Chapter 1
The bell rang, and Liam opened the door. In front of him stood a middle-aged woman, no taller than 1.70 m. She wore a dark purple dress and held a clipboard. She asked, “Mr. Liam Payne?” “Yes, it’s me. How can I help you?” Liam replied. “I’m Jane Austin, a social worker...” Liam interrupted her, “A social worker?” She continued, “Yes, you recently registered to be a foster parent. I know it was sudden, but you meet all the requirements.” Liam was confused. He remembered doing it while drunk, but not enough to forget. “Are you here to see the house?” Still confused, Liam asked. The woman explained, “I know it’s sudden, but we have these four boys. No other place can handle them, and you’re the nearest option from their school. You seem like the best option for now.”
Liam hadn’t expected this — four boys? He had completely forgotten about it. He thought there would be a lot of other administrative processes before even considering kids. He could only manage to say, “I... I can handle them.” The woman smiled and handed him four folders. Liam read the names as he placed them on the desk: Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson.
Turning to see the lady bringing the four boys from the car, Liam observed. The oldest couldn’t be older than 15 years old, and the youngest not younger than 5 years old. The lady led them to the door. The oldest had black hair and the most beautiful light brown eyes Liam had ever seen. The second boy had blonde dyed hair and light blue eyes, shorter than the first. The third boy had dark brown curled hair and big puppy green eyes. The last boy had dark brown hair and blue eyes, similar in height to the blonde one. Liam turned to them and asked, “Do you want a house tour?” The woman behind him responded, “Yes, please. I want to see the house too.”
Liam began by showing them the living room, where they had entered. To the left was the dining room and the kitchen. Inside the house, there were stairs and a corridor with three doors on the right: a bathroom, a cabinet, and the basement with a laundry room.
On the second floor, to the left of the stairs, was Liam’s office. In front of the stairs was a guest room, now one of the boys’ rooms. To the right were four doors: the other bathroom, and three guest rooms. At the end of the corridor was Liam’s room, which also had a bathroom.
The lady confirmed the house was approved and gave Liam her card with phone number and email. He reciprocated with his contacts. As she closed the door, Liam went to the living room with the four boys still following him. “Sit down,” he gestured to the couch. The boys sat, and Liam took the chair next to them. “I think we need to introduce ourselves properly. Do you know each other?” They nodded. “Alright, I think I’m the only new one here,” Liam chuckled. “Let’s go around. You tell your name, age, and something about you. I’ll start. My name is Liam Payne, I’m 30 years old, and I cook well. You’ll love my food.” He smiled at the boys and waited for one of them to speak up. When no one did, he said, “Why don’t you start?” pointing to the boy nearest him, the one with blue eyes. The boy shyly began, “My name is Louis, and I’m 10 years old. I like to play football.”
“That’s good, Louis. I think you’ll enjoy the football gear I have,” Liam said, trying to engage him. He then pointed to the oldest. “My name is Zayn. I’m 15 years old, and I really like to sing.” Liam smiled, “Finally, someone to sing with me in karaoke,” he joked. Next was the youngest, “I’m Harry, I’m 7 years old, and I like to draw and paint.” The boy looked excited. “That’s cool, little guy. I think I have some drawing materials here.” Liam pointed to the blonde boy, the last one. “My name is Niall. I’m 12 years old, and I like...” He paused. “I like football and...” Before he could finish, Zayn interrupted, “And he likes to eat!” Harry giggled, “Yeah, he eats a lot.” Liam intervened, “What are you talking about? I don’t tolerate bullying in my household. Apologize to Niall, both of you.” Harry immediately said sorry, but Zayn tried to explain he wasn’t bullying Niall. Before the oldest could say anything, the blonde intervened, “Mr. Payne, he’s right. I like to eat.” Liam smiled, agreeing.
The oldest said, “You’re still carrying your backpacks. We can choose the rooms.” Liam stood up, with the boys following him. They agreed on the arrangement: the two rooms nearest to Liam’s room were for Harry and Louis, the youngest ones. The one in front of the bathroom door was for Niall, not too far from Liam’s room but sufficiently distant to give him privacy. And the one in front of the stairs was for Zayn, who would like to have more privacy and independence.
The adult guided the boys back to the living room. Liam turned the TV on and handed the remote to Zayn. “You can watch something. I have some work to do,” he said, although he didn’t actually have any work to do. He just needed some time to establish some rules and read the boys’ folders.
Firstly, Liam created some general rules and a chart for punishments and rewards for the four boys. Next, he started to read the folders. The first one was Harry’s folder:
Name: Harry Edward Styles
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 1st February 2017
Place of Birth: Redditch, England, UK
Medical History:
- Allergies: None
- Previous Surgeries: None
- Chronic Conditions: Asthma and nocturnal enuresis
- Current Medications: None
- Family Medical History: Unknown
Education History:
- Current School: Primary School St. George
- Current Year: Year 2
- Extracurricular Activities: None
Additional Information:
Harry was rescued from a neglectful household at the age of 3. His mother was a drug addict, incapable of taking care of him, leaving him without appropriate care, food, and clothing.
