Scars [Book 1]✅

Five

"Harry! I didn't know you went to school. You didn't have to if you didn't want to," Harry's mum shook her head, greeting her son with a kiss on the cheek.

"I know," he mumbled, "I didn't w-want to go at f-first because I didn't want to b-be alone. But i-it was okay," he sighed.

"Really? Everything went okay?" she smiled, sitting next to Harry.

He shrugged, picking at his nails, "Yea, I guess, I mean there were these two kids who hurt me because-"

"No. That's it, I'm pulling you out, Harry. I can't have you getting hurt in school again!" she exclaimed, starting to stand up. But Harry grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"N-No I wasn't finished! There w-was a guy who helped m-me and talked to me and t-tried making friends w-with me. He said we c-could be friends, mum! I-I don't have many friends," he told her, stuttering at how fast he talked and mumbling the last sentence. And her eyes softened as she sighed heavily, pulling Harry into a hug.

"Only if you tell someone if or when you get hurt, okay? And if it continues, then I'm pulling you out," she said sternly, and sent him off so that she could get some work done.

Harry sighed, and plopped into his bed, closing his eyes for a second. And when his phone rang, he didn't even open his eyes, just swept his thumb across the screen to answer it. "Hello?" he asked.

"Harry! How did your new school go?" he heard Liam's voice.

"It was okay. I met someone," he told him sheepishly.

"Someone you like or a friend?" Liam chuckled, and Harry's face paled at the thought. He never liked to share things like that, but when he thought about it, Louis was pretty darn cute to him.

"Just a friend," he lied, sitting up and pulling the blanket over his cold feet.

He talked to Liam for about another ten minutes before hanging up, claiming that he had to do his maths homework, which he actually found very easy. He didn't think he would get home work on his first day, but things work differently in different places.

He pulled out his drawing pad from under his bed, where he kept it so no one saw, and grabbed a random pencil. He didn't know what he was going to draw, but got an idea, and started. His idea was to try and draw at least a sketch of when the two boys were beating him up. He thought that it would make people look at it, and wonder, well hey these bullies are mean. And possibly do something about it. Of course then he would have to show people the drawing, and that would simply not do for him.

"Harry, would you mind going out and buying some food for the cats? We're running low!" his mum called from downstairs, and he groaned and put away his things, making sure nothing was a mess, and bounded down the stairs.

"C'mere, Molly!" he cooed, looking around until he spotted the grey and white cat on the couch, and lifted her into his arms. "Now where's Mittens?" he asked himself, looking around the living room. But he suddenly stopped, remembering where the other kittens' favorite spot was. He found her laying on the top of his pillow, and picked the black kitten with white paws from the bed, holding her in his arms along with Molly. "You two are so cute," he murmured, kissing both of their heads and going back downstairs.

"Can I take one of em to the store with m-me?" he asked his mother, seeing her in the kitchen.

"I guess," she sighed, not taking her eyes off of the stove. He shrugged, putting Molly back down onto the couch since she was old and despised the pet store.

❊ ❊ ❊ ❊

"You are such a pain," Harry whispered to the cat, as she tried climbing up his shoulder. He had to put down the bag of cat food, and pick her up off of his shoulder. She was so small, and she could easily lay on Harry's one hand. And that's what he did. He held her in one hand, holding her to his chest.

Alright, let's get this over with, he thought to himself as he headed over to the checkout.

"Harry?"

He froze at the sound of his name, and cautiously turned around. He sighed, slightly in relief seeing that it was only Louis, the kid who actually didn't beat him up. "Hey, didn't expect to see you here," he smiled at him, "I'd uh, give you like a high five or knuckle punch or something but it looks like you've got your hands full," he chuckled.

"Uh y-yea," Harry nodded awkwardly.

He just doesn't want to touch you, why would he want to anyway?

Louis spoke up again, killing some of the tension, "I actually have a pet too, we recently rescued a dog from a kill shelter so we're getting a couple things for him. My sisters actually ha-"

"Boobear! Charlie is pulling too hard for me!" He suddenly spun around, seeing two look alike girls and a fairly medium sized dog come bounding forward. Harry tried not to laugh at the nickname, and found it quite cute of his sisters to call him that.

"I'll take him. Go find some toys or something for him," he told the two girls, taking ahold of the leash and making the dog sit. "Sorry bout them, but this is my dog," he smiled, petting behind his ears.

"He's c-cute."

So are you, Louis thought. But kept it to himself.

"So is your cat! It's so tiny, it can fit in your hand!" he grinned, gesturing towards the small kitten in Harry's hand.

"Uh y-yea, her name is Mittens, cause w-well her p-paws are like... M-Mittens," he shrugged, feeling like closing himself in.

Louis talked to him for a few more minutes before his sisters practically dragged him away.

"I'll see you in school!" he had called.

"O-Okay," Harry sighed, "okay."