The Water Boy (Narry)

Chapter 12

"Niall. Niall, wake up."

I groaned, not from the seething pain but because someone's voice was disturbing my slumber. The voice spoke to me soothingly and I could feel as fingers brushed through my hair, the comforting touch making me want to go straight back to sleep, the exact opposite of what they wanted from me.

"Niall, come on. Stay with us, mate."

I didn't want to. My body was worn out from my most extensive beating to date and all I wanted to do was remain still so that I couldn't remind myself that I was in fact suffering from any sort of pain. I was not proving to be a fighter because I was convinced the battle was already won so I should be laid where I have fallen; not that I'm an honorable soldier. 

The fingers stopped softly running through the front part of my hair when my eyes fluttered opened. All I could see in front of me was the back of a leather car seat. I had to blink a few times, like I was in disbelief, just so it didn't appeared to me as a blurry black mass. My tongue ran over my cracked dry lips, tasting the saltiness of my skin. Then I craned my head to see who the caring gesture was from.

I met with Liam's brown eyes looking down at me, relieved that I was now alert. I hope he didn't see the flash of disappointment in my eyes that I wanted it to be somebody else.

My stare turned blank because I still wasn't really aware of what was happening yet. Why was I in the back of a car and why was my head rested in Liam's lap? I received my answers just from slightly turning my head when the door cramming my legs inside opened. I waited for the person to reveal themselves but as soon as they did, I wish I never saw his face.

Suddenly, like I didn't care how much pain I was going to be in, I began to sit up, scrambling frantically into Liam's lap as I recognized Zayn Malik, who was now reaching for me. My legs started kicking to make him back away from me as my dim brain started piecing this afternoon back together. 

"Water Boy, calm the fuck down!" Zayn shouted, aggravatingly as he smacked my legs as they swung at him. 

Yeah, because I can be calm after what you and Louis did to me. 

I never had tried sitting myself up in order to defend myself, knowing that it was better to stay down whenever they knocked me down. My mind was driving my legs tiresome from all the squirming.

"Easy, Malik." Liam scolded. He didn't budge, even when I dug my elbow into his thigh.

I looked from my elbow up to Liam's face, his brow furrowed as he angrily looked over to Zayn. My lips began to part as I felt the heavy need to speak up, "I don't—" but I was still unable to muster the ability to talk fully. 

Zayn finally wrapped his two arms around my ankles to keep them from moving, just like he had done with my arms earlier. "Harry's fucking orders. I don't even want to be touching you unless I'm beating on you. So, shut the fuck up and let me get you inside." His elbows rocked back harshly as he gave my legs a jolting tug like he was trying to sever my knees right from their sockets. 

"Zayn!" Liam reminded him loudly again.

"What?" He tried to play his words and actions off as innocent, shrugging his shoulders and scoffing to himself in hushed whispers as he shook his head. 

"Just help him out. I think you can at least handle that." 

I wondered why Liam didn't just take charge of me. He wanted all of this to be over for me. His words being, if I didn't get the courage to help myself then he would be the one to step up. I guess because Liam was always helping me out in the little ways that he did, maybe he wanted to teach Zayn a lesson in compassion, like that could ever work. But maybe he needed tough love. After all, Liam was bullied and now he has all this confidence about standing up to them that maybe he wants to be able to tell them off. I don't know his full story about whether or not he stood up for himself or not but seeing Liam now, I would never have known.