Flightless Bird || l.s. ✔︎

ACT I: CHAPTER SIX

HARRY / PAST

I got to Madame Lesauvage's class early like I always did. She was waiting for me with a pair of scissors. My hands flew up to my curls protectively.

She stepped toward me with a stern expression and took me by the arm. I winced as I heard the scissors snip. I was scared to open my eyes and look in the mirror, but when I did I noticed that she hadn't cut my curls. She cut off my colorful braided friendship bracelets. Three bracelets for the only three friends I had back in Cheshire. I'd worn them for years. They were a part of me. My wrist felt naked without them.

"My bracelets!" I cried.

She was cold but not totally unsympathetic. "We're beginning rehearsals for A Midsummer Night's Dream soon. You can't perform with these. Beauchamp won't have it." She handed them back to me. "You can still keep them as a memento. Tie them to your bag."

I nodded and sniffed. I was tying them to my bag as Louis and Liam entered the studio. I kept my head down so they wouldn't see me crying.

"Hey, what is it?" Louis asked.

"Nothing," I said, clasping a hand over my wrist.

Louis knew something was wrong. He knew me better than anyone. After the night we shared a bed, Louis and I continued to share a bed whether Zayn was there or not. It wasn't something we talked about, it just sort of happened. We tried to sleep apart but one of us would always give in and sneak into the other's bed. It was usually me, and by morning I had my arms and legs wrapped around him like a koala bear. We hated to be apart during the day too. We spent mornings, evenings and lunch together, and the few hours we spent apart during class were agony. When we had to go to our respective homes for the long weekend, our parents had to physically pry us apart when we hugged goodbye. They said we'd gotten too attached but I didn't care and neither did Louis.

So, later that afternoon, when the soda machine on Louis' floor wasn't working, it wasn't unusual that he offered to go with me to the other boys' floor to use theirs. We performed even the simplest daily tasks together. But Louis was busy working on an essay and I didn't want to drag him away from his work. I said I didn't mind going alone.

I ventured to the other boys' floor at Jebsen House, loose change jangling in my pocket. Only, this didn't look like the other boys' floor. I wandered around until I found a soda machine. I should have known I was in the wrong place. It was clean and everything smelled like shampoo.

I was on the girls' floor.

I quickly got a Pepsi and ran to the stairwell when Gigi popped out of her room.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Are you lost, little lamb?"

"I'm—" Before I could explain she grabbed my arm and dragged me into her room.

Eleanor was sprawled out on the floor painting her nails on top of her math homework. She squealed with delight at the sight of my scared expression.

The girls wasted no time torturing me. Gigi strapped me into a sparkly blue tutu while El began painting my nails. It was easier to give in than try and fight them. Besides it wasn't so bad. In some ways hanging out with girls was a relief. I didn't have to worry about getting a hard on and they always had chocolate.

"I can't stay long. Louis will wonder where I am."

"What's the deal with you two?" said Eleanor slyly.

"Nothing!"

"Oh come on, we know he's in love with you," Gigi purred.

"He is?" I said, too eagerly.