The Water Boy (Narry)

Chapter 24

"Niall?" I heard my mum knock on my bedroom door as I was working on the second set of assigned equations for the night. I let out a sigh as I rubbed at my eyes, extremely exhausted from becoming frustrated with the numbers and symbols in front of me. 

"Yeah, mum, come in." I said to her as I placed my pencil down on my desk, besides my coursebook. I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my hunched back as she opened the door. "What's up?" I asked her as I relaxed back down into my chair, my eyes stopping at the item in her hands.

"So, I picked up your room last week and found this on the floor," she started to explain as she unfolded the jersey, causing me to feel embarrassed but I really didn't want her to notice. Knowing my mum all too well, it was the first thing that she did.

"Does Harry know you have his jersey? Or are you absentmindedly bringing work home with you?" She asked in a delightful tone, trying to be humourous with me. I was glad to see that her sense of humour had returned over the weekend. 

My brain was beginning to scatter around with possible excuses as to why I still had Harry's jersey. I remembered that I had woken up with it on and was going to give it back to Harry that morning but instead I just took it off and tossed it aside like it meant nothing to me like an old shirt. It meant so much more to me than that. I can't believe that I still had it. How could I forget something like this? 

Did Harry remember that I still had his jersey? What if he was waiting for it? I'm sure he would have reminded me, unless he thought that I was keeping it on purpose. Luckily, he gave it to me before I told him that I liked him. 

I still couldn't believe that after all of this time that Harry now knows that I liked him. Actually, the more unbelievable thing was that he kissed me, well almost kissed me, twice. I wonder if that was on his mind as well. Could Harry ever sit around and just think, I almost kissed Niall Horan? 

"Niall, are you even listening to me?" My mum called out to me.

"Yeah, Harry let me borrow it after the party. You, know after he cleaned the mud and shit off of my face." I told her, my eyes following her and the jersey as she placed in onto my bed, her body sitting next to it. 

"He's a really good friend to you, Niall." I could hear her fighting to get emotional over this. Some moments between my mum and I were better than others but that was to be expected. All I could do was get through those moments. 

I nodded, smiling a bit over the fact that my life has gone from me hiding out and not letting anybody in to telling people my story and allowing people who want to help, help me. Liam was right and not just about how life can become so much better. He was right when he told me that sometimes you have to make it better for yourself. Sure, I had people by my side through this and they pushed me but I was the one who allowed them to be there and I was the one who finally started to listen to them and take their advice. If I knew that this was the outcome, me taking steps to end this and make friends, then I would have done this so much sooner. I wouldn't have been so afraid and maybe I would have left the world without a scar mark on my body. 

But the bullying did lead me to Harry. Would we have connected in the way that we have if we didn't have those moments alone? 

"I'll give it back to him tomorrow. I'll just tell him my mum stole it because she's nosy." I quipped at her as I turned around in my desk chair to face her. 

"I have every right to be curious when it comes to you. I wasn't before when I should have been so I'm making up for all my missed chances. So, are you going to just tell me what I am thinking is true or not?" She chuckled at me.