While reading Harry’s folder, Liam made some mental notes: Drug addict mother – no normalization of drugs, alcohol, or smoking. Bedwetter – ensure he has a diaper before sleep; does he have one in his pack? With these questions in mind, Liam moved to the next folder, Niall’s:
Name: Niall James Horan
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 13th September 2012
Place of Birth: Mullingar, Ireland
Medical History:
- Allergies: Cats
- Previous Surgeries: None
- Chronic Condition: Asthma
- Current Medications: None
- Family Medical History: Unknown
Education History:
- Current School: Primary School St. George
- Current Year: Year 7
- Extracurricular Activities: Football practice
Additional Information:
Niall’s family abandoned him on a highway near Belfast, Northern Ireland, when he was 4 years old.
Niall has emotional attachment issues and night terror problems; soft approaches are recommended.
Similar to Harry’s folder, Liam made some mental notes while reading Niall’s: Abandoned – likely trust issues; Liam would have a hard time convincing him that he’s a trustworthy person.
The next folder was Louis’:
Name: Louis William Tomlinson
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: 24th December 2014
Place of Birth: Doncaster, England, UK
Medical History:
- Allergies: None
- Previous Surgeries: None
- Chronic Condition: None
- Current Medications: None
- Family Medical History: Unknown
Education History:
- Current School: Primary School St. George
- Current Year: Year 5
- Extracurricular Activities: Football practice
Additional Information:
Louis’ mother passed away from a heart attack when he was 9 months old. Louis has a timidity problem.
Liam made these notes: Timidity problem – a soft approach and some time will help him to open up.
Continuing, Liam took Zayn’s folder, which was bigger than the other boys’. He started reading:
Name: Zayn Javadd Malik
Date of Birth: 12th January 2009
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Bradford, England, UK
Medical History:
- Allergies: None
- Previous Surgeries: None
- Chronic Condition: None
- Current Medications: None
- Family Medical History: Unknown
Education History:
- Current School: Secondary School St. George
- Current Year: Year 8
- Extracurricular Activities: None
Additional Information:
Zayn was exiled from home by his parents at the age of 8. He lived on the streets for one year before being sent to a foster home.
Zayn was arrested three times for theft – once before entering the system and twice after. He has a history of anger issues and violent responses.
The folder also contained police reports of the crimes, making it bigger. Liam made these notes: Kicked out from his house – this boy needs a lot of work to understand that I’m not a threat and won’t kick him out. Criminal prosecution – another thing to pay attention to; ensure the boy isn’t stealing anything.
Liam headed downstairs with five copies of the rules. He entered the living room, checking his watch and realizing that drafting the rules and going through the folders had taken him half an hour. “Boys, can we talk about the rules?” he said, catching the attention of the four boys. “Why don’t we go to the dining room?” The boys followed him to the table and took their seats. Liam handed out a copy of the rules to each of them, pausing at Harry. “Harry, do you know how to read?” The boy simply nodded.
Taking a seat at the end of the table, Liam began, “I’ll read the rules with you, and you can tell me if you have any problems with the rules or punishments.” He paused to gauge their reaction. “Alright, let’s start:
Rule one: Do not swear.
Rule two: Do not start fights.
Rule three: Bullying is not tolerated.
Rule four: Do not talk back.
Rule five: Do not smoke, drink, or use any kind of drugs.
Rule six: Respect others.
Rule seven: Do not yell; use your inside voice.
Rule eight: Treat everyone with respect.
Rule nine: Keep your room tidy; put dirty clothes in the laundry basket and fold the clean ones.
Rule ten: Tell the truth about everything.
Rule eleven: Share how you feel about what people say or do to you; this way, we can coexist peacefully.
Rule twelve: Phone time is limited to three hours a day.
Rule thirteen: Use your manners; always say ‘please’, ‘sorry’, and ‘thank you’.
Rule fourteen: Apologize and make amends if you hurt someone.
Rule fifteen: Bedtime for Harry and Louis will be at 9:30 p.m.; for Niall and Zayn, it will be at 10:00 p.m.”
Liam paused, waiting for questions and for the boys to absorb all the rules. Harry raised his hand. “Yes, Harry?” “I don’t have a phone, so does rule twelve apply to me?” Liam smiled at the innocent question. “No, but I’ll limit your TV time instead, little guy.” Harry nodded. “Do you understand the rules? Can we move on to the punishments?” The boys agreed, while Louis simply nodded.
“Alright, if you break a rule, you’ll receive a punishment. The punishment will be proportional to the rule you broke, and I’ll make sure you understand why you’re being punished. Punishments may include being grounded, timeouts, spankings, early bedtimes, and having privileges taken away.” Liam paused again to let the boys process this information. “As bad behavior will be punished, good behavior will be rewarded. Rewards may include extra candies, later bedtimes, increased screen time, new toys or games, and increased privileges.”
Liam observed the boys’ reactions, noticing that in general, rewards seemed to work better than punishments, at least according to what he learned in Psychology university. “Any questions? Is there anything you don’t like?” Liam heard Harry and Zayn say “no,” but Niall and Louis remained silent. “Niall, are you okay with it?” The blonde mumbled a quiet “Yes.” “Louis?” The boy simply nodded.
