Keep Me Safe (Sequel to Take Me Home)

Chapter Eight

Louis wasn't in the mood for school that day. He didn't understand why Niall was still being so snappy toward him - sure, they had argued a couple days ago but they never held grudges. They'd usually be back to normal by now.

He gritted his teeth as he walked into school. Luke wasn't coming in until later because he had the dentist, and with his brother faking sickness and Harry being in the sixth form with Ashton, he was going to be completely alone all day.

He sighed, walking to sit alone in the cafeteria for a while before registration. As soon as he sat down, a deep voice from behind startled him.

"Niall not in today?"

Louis frowned, looking over his shoulder about the tall man who was standing a bit close for comfort. He raised an eyebrow at him and shifted his chair away.

"Personal space," he muttered, not even caring if the man was a teacher and he would get into trouble. Today was already rubbish. "Yeah," he replied finally.

He eyed the man as he smiled down at him. He looked friendly enough, but Louis didn't care about that right then. He just wanted to be left alone so he could be angry in peace.

"Ah. I'm his counselor...you're his brother, right?" Louis gave a short nod, hoping the guy would get the hint and leave. He didn't care who he was, and he didn't want to talk about Niall now either because he was still mad. "Is he sick?"

Louis scoffed at that. "Apparently. He'll probably be back tomorrow," he muttered.

The counselor nodded and clapped him on the back slightly, making Louis frown and move away a little more. "Right, well. Tell him to get better soon and I'll see him next week," he told him, and Louis nodded slightly, having no intention of passing along the message.

He squinted at the man's back as he disappeared into the crowd, then frowned to himself. He definitely preferred Tabby, this Richard guy was a little too friendly for his liking.

He dismissed the thought when a shadow crossed over him again. He looked up to see Miles and Jack, one of the boy's from year ten.

Miles smiled at him. "Who killed your cat?"

Louis frowned. "What?"

"You look miserable," he said. Then he grinned and shook his blazer pocket so that a soft jiggling sound came out. Louis peered over and saw a box of cigarettes tucked in. "Want smokes? We're going to the top of the field for a bit before tutor if you wanna come?"

Louis frowned, then shook his head. "I don't smoke," he said, and frowned a little harder when Miles smiled and shook his head.

"Of course you don't," he said.

Louis raised an eyebrow at his older friends. "What's that meant to mean?"

Miles shook his head, dark curly hair moving over his forehead slightly. "Nothing, nothing," he said, but then Jack rolled his eyes and laughed.

"He means you don't do much of anything. Come on, we'll have a laugh," he said, and Louis hesitated.

He didn't smoke, and he knew everyone else would be...but he supposed he could just sit with them for a while. It beat staying by himself.

So he nodded, standing up. "Fine," he said, allowing his older friends to lead him off to the place they usually hung out.

He couldn't quite enjoy himself though, he was still mad about that morning. He was standing by his thought that today was a rubbish day.

He was completely ready to just slob out on the couch by the time he got home that afternoon. Luke hadn't come in at all, so he'd spent the day with his friends off the team - they'd had a laugh but he felt a little left out when they were all smoking and calling him names for not smoking. It made him feel like a baby, and he didn't want his friends just to see him as some tag along twelve year old.

When he walked through the front door, the TV was already on. He kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag on the floor by the stairs, walking into the living and then stopping when he saw who was on the couch. His Papa stretched out with his arm over Niall's shoulders, both of them so zoned on the TV that they didn't even acknowledge him.

He sighed and turned around, deciding to just go upstairs instead. He wasn't jealous...he was just annoyed that Niall was getting special treatment when he was faking sickness; he bet his brother didn't even stop to think that he was ditching him at school that day. He was selfish and Louis was getting angrier.

He had tried being nice, he had tried to make sure his brother was okay, and it was all chucked back in his face.

He knew he'd wake up the next day and the anger would be gone, but for now, he was having a bad day and he allowed himself to bask in it.

He flopped down on his bed and pulled out his phone, pulling up Miles' phone number and dropping him a text.

Louis: hey. tell kingston i'll be there saturday.

Miles: sweet. few of the sixth formers r gonna b there, want one to give you a lift? and are u gonna lose your alcohol virginity?? lmao.

Louis chewed his lip as he read the text. He felt like his friends sometimes forgot that he was just twelve...but Miles was thirteen and he had been drunk plenty of times. And it wasn't really bad to drink, he knew most people did it. It wasn't like he was gonna be taking drugs or anything.

What was the harm? He wasn't sure, he was still a little uneasy at the thought.

Louis: sure i'll get a lift. and idk yet.

Miles: i'll take that. see you around :)

Louis sighed, sitting back against his pillow and nodding slightly to himself. It would be fine, he was going to go to a party and loosen up and have fun, and he wasn't going to care about anything.

He was going to forget that his brother was mad at him for now reason, he was going to forget that his parents seemed to forget he existed the second Harry or Niall took their attention.

He was going to let his friends treat him like a grown up because he wasn't a baby anymore, and he was done being smart and good and sensible when it was getting him nowhere.

He decided it was time for a change.

EDITED 16.12.21