"Why did you never tell us you can play?" Niall asked as we drove in the taxi towards the hospital.
"I didn't think it was important, because you heard how poorly I played at first," I replied to him from the back.
"But still, what else don't we know about you?" Harry asked, who was sitting with me in the back seat.
"I can also play the piano," I added, thinking.
"What?! How do you know how to play so many instruments?" Harry exclaimed indignantly.
"I had a lot of free time," I replied with a shrug.
An awkward silence fell. "Is there anyone I should notify? About Eric?"
"His girlfriend, I think. Gabriella," Niall answered after thinking.
"I'll ask for her number when we arrive," I sighed, leaning against the car window.
A few minutes later, we were there. We slowly made our way to the ward where Eric was supposed to be with a cast on his arm. The ward wasn't impressive. Eric was sprawling in bed, and Beth was sitting on a corner armchair, looking at her phone.
"Give me your girlfriend's number," I ordered. "I need to inform her what happened."
He handed me his phone, which displayed the number. I entered the same one on my phone and started calling.
G: "Hello?"
L: "Hi, this is Luanna, the boys' manager."
G: "Oh yes, yes. I heard you changed. So, why are you calling? Did something happen?" she asked politely.
L: "First, call me 'you,' I'm not that old. Second, I wanted to ask where you are right now?"
G: "Near Manchester. Why do you need to know?"
L: "Come to the central hospital. Your boyfriend broke his arm."
G: "What?! How did it break?! What happened?! What did those boys do?!"
L: "We'll explain everything, just come here," I replied and ended the conversation. I rubbed my ear from the screaming.
"Why is she screaming so much?" I muttered.
"Oh, yeah. She screams so much that I can't take it. I'm getting fed up with her hysterics and overly strong emotions," he rolled his eyes.
I was appalled at how little he valued her. I left the ward to wait for Gabriella. When she arrived, she immediately rushed up to me. I explained to her what had happened.
"Well, they're very clumsy. No offense, but it's true," she said, frowning.
"I agree, but listen. Before you go into the ward, you should know what he said. When you called me and got emotional, he said something like: 'She screams so much that I can't take it. I'm getting fed up with her hysterics and overly strong emotions.' I understand you perfectly, because I would react the same way about my boyfriend. However, are you sure you still want to be with him?"
"He said that?" she whispered, hurt.
"Yes, and you seem very nice, so I'm telling you the truth. I don't want you to get hurt," I extended my arms to the sides, waiting for a hug.
"Thank you," she said quietly and rushed into my embrace.
"What should I do now?" she asked after a while, straightening up and rubbing her hands briskly.
"Go there and break up with him. Straight up. If that's what you want, of course," I said quickly.
"I want to," she nodded. "So, I just go in, tell him, and leave?"
"Exactly," I nodded, and she went into the ward.
I sat down on a chair and waited for how everything would end. After a while, Gabriella came out calmly, from which I gathered that Harry and Beth had already left a long time ago, and Niall was following her awkwardly. Gabriella collapsed next to me on the chair and rested her head on my shoulder. Niall stood farther away from us and watched with a raised eyebrow.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
"No," she shook her head, sitting up. "Everything is completely screwed up. I finished my studies, I argued with my parents, I don't have a job or a place to live, and I just broke up with my boyfriend. Everything is wrong," she started pacing back and forth.
"What did you study?" I asked, interested.
"Hairdressing," she replied, still not stopping.
"Well, I have a proposition," I said, thinking, and she froze and turned to me. Niall also looked at me with interest.
"What kind of proposition?" the girl asked.
"A job. You can help our stylist do hair," I shrugged. "And travel on tour with all of us."
"Are you joking?" her eyes widened. "Because if you are, it's not funny."
"I'm not joking. I'm offering you a lifeline," I smiled.
"What about Eric?" she asked.
"He won't be here for about two months, and I was planning to fire him because I can play myself," I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I don't like him."
"So I'm going with you?" she asked hopefully.
"If you want to."
"Oh my God!" she shrieked and hugged me tightly. We stood up and swayed like penguins, but finally stopped.
"Now that you've calmed down, grab your things and we'll leave," I smiled pleasantly at her.
She ran out, and I sat back down on the chair.
"That was kind of you to take her in," Niall said, sitting down next to me.
"I understand that girl. You could say I was in a similar situation when my mother died," I said.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied.
"It's nothing, it's okay, I've come to terms with it. I think I'm giving younger people, like Gabriella, a chance to do something with their lives. It'll be easier for them than it was for me or you, but I think it's a good idea," I explained.
"It's a great idea," he agreed.
"Well, thank you, thank you," I laughed with him, and a nurse approached us.
"Hello, you're here for Eric Elverado, right?" she asked. She had blonde hair and sweet facial features.
"Yes, yes," I sighed.
"We can release him now, and I've explained everything else about taking care of his hand to the patient," she smiled, and I nodded. "Can I ask you something?" I nodded again. "Are you Luanna Perez? I understand you are Niall Horan," she pointed to Niall.
"Yes, I am Luanna Perez," I confirmed.
"My brother told me about you and said you were good friends."
"Who is your brother?" I asked.
"Alan, if you remember him," she grinned.
"How could I forget? So you're his little sister? Kelly, right?"
"Yes, that's me. Back in Hawaii, the last time I was there, people still talk about you and remember you like a hero," she said energetically.
"Well, thank you, but I'm not a hero," I laughed. "It was nice to meet you, Kelly, but we have to go. Eric is old enough to take care of himself, so we're leaving him here with you," she just nodded.
We entered the ward, where Eric was just staring at the ceiling. "We're leaving, and you sort yourself out here, and well, you know," I said, already starting to leave the ward without letting him say anything. I closed the door, but quickly opened it again. "And one more thing, Eric," I addressed him, and he looked at me. "You're fired," and I ran away, quickly grabbing Niall's arm and dragging him outside.
Beth and Harry were already standing in the cold.
"What now?" Beth asked.
"We're waiting for the buses with the others," I said, putting on Niall's gloves that I had kept, and grabbing snow to pack a snowball. The others watched what I was doing, and then realizing, started running. I aimed for Harry first. I missed completely. The next was Beth, and I hit her leg. Finally, Niall. I ran up to him and knocked him to the ground.
"That's not fair, you have my gloves!" he whined.
"Don't be a child," I laughed, throwing some snow on him. "Besides, they suit me," I justified myself.
He mumbled something like, "You suit more than just them," but I probably misheard, and extending my hand, I helped him up.