13 Reasons Why [L.S.]

Apologies

"It'll be fine." I look quickly at Louis before I turn my head back to the road as he nods, clearly deep in thoughts. 

We're currently driving to school. It's Louis' first day back at our school in a pretty long time and I can tell he's very nervous. Well, of course he is, everyone there bullied him and thinks he's dead. 

After having a talk with the school's principle and headboard Louis got everything cleaned and was allowed to start here again. 

The only person besides us knowing Louis is alive is Zayn, but he promised not to tell anyone about it. 

So that brings us here. On our way to the place where Louis was publicly tormented and mistreated for months. I'm proud of him for even wanting to step onto school property again to be honest. But I know he wants to start fresh. He wants to get over that bad chapter of his life, and the reasonable way to do that is to face his fears. Those being the people going to the school we're about to enter.

I park in the school parking lot and grab Louis' hand before he can get out of the car. He turns and looks confused at me. 

"You're amazing and I'm so proud of you for doing this. I'll be with you the whole way, and I won't let anything bad happen to you. I love you so much." I grab the back of his neck, pulling him slightly closer as he smiles at me. 

"Thank you so much Haz. I love you too." He pecks my lips and takes one last deep breath before we step out of the car. We intertwine our fingers and start walking towards the large building with the bold letters writing out 'The Hayfield School' on it. 

I can feel Louis' hands shaking and sweating in mine, but he looks rather calm after all. I hope my pep talk in the car at least helped his nerves a little bit. 

Not many people are in the parking lot since it's between first and second class right now. Louis was very nervous last night, resulting in him getting very little sleep, so he woke up a little later than usual. And yes, I stayed over. I couldn't bare the thought of him being alone the night before something so frightening and nerve wrecking as this. 

We walk up the last couple steps to the entrance doors, hands still clamming around each others. My eyes find Louis' one last time before I push open the door. As soon as we step foot inside, eyes are pointed in our direction. Gasps are heard, and people immediately start whispering. Some people even drop their books of pure shock. 

Everyone hurry to the sides of the hall, emptying the middle area for only Louis and I. As we walk along the hall I feel stares from every student burning into my skin. All focus and attention is pointing towards us - or more precisely, Louis. 

Apparently people need a couple of moments to process everything because within a minute or so a crowd forms around Louis. They're fighting to get to him, but, to our surprise, not to say anything mean, to apologize. The first person to get Louis' attention is Eleanor. 

"Hi Louis." She looks at him with sympathetic eyes.

"Eleanor." He answers half-heartedly. 

"Louis, I'm so sorry. For everything. You didn't deserve it, and it was mean of me. Those tapes really made me realize her terrible people was to you, me included, and I'm so sorry." 

"Okay, thank you." Louis answers. He says it in a way that indicates that he heard her and understands, but still isn't over what she did to him. 

That's how it is most of the day. In the end it all seems a little repetitive. People, mostly the ones who had a tape dedicated to them, come up to Louis. They apologize, say they'll never do anything like that again and tell him how glad they are he's still alive. 

Louis ends up confronting most of the people who hurt him; Nick and the soccer team, Stan, Lucas - his old boyfriend even visited him that day - and a lot of other people. But there's still one person left. The reason this all started. Taylor. 

As far as I can tell she isn't even in school. I haven's seen her all day, and she's not with her usual crew of minions. That's why, at lunch, when Louis is on the bathroom I walk to the table she normally sits at. "Hey, um, why isn't Taylor here today?"

"She hasn't been to school ever since those tapes of Louis' came out. I'm pretty sure she went down with depression." One of the girls shrug as if she doesn't really care. That just states the real deal with popular girls They don't really care when it comes to it. 

I choose to not tell Louis about Taylor before school is over for the day, since I don't want to lay that burden on him right now. He has a lot of other stuff to deal with. 

Even though people are sorry for what they did to him, and aren't bullying him anymore, they won't dare actually trying for real to make up for what they did. Almost everyone are keeping their distance to Louis, practically walking on eggshells around him now. 

The only ones making a effort to be in Louis' life again being Harry - obviously - and Zayn. He's constantly saying how sorry he is, and doing everything in his power to make Louis feel good. He really is trying, and I will give him that, but I can tell Louis is still conflicted about him. 

After a hell of a long day, last period finally ends and Louis and I get off for today. 

Surprisingly we haven't been teased about the fact that we are obviously a couple now, but people don't dare to mess with Louis after what happened last time they bullied him for something. I don't think they like the fact that we are two gay boys in love, but I couldn't care less about their opinions. 

"Louis?" I say as we are laying on his bed in the afternoon doing homework. 

"Mhmm?" He answers, concentrated on the paper he's reading. 

"So, um, you probably noticed Taylor wasn't in school today." 

Louis' eyes direct themselves questionably at me now. "Yeah?"

"I asked some of the girls she usually hangs out with, and they said she hasn't been in school ever since your tapes came out, and that they think she had depression because of it." 

"Oh." Is all he manages to get out, which is very understandable. 

"I'm not forcing you into anything, but I was thinking that maybe we should visit her. Then she would see that you aren't actually dead and maybe it'll help her to apologize to you. I know how she treated you, and you definitely don't owe her anything, but yeah, I just-" 

"I know Harry." He smiles understandably. "I think it's a good idea." He pecks my lips quickly, making me smile myself.