The Only One [n.h. + h.s. au]

Chapter Eighteen

Niall's POV

Ever since Saturday night, being around Hunter made me feel uncomfortable. His grip on me as we walked towards the school seemed to be getting increasingly tighter, leaving more bruises on my body. The small drops of water falling from the sky matched my mood; sad and hurt.

I wasn't paying attention to where we were going and I nearly knocked both of us over.

"Damn it, Niall!" Hunter shouted, squeezing my hip with a great amount of force.

I let out a small cry, earning the attention of a few students in the hall. Footsteps echoed and the sound got closer by the second, "You're hurting him!"

Hunter snorted, "He'll be fine. Right, Nialler?"

I nodded and stared at my mates with wide eyes, hoping that they would leave the situation alone.

"You inconsiderate arse," Zayn growled, taking a step forward.

Liam made eye contact with me and I shook my head. 'No,' I mouthed.

He wrapped his fingers around Zayn's wrist, "Come on, Z. This is Niall's problem to deal with."

They made their way to first period, the bell ringing only a few seconds later. I took the opportunity and tried to get out of Hunter's hold.

"Where the fuck do you think you're going?" he snarled. "What have you been telling them, huh?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I insisted.

"If you're lying to me..." Hunter warned.

"I'm not, I swear," I mumbled, pulling him closer to me by the collar of his shirt and leaned up to kiss him.

He returned it, eagerly, and smiled, "Okay. I love you."

I didn't respond, but kissed him again. It proved to be enough for the moment, to my relief, and I was on my way to art. Luckily, Mr. Jones wasn't in the room yet, so I sped walked to my seat without a glance from anyone.

"Ni," Liam muttered, a look of concern on his face.

"I'm okay," I reassured him. "If you lads get involved, things will only get worse."

"Why are you still with him?" he asked. "He isn't treating you right and he obviously doesn't care about your feelings."

I opened my mouth and closed it again. I don't know how to answer that question. Why am I still dating Hunter? Even though his violent outbursts are occurring frequently, he's still sweet to me. Then again, Hunter doesn't fill up the space in my heart that belongs to Harry. I'm tired of waiting; tired of hoping. If I were actually of importance to him, he would have made a move by now.

"Harry doesn't want me," I mumbled. "Hunter says he's the best I can get at this point, and that's entirely accurate."

"You can do so much better than him," Liam said. "It doesn't matter if you're single for a while, Ni. Zayn and I are always going to be here if you need us."

"I'm scared," I confessed. "Hunter's capable of anything at this point. I don't want him to take his anger out on someone else other than me."

Liam whisper-yelled, "This is exactly why I'm worried about you! I know that putting your friends first is an immediate reaction, but you matter, too."

I clenched my jaw, "I don't see you bothering Harry about his relationship with Louis. He's happy and so am I. Let's just leave it at that."

"Are you truly happy, though?"