How’s about we go back to the hotel early and meet you guys there?” Zayn suggested, a look of guilt still on his face. Talia and I nodded, so he put Aleka on his back and walked away, Aleka’s arms still wrapped around his neck.

“Sometimes I wonder,” Louis said suddenly, appearing beside Talia. She jumped, as he’d scared her. “What an awkward group of friends we are.”

I shook my head with a smile as Talia still looked a bit shaken. How easy that girl was to scare…

“Where are Aleka and Zayn?” Liana asked, Niall untying his skates behind her with Mackenzie nearby. “Weren’t they here a moment ago?”

“Yeah,” Talia answered. “They kind of… Fell, so they went back to the hotel early.”

“Where are Mon and Harry?” Louis asked. He’d been calling everyone by nicknames today… Tal, Mon, Kenz, what else was there? Just then, Harry showed up with a glum look on his face. He had shaved ice in locks of his curls and Monica had a look of success on her face as she walked behind him.

“That must’ve been the payback, huh?” Mackenzie asked Monica. She nodded with her head held high.

“It counts for kicking me in the face too, Curly,” Louis said, pointing at Harry. He groaned and sat next to Niall, who had finished off pulling on his grey Supras. Mackenzie and Louis were sitting next to each other now, and Harry was shaking the shaved ice out of his hair.

“I’m hungry,” Niall and Liana said in unison.

“Not a surprise,” Talia and I said simultaneously. We all looked at each other and burst out laughing for about a minute, but then Niall’s stomach growled and we realized we needed to feed the growing boy and his girlfriend as well.