One Direction fans' Summer of Struggles: a timeline 

Directioners thought the worst of 2015 was over after Zayn Malik announced his departure from the group in March, but as the months got warmer, the heartbreaking One Direction moments kept coming, testing even the most devoted fans’ loyalty to the four British singers. As summer draws to a close and the boys gear up to release their next (and hopefully not last) album, let’s take a look at how much lovers of Louis, Harry, Niall and Liam have dealt with in recent months.

May 6: Louis Tomlinson mocked Zayn Malik and producer Naughty Boy for posting filtered Macbook pictures, starting a war of words between the three parties on Twitter.

special on One Direction, some fans claimed the program featured new interview footage in which Zayn revealed he’d be returning to the boy band. The rumor gained traction as #WelcomeBackto1DZayn trends on Twitter.

July 10: Harry Styles takes a tumble on stage. #OhNoHarry

July 15: #HarryBeCareful trends on Twitter after Harry Styles receives death threats from a user saying they plan to kill him at 1D’s Aug. 5 MetLife Stadium show.

reports that Louis will father a child with Los Angeles stylist Briana Jungwirth. (Larry shippers are skeptical.)

July 29: Zayn announces he signed a solo contract with RCA and tweets that he was finally given the “opportunity to show you who I really am!”

Juy 31: One Direction drop their first Zayn-less single, “Drag Me Down,” over night, followed by a video for the song three weeks later. Thanks to the surprise track, fans are now on their toes about when to expect the full album this fall, which currently lacks a release date.

Aug. 4: We learn Zayn and Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards have ended their engagement after two years.

Aug. 10: Niall Horan upsets Directioners when he tells BBC Radio 1 he “doesn’t have the body for nude selfies.” The fandom shows support with #NiallYourBodyIsWonderful.

Aug. 17: Zayn and Calvin Harris get into it on Twitter after the former One Direction member calls out Harris’ girlfriend Taylor Swift for taking her music off Spotify.

Aug. 18: Liam Payne is accused of being homophobic after making the following comment about his favorite 1D song, “Girl Almighty,” at a show in Columbus, Ohio: “It is about trying to find that number one woman of your life, which none of you can relate to, because most of you are girls. Except for the boys in here, you know what I’m talking about.” He took to Twitter to defend himself as someone who is “in no way shape or form homophobic.”

Aug. 23: Rumors spread that the band will take a hiatus in 2016.

Aug. 24: Niall, Louis, and Liam confirm the hiatus, but assure fans 1D will reunite after the break.

Sept. 1: Harry gets hit in the face by a can of Red Bull thrown by a fan at Philadelphia concert. His mom Anne Twist responded on Twitter saying, “No harm done … This time … Unless you’re on a sports field is it acceptable to throw things at people?! I think not.”

Here’s to hoping the change of seasons sees Twitter fights traded for new music as the band readies for the release of their forthcoming fifth album.

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