You Make Me Strong

I woke up to hushed voices, so I kept my eyes closed to let them think I was still sleeping. They were talking about what happened and about me.

"He did what?!" Liam whispered shouted, making sure he didn't wake me up. Niall sighed.

"He raped her, Liam." His voice was shaky and weak. Like he was defeated. "If I would have kept an eye on at least one of them, none of this would have happened." I felt the bed sink down as someone sat at the foot of the bed.

"Niall, you can't blame yourself for what happened last night."

Last night? Is it morning already?

Before anybody could say anything else, I started moving and rubbing my eyes.

"Hey love." Niall was right beside me before I could even open my eyes. When I opened them, the first thing I focused on were his eyes. They were red and puffy. He had been crying.

I tried to talk but nothing would come out. My throat hurt so bad from Zayn choking me. I couldn't move, my body was throbbing all over. Niall helped me sit up and sat down beside me.

"Would you like some water, Emi?" Harry asked me quietly. I looked up at him and nodded. He left the room without saying a word. I just sat there and stared at the floor. My mind was everywhere but I felt numb.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Liam knelt down in front of me and rubbed my knee.

"I-I'm...s-sore." My voice was extremely raspy. As if on queue, Harry walked back in with some water and pain killers. "Thank you." I whispered, happily taking the glass and pills from him. Once I took the pills and drank the water, I looked up at them all.

"Better?" Louis half smiled and I simply nodded.

"I need to go to the bathroom." My eyes shifted to Niall and he stood up. I pushed myself off the bed and took a step, almost falling down but Niall caught me.

"Let me help you walk, please." He hooked his arm under mine and helped me walk to the bathroom. "I'll be right outside the door if you need me." He held me by my shoulders and stared into my eyes. I smiled and he closed the door.

I went to the bathroom, without looking into the mirror until after I was done. I took a deep breath and looked up into the mirror. The girl staring back at me didn't look like me at all. My face was all bruised up and I had a big bruise around my throat. I wasn't wearing my dress anymore. It was replaced by basketball shorts and a baggy t-shirt.

I leaned over the sink and washed my face, carefully, to get the excess make up off. That's when the bruises really started to show. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the broken, beaten up girl in the mirror.

"Emi? Are you okay?" Niall asked through the door. I sighed and opened the door. He saw the tears in my eyes and pulled me into his arms. "Everything is going to be okay, love. He's not going to hurt you again." I wrapped my arms around his neck and he, effortlessly, picked me up.

"We are gonna head home. Call us if you need anything." Liam rubbed my back as they headed towards the door. Niall said a quick goodbye before laying me down on his bed. He pulled the blankets over me and was getting ready to leave the room but I grabbed his hand.

"Can you please stay here with me?" I felt so weak and still couldn't talk very well. He smiled at me and nodded. I watched him take his shirt off and turn the light off. It didn't help since the sun was coming up. "What time is it?" I whispered as he crawled under the covers beside me.

"6:45 in the morning." He turned on his side and basically examined my face. A small tear fell from his eye. I reached a shaky hand up and wiped it away.

"What about school?" He kind of chuckled.

"Don't worry. Natalie is going to tell them that you are really sick and Trinity is forging a note." A small giggle escaped my lips. Niall scooted closer to me and gently wrapped his arm around my waist. I rested my head against his chest. It felt so natural to be in his arms.

"Niall?"

"Yes, princess?" I froze at that word and my breathing came in short, shallow gasps. Zayn's voice rang in my head.

Don't even try it, princess.

"Emi! Emi! What's wrong?" I guess I started swinging my arms and kicking my legs because Niall was trying to stop me.

"No! Get off of me, Zayn!" I screamed loudly.

"Emi! It's Niall. You're with me. You're okay." He placed his hands on each side of my face, trying to snap me out of my little panic attack. I grabbed onto his hands and stared up into his eyes. My breathing was fast and short. Tears escaped my eyes and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I-I'm so sorry, Ni-Niall." I tried to catch my breath. Niall took a shaky breath and I opened my eyes. He looked like he had seen a ghost, his face was so pale and his eyes were glossed over.

"Don't apologize, love." He laid back down and pulled me to him, kissing my head.

"Z-Zayn..." I took a deep breath again, steadying my voice. "He called me, princess, before he..." I couldn't say it. I couldn't get the nerve to say what he did to me.

"I'm sorry, Emi. I didn't know." His voice was quiet. I looked up into his eyes. It seemed like everything stopped, when I stared into his blue-green orbs.

"You have gorgeous eyes." He whispered not looking away from me. My cheeks burned red and I smiled a little.

"Thank you." My voice was small. I wasn't used to being complimented, especially by someone as handsome as Niall. He smiled and held me close. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

"I'll protect you. Nobody will ever hurt you again." He kissed my head before I fell asleep again.

Notes