Niam One-Shots 2 ||

[192] Lunchbox Friends

Author's Note: Hi! I haven't been here in a while so excuse my absence and rustiness in writing. I want to try and get back into this so please be kind and show some love if you can <3

Lunchtime, a time where friends can come together to enjoy food and gossip about the current rumor or trend. For Niall, it was a time to cool off with his close friends after their first few classes, enjoying a good, homemade burger and fries with lemon water. This came to a halt right away, though.

"Niall, how are you?"

Niall glanced over his shoulder to see Liam, the preppy, rich, and overall most popular guy in school. He saw a conniving smile spread across his stubbled face and felt his skin crawl.

"Doing alright, what do you want?"

Liam frowned his way. "Cool the tone, Horan. I just figured we could bounce a few ideas off of each other, make some cash together, then we'll act like we never each other after we're finished. How does that sound?"

Niall followed up with his frown, taking a bite of his fry in quick succession. "What's the whole point of that?"

Liam began leading him to the lunch table where his delinquents sat with their bright-colored attire and plastic smiles. "As I said, to make easy cash and share a good moment between the two of us for once. We've always had such a horrible competition and rivalry between the two of us, especially with that incident during free time years ago."

Niall remembered that clearly. He beat Liam up quite a bit and gained some brownie points from the popular kids. But that dialed down once Liam grew into his superior good looks.

"This seems a little too unlike you, Payne. You're being extra nice to me and it's making me both uncomfortable and worried about my life."

Liam chuckles a little too calmly. He sits Niall down at his table where other pupils that resonate with him are already devouring their lunches and discussing future engagements. "You've got nothing to be afraid of when you're with us," Liam added a wink to that statement, thus sending chills down Niall's spine as his actual friends look at him in disbelief as they walk by with their trays of food.

Niall sighed, "I don't want fake friends like this, I don't. I need people in my life who understand what I'm going through and not fake a petty smile and clear ignorance." He bit his lower lip. "Maybe if we hang out together in a more private area, like my home, then we can see if I can trust you all, especially you, Liam."

The snobby, rich, and ever-evolving Liam sends him an eye roll and conniving smirk. "Maybe that can be a thing you and I do alone, yeah? Figured it'd bring us closer together if I'm into the idea after school."

Niall stands up with a satisfied exhale leaving past his thin lips, turning around with his tray of food to walk back to his group of friends who gave him raised brows. "I can explain-"

"There's no need to do such a thing," Louis interrupted him with a soft laugh that followed. "What did Liam want from you, exactly? He seemed a bit too chipper to pull you away from us and lead you to his table. He never does that with anyone."

Niall grinned a little. "He did ask if I could help make some money with him and whatnot, the usual for his pets that he strings along, but I wasn't having any of it and told him that I didn't want to be used then thrown away. I told him I wanted real friends like you guys and if he wanted to get closer with me then he can. This just means that I'll have to spend some alone time with him, but I feel like it'll become a little too close for comfort because I have zero clues on what he has up his sleeves. He could use me without me even knowing it."

Louis sends him an eye roll that causes his boyfriend, Harry, to slap his shoulder. "Oi, don't act like that here. Act like that outside of school, please."