A/N Hello everyone! Happy Friday! How was your week? I hope it was good. Have you had your spring break yet? Ours just started today, so I get next week off and the Monday after it.

Anyway, I've been working on this chapter all week, and I hope you all enjoy it!

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Liam's POV

I watched Courtney run away and sighed quietly. Braeden looked as if he was going to run after her, but I stopped him. "No. She told you to go, so you might want to listen to her," I said, standing up.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it, Buzz Cut?" Braeden retorted. Lizzie snickered at his comeback, while I just rolled my eyes.

I didn't even answer his question. "Just go," I said, not wanting to even talk to him anymore. How could he even be so rude to Courtney? I turned and walked to her front door, opening it up and walking inside. I heard the sound of music blaring from Courtney's room upstairs. It was now pretty obvious where she was now.

I slowly climbed the stairs and walked toward her room, searching my head for something to say when I got there. When I arrived, I gently rapped on the door. "Courtney?" I asked through the door, hoping she would answer. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," she said, a little too quickly. She was lying, and it was pretty obvious, considering it was missing her normal excitement.

"Courtney, please," I pleaded, opening the door up a tiny crack. "Can I come in, please?"

I heard a brief silence before I got a response. "Sure, Liam," she said, as the music she was listening to turned off.

I opened the door wider and stepped inside, only to find Courtney laying face down on her bed, a pink iPod lying next to her. I walked over to her bed and took a seat next to her, feeling horrible to see such a happy, excited girl feeling like that.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked again, gently laying my hand on her shoulder. She squirmed a bit, and I quickly removed my hand. "Sorry," I apologized.

"It's nothing," she said quietly. "Everything's just fine."

"Then why did you run off into your room, playing Kelly Clarkson music, and lay face down on your bed?" I inquired. "Courtney, all I want to do is help you."

"That's what Braeden said," I heard Courtney mumble.

I now was really concerned for her, but, I was curious too. But, I chose not to pry, and didn't ask. "Courtney, you know that I can tell everything's not okay. Please, just tell me that you're alright, and mean it, and I'll leave you alone."

Courtney sighed, and sat up. "Liam, you have to promise you won't tell anyone. I haven't even told the girls yet, so you'll be the only one who knows. Promise you won't tell?" She asked. Her eyes were locked with mine, and her expression was one of hope, yet hinting at fear.

"I wouldn't tell your secret, Courtney," I assured her, placing my hand on top of hers. "Especially if you really want to keep it a secret, I won't tell."

Courtney took a breath, and began talking. "Last year, Braeden asked me out. Obviously, I said yes, because I kind of liked him, just like half of the girls at school." I nodded, listening to what she was saying.

She continued with, "For a while, everything was going great. But, then I started thinking. We really hadn't been spending a lot of time together, so I thought it was going to end up as more of a mutual breakup. I tried talking to him about it, but he instead made it a reason to stay together. Again, I was fine with it, but I had no idea what was coming next." She looked down at the ground, seeming as if she was probably trying to stay strong.

"Courtney, what happened?" I asked, concerned.

"Braeden...he...verbally abused me. He called me such horrible names, I just couldn't believe it. He even..." she didn't even finish what she said. She broke down into tears, her head in her hands.

"Courtney," I began, not sure what to say.

"He hit me!" she yelled. "He...he was beating up this freshman in the hall one day, and I saw it. I tried confronting him...but when I said something to him...he hit me. I was, thankfully, able to break up with him a week before school ended." She sighed. "But that idiot can't seem to take a hint and leave me alone!"

I bit my lip, how could he do something like that to Courtney? At least I had an explanation to why she flinched when I kissed her cheek at Great Wolf Lodge. She was scared I would be like Braeden, probably. "Hey, come here," I said softly, opening my arms to her. She took me up on my offer, hugging me tightly. "I won't hurt you, Courtney, I promise."

"Thank you," Courtney sniffled, holding back tears. She buried her face into my plaid shirt. "You're such a good..." she paused, as if thinking about how to finish that, "friend."

I rested my head on top of hers gently, holding her close. "If you need anything, Courtney, please just call me, okay? I'll be there for you," I said, meaning it.

"Okay, Liam. Thank you," Courtney said, still sounding as if she was holding back tears.

"It's no problem, Courtney," I responded, softly planting a kiss on her forehead. "I just want to help you. Do you want to go back out there yet, or no?"

"Is Braeden still there?" Courtney asked, pulling her head away from my chest.

"How about we go and see?" I said, motioning to the window with my head. Courtney nodded, and the two of us walked to the window. We lifted the shade and looked down onto the front yard.

Braeden's truck was still there, parked just where he had left it. Braeden was standing next to the tree we had been by earlier, and standing about a few feet away were the girls, my band mates, and Kyle, all looking quite angry.

