Not Happening // ziam

Chapter 10

He starts for the stairs to get another drink, but there's a group blocking the bottom, and he doesn't feel like having to shoulder past them just to get upstairs. Instead he leans against a wall and sucks down the last drops of his drink so it looks like he's doing something as he waits for them to move.

Zayn's gaze shifts around the room, and it lands on Liam. He's on the dance floor now, some girl's back pressed against his front. He's got his chin resting on her shoulder, and a hand on her stomach, holding them tightly together. "You got me going crazy, you turn me on, turn me on," plays from the speakers as Liam's eyes meet his. That smirk spreads over his lips, and Zayn can't turn away, even as Liam's lips press to her neck and she tilts her head back. Even as his hand slides lower, dangerously close to the waistband of her skirt. And he's still holding Zayn's gaze. "If you think you're gonna get away from me you better change your mind. You're going home, you're going home with me tonight."

Zayn stomps towards the stairs. He shoulders past the group there without blinking, heading for the kitchen to get a drink, just like Niall told him to do.

Just as it had been the first time, the kitchen is pretty full. The same couples sit at the table, but now there's a group getting drinks. Zayn waits until they're done to get himself one, but as he's heading back to the basement, someone blocks his path.

"Zayn, right?" the guy asks.

"Uh, yeah," Zayn says, slow, confused. "Can I-"

"Who invited the nerd?" someone behind him asks.

Zayn's cheeks burn. It's not like this is his first time getting picked on (which is what's happening here, he has no doubt in his mind about this), but it's a little surprising. He thought that everyone had outgrown this shit after high school, but apparently it's all the same.

"Excuse me," Zayn grits, trying to move past the guy blocking his way.

The guy moves so he's still blocking Zayn's path. Behind him, someone asks, "Hey, maybe he could do my paper for Benjamin for me."

The one in front of him tugs Zayn's glasses off his face, putting them on himself. Zayn's hands curl at his sides, but he doesn't move. He's not stupid, he's been in this situation countless times. It's best to just take it and wait until he can walk away, because he doesn't feel like getting his ass kicked right now. Everyone in this room has about forty pounds on him, at the least, and they're all teammates, which means that if you fuck with one of them, chances are the others will get involved.

"How do I look?" the guy with his glasses asks. "Think I look smarter?"

"Wouldn't take much effort to accomplish that," Zayn mutters.

"What the fuck was that?"

"I said-"

"Yeah, I heard you," the guy spits. "What, you think you're better than us? Is that-"

"Fuck off, Brad," Zayn hears, just before Liam walks into the room. He looks between everyone inside for a long moment before his eyes land on Zayn, and then they're flitting on past him. "Give him the glasses back."

"Come on, Li," the guy - Brad- says. "I thought you hated this guy."

"Give him back the glasses," Liam says, calm and dangerous. "Now."

With a roll of his eyes Brad does just that. Zayn folds them and carefully hangs them from his collar instead of putting them back on. He's a little dazed as he sidesteps Brad on his way into the hallway. Did Liam just come to his rescue? Did that really just happen?

Someone grabs his arm, but he recognizes Liam's hands, obviously. They've touched practically his whole body, at this point. "Are you okay?" Liam asks, looking genuinely concerned. "They didn't, like-"