Stimming

1

Louis' POV
Waiting backstage for the results of an audition is boring. There's this boy, dark curly hair and pale skin, sitting in the corner. He can't be any older than I am, he's probably a bit younger, maybe 15. He looks nervous, just based off of his body language. Something in me is drawn to him, in a way I've never felt before. I think I might go up to him, I think it might ease this feeling. He stands up as they call the next few people to get ready to go onstage. I might have just missed my chance. Wait I'm being stupid, he'll be back in like ten minutes max, we all are going to wait and see who makes it through. I can talk to him then. After only a minute he comes back in and puts something in his backpack, somehow looking even more nervous, although that might be due to the fact I can now see his face. He quickly walks back to the line where he's supposed to be standing. After only ten or so minutes he comes back looking significantly less stressed, so I decide that now would be a good time to approach him.
"Is it alright if I sit there?" I ask, gesturing to the spot next to him on the floor. I think it's odd to sit on the floor with all of these chairs and sofas, but who am I to judge?
"Sure." mystery boy mutters, not even looking up from his notebook. Maybe it's a sketchbook. I can't tell.
"I'm Louis. What's your name?"
"Harry Styles." Finally a name for a pretty face.
"Makes sense why you're here then. With a name like that it's clear you're going to be famous for something."
"Okay."
"What are you doing?"
"Drawing."
"Can I see?
"When it's finished." he almost seems to shift away, still not removing his eyes from the drawing nor stopping his pencil movements.
"How old are you?"
"16. You?"
"18. How do you think your audition went?"
"Terribly. I didn't want to come."
"Why not?"
"I'm not very good at singing but my mum and stepdad forced me to come."
"I'm sure you're plenty good."
"You've never heard me."
"That doesn't change my opinion."
"It should."
"It won't."
"Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, and Harry Styles, please come with me." one of the judges I recognize as Dannii Minogue announces. Harry and I, as well as three other boys, stand up and follow her out of the room. She leads us into a much smaller room with five chairs. "Sit."
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Harry's POV
I physically cannot listen. I want to, but the words aren't processing in my brain. I'm catching snippets of everything but it's not enough. It seems like she's trying to get us to join a band, butI don't know why, and I don't know if I'm going to.
"We're giving you a little over an hour to talk and get to know each other." She walks out, hair swishing with every step.
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Louis' POV
"So...what's your name?" one of the boys whose name I don't know asks.
"Louis." I answer. "You?"
"Liam. What about you?" He turns to a blonde boy who was in the same group as me when we went for auditions.
"Niall. Niall Horan." he replies, an irish accent very prominent. He turns towards the other boy I don't know. "What about you?"
"Zayn." He turns to face Harry. "And you?"
"I'm Harry." he answers, almost too quietly to hear. If we were in the main room no one would've known he spoke . He opens his backpack and starts shuffling through it. There's a moment of awkward silence. None of us know what's happening nor what to say.
"Where are you from?" Liam asks, not speaking directly to anyone but looking vaguely in Niall's direction.
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Harry's POV
The conversation continues on for some time between the four of them. I've already picked up that this is Liam's second time auditioning for the show as the first time he was sent home because he was only 14, Niall spent almost two years trying to convince his parents to let him audition for the show, Louis loves being the older brother of so many girls, and Zayn plans to buy a house specifically to graffiti it when he has the money. Louis keeps looking over at me, I don't know why though. I haven't spoken since Zayn asked my name.
"Are you alright Harry? You're awfully quiet." Louis asks, he speaks quietly and just to me but everyone notices.
"Yeah I'm fine." I mumble, looking at the floor as all four of them turn to look at me. I hate the feeling of everyone watching me.
"Tell us about yourself." Liam says. My brain seems to have gone completely blank about everything. Racking my brain comes up with nothing very useful, but I know I have to say something quickly.
"Umm. I like to draw." I mumble. It's barely audible but I pray that they hear me.
"What do you draw?" Niall asks, Irish as ever. Thank god he heard me at least.
"All sorts of things. Hands, faces, anything really."
"Can we see?" Zayn asks.
"Sure." I say, grabbing the top sketchbook out of my backpack, turning to one of my favorite drawings.
"Holy crap... you're good." Liam says, mouth slightly agape.
"It's not that good. Just a lot of practice." I mumble, heat rising to my cheeks.
"No he's totally right. You're good at that." Zayn counters. "Who taught you?"
"I taught myself mostly. It's really not that hard if you can break it down into simple shapes." I say, turning the page to show another drawing, this time of my favorite hot chocolate shop and bakery that just so happen to be right next to each other. It's very convenient for me.
"Boys. It's nearly time for you to make your decisions. I recommend you call your parents and ask for advice now." says one of the people who were calling us for auditions. Liam and Zayn stand up and calls someone while Louis and Niall stay seated, Niall not calling anyone while Louis begins typing on his cracked cell phone screen. I call my mum, praying she picks up.
"Harry! How's everything going?" mum asks, picking up the call almost as soon as I sent it out.
"They want to put me in this band. There's four other boys in it." I say, grabbing a stim toy out of my backpack.
"That's great honey! Are you going to join it?"
"I don't know."
"Have you met these boys?"
"Yeah. We had some time to talk."
"Do you like them? Are they nice?"
"They're fine I guess."
"Then I think you should join it. Are you all the same age?"
"No. Louis' 18 and Zayn is 17. Liam and Niall are almost 17." I slide down the wall to sit on the floor.
"So you'd be the youngest? Are you okay with that?"
"I think so."
"Then you should join. It'll be good for you. Why don't you see if they could come over for dinner and a bonfire tonight? It would give you a chance to get to know each other a bit more. Unless you're totally socialized out for today." she says. It would be a good idea. And thinking about it, after Louis came up to me originally my social battery has been okay. Well, okay for me. I think it's something about him, although I don't know what that is.
"Okay I'll join. I can ask if they want to come over tonight."
"That's great honey. Let me know how many people I'm cooking for as soon as you can."
"Alright. Bye mum."
"Bye Harry. I love you."
"Love you too." I say, hanging up the phone.
"So boys, who's in?" says the same woman whose name I never caught.
"I'm in." Niall says, I think he k ew he wanted to join as soon as the idea was proposed.
"Me too." Liam answers.
"Same here." Zayn agrees.
"I'm in." I say. Louis' looking at me. I don't know why. It's almost like he's waiting for me to decide before he does.
"I'm in." Louis says.