Liam continued, “I know it takes some time to learn the rules, I’m sorry. It was kind of unexpected; I didn’t even have more colorful and child-like bedding sets.” Liam blurted it out to the boys before he could control his mouth.
“You asked our names before telling us what to do or not, and for me, that was a great advance,” Zayn said honestly. Usually, foster parents don’t bother to remember their names; they just order them around. But Liam was different; he seemed interested in their lives.
Zayn shook these thoughts away. Liam was just another foster parent, there because of the government’s money! Yeah, he was sure about it! Liam couldn’t fool him. Zayn would make sure the other boys saw it too, as soon as they started making Liam’s life hell, they’d be out of there.
Liam smiled at Zayn, thinking about how such a sweet boy like Zayn could be a thief. He quickly shook the thought away. Zayn was not a thief; he just needed some understanding and support to process his feelings and experiences. Smiling, Liam said, “Well, did you put your clothes in the dressers?” A chorus of “no” filled his ears. “Alright, go unpack your bags.” He got up, turning to Harry. “Would you like my help, bud?” Harry nodded, pulling Liam by his hand to the room he took for himself.
Liam began to unpack Harry’s clothes while the boy sat on the bed. Harry had a pair of jeans, sweatpants, three shorts (one jeans and two fleece), a winter coat, two long-sleeve shirts, half a dozen t-shirts, six pairs of underwear, and two school uniform sets. Liam made a mental note to buy more pull-ups for Harry, noting the size S/M on the back. He thought the other boys’ dressers would be similar to Harry’s, with coats and uniforms hung up, trousers and shorts in one drawer, and other clothes in another drawer, leaving space for underwear. “Bud, I’m done here. Tomorrow we’ll buy some things for you,” Liam said, avoiding mention of the pull-ups to spare any embarrassment for Harry.
“If I were you, I’d run downstairs to grab the TV remote and put on something you’d like to watch,” Liam suggested, making Harry giggle and run off. “Don’t run on the stairs!” Liam called after him before heading to Louis’ room. “Hey,” he said before entering, making sure his presence was noticed. “Can I see your dresser?” Louis nodded without meeting Liam’s eyes. Liam opened the dresser and found it identical to Harry’s, with a coat, two uniform sets on hangers, shirts in the drawer, and underwear – 10 pairs – in another drawer. It seemed Liam would need to buy more clothes for at least two of the boys. “Louis, remind me to get the football gear from the basement for you,” Liam said, trying to engage Louis in conversation, but the boy just nodded and walked away, likely joining Harry in the living room.
Liam moved to Niall’s room. “Hey, bud,” he started, noticing Niall struggling to fold a shirt. “Can I help you?” Niall stepped aside, letting Liam fold the shirt. Liam opened the drawer, mistakenly starting with the trousers drawer, finding two jeans and one sweatpants, then the underwear drawer with fewer than 7 pairs. The last drawer held shirts, not many more than Harry’s. The situation was critical for Niall too. “Niall, can you go watch Harry and Louis for a bit while I talk with Zayn? I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.” Niall nodded and said, “Yes, Mr. Payne,” before heading downstairs.
Liam entered Zayn’s room to find the boy scrolling through his phone. “Hey, champion, have you finished unpacking your things?” Zayn looked up, noticing Liam. “Yes, Mr. Payne, I was just replying to my messages.” The boy tried to excuse himself. “That’s okay. Can I see how you organized it? Just so I know where to put your clothes when I wash them.” Zayn nodded, and Liam inspected the dresser, finding it similar to the others. He would need to take the boys shopping for clothes tomorrow.
“I’ll start lunch soon. I’ll come to call you,” Liam said before excusing himself from the room and heading downstairs. With his recent promotion, Liam now had extra money to spend on new clothes and toys for the boys. Not that he had a bad wage to begin with, and living alone had its benefits, allowing him to save a good amount of money.
Liam prepared a simple lunch, something he was sure the four boys would eat. He noticed that Niall ate eagerly, prompting Liam to remind him to eat slowly two or three times. Harry had some minor issues with the cutlery, but nothing major. The boys sat in the same arrangement as before, with Zayn directly to Liam’s left, Harry on his right, Louis after Harry, and Niall after Zayn.
Throughout the afternoon, Liam tried to engage the boys in conversation, but with little success. The football gear didn’t catch Louis’ attention, and neither did the papers and colorful pens for Harry, nor the promise of buying more pens and books.
For dinner, Liam bought pizza, hoping to capture their attention and spark conversation. Once again, Liam had to remind Niall to eat slowly. It seemed to be the boy’s natural eating pace, which made sense based on Zayn’s earlier teasing.
At 10 p.m., Liam made sure Zayn and Niall were in bed and that Harry and Louis were asleep before heading downstairs. He spent almost an hour making a small list of what they would need for the next day. Liam also sent an email to the school, explaining the situation and requesting a meeting with the headmaster. Since the boys would be off school for a few days to adjust, Liam anticipated that the meeting would likely take place on the same day they returned to school.
