Good Morals [Larry Stylinson]

Ch. Eighteen | At Least Gemma's Coming Home

[E:✔️]

Trigger warning for mention of SH

Monday the 29th arrives and Harry is smiling, walking down the halls with his friends. He got some (belated) birthday wishes, and he was in a proper good mood. Lunch just got done, and Gigi and Marina said their goodbyes before heading off to their own lockers and classes. Liam turned to his three friends, "What do you think Mr. Tomlinson will have us do today?" Niall shrugged, "Don't know, mate," he turned to Harry, who had his hands shoved in his pockets. Niall nudged the boy, trying to get his attention off of the floor, but he didn't budge. Zayn cleared his throat when they got into the classroom. Mariah, Brianna, and Jordan were all leaning against the wall, arms crossed and in their own conversation. The four boys stood in the entryway, jumping when hearing a small "Excuse me, boys," from behind them. They moved. Well, Harry was a bit slower than usual.

He felt immensely bad about the way he acted. He knew Mr. Tomlinson didn't realize what he said. He knew his teacher wouldn't have said such a thing about his father if he remembered that Harry, well, didn't really have a father in his life. Despite his mum telling him he should, Harry knew he should and wanted to apologize. "Sorry," he mumbled, almost inaudibly. He was the last to get into the room, looking up when he felt a pair of eyes on him. His eyes locked with a pair of the prettiest blue eyes. Mr. Tomlinson stayed standing by his desk, Harry leaning against the wall. The look wasn't challenging like their eye contact usually was. Harry got lost in both his thoughts and Mr. Tomlinson's eyes, thinking about how if he kept the soft gaze for too long the soft green from his own eyes would melt into his blue, making a deep teal colour he could swim in for days. "Harry," Niall elbowed his friend, making him wince, jerking away. A hot blush spread across his cheeks, realizing he had just gotten lost in his teacher's eyes. His teacher's. How odd.

"I apologize for the late notice, everyone, I was planning on sending out an email in advance, but I lost track of time while planning other things. Unfortunately, my mum passed away recently and I've taken this week off to handle everything. I'll be leaving this afternoon when class is done, so I apologize in advance to anyone who needed my help with things," Louis sat down in his desk chair, intertwining his hands on top of the desk. Green eyes burned in his brain, stayed there like freshly grown weeds. He didn't want them there, but he knew he couldn't get them away; they would always come back into his mind. A few murmurs sounded through the room before Zayn cleared his throat, "We're sorry that happened, sir. That's unfortunate, shouldn't happen to anyone," he said quietly. Louis looked up to see the rest of his students nodding, catching Harry's eyes for the second time. He nodded curtly at the blue-eyed man, sending a flash of a sympathetic, genuinely caring smile. Which, yeah sort of surprised him, but he appreciated it greatly. Of course he knew Harry was a sincere and caring and kind and sweet boy and everything charming-he stopped there. He looked away, nodding at the rest of the kids with a sad smile. In all honesty, he didn't think Harry would be over the last argument they had.

"Today's lesson, I suppose is to get to know your peers. I know it's later in the year, and you guys knew each other far before I got here-"

"Actually the teacher before us didn't have us socialize, so," Liam blurted out. "Shut up," Harry hissed, frowning. Louis's heart ached, not in the slightest of a good way. "Really, that's a bit unprofessional. For a drama class, at least," he paused, "the assignment today is to choose an item of your choice from your childhood that is most important to you. Write a short monologue about it. We will share after your time limit is done. You have thirty minutes to write it, twenty for everyone to share, so don't make it lengthy," he clarified. Everyone understood, so they all sat in their respective places against the walls, getting out their pencils and notebooks, scribbling down whatever item came to their heads. Louis smiled warmly, seeing everyone focused. He looked down at his hands, picking at his nails a bit. He looked up when he heard laughing, it was quiet along with the murmurs coming from the same person: Niall. He was trying to talk to Harry, but the curly-haired boy was just ignoring him, telling him to focus on his work. Louis looked away, leaning down to grab a lolly out of his drawer. It was strawberry flavoured. He unwrapped it and put it in his mouth. He felt a pair of eyes on him for what seemed like the hundredth time today. His eyes instinctively looked up and met with a pretty green, glossy, lost. As soon as their eyes met Harry looked away. Louis found it odd, the blush on his cheeks. He felt his own flush a bit.