Forget Me Not

"So Harry basically threatened you?" El cried out.

"I suppose you could word it that way." I sigh and Perrie hugs my shoulders gently.

"I think you should apologize to this kid." Perrie says and El gasps.

"Wouldn't Mae get into more trouble?" El squeaks and I laugh.

"I'm not worried about getting into trouble." I reply grimly, "I'm worried about Harry hurting Niall."

"You should try to talk to him, even explain yourself and everything that happened." Perrie continues, "El
and I will cover for you."

"Wait, you want me to go over now?!"

"No better time than the present." Perrie smiles.

"Go!" Eleanor agrees, "Then we have a girls night!"

*

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

"Mae!" Maura Horan gushes.

"Hi Mrs. Horan." I reply kindly, "Is Niall in?"

"Sure is! Just got home from school! Go right up sweetie."

"Thank you."

I enter the house and head right up the stairs and see Nialls room at the end of the small hall. I walk
quietly and knock on the already half opened door.

"What?" Niall snaps.

"I-"

"Don't you dare fucking apologize!" Niall shouts and I flinch.

"Niall, you have to listen to me." I plead and he glares at me.

"I don't have to do anything you say." he huffs.

Another knock on Niall's door startles me a bit.

"Niall." his mom's voice calls from the doorway

"What mum?" he calls.

"Can you help me with something quick?" she asks.

"Sure." He sighs and struts past me.

I stand in the center of his room. Looking around, I notice there aren't many things in here, probably
because they've only just moved in. I walk over to a small desk and pick up a picture of him standing next
to his mom and some boy a little older than him. A bottle drops and falls to the floor. A pill bottle. In fact,
there are at least 5 hidden behind the picture frame. I scurry to pick up the fallen one and place it back in
the group, securing them behind the frame as I hear Niall coming up the stairs.

"I'm sorry Mae." he apologizing walking towards me, suddenly looking a lot calmer.

"Uh, Niall, let me explain." I mumble.

"What?" he sighs and sits before me, cross legged on the floor.

I take a seat across from him and stare at his face. He looks back expressionless.

"Harry threatened me, he said I had to join him and his group or he'd hurt you." I say frantically.

"..." Niall looks at me, "You don't have to worry about me. That's not your job."

"I know...but after what happened to your face." I look over his jaw and cheek bones to see some faded
bruising.

"I can handle myself Mae." he says softly.

"I don't want you to have to deal with Harry." I begin to cry, "Not after what he did to Liam."

"Liam? Whose Liam?" Niall asks.

"He was one of my best friends" I sob, "He used to be in the group with me, Harry, Louis and Zayn!"

"Shh, Mae, clam down and tell me what happened." Niall now sits besides me and holds my hand urging
me on.

"Liam, as every tragic story goes, fell in love with a girl who wasn't in our group. Harry is our leader in a
way, and what he says we would all go by. Zayn and Louis had girlfriends and so Liam though he could
have this girl, Danielle. Harry didn't like her because she wasn't like me and the other girls personality
wise. Which surprises me because Louis girl doesn't seem like us at all." I say with a shaky laugh while
Niall traces patterns on the back of my hand with his thumb.

"Then what?" Niall asks.

"Liam didn't listen to Harry when he said that Liam wasn't allowed to date her. So Harry kicked him out of
the group and none of us are allowed to talk to someone outside of the group.

Liam was one of the smartest kids in our grade. He was older by a year too. A senior to our Junior. He
had a giant scholarship coming from Harvard and he was always so excited for it. Harry would publicly
humiliate him. He would beat him up and call him a nerd.

People began to notice how depressed Liam was becoming. He had no one but Danielle who he was
dating at the time." I take a deep breath, "One day, Harry asked Louis, Zayn and I to help him set
something up. We were to go into the main office and steal the principles keys to the school and meet
Harry at the end of the school day. We just thought Harry wanted to drive the principle insane, he's done it
before. So we gave Harry the keys and left.

I'm not sure how, but Harry started a major fire. Burned down a section of the school. Somehow, they
caught the kid and he was sent to jail for a few years. He told the police that Liam had helped him but the
police didn't arrest Liam. The school wasn't sure what to do. People were furious. They decided that they
wouldn't punish Liam, because they didn't believe he had been an accomplice. It came about later that
they found an article of Liam's clothing at the scene. One that Liam had been wearing that day. A hat. A
Harvard hat. Harvard eventually took away his scholarship..." I sobs again trailing off.

"So where does he go to college?" Niall questions.

"He doesn't. It's my fault he doesn't....everything Harry did that year drove him into such a state of
depression. It spiraled out of control. People knew Liam had nothing to do with it but said nothing. Kids
had seen him out with Danielle when the incident happened but only his girlfriend stood up for him. Which
didn't do much. Harry's torment continued and the three of us, Lou, Zayn and I knew we had helped Harry
ruin Liam's college chance at Harvard...Liam eventually..." I whisper, "...he eventually committed suicide."

Niall forms an 'o' with his lips and grips my hand harder.

"It was so hard on his family and Danielle. Louis and I attended his funeral even though Harry told us not
to, and Zayn disappeared for a while. Harry was furious with us for going but the two of didn't care.
Danielle blamed us. She knew we were with Harry and she knew we had helped him. She hated us.
Eventually I told Harry I couldn't be in the group anymore. Whenever I see him it reminds me of Liam."

"I understand now." Niall pokes my cheek.

"You do?" I sniff.

"You care about me Mae."

"No!" I exclaim in defiance, "I just don't want you to be another Liam."

"Sure Mae." Niall winks and I laugh.

"You're so cheeky."

"You know it's not your fault though." he says in a serious tone, "What happened with Liam, you didn't
know what Harry was going to do to him."

"I know, but I still feel guilty Niall" I mumble.

"I just want you to know that it's not your fault." He sighs and I lean into him.

"I know. Thank you for listening." I whisper and he wraps his arm around me, switching hands to continue
holding my smaller ones.

"It's okay Mae, it's okay."

Notes

Sorry for the extreamly late update! Forgive me!!! :3

Love you all

xxx