If Walls Could Talk

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

The words that had come from Louis' mouth hung in the air, suspended between the two new friends. It didn't feel real to Louis. Nothing in this moment felt real to him. The words had slipped from Louis' mouth, and he wasn't sure if he regretted them or not.

He had, in a way, opened up to someone. This was the first step to letting someone in, and Louis didn't know if he was ready for it. But these last few days had taken a heavy toll on him. They had broken him down, and he wasn't sure why. He'd been trying to keep his head above water for so long that it was like he'd forgotten to breathe. And as much as it pained him to admit it, it felt good to let some air in again.

"Louis..." Sarah's voice seemed to echo inside Louis' head. It seemed distant; so far away.

It was like he couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, even though she sat right beside him. Louis kept his eyes trained on Sarah, and she sat staring right back with the same concern and worry she had worn on her face before. The same look he was used to getting from all of his friends. As Louis continued to look into Sarah's eyes, he noticed it wasn't only concern and worry in there. There was something else, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.

"Sarah, I just..." Louis began speaking but trailed off, not sure what to say.

He hated being so vulnerable. He hated feeling so lost. Lost for words. Lost from everything. He was tired, and he wanted to find his way home again. The only problem was that he didn't know where home was. Not anymore.

"You don't need to talk to me about it, Louis," Sarah whispered. "I'm not going to force you to open up. I'm glad you want to, though."

Her voice was so calming and had a lot of the same qualities that Isaac's voice had. Louis felt a smile tug at his lips.

"Thank you, Sarah." The words trickled from his mouth before he even realised it, and he felt Sarah pull him in for another hug.

"Any time. Just know that there are people who care about you, Lou," she whispered into his ear. "You're not alone. Not anymore."

"Louis!" Another familiar voice came.

He had no idea how long they had been sitting there. It had been a while, for when he pulled away from Sarah's embrace and looked up, it was already getting darker. Louis turned to see who had called his name, though he didn't need to. He already knew who the voice belonged to.

"Sam." Louis sighed.

"Are you alright?" Sam slipped out of his parked car and rushed over to the bench where Louis and Sarah sat. "I heard what happened in the halls, and there's a rumour going around that you're expelled!"

"I'm not expelled," Louis said, before quietly adding, "yet."

"Louis, I'm so sorry I wasn't there!" Sam knelt in front of the bench and placed his head in his hands. "I said I was going to go to the library with you, but I got caught up. I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Sam. There's nothing you could've done," Louis muttered. "It wasn't the fight that got me into the most trouble."

"I swear, I'm gonna kick someone's ass—" Sam started, but Louis cut him off.

"Sam, don't. Don't worry about that. I don't need you getting in trouble because of me. Can we just... can I come to your house?" Louis asked as Sam looked up at him, sympathy in his eyes.

"Yeah, of course." He turned to Sarah, questioningly looking at her.

"Oh, thanks, but no. I can't," she said, suddenly standing up. "I would, but I'm already late for something and should really get going. I can't miss it."