"What do you mean, you think your dying?" Zayn asked with a hint of worry in his voice. HIs had rubbed circles into my back as I leaned over the toilet. I was shakily holding onto the rim of porcelain and cried out for the pain in my stomach to go away. "Niall, tell me what's wrong so that I can help you."

Everything was wrong. My stomach was burning. My breathing was weird and I would stop to catch my breath only to find no air to breath. The corners of my vision would blur in and out. "I only had one drink." I told Zayn. I head him sigh and then his hand left my back. I heard his curse something under his breath and then small beeps and dings were heard until a dial tone sounded. 

"Yes, this is Zayn. Sorry to call you so early Doctor. I just have a small problem over at my house. Yeah, well it's my friend. He's complaining about his stomach. Breathing? It sounds a little rough. Okay. Thank you." Zayn hung up his phone and I could only think that he was talking to his doctor. "Niall, let's get you back to bed."

There was no way I was moving anywhere. I was weak and I wanted to stay by the toilet in case I decided to throw up more of what was not in my stomach. "No." I said weakly. 

"Niall, get up." Zayn ordered. He grabbed my arm and lugged me up from the floor. I leaned into him and closed my watering eyes. "Bad news is that you drank too much. Good news is that you're not dying." Zayn helped me back into bed, putting pillows behind my head and upper back to keep me upright. "I have my personal doctor coming here at about half past to take a look at you."

Of course he had a personal doctor that made house calls. I sat back in bed and waited for whatever would happen next. The sun was just starting to peak through the curtains in Zayn's room when someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Zayn called out. He remained by my side the whole time and the door opened to reveal Charles and another older man. "Ah, Doctor Manza. Thank you for coming so early in the morning. I really appreciate it." Zayn got up from the bed to shake the man's hand. 

I looked up at the older man and grimaced. He gave me a sympathetic look and then grabbed my wrist, pressing his thumb and fingers against my vein. "Looks like you got yourself into a bit of a mess." He shook his head and then let go of my wrist. He turned around to get his bag that he brought in with him. He rummaged around in it before carefully pulling out an IV drip and bag. "This will pinch a little." He told me as he pricked my arm, inserting the needle and hooking me up to the IV.

"I'll give you something for your stomach." The doctor pulled out another bag and hooked it up to me along with the other bag. "You just have a bit of alcohol poisoning. You should be just fine, but I want a call within the hour to see how you are doing."

Alcohol poisoning? I swore that I only had one drink. "T-thanks." I leaned farther back into the pillows Zayn had set up for me. Something in my IV was making me sleepy. When I closed my eyes and my breathing evened out, I could hear the doctor and Zayn speaking off in the distance. 

"This kind of alcohol poisoning is severe, but he doesn't need his stomach pumped. That's telling me he had a high percentage alcohol content in his system. Something over the limits of what is sold in stores. This was on purpose and that poor boy was in the crossfire. So you better clean it up around here or an upset stomach won't be the last of your worries."

I would have jumped up and freaked out if my body allowed me to, but I was sucked into my unconsciousness, only to wake up in a nightmare of sorts. My foggy dreams brought me to the last place I ever wanted to be. My home. Not my apartment where I live, but my parent's house out in the country, far away from the city. 

I was sitting in the kitchen. The countertops and cabinets were the same. Everything was run down and dirty. Yeah, I was home. I sat at the table with a plate of meager food in front of me. Suddenly, my parents appeared and they did not look happy. While my father grumbled and grunted my mother drank away her worries with a body of deep red wine. 

"Niall, I got a call from the school's office today." My father said to me. I felt uncomfortable in my seat. I remembered that day, the worst day of my life. "They said you've missed too many days and will need to take summer classes to make them up." I sat there, but I wasn't there. It was like I was watching my younger self live through that time again. Oh, what I would give to go back and tell my dad off. 

I sat there silently. Not telling my dad that the bus didn't come this far from school and that I needed a ride to school on the days where I just couldn't walk that far. But I never said anything. I watched my younger self cry as the plate of food in front of me was thrown across the room. I watched in horror as my younger self was tossed around and hit in the face multiple times. I don't know why I didn't do anything to fight back.

My dream skipped to the night after the fight, or rather the one sided abuse, where I was sitting on my bed, blood tinged tears falling down my cheeks. My younger thoughts ran through my head as I watched. That was the night. That was the night where I decided to run. I watched myself run to my dresser where I hid my tin box full of money that I had been saving since I was small. I grabbed my bag and stuffed everything I could into it and then snuck out of the broken window in my  room. 

I never bothered to say goodbye to my parents. They didn't deserve anything from me after what I had been through. Things moved pretty quickly after that. I used up all of my money to get a bus ticket as far away as I could. My dream relived my fourteen year old life with flashes of pick pocketing and going through restaurants garbage bins. At the end of my dream I found myself in one of Liam's empty houses. I looked around and everything was dark and void of furniture like normal. But out of the darkness, this light came and a figure was walking through it. "Who's there?" I called out and a light chuckle came from the person walking towards me. 

"Niall, wake up." I was shook awake and I gasped, opening my eyes wide. "Oh, calm down. It's just me, boy." Charles was standing by the side of Zayn's large bed with a cup of water in his hand and a damp rag in the other. I sat up and grabbed both of the items. I gulped down the water and hissed at the tugging on my arm. I was still hooked up to an IV and it looked like a new one. "How are you feeling?" Charles asked me. 

"Better." I told him, wiping my sweaty face down before resting the damp rag over my eyes for a moment. "Much better actually." Despite having a horrid dream filled with memories I would have rather forgotten, I did feel a lot better than before. "Where- Uhm- Where is Zayn?"

"He had things to attend to." Charles said shortly. 

"Oh, okay."

"He is a very busy man. I'm sure you understand." Charles took my empty cup and the rag, leaving the room. I sat up on the bed and looked over at the small alarm clock on Zayn's night stand. It was late in the day and I had slept for the majority of the time. The good news was that my stomach didn't hurt like hell and I could actually breath normally again. 

Though, deep down I wasn't okay. I kept telling myself that I needed to do my job, get my money and get out. But I felt trapped because of Liam, and I wanted to stay because of Zayn. He was just so good to me and that had never happened before. I only had another week left with him and I wanted to make sure I was worth his money and not a burden. It was one blow after another with me in his house. I was a mess and couldn't handle things like I should have, but then again. I was only sixteen. How was I supposed to run my life at such a young age. I still needed guidance. 

And my guidance was calling my phone and broke my thoughts. I heard the buzzing coming from my pants that were on the floor. I reached with my good arm, making sure not to pull out my IV. Louis' number came up on my phone and I answered it immediately.

"Hey~" Louis chimed. "Just wanted to let you know that Zayn called and said your work was more that satisfactory and he paid in full, plus a little extra. I'll have your share for you when you get back next week." I smiled because more money meant more for me to get the hell out of here. "I also need you to be ready when you get back." 

Oh great, Louis had already set me up with another client. I had to make sure I had everything in order so I could disappear before having to work more. "Who is it this time?" I asked him, only curious about it. 

"It's not who. It's what. It's time for the rounds." Louis said seriously. 

My heart dropped and my lungs stopped working. "Th-the rounds? That- So soon?" I couldn't comprehend what I was hearing. The rounds happened when I was first with Louis. I wasn't up because I was new material that he wanted to break in, but this time, two years later, I was in danger. I felt like puking. I felt destroyed. 

"Yeah, just make you're cleaned up and shaved. You're up for sale first."

A/N: I am the queen of cliffhangers. Beware.

Much Love

Jachxx