(Zayn's P.O.V)

I leaned against the brick wall of the drugstore, watching with weary eyes as people passed by. I had searched for Harry all over London, it seemed, and I couldn't find him anywhere. Between him always running off and Louis in his room, drunk all the time and me having to lie to Liam and Niall and tell them that Louis was just "grieving", I was getting very frustrated. It seemed like I was the one having to carry the weight of Eleanor's death on my shoulders.

When Louis first started retreating to his room and Harry and I figured out what was really going on, Liam and Niall were suspicious Trust me, it wasn't easy trying to conceal the truth with all of us in the same house. Harry and I still managed to convince them that things where fine and Louis was just having trouble getting over El, which they could understand. It was getting to the point, though, that I knew we would eventually have to tell them.

I sighed and tipped back my head, resting it against the wall. I needed to check on Lou...

"Hey, Zayn! What are you doing here?" I glanced up. The boy standing in front of me was tall and dark haired, his eyes hidden behind black sunglasses. I frowned, not recognizing him.

"Hey?" I straightened up, hoping that getting a better look at him would help.

The boy grinned, taking off his sunglasses. "It's Lucas, remember? From the hospital?"

I dimly remembered talking to the dark haired boy as I waited to hear the news about Eleanor. Louis was in the room with her and Harry, Liam and Niall were on their way. He had been waiting to hear how his mother, who was getting out of surgery, was.

"Ohh. Hey, Luc." I said rather dully; he wasn't really the company I needed right now.

Lucas frowned a little. "You okay?"

"Fine." I leaned back up against the wall and stared absentmindedly at him. "What's up?"

Luc shrugged, looking lazily around. "Same as you, I suppose. I'm just kind of hanging around."

I nodded. "Yeah, I've been looking for Harry."

"Oh. Yeah, I saw him." Lucas said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, frowning at the screen. "He was, uh, over by the apartment buildings with some girl."

I blinked. "Harry?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Zayn, I gotta go." Still looking distracted, Lucas waved and started walking away, eyes still glued to his phone.

I watched him go, wondering why he had shown up in the first place; he obviously had a reason for talking to me. My mind, though, drifted instantly to Harry and let go of the matter of Luc. Harry had been by the apartments with a girl? I watched Lucas until I couldn't see him any more, then decided to continue Harry hunting.

My phone sang loudly, making me jump. I fished it from my pocket, frowning when I saw it was Liam.

"What's up, Liam?" I asked, feeling nervous for no reason at all.

"Zayn." Liam's voice was tense. "Where are you?"

I frowned. "I'm leaving the drugstore looking for Harry. Why?"

"Get home, now. Forget Harry, but get home right now."

'What's wrong?!" I started to feel as if something wasn't right. "Is everything okay?"

Liam sounded terrified. "Zayn, please tell me you didn't know about Louis and his..uh...drinking problem?"

I froze, my heart seeming to stop beating. "Liam, how did you find out? I-I swear I was going to tell you eventually, but I didn't want to worry you. Harry knows, too. Did Louis tell you?"

Liam hesitated, then whispered, "N-No." He swallowed. "Are you on your way?"

"Yes!" I cried, getting impatient. "Can't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Louis' in the hospital."

Notes

Well, Lucas makes his first appearance in this chapter. Him talking to Zayn was really important for later on, so just remember their encounter! Sorry it's a shorter chapter >.< I was rushing.Thanks for reading, loves!