real life!

Adira frantically searches for her phone, heart pounding as she prepares for the thing she dreaded almost more than anything else: confrontation. Once her fingers land on the familiar feel of the cold, black screen, she scurries to dial her sister. It was something she hadn't found the courage to do in weeks, but she no longer had much of a choice.

The phone rings three times before her sister's croaky voice fills her ears.

"Adira?" Adira recognises her tone—Amala always sounded stuffed, like she'd been struck with a sore throat, when she'd been crying.

"Hey, 'Mala. Are you okay?"

"Is that what you called to ask me? After how ever many fucking months?" Undeniably angry, her voice is filled with a menace and viciousness Adira hadn't quite heard since her high school boyfriend broke her heart in front of the entire school.

Caught off guard, Adira nibbles her lip. "I just . . . I saw the bruises. I wanted to check up on you, 'Mala. Make sure you're okay."

Amala laughs in disbelief. "That's rich. Your fans have been attacking me nonstop, but this is the time you choose to reach out and make sure I'm okay?"

Adira spits out her next words. "I mean, what did you really expect? There's not much I felt like saying to my sister who decided to be friends with the man who put me in the hospital."

"You never even gave him a chance. He's . . . different with me. Sweet. He promised he was just angry that day when . . ." Sniffles fill Amala's ear as her words drift off, and she barely flinches. These weeks apart hadn't left much room within her to care for her sister's tears.

"Fuck you. Fuck giving him a chance." Tears rush down her face with more strength than ever. "I lost my baby, Amala. Do you get that? He made me fucking lose my baby."

Amala scoffs. "You didn't even know you were pregnant when that happened. How was he supposed to know before he did that? He regrets it a lot. He talks to me a lot about how he always imagined you guys having your own little family."

Adira exhales a breath and squeezes her eyes shut for a split second. "You're fucking insane. I don't care what he regrets. I care about what he did."

"His feelings don't matter? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes," she says matter-of-factly.

Amala rolls her eyes, knowing Adira wasn't there to see it but almost certain the other girl could feel her annoyance through the phone. "Get over yourself, Adira. Not everything's about you."

Gasping for air through her tears, Adira finally says: "'Mala, please . . . I just called to ask about the bruises."

"I'm fine. They're nothing. Nothing happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about me anymore, Adira."

With that, she hangs up the phone.

━

Adira searches the house for Justin, finally finding him in the movie room, buried under a blanket, hand stuck in the popcorn bucket, and eyes trained on The Lion King.

"Hey," she whispers.

"Hey," he whispers back. "Everything good?"

She shakes her head vigorously, unable to stop the salty tears from slipping down her cheeks. His eyes widen—he hadn't expected tears quite so soon. He quickly opens the blanket, and she slides under, cuddling into his warmth.

Kissing her forehead, he asks, "What happened, baby?"

She digs her head into his chest as he wraps his arms around her waist. "'Mala and I . . . Things just . . . It didn't go well, J."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I brought up the baby."

Justin eyebrows raise at this. The Baby was a tough subject for her, to the point that she had all but banned her friends from speaking on it. Ever. When the doctor told her about the baby—who she named Juno—she'd shed a lot of tears. Refused to eat. Barely said anything to anyone. Then, she resorted to making music, as she always did."I don't want to say too much about Juno, guys. I don't want to go there. That's a lot," she said one night in the studio with Justin, Vicky, Mikey, and 'Mala while the group did their routine reminiscing.

"Why'd you do that?" he simply asks.

"She was talking about how much he's changed, and how I should give him another chance, and it just . . . It made me so mad. She makes so mad, and I hate that. She's my sister."

"'Dira, she really hasn't been acting like much of a sister lately."

"I know that, but I've been pretty shitty, too."

"I mean, baby, she knows what Zayn put you through. She was there through everything."

His words only make her sob, soaking his tee. It felt like a wrench was digging into his heart as her body trembled in his arms. "I don't know what to do," she admits.

Caressing her hair, he moves her head to focus on him. "I feel like something bigger's happening with 'Mala that she's not saying, but we don't have to worry about that tonight. You guys are going to work everything out, and if you don't, you're the strongest fucking person I know, and I love you, you get that? You're going to get through this, put out the best fucking music of your life, go on tour, and everything's going to be okay. You trust me?"

She searches his eyes for something before mustering the energy to nod. "I trust you."

∙∙∙

instagram!

Cheering her up!! Comment things to make her smile guys

View all 34,042 comments . . .

Emergency

vicky's ugly

⤻ how the fuck would that make her smile

⤻ idk but it made me smile!

⤻ She did smile Mikey!!

⤻ that'smy girl

i banged pascal

⤻ AND THIS WOULD MAKE HER SMILE?

⤻ why wouldn't it

⤻ She said to tell u u disappoint her

⤻ i'm not bringing her the cupcakes i just baked for her then

⤻ She's shouting at me to tell u she takes it back

⤻ only bringing them bc i'm an angel

⤻ She says I LOVE YOU. I love u too. Ur cupcakes are bomb

⤻ i know they are

⤻ 😐

i won my town's talent show with a cover of he don't love me :)

⤻ She smiled!! Congrats on ur win 🙃

i finally convinced to let me see a therapist !!!!

⤻ She smiled! Both of us are very very happy for u ❤️

I just ate the best burger ever

⤻ That just made her hungry but I'm happy for u bud

I bought my first car 😌

⤻ Yo she smiled! Congrats to u on the car

my crush fucked me in the back of his car the other day 😭

⤻ This made her laugh! Very happy for u I think?

She's hot when she's sad

this is cute and all but why's she sad

i love her so much

Nah but this picture sexy as hell

manip creds:

kingqueenmanip on ig