Picked [Narry]

c. eleven

"Zayn?" Liam whispered into the phone after he heard someone pick it up.

He had to lie to his sisters earlier that day. They knew that he had met up with Zayn because of the picture he showed them, but when they asked if anything else happened, he told them that it was a stupid thing to ask. He felt guilty when he said it, but he couldn't let them know.

Liam was currently hiding in his bathroom at midnight, the door locked and the lights off. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face.

"Who's calling?" The voice on the other side asked. It wasn't Zayn's voice, for it didn't have an accent and had a much deeper tone.

"Liam Payne," Liam informed the man.

There was a lot of moving around on the other end, and a lot of scratching sounds, but a familiar voice soon filled Liam's ear.

"I knew you would call."

"Zayn," Liam breathed out, barely able to think straight at this point.

"Yeah, that's my name. Just making sure... Is this actually Liam Payne?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Someone is a bit enthusiastic."

"Yes! I-I am. Wow, I just... I never thought, you know, I'd be talking to the Zayn Malik. You're my hero!"

"Don't faint on me. I have a few questions to ask you."

"Ask away. I'm ready."

"You are 17, correct?"

"Yes."

"And so that means you will be able to be Picked or got to the Picking ceremony next year, correct?"

"My mom won't let me go until I am 21, but yes, that is correct."

Zayn smirked on the other end of the line. "Then I have a lot of time to do what I'm planning on doing. Tell me, Liam, what are your thoughts on Niall Horan?"

"Um... I think he's a bit embarrassing, if I'm perfectly honest."

Zayn couldn't be happier. This was working out perfectly. "Ah, that's not your full opinion, though."

"No, but my full opinion is kind of mean."

"Let it out, Liam. No one else is going to hear it but me."

But what Liam didn't know is that what he was about to say would be used against him later in life.

"I think Harry Styles made the wrong move. I mean, he's Harry Styles. He deserves a hot boyfriend, not someone like Niall Horan."

"You don't think Niall is attractive?"

"I do, but not Harry Styles attractive."

"Wow."

Liam cringed a little bit, sort of regretting what he said. "That's not the reason why you told me to call you, is it? You didn't just want to hear my opinion on Niall Horan."

"How much money is a lot of money to you?"

"Gosh, I don't know... A thousand dollars?"

"What if I made that the amount of money you got every week?"

Liam nearly collapsed onto the bathroom floor. He did lose control of his breathing for a moment, though. "What?"

"I am going to pay you a thousand dollars every week."

Liam put a hand over his heart, trying to feel how fast his heart was beating. "W-what do I have to do?"

"Become Niall Horan's best friend."