Grade 8

To say their little intervention was a massive failure would have been an understatement. As soon as Zayn took in the scene in front of him, a hand full of his loved ones waiting for him, he bolted for his bedroom. Alexis wasted no time in following him reaching the door before he could lock her out. She pushed her way past him the door slamming shut behind her. Almost instantly their loud arguing could be heard by the rest of the intervention party.

"I think I'm gonna go." Sam was already standing up purse in hand.

"I'll go with you." Niall quickly jumped up.

"No." Sam glanced at Mia again. "I want to be alone right now."

If there wasn't enough tension in Zayn's flat as it was Sam's departure made it even more palpable. Lena could hardly bare it making the situation she found herself in even worse. She was back to not wanting to be around Harry and on top of that she was at an intervention that looked like it had been thrown together that morning.

"I don't think we're needed here anymore." Mia said clearly reading the look of desperation Lena kept giving the door.

"I'm staying here." Harry again stood by the wall. "I'm not leaving them alone together."

"We'll stay." Liam nodded not giving Niall a choice. "But I'll walk you girls down."

Thinking it was just Liam being Liam the two girls walked with him to the lifts. "You really don't have to do this." Lena commented, the doors to the lift already closing.

"Of course I did." Liam smiled. "Do you know me?"

"I think it's sweet!" Mia grinned. "More men need to be like you."

This made Liam blush but his smile grew. "I try to be a good example."

Lena was having a little victory party on the inside as she watched young love bloom in front of her very eyes. It was the best thing for them really, and not just for Mia and Liam their whole group would benefit from their relationship. Lena was sure of it.

Liam walked them to the door but he stopped Mia before she could follow Lena out of the building. Lena waved goodbye to him but other wise let him have his moment with Mia. She didn't have to wait outside for long though Mia emerged a rather large grin plastered on her face blue eyes shining with a happiness Lena wished to have.

"He asked me out!" Mia burst before the door had even shut behind her.

She did a little happy dance spinning in a circle while her arms waved around. Lena laughed at her friends antics for once not caring about the judging eyes of the people walking past them.

"I'm happy for you." She pulled Mia into a hug. "Let's go find you something to wear!"



Mia was out the door at seven sharp. Liam ducked his head threw the door to say a quick hello to Lena, she have him a stern warning look which he only smiled at. There really wasn't anything for Lena to do once Mia was gone. It was eerily quiet with only her thoughts to keep her company. With no idea when, or if, Mia would be back she brought out her guitar ready for a night of continuous playing.

She was half way through the list of songs she already had recorded when there was a pounding at the door. Being a female alone in a big city made her approach the door cautiously. Peering through the peephole on the door she saw there was no need to be alarmed.

"Zayn." She opened the door revealing Zayn. He looked up his eyes were bloodshot; there was something off about the way he was swaying unsteady on his feet. "What's going on?"

"Did you know what they had planned?" Zayn demanded.

"I don't know what -"

"They ambushed me!" He roared he slammed his hands against the door frame making the wood rattle. "Fuckin' aresholes thought they could just take me to fuckin' rehab."

"Zayn, I really had no idea." Lena shook her head, her heart was pounding so hard it hurt. She had never had a reason to be scared of Zayn; sweet, calm, Zayn had never so much as raised his voice with out reason when she was around him. "I just as surprised as you were."

"I need a place to stay." Zayn brushed past Lena not waiting for an invitation inside. "They're lookin' for me."

"Alright." Lena didn't think arguing with him would be a good idea. "You can stay here. Do you want to lay down?"

"Yeah." There was a change in him his shoulders slumping the obvious tension he had melting away. "That would be nice.

Lena smiled warmly before taking him to her room. "Sorry about the mess."

"'S fine." He mumbled collapsing onto her mattress.

She wasn't so sure of that. Being busy recording and trying to keep her life from falling apart there were clothes thrown everywhere, bed unmade, and enough empty water bottles to fill a trash bag or two full.

"If you need anything I'll be out here."

She left Zayn to hopefully sleep off whatever he was on. If she kept him with her long enough she might be able to talk to him when he was sober and make him see he needed help; at least she hoped she could.

In the middle of the second bridge of the newest song she was working on Mia floated into the apartment. She was grinning from ear to ear a permanent shine to her eyes. Lena set her guitar down not minding the interruption.

"How'd it go?" Lena watched Mia as she slipped off her shoes.

"Amazing." Mia sighed. She sat down next to Lena ready to tell her everything when Lena's bedroom door flew open.

Zayn came stumbling into the hall hand covering his mouth as he barely made it to the kitchen sink where he so elegantly threw up. Mia looked shocked unable to formulate a reason why a drugged up Zayn was in their kitchen dirtying her sink. Lena was quick to walk towards him hand outstretched to rub his back.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Lena glanced at Mia. "He needed a place to stay."

Zayn stayed over the sink as he waited for the next wave of nausea. "This is shit."

