slow it down // zayn malik

chapter nine // maybe i'll get drunk again.

zayn's pov

I watch as Olivia turns around, walking away in the other direction. Harry narrows his eyes at Linley, giving her a death glare before hurrying after an upset Olivia.

It's one thing to be mean to Harry and I because you don't like us or our music, but once you start to hurt people we love, that's when you've taken it too far. I love Olivia as if she were part of my family; she's the sister I actually want around. Linley's not going to just walk all over her.

Glancing at Ed and Tea, who are still in an enthusiastic conversation with Sable and Linley, I snap my attention to Linley. She avoids looking me in the eyes, knowing very well how to piss me off even more. 

With a snap of the handcuffs, I march away from our group of friends, pulling her harshly behind me. I can hear her wincing as the cold metal of the handcuffs dig into her wrists.

"No!" I shout at her, not being afraid to raise my voice; a quality that doesn't come out in me often, "You are not going to treat our friends like that. I don't care how much you hate me, or you hate Harry, leave Olivia out of this," I warn her, narrowing my threatening eyes at her.

For a split second I see her dark brown - nearly black - eyes widen in surprise with my intensity. Her lips part for a moment, making her appear to be very innocent and dare-I-say, fearful. 

But it doesn't last for very long at all until her dark eyes cloud over once again and she's building a fire within herself. She reaches out to give my chest a hard push, causing my balance to teeter. She grits her teeth, exposing them to me like a rabid animal.

"No, you know what?" She shouts back at me, "Fuck you! I have every right to be a bitch right now because it's my career on the line. You're only here to have a grand old time and take the virginity of every mindless teenager at this place. I'm actually performing. So I'm sorry if I'm not in the best of moods right now," She gives me yet another shove.

I can tell by the cracking in her voice that she's more than just angry; she's upset. She bites hard down on her bottom lip as she glares up at the night sky above our heads. Her chest rises and falls with much force.

Is she going to cry?

Panic starts to race through my body as I realize that I may be standing here beside an emotionally unstable Linley. I don't handle girls crying well at all; I don't think any man does. But Linley is on a completely different spectrum of unstable. 

I hadn't really thought about the fact that Linley probably wants to get separated from me even more than I want to be separated from her. She obviously takes her job very seriously. And it's that sort of dedication that makes great music, as hard as that is for me to admit about her. 

"I'm so fucking screwed!" She kicks the ground with her clunky black boot, causing dust to billow into the air like a cloud. 

For the first time since meeting her, I don't even know what to say. Part of me wants to make her upset, to see her cry just because of how awful she's been to us all. But the smarter side of me knows better. 

So I zip my lips and stand still, pretending not to be there so she can get it all off of her chest. 

She runs the fingers belonging to her free hand through her platinum blonde hair, pulling it as she goes. A stressed groan leaves her full red-lipsticked lips as she squeezes her eyes shut, obviously trying to release some of her anger. 

I can't help but to glance in the direction of Sable and Andi, wondering if I should call them over to help their friend avoid a panic-attack. But they're far too concerned with Ed and Tea. I don't even think they realize we're gone.