The Only Way ✓

9. Ryder

Liam 

"Liam— forget it, I found it," I heard Niall call out for help from the temporary storage room. I dashed out from my room and headed his way anyway. 

"What's up, Niall?" I asked as I leaned back onto the wall, watching carefully as he pushed some boxes aside. 

"Nothing. I was looking for my box of clothes. These boxes just say boys. It's not really that specific," Niall uttered. I raised an eyebrow. 

"So you found your clothes?" I questioned as he opened one of the boxes labeled as he had said with boys. He rummaged through the clothes and furrowed his brows for a moment as he stared at the items placed inside. 

"I didn't know we owned leathered jackets. I'm pretty sure all of these clothes in these boxes aren't any of our clothes," Niall sped through all the boxes, "Just look at this. They even have the brand new smell." Niall held between his fingers a plaid shirt and tossed it towards me. I examined the shirt, making sure it was't one of the other boys— it wasn't. 

"I don't think they packed any of our things from our flat in here," Niall muttered. I could feel Niall's anxiety kicking in. He continued to scavenge through the clothes, throwing them around until the box was clean. 

"Niall. Niall? Niall!" I yelled at the blonde boy as he rummaged through the next box. He looked up, away from the box, his blue eyes finally staring at me. Desperation was written all over his face. 

"Niall, I'm sure whatever you are looking for is here somewhere. Uncle Si wouldn't have had us pack our things and not have them moved here," I tried to calm down the panicked boy. I was rather curious about what exactly he was looking for but that wasn't the prime thing at the moment. Niall's electric blue eyes settled down into a more subtle sky blue as he took in my words and just nodded. 

"What the hell happened here and why wasn't I invited," Louis popped into the room. 

"Nothing, Niall was just looking for something but he remembered that he placed it in another box." I said smoothly. Louis' stare switched from Niall to the room and then at me, but he didn't question anything. 

"Oh. Who's things are these?" Louis walked in grabbing one of the shirts on the floor as Niall tried to pick after himself. 

"Ours. I guess management wants us to wear these new clothes and promote whoever made these," I intoned. Louis and Niall looked at each other and just shrugged.

"They probably have our names on what they want us to wear," I added. Niall gave Louis a look and Louis looked inside the shirt in his hands for the tag and like I had said he found Zayn's name perfectly printed on the tag. 

"Zayn's." Niall said out loud. 

"I heard my name," Zayn appeared beside me. 

"This is yours," Louis shoved the shirt at Zayn's chest and went on to look for the clothes management had picked out for him. Slowly, I came to a realization that our things may have not been brought here. The new clothes— the new electronics, everything was new and soon I came to fear that Niall would not in fact find what he had been looking for. 

"How are the room arrangements?" I asked trying to make sure everyone was fine with things. 

"Fine. I'm rooming with Zayn," Louis chirped as he poked his head from behind a pile of clothes on his arms.

"Niall?" 

"I'm with Harry," Niall murmured as he slowly grabbed his new things. 

"Where is Harry?" I looked around questioning why the lad had not in fact joined us as of yet.