Take the pain away

Chapter 15

Short crappy chapter for everyone who's still reading.

It's the end of the summer holidays and they're all doing better. Even Ashton says they're doing better. Niall's nightmares are getting less and less frequent and Louis hasn't slipped once since that one time when Ed was there. Harry is doing great as well. It feels like so much progress in such a short time, they can't even begin to imagine anything could go wrong.

But it's never that easy.

They need to buy the boys' school supplies so they head to the shopping centre. Harry chooses superhero themed backpack and everything else as well.
Niall ends up with dragons on everything and a panic attack when he thinks he got lost.
Louis's things are fantasy themed with his backpack being Lord of the Rings.

When they finally get back, Niall is exhausted, his eyes are red and puffy from crying and he's clinging onto Liam for dear life. Louis instantly flops down on the couch and curls up into a ball. And Harry fell asleep in the car so Zayn had to carry him to his room.

Maybe they're not that better...

Because Niall wakes up that night crying because of a nightmare again and the next day Liam finds Louis sitting in the bathroom crying with one straight red line across his wrist and it just doesn't feel like anything is better.

They don't know how are they going to manage school..

Zayn carefully gets up from the bed, covering a sleeping Niall with a blanket and goes to wake Harry up. The normally cheerful five year old just whines when Zayn starts running his fingers through his hair.

"Come on Hazza, wake up."
"Papaaaa." Harry shifts in the bed and covers his head.
"What's wrong Bud? You're usually the first one up."
"Feel ickyy."
Zayn sighs. It had to happen sooner or later. But right now it's just way too much.

But they're going to manage it.