In A Heartbeat - Larry Stylinson [complete]

Chapter 1

AN: People are human and no one is perfect enough to be called a God. Except for Zayn Malik. 

*

“Are you sure you have packed everything, darling? Don’t forget to eat your vegetables and please love, brush your teeth at least twice a day. Also, remember not to do anything you know I wouldn’t want you to do.”

Harry sighed as his mum kept summing up. He had been heading to this boarding school for  four years already, but his mother still worried every second of every day that her son was gone. It wasn’t like Harry was a difficult child. He didn’t drink, avoided drugs and had never knocked a girl up. The latter wouldn’t even ever happen, as Harry wasn’t even the slightest bit interested in girls.

While his mother kept talking, the boy was getting fed up with her rambling so he decided to interrupt her, wanting to finally get away.

"Mom, don’t worry!", he tried reassure her, "I really have to go now, but I’ll be fine. I promise. I always am. This year won’t be any different from the previous ones."

His mother was now looking at him with a concerned expression on her face, fidgeting with Harry’s collar as she tried to put it in place for the umpteenth time that day.

"I know love, but I’m your mum. I am supposed to be like this. Now go, can’t have you being late for your first day now, can we? I love you Haz."

"I love you too mum."

After giving her a last peck on the cheek, Harry could finally get away. While wiping his dark brown curls out of his eyes, he managed to grab both his suitcases without falling over. Luckily the bags weren’t that heavy, or maybe Harry had finally gained some muscles. He quickened his pace and approached his best friends and roommates, Niall and Zayn, rather fast.

From the first day they’d met, this day four years ago precisely, they had been best friends. The three lads kept each other in balance. Where Niall was loud, careless and always hungry; Zayn could be calm and mysterious, but also handsome and intimidating. Harry, on the other hand, would be considered as the quiet and cute one by outsiders, although his friends knew him as a very cheeky and caring lad. Through the amazing four years of their friendship, the trio had become very close. Not one argument had managed to keep them apart for more than 3 days. They needed each other like brothers. Brothers who knew all there was to know about each other. Like how Niall ate everything except for feta cheese, how Zayn didn’t know to swim and how Harry secretly liked maths.

The curly haired lad was still several meters away, but he could already hear Niall fiercely talking to Zayn. The Irish lad made great gestures and facial expressions, while his eyebrows were scrunched together in outrage. As Harry looked around, he noticed that Niall wasn’t the only one. All the pupils in the room were chattering louder and angrier than normally.

" …Let me tell you Zayn, if these idiots ever try to break us up, I won’t be able to held responsible for the consequences. Why did they even allow all those new students if there wasn’t even –"

"Hi Ni, Z! What’s wrong? What are you so worked up about?"

The blond boy refused to answer and pouted instead. It was Zayn who started to explain the situation, starting with a sigh.

"The principal has just told us that the school decided to completely change the dorm room’s arrangement. Every double room gets a third bad, every triple room two bunks. Apparently there are too many new students this year."

Harry blinked a couple of times surprised with his light green eyes before sputtering

"But… but - The school can’t just decide something this big like that? What about us?  What’re we -"

"That’s what I also told Zayn," Niall obnoxiously interrupted, "and let me get this straight, if the school even tries to give us three different dorms, I’m more than certain they will regret it! Maybe we can let the door of the teacher’s bathroom disappear and …"

While Niall continued to plot several pranks and ways to avenge, Harry zoned out a bit. Changing the bedrooms? What if he’ll be stuck with two or three other unknown teenagers for the rest of the year? Sure, he knows Maz and Andy, even Stan a bit. But because he already had two close friends, Harry never made any efforts to socialize much. He didn’t even know if he still had skills to make new friends. What if he had lost it during the past four years? What if his new roommates hated him? What if Zayn and Niall abandoned him, only hanging with their new roommates instead? What if…

"Earth to Harry."

Because of his worrying and panicking, the lad hadn’t noticed that Zayn was waving with his hand in front of his eyes.

"Uhm, sorry I zoned out a bit"

Zayn grinned amused, laying his hand on the curly lad’s shoulder to keep him grounded.                                                                      

"Well, if I were you, I would pay attention now. They’ve started to distribute the new dorm arrangements."

Four minutes later, a woman with dark grey hair approached them and asked their names. With friendly eyes and raspberry coloured lips, she handed them three white envelopes. After a last ‘I Hope you all will have a splendid new school year’ and a lovely smile, she and the walm of chanel °5 surrounding her, were gone. The three boys then just stood there, watching each other nervously. The tension thickened the air.

"Well lads," Niall begun, "we’ll have to open them sometime. Why don’t we do it quickly, like ripping of a plaster. I’ll count to three?”

With a quick nod, the others both agreed.

"1… 2… Rip!"

"Yes!" Niall shouted joyfully, "room 31 again!"

"Me too," Zayn proclaimed immediately, "the brotherhood together after all!"

"Right, Harry? Haz?" Worry flashed over both of the boy’s faces, hoping for the best, but afraid that ‘the unthinkable’ had happened.

"Uhm- It says room 22…"