Flashlight (You're Getting Me Through The Night)

Chapter 2

"H-Harry. M'name's Harry." It came out with a stutter, but Niall didn't seem to care at all. In fact, he smiled warmly and clambered to his feet, offering me his hand. I took it and he helped me up. I winced only slightly at the pain in my side. I could already feel the new bruises forming, but I never complained about it. It was just part of my everyday routine.

"You hurt?" Niall asked, and before I could protest, he lifted up my shirt. His mouth formed a tight lipped line as he observed all of the bruises. I barely knew what color my skin was anymore, because it was always mottled shades of blue purple, and yellow. "Did they do this to you?" He asked, his voice sounding more angry than it had been before. I hesitated, but Niall seemed trustworthy, and he had been nice to me, so I nodded slowly, and his happy face darkened slightly.

"C'mon, Harry, I'm taking you to the nurse."

"No!"I nearly shouted, and Niall looked at me in surprise. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I...I mean, I'm alright. Really. I just...want to go to class, yeah? Can't afford to miss class..."

Niall looked like he didn't really approve of that idea, but he sighed and nodded.

"Do what you gotta do. But hey, if you ever need to talk to anyone, and your friend Liam isn't around, you can always come to me...and Louis."

"Louis doesn't seem to like me too much..." I mumbled, and Niall's expression dropped.

"Louis is, well, as I said, different. But it wasn't right for him to just leave you...I'll talk to him, yeah? He'll come around."

"Right...umm, thanks. For...you know. Tell him I said thank you, please." I stuttered out before hurrying off to class.

I kept thinking about that whole run-in all day. I couldn't get Louis' eyes out of my head. They had been so clear, but I had seen something in them. Sadness, almost...recognition. Like he knew exactly what I was going through. Something was making him sad, and I didn't like it when people were sad. I tried to be a relatively happy person most of the time, and it worked out for the most part. I was always happy when I was with Liam or my mum, or just by myself reading or listening to music. Those things were always something that made a light in the darkness for me. Maybe Louis just needed a little bit of light in his darkness.

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Hurrying out of school that day, I pulled off my beanie and ruffled my curls, making them somewhat presentable. I pulled my apron out of my bag and threw it over my arm, texting Liam to let him know that I was on my way to work, safe and sound. Liam was always checking up on me, and I really appreciated that. He was a really great friend.

"Hello, Barbara!" I called as I entered the bakery, the front door bell making a little tinkle. She looked up and smiled at me.

"Harry, my dear! How are you, sweetie?" She asked in her sweet old lady voice. Lots of teenagers would hate working with older people, but I loved it. They seemed to understand me a whole lot more than kids my own age.

"I'm alright, thanks! What do you need me to do for you? Is the prep all done?" I asked as I dumped my bag behind the counter and tied on my apron.

"I actually think we are all covered for the prep...but there is some bread that's in the oven, if you could keep an eye on that for me while I take a quick break. This old gal has to take a proper sitdown, yeah?"

"Of course. Go on, I'll hold everything together," I smiled at her and she pinched my cheek, giving my bum a little pat before waddling to the back, puffs of flour coming out of her shoes on every step.

The door opened and the bell went off, and I turned, greeting my first customer of the day with a smile.

"Hi, welcome. What can I get for you today?" I asked, and the customer looked at all that we had to offer. I smiled to myself. I had a good life, a good job, people who cared about me, and even though I was sad sometimes, they always knew how to brighten my day. Did Louis have people like that?

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A few hours and a few hundred pastries later, I was covered in flour and sweeping up the back. The amount of flour we used was ridiculous.

"Harry, dear, you go on home. I'll finish up here. And don't you dare argue with me, young man. You need your beauty sleep." Barbara called as she entered the back, brushing off her apron. I sighed and handed over the broom, pulling my apron off over my head and spreading flour all over the already clean floor. I groaned, but Barbara just put a hand on my arm.

"Go rest up, dear. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow," I replied, and she pulled me into a hug. I contained my wince as her tiny plump arm went around my middle, crushing the bruises on my ribs, and then I was out, walking towards home, which wasn't even a mile away. I had put my headphones in and my head was bobbing up and down to the music. That is, until I passed a house and heard a faint crash from inside. I slowed up and pulled out one headphone, listening. There was a lot of yelling, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Either way, the man yelling sounded angry, and I did not want to end up being caught listening. I put my headphones back in, cranked up the volume, and hurried home.

My mum greeted me with a hug and a mug of tea, which I accepted gratefully before heading up to my room. I set my bag down gently next to my desk, took a sip of the tea, and then flopped down onto my bed. I blew a curl or two impatiently out of my eyes and pulled my phone out of my pocket, checking it quickly. I texted Liam back and favorited a few tweets before sitting up with a groan and throwing my phone onto my bed. Time to start my homework.

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Half an hour later I threw my pencil down in frustration. No matter what I tried to do, I could not stop thinking and wondering about Louis. I'd only had one run in with him, and he had kind of treated me like shit, but...I had seen something else. It was almost like he had a soft side buried under all of that bravado and stone-cold bad boy-ness. And the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get to know him. The real him, not the person he was at school. I wanted to know the Louis who had stopped the footie team from beating me up and asked me if I was alright. The one with the pretty blue eyes that told a story.

I sighed and put all of my unfinished homework away. I would just do it tomorrow morning, when I could actually think straight. There was no possible way that Louis Tomlinson would ever even consider talking to me, let alone be my friend or anything like that. But I couldn't deny my intense curiosity for what lay behind that guarded expression. Maybe a good night's sleep would clear my head.

 I pulled off my jeans and my shirt, leaving me in just my boxers, and walked slowly to the bathroom, going through my usual evening routine. When I was finally back in bed, I stayed on my phone for about 15 minutes and then stared at the ceiling, trying not to think about Louis, which just made me think about him more. Maybe I should like...thank him in person? Maybe that would get a conversation started or something. That is, if I could even get a word out. Maybe Liam could...fuck. I hadn't told Liam about what had happened. He would want to know. Deciding to talk to Liam tomorrow before school, I rolled over onto my side and cuddled a pillow, slipping into a deep sleep.