Reason To Be (A Zouis Family AU)

Part Three, Chapter One

Niall grins at James as they quickly scoop up their school bags and bustle towards the door.

"Thanks sir, see you tomorrow!" Niall calls out before the door swings, grinning at the expression on the man's face. He turns to his dark haired friend.

James is supposed to be in two years above at fifteen years old, but he's been held back twice for a couple of his classes. He's cool and popular and Niall thinks he's incredible. Like some sort of hero worship, he does whatever he can to make the older boy laugh.

"Hey, my brother's throwing a party this weekend. Think you'll be able to come?" James asks, hoisting his bag further onto his shoulder.

Niall raises his eyebrows. "Isn't your brother, like, eighteen? I won't know anybody," he says, and James rolls his eyes.

"You'll know me. Plus, I've invited a ton of people."

"Won't your parents care about so many people being there?"

James turns to his with a raised brow as soon as they step out of the school and into the cool sunlight. "Ni. My parents are never home. They won't ever know," he says, then laughs. "I think they'd die of shock if they knew half of what goes on in our house when they aren't home."

Niall smirks at that, jumping as a horn rings out loudly from the car park. He squints across to where Papa's car is parked. He can already tell that the man is in a bad mood without seeing him and he huffs, turning back to James. "Yeah. I'll be there," he says, before nodding toward the car. "Gotta go."

James waves him off before he hurries over to where Papa is parked, in the shade. The two of them aren't really the caring sort of friends. Well, Niall cares about everyone he meets - he can't really help that. But the friendship he has with James is a lot less thoughtful than the friendship he has with Luke...the one he had with Danny.

He swallows down that thought sharply as he hoists the passenger door open on the car, dumping his bag down in the floor before clambering in. Papa glances across at him with a sigh. "Why is it you're always the last one out? It's bad enough you had to stay an extra hour as it is," he states.

Niall resists the urge to groan at the oncoming lecture. He hunches down in the seat and tugs his belt across his chest, buckling it. "I dunno. Mr Comber just hates me," he mumbles as the engine starts up, and Papa tuts loudly.

"Don't even try it, kid. The poor man can't win with you. Maybe if you actually did as you were told for once then you wouldn't feel like he hates you," he says.

Niall tightens his jaw, turning to look out of the window as the streets begin to pass by. "I do! I wasn't even doing anything wrong this time -"

"That's what you said the past four times, Ni," Papa says. He sounds tired and Niall falls quiet, leg bobbing up and down the way it always does as he chews on his lip. He can practically smell the disappointment dripping off of the man. "And by not writing a single word for an entire lesson, you're doing something wrong."

He doesn't bother fighting this time, gazing out of the window instead until they pull into the driveway. Papa turns to him again as he's unbuckling his belt.

"Liam and Emily are here for dinner so behave, alright?" He says.

Niall frowns at that. "Why? It's only Liam," he answers, climbing out of the car before the man can argue against him. He rushes up to the door, dropping his bag down and kicking off his school shoes in the hall.

The others are all in the kitchen; Harry at the table working as usual with coloured highlighters scattered around him. Emily is sitting at the counter with a glass of coke in front of her, Dad and Liam leaning against the kitchen side. All of them are laughing about something or other, and Liam grins when Niall walks in.