Zayn Malik Leaves One Direction

When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that today would be one of the hardest days of my life. As pretty much everyone in the world has heard, Zayn Malik has left One Direction. If you know me, you know that sports and One Direction are the two things that I am most passionate about.  When I found out about Zayn this morning, I was in class trying

not to burst into tears in front of my professor and classmates. This may sound lame, but I don't think many people understand what a band and its members can truly mean to someone. This is going to be hard to write through teary eyes, but I'm going to give it my best shot and get out what I feel I need to say. (As I was typing this my alarm of the boys saying "Good Morning, We're One Direction" went off for the first time since he left so that was great.)

I believe that everyone should have something that they feel passionate about. Whether it be sports, a band, a TV show, you should find something that you love with every fiber of your being. When you have a bad day at school or work, you need something to help make your life a little brighter. I vividly remember the day that I was listening to a 1D song while laying in bed. The only member whose name I knew, was Harry. I loved the song, so due to boredom and curiosity, I decided to google the rest of the members names and somehow ended up watching "One Direction Funniest Moments" videos on Youtube for the rest of the night. That night, I had no idea just how much these five guys would mean to me.

Every Directioner has a favorite member, but you could never rank the boys from favorite to least favorite. The thing about the boys is, each of them is so genuine, sweet, and funny that they each capture your heart in a different way. Zayn has made me smile in so many ways. Whether it be accidently calling Malibu "Malibami", drinking energy juice in the video diaries, yelling at Louis for saying the next single was One Thing when he wasn't supposed to, or telling Liam he will try to have a nice flight but he'll miss him too much, you couldn't help but fall in love with the Bradford Bad Boy.

Zayn is the quiet one, with the smooth like butter voice. When he hits a high note, you feel it in the depths of your soul. In interviews, he was always the quiet one, always introverted. You could always tell that he was not fond of the fame that One Direction brought him. He loves to sing and preform, and loved being a part of a band with his four best friends, but being in the spotlight was just too much sometimes. Having your every move scrutinized is not what everyone hopes for when trying to live out their dreams. I love Zayn with my whole heart, but I knew that this day would arrive. It's not about his career, or the fans, it's about the attention that comes with those things. The media is so quick to assume and judge without knowing all the facts, which is what I believe led to Zayn's decision.

Today, I realized how thankful and lucky I am to have been able to have seen 5/5 in concert at the Rose Bowl last year. The night of my concert was truly one of the best of my life. My favorite One Direction song is "You & I" and I can vividly remember having so much anticipation about hearing Zayn sing the song's high note live. I am so thankful to have had that experience last September, now knowing that many fans will never get to see Zayn live in concert.

Even though Zayn leaving truly breaks my heart, I know it is what is best for him. I will miss all the ad libs and high notes, but I am aware that his health is much more important. He will always be a part of One Direction and will always be one of our boys. I mean, Ringo left the Beatles and rejoined the group 3 months later. You never know what the future holds, but everything happens for a reason. Niall, Louis, Liam, and Harry are still One Direction. We must continue to support them along this journey. This is not the end, it is just a new chapter and the future of One Direction is still shining bright.

I love you Zen. Thank you for everything you have done for me. <3 #VasHappenin

**Warning: This video will cause it to all sink in and will make you cry like a baby**

P.S. Sorry if this isn't my greatest post. Just had to get it all out there, even if that meant typing while crying...

Photo: @CarolineWatson_ on Instagram