Courtney bit her lip when she realized he was still there, and she laid her head on my shoulder. "Why can't he just take the hint?"

"I don't know," I sighed, gently draping my arm over her shoulders. "Hopefully he'll get it soon. Then we can go back down there and watch the fireworks, right? I tried reminding her of the fireworks to get her mind off of Braeden.

"Yeah," Courtney said, a small smile forming on her lips.

We glanced back out at the group, hoping to see signs of Braeden leaving, but instead we found something much funnier.

Lizzie had stepped forward, and her fists were clenched at her sides. She seemed to be yelling at Braeden. By the reactions on everyone's faces, I'm guessing it wasn't very...well...ladylike.

Courtney and I both laughed just a tiny bit. "Well, I guess Lizzie's upset now," Courtney said. "Unless someone really gets on her nerves, she never uses that kind of language!"

I nodded, chuckling as I heard that. Then, I saw Kelly run up and calm Lizzie don, although she did send more than a few glares at Braeden. I swear, if looks could kill, Braeden would be dead by now.

Finally, Braeden threw his hands in the air in defeat, walking to his truck and getting in. When he drove away, Courtney said, "I think I'm ready to head back down there, Liam."

I nodded with a smile, and the two of us walked out of Courtney's room, down the stairs, and outside to the rest of the group. They had all sat down on the grass again. They smiled at us when they saw us, and we both smiled back. Courtney's smile was bright, probably thanks to the fact that Braeden was finally gone.

"Are you feeling better, Courtney?" Lucy asked, sitting up in the grass so she could see us better. She had been lying down in the grass, probably looking at the clouds.

"Yeah, I'm feeling much better. Thanks, Lu," Courtney responded as Louis's head jerked up, thinking he had been mentioned, again. "Oh, sorry, Louis, I meant Lucy," she apologized.

"We really need to work on something with these nicknames," Louis mumbled, and we all laughed.

"Yeah, we really do," Simone said, giggling.

"So, who's ready to light off some fireworks?" Kyle asked, changing the subject. "I think my dad's ready with his set."

"That sounds good to me," Ana said, smiling. "Do you have the best firework of them all with you?"

"Are we talking about the one that blinds you if you stare at it?" Kyle asked. "We've got that one. I know you girls always have those mini dance parties when we light that one off." The girls all blushed a bit as he said that, and Kyle laughed. "Sorry, girls, didn't mean to embarrass you."

"It's okay, let's just start the fireworks," Kelly said, being a peacemaker.

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As a firework down the street went off, I asked Courtney, "Are those fireworks over there even legal?" The fireworks were bigger than I would have thought were allowed in their area, and also were going up higher.

Courtney's smile grew. "Maybe..." she said quietly, blushing slightly. "Probably not," she admitted, laughing. "But we never tell; it's extra entertainment anyway."

I nodded, watching as Mr. Anderson lit off another firework. The girls all grinned as he lit it off. I guess it was the firework the girls all liked. Each of them hopped up and waited in front of Courtney's garage door.

The lads and I all stared at them, confused a bit about what they were doing. Then, the light of the firework went off. It was like a strobe light, it was so bright. I covered my eyes, not expecting it. So did the rest of the lads.

As I looked back at the girls, I saw them dancing in the light, not looking at the light but at the garage door. I laughed a bit, smiling as I saw this. It was a pretty brilliant idea if you asked me.

I saw Louis get up and join them as they danced, followed by Zayn, Harry and Niall. I jumped up and joined them, smiling as we all danced in the light. I danced next to Courtney, who was doing the dance moves she so loved to do.

All of us were smiling and laughing as we danced in the light. It was so much fun to do this with everyone. I danced with Courtney, smiling.

The light began to fade away, and I found myself looking at Courtney. Her eyes were shining from the light that the firework had given off, and I could see the happiness in her eyes. I stepped closer to her, wanting to give something a shot.

As I stepped closer, Courtney did as well. The light of the firework dimmed until it was dark again. I leaned down and pressed my lips to Courtney's, getting caught up in the moment a bit.

Thankfully, I felt her kissing me back, softly yet sweetly. I kissed her for a little bit, but then broke the kiss when I heard Louis saying "Ooh," like a younger lad on the playground when a friend got in trouble.

I turned to look at Louis and raised my eyebrows. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"That was just so cute!" He exclaimed, like a little girl.

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Wow..." she said. "But thanks, I guess," she said.

"Braeden definitely won't like this..." I heard Lizzie mumble. But Courtney didn't seem to notice. She was smiling widely, which made me smile too. Today had been perfect, or practically. Courtney had proven that she trusted me, and I had kissed her. And, all of this on a regular July 4th.

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A/N Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Video of the Chapter: One Direction - More Than This (Up All Night: The Live Tour)

Picture of the Chapter: Liam Payne

Please vote and comment! I love feedback. Thanks everyone! I love you all! See you next week!