Niall's POV

"Niall,would you happen to know why Mr. Styles so gracefully escaped my class two seconds prior to the bell?" Mrs. Lyle asks as I pack up my notebooks into my backpack.

"Personal emergency, ma'am," I reply, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Surely it's some girl, am I correct?"

I avert my eyes to my feet and try to make my way to the door while answering vaguely, "He just needed to... umm..."

"It's alright, Niall," she sighs, "Just tell him to stop by and gather his assignments, will you?"

"Of course, Mrs. Lyle," I respond before making a quick dash out into the hallway.

The sight I'm greeted with when I join the student population in the overcrowded hallway is my "friends" positioned at Alexis's locker, surrounding her in a protective semi-circle. I feel the anger flare up in me when I notice that Alexis is blotting at her eyes with a tissue and leaning on the locker with a look of pure betrayal and sadness. Curiosity and anger mingle within me and result in my feet carrying me to the pack of people.

"-and it's like... I tried to be nice, you know?" Alexis is whining as I enter the circle.

"What's going on?" I ask Ryan while slowly appraising Alexis.

Of course, it isn't Ryan who responds, "Al is just super upset because Harry made that big scene in y'all's class just because she talked to Janet," Molly says to me as if she's gracing me with her knowledge.

"Jamie," I correct, "And the big scene was justified, was it not?"

"I didn't do anything," Alexis whimpers, "I just... Why can't he understand?" and with that, all of the girls embrace her in a hug filled with estrogen and tears, leaving the guys blinking in confusion and disbelief.

"Do you believe any of this bullshit?" I whisper to Ry.

"Course not, but c'est la vie. Drama is like food for them. Let them do whatever they want."

For whatever reason, I am once again disgusted by the people I associate myself with. The girls are willing to listen to complete lies for the hope of being able to repeat them, and the guys let it all happen because to tell the girls that they're being ridiculous would be far too much effort. I look around and realize that Harry is nowhere to be found. My eyes are scanning the hall as I see Jamie round the corner clutching her books and staring intensely at the ground.

"Ugh, look at her," Amanda, Ryan's twin sister, aims this comment at Jamie, and all of the girls turn to look. Instantly, the insults are flying.

"Does she even try to look nice?"

"Oh, god I hope that isn't trying"

"I don't see what he likes."

"Oh, you know he's a whore. Probably just wanted one of his own kind."

I interrupt their bashing session with a heated glare, "In case you all haven't figured it out, talking about Jamie won't make you any friends." I then walk away and intercept Jamie's path.

"Hey," I say quietly.

She looks up and I can tell that she was crying, "Oh, hi Niall."

"What's up? You okay?"

"I'm fine."

New friendship- I won't push it, "Where's Haz?"

"Beats me. After I told him probably the one sentence he least expected, I went back to class. I don't really care where he is."

"Jamie," I sigh, "The kid's trying. I've never seen him like this with anyone. Ever."

"That may be, but how many girls have you seen him with?"

"I don't know? A lot?" I reply.

"Exactly."

We've been walking, and at this point, we are passing the I-Hate-Jamie Club. Jamie holds her head high and I'm surprised when she stops to look Alexis dead in the eyes.

"Do you need something?" Alexis sneers, all traces of the tears that were flowing only moments ago are now gone.

"I need you to leave me the fuck alone," Jamie states cooly.

"Excuse me? Me leave you alone? You're the one that ruined my relationship."

"And you're the delusional one that slapped the shit out of me for a relationship that doesn't exist."

Alexis's eyes are now filled with hate as she looks Jamie up and down, "but at least I'm not the one that got knocked up freshman year."

"And I bet if you had, you'd be ecstatic because Harry would've been looped in for life," Jamie responds.

Alexis just rolls her eyes, "If I wanted Harry for life, I would have him."

"You tell yourself that. But out of the two of us, only one can have him right now, and as far as I'm aware, you've been taken out of the running."

"Fuck you. It's not a race that you have any chance in. You're just this little wallflower with two friends who are equally as pathetic as you. You had a baby. I'm popular, Jamie. You can't give Harry what he needs, and we both know it."

The whole group seems to be taking in that a girl who was crying two seconds ago because she just "didn't understand" what she'd done wrong was now talking with such hate and confidence.

"Careful, Alexis," I laugh, "I think your evil is showing."

She shoots me a glare before I grab Jamie's hand and walk away.

"Sorry about her," I state.

"It's okay, there will always be bitchy people. The trick is to just be more of a bitch. So Harry didn't come back to class?"

"Nope," I reply simply. We continue to walk, but as we round the corner to the foreign languages hallway, we see that there are two boys screaming at each other in the middle of the hall. I recognize Harry easily, but can't quite make out the other voice.

Suddenly, a gasp comes out of Jamie's mouth and she rushes forward, uttering the other boy's name, "Nate..."

And just as he turns to look his best friend in the eyes, Harry's fist collides with his jaw.

Notes

I am so so so so so so a million times so sorry that it has been a month. I have been ridiculously busy, but I'll be updating more often! I swear. Thanks for reading.

tumblr: deyes-and-nights

--JKM