Melody In The Locker Room

Chapter 7

Louis decided not to respond to Harry’s text, pretending to have gotten ‘really busy with homework’ if his curly haired friend asked about it. When he went to bed, he thought about it for a moment but then restrained himself, figuring Harry was off with Sophie somewhere.

The next morning, Louis woke to the sound of something hitting the floor outside of his dorm room. He quickly jumped out of bed and ran for the door, throwing it open with a THUD!

“What the heck?” Niall squeaked, shooting up into a sitting position. He had some major bed-head going on but Louis didn’t have time to tease his friend about it, he had to find out what was going on.

And then he saw it, a brown package on the floor marked ‘To Louis’. He picked the gift up and slowly walked it into the room. It was lighter than the last one but easily as intriguing.

“Another one? Seriously?” Niall asked, bounding over to the bed, his hair still an utter mess.

Niall took a seat at the end of the bed as Louis tentatively ripped back the paper covering the box.

Scrawled on the box was barely legible message that said:

Hope this helps to keep you covered up. ;)

Louis’s breath hitched as he ran his hands over the note to him. The whole situation was confusing but when Niall ripped open the top of the box (he was relentlessly impatient), he was brought out of his moment of questioning immediately.

It was a bath robe. A soft to the touch, hunter green, extremely expensive bath robe. Louis didn’t even know what the gift meant until he remembered how yesterday had gone in the locker room. One of the blokes must’ve seen his escape and wanted to make a joke out of him. He pushed the ‘gift’ away and muttered angrily under his breath for he didn’t want Niall ‘Virgin Ears’ Horan to hear the expletives he was expressing.

Louis had thought that his team mates appreciated him. Was it too much to ask to just fit in for once?Maybe the entire thing was a joke to them, maybe Liam, Zayn and Harry were just pulling him along for their own amusement. And maybe Niall was right about Harry… what if he was just like everyone else who was popular?

“What’s wrong, mate? That thing looks so comfortable and you don’t want it? If so, I will gladly take it!” Niall volunteered, his fingers reaching toward the stupidly relaxing looking bath robe.

“That’s not what its about, Nialler.” Louis snapped, pulling the box back toward himself and away from Niall’s grabby hands.

“It’s the fact that they think this is all a joke. This is all a stupid prank, me being on the team.” Louis continued, getting choked up over the betrayal of his team that he thought he could actually be a part of.

“If that what you think this is about… you have to wear it to the locker room, and go to practice. Prove them wrong.”  Niall advised, sounding very mature for a moment. That perception was shattered by the fact that he was sipping away at a carton of chocolate milk. But, Niall did have a valid point.

It wasn’t revenge, it was Louis standing up for himself. It was a defensive move.

“You’re a genius, Blondie!” Louis praised Niall with a celebratory hug.

“I guess so, but I never would do it. Though, I would never go into a locker room full of jocks anyway, that’s a ridicule session waiting to happen.” Niall noted solemnly, taking another gulp of his childish drink.

“Hey, its not as bad as you think. Seriously. Just a lot of scantily clad blokes taking showers.” Louis answered, passively.

“Then, why did you run out?” Niall asked, his blue eyes wide with interest.