The girl with the tattoo ~ 𝕷𝖔𝖚𝖎𝖘 𝕻𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖗𝖎𝖉𝖌𝖊

𝐿𝐼𝒱

Louis' POV

The rest of the Christmas holidays passes quickly while I lay the whole time in my bed binging on Netflix series.
The euphoric feeling and energy people got on New Year's Eve passed and it seems like everything is back to normal just like every year.
Which means I had to move out of my bed and into real clothes to get back to school unfortunately.
I probably wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for Issie slamming my door open this morning and yanking me out of bed like a mad man.

"It's going to be alright. Try to focus on school." Issie speaks up as we walk the small way to the entrance of our school building.
It's not going to be alright and I probably can't even focus on school and I give her a look that shows her what I think of her sentence.
She rolls her eyes and nudges my shoulder softly.
"Mom and dad danced around you for the past week you need to man up little brother." I cringe at her words and she gives me a sympathetic smile as she stops walking making me stop as well.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to be insensitive I know how much you cared about her but maybe it's better this way." She shrugs softly and I look away nodding my head even though I don't think that anything is better right now.
"That sounded really rude didn't it?" She asks me kicking a small stone and I chuckle for the first time nodding my head.
"I'm sorry you're my little brother and I want to watch out for you. I just don't think that beating yourself up for something you can't control is going to help." She says and I sigh because I know she's right.
"Promise me you'll try to focus on school?" She asks me.
"I promise." I say quietly and she doesn't look really convinced.
The bell rings indicating that class is going to start in ten minutes and Issie tells me goodbye before she walks over to her building and I towards mine.

Couldn't I at least not see her right in first period?
I don't want to make that cold thing in my chest hurt even more.
I sigh and start to climb up the steps and get ready to act like nothing ever happened.
The school hall is warm and filled with excited pupils telling each other stories of their holidays a few looking like their half asleep.
I quickly start to blend in with the stream of teenagers starting to get to class so no one will notice me.
"Louis!" Someone calls my name excitedly and I cringe but stop walking anyways.

A heavy breathing Millie stops beside me a smile adorning her lips.
I didn't see her since we left for Christmas holidays and I hoped I could drag out the inevitable.
"Hey Millie." I say as we start to walk side by side towards our English class.
"How's your holidays been?" She asks me smiling and I try to shrug my shoulders nonchalantly as if nothing exciting happened.
She gives me a weirded out look but doesn't say anything.
"And when were you going to tell me that you and Melody broke up." I trip over air at her words and smash into someone making us both knock down on the ground.

"Bloody hell I am so sorry." I say and look up to her sitting beside me. My breath catches in my throat and I quickly let my eyes wander over to check if I injured her in any way.
Her face is pulled into a painful grimace but when her eyes meet mine she stops.
"Melody I'm sorry." I choke out even though I wanted to say something else.
I don't even know if I just apologized for running into her or something else.
I wanted to ask her why she didn't answer my calls or my texts.
I wanted to ask if she was doing okay and what exactly happened because I don't understand anything.

She murmurs something but I can't make it out as she scrambles her things together and is back on her feet the next second.
She rushes past Millie who looks at her wide eyed while I try to get off the floor my hip bone pulsing a bit in pain.
"You okay?" She asks concerned and I nod brushing of my pants before I look for Melody in the crowd.
She turns around the corner and I close my eyes in pain.

"Hey." Millie speaks up softly and I'm just seconds ago from a melt down her empathetic gaze not making it any better.
Suddenly I notice the stares of the pupils in the halls.
I stand up straight again and try to get rid of the ache inside of me.
"We should get to class I can tell you about it when we have more privacy." I tell her and she nods immediately understanding my point.

We rush into class almost being late but to our luck Mrs. Cowill is even later than we are.
"Just because I'm late doesn't mean we're holding up on the work we should do." Are the first words she says as she rushes into the room putting her bag on the desk.
My eyes wander on their own and land on Melody a few rows in front of me.
Her hair is pushed around her face securely so I can't catch the look on her face but her body language tells me everything.

Her shoulders are slumped her arms dressed in long sleeves that swallow even her hands and it seems like every breath she is taking is hurting her.
The pain she's in is obviously noticeable and I'm genuinely surprised that Nick looks like everything is alright as he sits beside her.
"Mr. Partridge?" Suddenly Melody turns around and her eyes meet mine as I dazedly notice that the teacher is addressing me.
Her green eyes stare at me so deeply that I can't seem to pressure myself to look away.
"I'm here." I mumble my eyes staying on her face.
Dark bags are formed underneath her eyes and they have such a sad look in them that it makes my heart break all over again.

Seeing her this exhausted feels even worse than her breaking up with me over text even though we weren't in a relationship to begin with..kind of.
"I know that you're here but I wanted to know your first impression of pride and prejudice." She speaks up again and I finally get my eyes off of Melody and meet the ones of Mrs. Cowill.
Oh shoot pride and prejudice?
Fuck we had to read that over the holidays right?
I can't remember.
"Uhh pride and prejudice..yeah right. It was confusing." I say while I give Millie a panicked side glance.

"Which part was so confusing for you?"

"Uhh the plot twist I guess." I say and it seems like I have luck because she nods her eyes wandering to look for her next victim.
"What do you think Miss Parks." Her eyes latch onto Melody who sits up a bit more straight.
"Didn't you read the book?" Millie whispers beside me and I give her an obvious glance.
"I think it was beautifully written and the reader could easily relate to Elizabeth. I think everyone who reads the book at first seems to find Mr. Darcy unsympathetic which is understandable. I liked the character growth in both of them Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy." She says and I try to suppress a proud grin.

Of course she read the book she probably read it over a hundred times.
She's always prepared she finds beauty in those story's.
She understands them can visually see them as if they were happening right in front of her.
She has a beautiful mind and I'm surprised that no one can see the glow around her when she talks about it.
"Yeah sure." someone mumbles from the back and I turn around to glare at Anna.
"Do you have something to add to Miss Parks comment, Miss Benson?" Mrs. Cowill speaks up making the class go quiet.
Her head turns red at getting all the attention but she speaks up anyways.
"I don't think I could relate to Elizabeth Bennet. I mean at the time women weren't supposed to marry out of  love so she should've taken Mr. Darcy when he proposed to her the first time."

"But that's not the point of the book." Melody speaks up and everyone's head turns over to her.
She looks a bit sheepish but speaks up anyways.
"Elizabeth was so much ahead of her time. She didn't stand for the typical standard women had to have at the time. She showed that woman have so much more than beauty. I think she made the right decision to reject Mr. Darcy at first because she didn't know the real him she used her brain."

Anna scoffs and looks like she's really mad.
"It was so unnecessary because she took him anyways at the end? Why couldn't that stupid cow accept that she got one of the best in the first place and-" Mrs. Cowill interrupts Anna when she puts her hand up making the girl shut up immediately.
What the fuck is her problem?
"That's what makes a good book everyone. But I ask you to stay factual the next time Miss Benson." She says and turns to her bag to get out our papers.

My eyes meet Melodys for a second before she turns to the front again continuing to ignore me.
This lesson is going to be hell.