"Yeah it's shit!" Mia stood up hands coming to rest on her hips. "I know I'm a pretty laid back chaperone but this is crossing the line."

"How so?"

"Letting some guy whose fuckin' high stay here when you're by yourself that's how! Are you daft?"

"Leave her alone." Zayn all but groaned his head coming up a glare aimed at Mia. "Fuck, you talk too much."

Mia's eyes widened behind her glasses. "I want him out of here."

"Mia he has no where to go." Lena tried to reason with her.

"I don't care I want him gone." Mia stood up before stomping her way to her room.

Lena turned back to Zayn who was dry heaving now but at least that would come to an end soon. She grabbed a glass from the drying rack on the counter. She filled it up on the side of the sink that wasn't coated in sick. Zayn took to the glass and drank the whole thing in one go.

"'M sorry about this." He mumbled his body slumped against the counter. "I'll clean this up."

"Good." Lena hadn't exactly been excited about cleaning the sink after him. "I'll get you some gloves and the bleach."

By the shocked look on Zayn's face he hadn't been expecting that, but he took the cleaning supplies nonetheless. Lena watched him scribbled the sink in silence waiting for him to speak. She knew there was a reason he was here something had happened after she left.

"I'm not high."

Lena had gotten used to the silence so much that when he spoke even as quiet as it was she jumped. "W-what?"

"I'm not high." He repeated this time louder. "I mean I was but I think I'm just drunk now."

"Alright." He seemed to be sobering up considerably now. "Want to talk about it?"

Zayn sighed his scrubbing intensifying. "It's a bit overwhelming to have people in my house telling me I've fucked up again."

"That's not what we were there for."

"No?" Zayn laughed. "Maybe not you not you, but you didn't hear what Lexus had to say."

"What did she say?"

"Something along the lines of; 'you fucking wanker what have you been thinking? You were doing so good yadda, yadda, yadda.'" Zayn washed out the sink it sparkled just like Mia liked it. "I don't really remember the rest; wasn't really paying attention in the first place."

"So how long have you been using again?" Lena asked addressing the rather large white elephant in the room.

"Dunno."

Which meant longer then he wanted to say.

"The sink looks fine and the smell's gone so I think you're good." Lena side stepped the questions she wanted ask opting to say nothing at all. "I think it'll be alright if you finish out the night here."

"Are you sure?" Zayn disposed of the used gloves in the trash.

"It's fine."



It was fine for a little while. Mia didn't come out of her room the rest of the night. Lena stayed in the living room playing her guitar and Zayn was safely in her room hopefully sleeping. By the time Lena knew it wasn't fine any longer she had been asleep for barely twenty minutes curled up on the couch with a thin blanket her only warmth. The pounding on the door didn't wake her up until it was accompanied by the light being turned on. Wanting nothing more then to kill who ever was at the door she sat up rubbing her eyes. Mia was already opening the door a fierce snarl in the place of her normal smile. Even in her plain black shorts and tank top face free of her makeup she was intimidating.

"It's late." She spat.

"I'm sorry."

Lena untangled her legs from the blanket she had been using stumbling to her feet. Four of the five members of One Direction filed into the small area by the door each of them looking frazzled.

"Is he here?" Liam asked quietly.

"I don't know." She looked at Lena expectantly. "Is he?"

"No." Lena shook her head. She wasn't ready to feed Zayn to the wolves just yet. "He left."

Harry saw through her lie easily. "He's in your room."

"Bloody hell, this way." Mia motioned for them to follow her to Lena's room but Harry stayed where he was eyes carefully trained on Lena.

"He's fine now."

"He needs real help, Lena."

"I agree but he doesn't need you guys chasing after him and trying to force him into something he doesn't want." Lena would stay by Zayn's side no matter what.

"That's exactly what he needs!"

"Let me go!" Louis and Liam each had a hold of Zayn keeping him between them even as he attempted to break free of them.

"Just let him go." Lena stepped forward as if she was going to make them do it herself.

Harry's strong hand took a hold of her arm keeping from going to Zayn's aid. "Leave it."

"Fuck off." Lena whirled around facing Harry.

"Lena, just leave it." Harry wasn't effected by Lena's harsh words. "This is what's best for him."

"If you don't fucking calm down we're calling Marco." Louis threatened as Zayn got free of his hold on him.

That was enough to bring Zayn back to the current situation. He still struggled against Liam who eventually let him go but he didn't run from them.

"I'll go." He said breathing heavily. "Fuck it. I'll go."

Louis put a hand on his shoulders guiding him to the door. "Ladies, it's always a pleasure."

They we're followed by Niall who just gave Lena a small smile. Liam walked to the door with Mia they were in their own world as Mia looked over Liam's arm where there was a small cut.

"I'll call you tomorrow." Harry said letting Lena go.

"Don't bother."

"Don't be like this, Lena, it's for his own good." Harry ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Fine." Lena refused to look at him.

Harry sighed but said nothing more. He left without another word.