The Silence

12

And he leaves. He leaves and I'm just standing here and thinking about his words. Why would he tell me? Why would Louis tell me and not his best friend? This don't make any sense. Niall knows Louis so... why don't he talk to him?

The bell rings and I go to my classroom.

Suddenly my heart skips a beat.

Louis.

He's in school. Beaten up.

He's a mess.

Louis Tomlinson is a total mess.

I don't understand myself. Why do I react like this?

I pass him in the corridor and I keep looking at him while he... he doesn't seem to notice my presence.

Niall.

I have the words of the blonde boy I just talked to in my head.

"Just try. He will tell you... I know him..."

I turn on my heel and follow the brunette. I grab his elbow and pull him aside.

"What the fu-" He looks down at me and rolls his eyes when he sees who grabbed him. "Ugh... What do you want, Britney?"

"What happened to you?"

Louis chuckles. "Princess, do you think that just because we had sex once means that I have to share my problems with you?"

No... No, I don't think that... Why would I? Why would you think that, Harry?

"I... I just want to help you... Niall is worried about you and to be honest... Lately I've been starting to worry about you too..." I look down and bite my lower lip.

We stand like this. In silence. It reminds me of the situation in the restroom when I had just came to this school.

"You don't have to worry about me. Not you, not Niall, not anyone."

I look at him, but when I see the bloody bandages I immediately look away.

"You need to replace your bandages with fresh ones." I say quietly while I play with my sleeves.

Why am I so stressed?

"I'll do it. Don't worry about me, Britney." He clears his throat. "Now get the fuck out of my sight and go to class like a good boy would." Louis smirks at me and hits my shoulder with his as he walks past me and towards his classroom.

Even though Louis supposedly acted like Louis, I can see that something has changed.

"Louis!"

The older boy turns around.

Something tells me I should give him a second chance.

I really don't want to believe this voice.

"What?" He asks.

"Want to skip classes?" I ask confidently.

The boy puts his hands in his pants pockets.

"Yeah."

Without a word, we go to the forest behind the school.

When we sit under THAT tree, the same one where I sewed Louis' leg together I start to play with my fingers.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asks in his deep voice. Even tho I'm trying to focus on my hands I can see that Louis has leaned his upper body towards me. He rests his chin on his clasped hands while sitting cross-legged, a proud grimace on his face.

"N-no I just... I don't know."

"You don't know what?"

"Why did you agree to come here with me?" I ask.