Staying alone in the room was suffocating. The silence pressed in on me, and the empty space was colder without Zayn's presence. I told myself I didn't care about anyone else, his friends weren't my concern, and I wasn't about to force myself into circles I didn't belong in. But the truth was simple: I wasn't avoiding them; I was avoiding Nicki.
Still, the boredom gnawed at me, and more than that, the pain of being away from him. My pride could go to hell. I picked up my phone and dialed Zayn.
The line barely rang twice before it connected. But it wasn't Zayn's voice.
"Evric!" a voice gasped, panicked. "It's Zayn, he's… he's not breathing properly, he collapsed! Come quickly!"
I froze, blood draining from my face. "What?" My voice cracked, raw with disbelief.
"Come quickly!" the voice repeated, sharp, desperate. "It's Nantam speaking... Zayn's not breathing well!"
