Falling Fast - L.S

10

I went straight up to Gigi and Niall when I got back to the party. They were all over each other. I had to stand right next to them for about ten seconds before they even saw me.

"I've just been sick," I said.

"Oh, Lou." Gigi made a sympathetic face. But I could see she was in no mood to leave. Niall said nothing. I turned to him.

"Harry saw me being ill. He's gone, but he said I should ask you..." I stopped.

Apart from not really wanting to talk about Harry in front of Gi, it struck me that there was really no need for Niall to come home with us at all. Taylor, Gigi and I were perfectly capable of making our own way back.

But Niall was already nodding. "He wants me to take you home? That's fine," he said.

"What?" Gigi was looking at him horrified.

"Both of you, I mean," Niall said hastily.

Gigi frowned. "Are you really feeling ill, Lou?"

I swallowed. I wasn't too bad, not any more. But I'd promised Harry I'd let Niall make sure I got back okay. And I'd said I'd leave soon. I frowned. Something about the leaving soon thing didn't quite make sense, though I couldn't put my finger on what.

"Gigi, why don't you find Taylor? Tell her Louis' not well. Needs to go," Niall said quickly. "I'll get her a drink of water."

Gigi looked at him, then nodded. She disappeared out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Niall grabbed my arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I stared at him. "I'm fine, look, Harry was just suggesting you might take me home. He wanted me to go soon. But there's no need - I feel okay now. And I'll be with Taylor and Gigi when I do leave."

Niall shook his head. "He'll be really annoyed at me if I don't do what he said. Anyway," his face reddened, "Gi is staying with you, isn't she?"

I frowned. "How d'you mean, 'really annoyed at you' ? Why would he be? I don't understand."

"Me and Harry have an agreement. He lets me copy his English and History homework. Then, if he asks me to do something like this, I do it. No questions."

My frown deepened. "How often does he ask you to walk his... his friends home?"

"He hasn't before. But sometimes he asks me to meet his sister from work. If he has to be somewhere else. Once I was late and he was so mad, I thought he was going to hit me."

"Why does he always meet his sister?" I said.

Niall shrugged. "Dunno. He's never said. He only says that he has to look after her." He paused, blushing again. "Look. It's no big deal," he said.

"Okay," I said slowly, my mind whirling. Why was Harry so protective of his sister? And why, now, was...

"Why's he doing this for me?" I asked.

"He's probably worried about you going home drunk," Niall said. "He's got a massive thing about alcohol. All drugs, but alcohol especially. Never touches it."

"I know," I said. "What's that about?"

Niall shrugged again. "No idea. But I've never seen him have so much as a sip of beer and he gets really angry if you push him on it."

I frowned. The list of things which made Harry really angry was getting longer every time I met him. Money. Drugs. Booze. People turning up late to protect his sister from some mysterious danger.

I spotted Gigi - minus Taylor, but carrying both our jackets in her arms - appearing at the doorway.

"Okay," I whispered, remembering what hadn't made sense to me before.