Headspace

Chapter One

"I fucking hate Louis Tomlinson." Liam mutters slaming the key into the front door of the Styles' residence a little more violently than he needed to. Niall followed him inside, the two boys still clad in their football gear from tonights game, dripping cold water through-out the foyer as a result of the thunder storm happening outside.

Harry, who was sitting in the living room, sprawled out on the couch with a fluffy blue blanket, fuzzy orange bed socks and a bowl of popcorn, didn't look up. 'The Kissing Booth' was currently playing on the telly, and Harry was completely invested. He barely even registered his brother and his best friend enter the room.

"Hm" He hums, popping a piece of popcorn in his mouth as the two put their bags down on the floor and both slump down on the couch next to him.

Niall grabs the remote off of the younger boy when he isnt looking, and turns the TV off in a swift motion, causing Harry to whine.

"Hey! I was watching that, you cunt!" He complains, earning a light laugh from Niall and a pointed look from Liam.

"Language, Harry." Liam says.

"yeah, language, Harry." Niall mocks, snickering to himself. Liam slaps him in the back of the head, making him shut up.

"Sorry, Li" Harry sniffles. He'd caught a cold due to the rain, and Liam had him on strict bed rest all day, meaning he couldnt attend the game. He was shitty that he wasnt allowed to go, especially because it was The Rogue their schools team were playing against. Therefore he decided he would ignore his brother for being a dick.

It didnt last long. He found himself curious about what had happened tonight, while he was in bed watching sappy rom-coms, and Liam and Niall were out on the field playing in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Harry knew Liam and Louis despised each other. They had since their first year of high school. Liam was the captain of Cheshire Selective Highs football team, 'White Eskimo', while Louis was the captain of their rival team, 'The Rogue'. Their little hate relationship reminded Harry a lot of one of those Teen drama films. Like Glee, or Mean Girls or something. It was so cliché, the two team captains of the most competitive and successful high school football teams in Cheshire hating each others guts.

Louis and Liam had always been at each others necks, pulling nasty pranks on one another and their teams. However this year was different than the last three. Now that they're in their senior year, it seems Louis' antics are becoming more and more scandalous. Just last week he'd gotten his team to literally break into Cheshire Selective and litter the floor of the changing rooms in sewing needles and nails, and at the end of last season he'd slept with Liams girlfriend, Cheryl, at some crappy house party. Intentionally causing them to break up after 4 years of being commited together.

"What did Tomlinson do this time?" Harry finds himself asking. Liam rubs his temples before replying.

"The Rogue egged every fucking one of our cars parked out front of the school after the match, which, by the way, we lost."

Harrys eyes widened in surprise. The teams usually tied. Though he wasn't surprised that The Rogue won this game. Rumour had it that Louis was keeping the team back after school every day for extra practice since the season started, which was only three weeks ago, but still. He glanced over the top of the couch and out the living room window at the driveway. Sure enough, Liams brand new Mercedes he'd received for his 18th birthday was covered in egg yolk, even though the rain was washing it off, Liam was still pissed and Harry understood why. Louis was a total dick.

Harry was always told that people who attend Holmes Chapel High School were just a bunch of drug addled delinquents with no future, a miserable life on the streets just waiting for them.

Holmes Chapel High was on the far West end of town. The dangerous side. Harry had never been over that way unless he was attending one of Liam or Nialls games. Liam wouldn't allow him to, otherwise. That side of town was 'poor', and often referred to as 'The Ghetto'. Harry was always told that better off people, like himself, aren't to go over that side because they'd most likely be mugged or kidnapped or 'sold on the black market'. He's sure the last one isn't true. Liam just enjoys over exaggerating and scaring his little brother, but it was still enough to keep Harry away from Holmes Chapel High. Not that he would ever have any intentions to go over that side, anyway. He would much rather sit at home with his cheesy movies and Niall.

Harry lived in a wealthy neighbourhood. His mother, Anne, was a very successful Social Entrepreneur. She made a ton of money each year, but because of work she was always out on business over the world. She would come stay at home on public holidays but otherwise she was out of the picture. She'd left Liam in charge of the house and Harry, meaning Liam was practically his guardian at the moment, or at least until Harry turns eighteen which was still three years away.

"Im not surprised." Niall says, stuffing his hand in Harrys bowl of popcorn and then shoving a fist-full in his mouth. "This isn't the worst they've done. we just need to find a way to get back at them harder."

The last part was a little harder to understand, seeing as Niall had his mouth stuffed with food. Harry cringed at the sight of Niall talking with food in his mouth, but knew better than to tell him off. Its not as if he's going to listen anyway. He'd probably just argue back again with his mouth opened.

"You know, maybe you should just call a truce. Its your last year, for Gods sake. soon the lot of you are gonna be off playing football in college, in an adult environment. Maybe its time you grow up and just enjoy playing the game instead of wasting your time thinking of some master plan to get back at The Rogue." Harry says, stretching his legs and dropping them onto Nialls lap. "Its stupid."

Niall snorts and Liam looks at him as if he was insane.

"wheres the fun in that?" Niall asks, as if Harrys words had offended him. "Like you said Haz, its our last year! Our last chance to prove those mother fuckers that we are, and always will be, way better players than them."

Liam gives Niall a look for his use of foul language, but Niall ignores him, instead standing up and grabbing his bag, causing Harrys legs to fall to the side.

"Right you guys, im crashing here tonight. I don't care if you mind or not. I'm jumping in the shower, Harry, i'll be down soon. Then we can watch The Princess Diaries!" Niall says, knowing he basically lives here and that Harry and Liam wouldn't mind. Harry nods, smiling at his best friends choice of film. Niall might act all big and tough out on the field, but when hes with Harry he was really just a softie who watches sappy romance films and stuffs his face full of half the food in Harrys fridge.

Harry wonders how one person could eat so much, yet gain so little weight. Lucky prick.

"Alright well, I'm going out. I'm going to Maya's. I'll be by to pick you and Ni up in the morning for school though, don't worry." Liam says, and Harry rolls his eyes. He'd only just gotten over his four year relationship, and now he was going out with other girls? Harry guessed Liam was just using the poor girl as a rebound, but what did he know?

"Alright, Li. I'm holding you to that." No way was he taking the bus tomorrow morning.

"See ya, Har. Don't stay up to late, and don't go in my room." Liam says. He leans down and kisses Harrys forehead like the sweet brother he is, and then he's out the front door. Harry watches through the window as Liams once egg covered, now washed off by the rain, car, backed out of the driveway and down the street through the quiet neighbourhood.

Harry sighed. He wanted to help Liam, Niall and the team somehow. He really wasn't opposed to the idea of pulling stupid pranks on The Rogue, and thought it was a little immature of his eighteen year old brother to continue doing after all these years. Jesus, didn't he learn when he lost his girlfriend? But, Harry didn't have much else to do. His lunch breaks at School consisted of sitting on the bleachers, watching as the team either trained, or thought up some other evil trick to play on Louis, anyway.

It was then, lying on the couch under his fluffy blue blanket, clad in his fuzzy orange bed socks, sniffling with a case of a cold, that Harry decided he was going to come up with the next best prank to pull on The Rouge. He was going to make sure it was the greatest thing to ever go down in the history of White Eskimo. Actually, scratch that, the history of football in Cheshire.