Made in the A.M

Hey Angel

They all stared at Zayn when he broke down crying after their show.
"What's going on. Zayn? Are you okay?" Louis asked in a concerned voice and went up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. The rest of them came closer as well.

"I'm leaving." Zayn managed to get out.

"Where? We have a photoshoot tomorrow." Niall said.

Zayn dried his cheeks and took a deep breath.
"No, I'm quitting the band. I'm so, so sorry but I can't do this anymore. I'm out."

They all gasped and stared at him in disbelief.
"No...you can't quit Zayn!" Louis protested. He sounded angry.

"I have to Louis! I can't go on like this. It will kill me." Zayn answered.

Liam was the first one to hug him.
"Get better Zayn. I'm gonna miss you. I'm always just a phone call away."

Niall was next in line.
"I get it. Please take care of your health issues Zayn. We all been so worried about you."

Harry hugged him next.
"I'm sad to see you go but you have to do what's best for you."

Zayn looked over at Louis.
"Can I get a hug?"

"No! I'm not accepting this. We can get you help Zayn. Don't leave the band! We're in the middle of a tour." Louis said and pouted. He was on the verge of tears.

Zayn sighed.
"We're always in the middle of a tour. I need your support, Louis. I don't know how I will be able to leave otherwise. I'm not happy. I'm sick Lou. I can't do it anymore. Please."

Louis crumbled and threw himself in Zayn's arms and started to cry.
"Damn it Zayn! How are we supposed to go on without you?" He managed to get out between sobs.

That made the rest of them cry as well and they came in for a group hug.
"When are you leaving?" Liam asked as they broke free.

"Tomorrow, after the TV show." Zayn answered.

"But...Louis is right. How are we supposed to do this without you Zaynie?" Niall asked with a broken voice. His big blue eyes were filled with tears.

"We'll manage. This is hard enough for Zayn. We don't have to make him feel more guilty than he already does." Liam said.

They spent that afternoon crying and hugging. They were all in shock and they were a miserable bunch that hanged out in Zayn's room. Louis was really quiet. He didn't know how to process. When Zayn asked him if he wanted to get high one last time together he didn't hesitate. Everyone except Harry smoked weed and soon they were resting against the bed.
"Oh, I forgot! Our writers sent us a new song today. Let's sing one last song together all five of us!" Liam said and went to get the lyrics.

That made them all wanna burst out in tears again. Liam returned with an instrumental recording and some sheet music and they all took a look. They sang the song together.

Hey angel, do you know the reasons why
We look up to the sky?
Hey angel, do you look at us and laugh
When we hold on to the past? Hey angel

Oh I wish I could be more like you
Do you wish you could be more like me?
Oh I wish I could be more like you
Do you wish you could be more like me?

Hey angel, tell me do you ever try
To come to the other side?
Hey angel
Tell me, do you ever cry when we waste away our lives?

Oh I wish I could be more like you
Do you wish you could be more like me?
Oh I wish I could be more like you
Oh I wish I could be more, I could be more, I could be more

Yeah I see you at the bar, at the edge of my bed
Backseat of my car, in the back of my head
I come alive when I hear your voice
It's a beautiful sound, it's a beautiful noise
I see you at the bar, at the edge of my bed
Backseat of my car, in the back of my head
I come alive when I hear your voice
It's a beautiful sound, it's a beautiful noise
Hey angel
Hey angel
Do you look up to the sky?
Do you look up to the sky?

Oh I wish I could be more like you
Do you wish you could be more like me?
Oh I wish I could be more like you
Do you wish you could be more like me?
Hey angel
Hey angel

They did the Japanese TV show the morning after and they all tried really hard to look happy. After the show, it was time to say goodbye to Zayn.
"It's not goodbye like we'll never see each other again. It's goodbye for now." Niall tried to cheer them up and hugged Zayn.

"Get better now Zayn." Liam said and gave him one last hug.

"We'll talk soon." Harry chipped in and hugged him as well.

Louis didn't say anything. He just hugged Zayn who waved one last time and then he was out the door. The room felt empty.
"Why didn't he tell us sooner? This is bullshit!" Louis shouted upset and Harry put an arm around his shoulders in an effort to calm him down.

"I think he waited until the last minute because otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go through with it. Come on, we have an extra rehearsal. We have to figure out how to sing the songs without Zayn. We have a concert tomorrow."

"He really screwed us over. How the fuck are we supposed to go on stage tomorrow without him?" Louis growled.

"We just have to Lou. Don't be angry at him. He needed to do this." Harry said but Louis just snorted.

They met up with their vocal coach an hour later.
"Liam, you'll do the high note in you and I."

Liam stared at her in disbelief.
"I can't sing like Zayn. He's incredible!"

"Well so will you be from now on. This is how it has to go." Their vocal coach said in a stressful voice.

"Hey! Liam is also incredible! He has always been incredible!" Louis growled in defense.

Their vocal coach looked remorseful.
"Of course. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry Liam."

Liam looked anything but confident. They rehearsed for the rest of the day and the boys repeatedly complimented him to boost his confidence.

They flew to the Phillippines the next day and rehearsed all day as soon as they arrived.

When it was concert day Liam was beyond nervous. He decided to take the edge off with a little help from his favorite bottle of whisky. It helped him get on stage and they all managed to get through the concert even if they all missed their bandmate and friend. It felt wrong to perform without him. A piece of them was missing.