number 12. (l.s.)

Chapter 44.

F O U R T Y F O U R
-a broken promise-

TW: self harm

For once Louis wasn't going to pretend he was the kind of person he pretended to be in his last previous schools. He wasn't going to pretend he was that bad boy who didn't want to befriend anyone. He only was like that, because he wanted to prevent having long-term friends, but since he finally was home, it would be no problem anymore. If more, he was quite confident about it all. At his previous school, school Blavers, he didn't even tried to make any friends, but yet he got Juliet, Rose and Harry. So if he now wanted to make friends, it would be no problem, he figured.

He was wearing a black skinny jeans with an expensive blouse on top. His hair was styled in a way he could never do it himself, and it made him feel a little out of place. However, he was taught like that. The entire weekend consisted of learning how he should walk, how he should talk - for instance, he couldn't swear anymore - and how he should act. He felt so out of place and unlike himself, but he figured that his parents would only want him like that, so he needed to change. He really tried his best for that, he wanted to be the person his parents wanted him to be.

So when he walked into the school confidently - like he was taught on Sunday - almost every person turned to look at him, and scanned him from top to bottom, like usually happened. However, their gazes didn't seem quite satisfied or full of interest, they looked rather disgusted. Whispers followed and gazes were given, which made Louis gulp and he just walked further, trying not to think about what they could be saying. That was going to be his school after all, he needed to belong there, he was destined to be there.

"Mister Tomlinson," someone then called. He looked up in front of him, seeing quite a force man in a gray suit walk up to him. He was a bit chubby, making the blouse of his shirt tighten around his belly. He clasped his hands together in front of him once, "We've been waiting for you, it's such an honor to meet you, come with me please." He welcomed, which caught Louis off guard. An honor? Was what he was confused about.

The whole 20 minutes conversation between Louis and the principal consisted of explaining the rules of the schools, giving him his subjects and schedule and the code to his locker. He realized the principal really loved talking, but he told him after: "sorry I'm just a bit nervous." Louis frowned at that, while tilting his head to the side a little — a habit which he took over from Harry. The principal just rumbled further about the school, and then when the bell rang, Louis went to his first class.

He still had hope, that he was wrong about the way they looked at him, but what he feared happened. And after he had two periods of nobody talking to him, only throwing gazes, he quickly escaped the classroom since it was lunch break. He, of course, tried to talk to the girl who sat next to him in class, but as he said something, she interrupted him, "don't talk to me."

So in that lunch break, he still didn't know what he did wrong, and he figured that not everybody would not like him. But as he walked towards his locker, the opposite happened. "Hey, you dropped something." Louis looked behind him to the floor, seeing what he could've dropped, but couldn't see anything, so when he looked up at the boy making the comment, he smirked, "What are you looking for? I'm sure your mommy and daddy will buy you something new. Campbell's don't take shit from the ground."

People laughed around him, they actually laughed at him. How much he'd rather pin him to the wall, yell to him why they all acted like that, he couldn't. First of all, his parents wouldn't want him to, and second of all, he was too startled by everything. He had wished so much that he could just belonged to this school, but again he had bad luck. He was pushed against the wall harshly, and then the few boys exit the hall while laughing.  Louis followed them with his pupils as they left, then breathing out, swallowing thickly. This wasn't supposed to happen.