Louis POV
When I wake up, I'm in a puddle of water, I look to my clock, and it says 7am, Ughhh I slept through dinner without the boys waking me, that's strange. My ice packs have obviously melted throughout the night. I must have really needed the sleep if I didn't wake up at all.
I move out of bed and my whole body is stiff and sore. My ankle is less swollen but I still limp when I walk, I can't put much pressure on it. I notice Greta has hung my uniform over my door frame to my wardrobe, I sigh and pick myself up. I do my usual morning routine and get into my uniform, It fits much better. I forgo my jumper today opting for just my white shirt and tie, the weather is really warm lately. I hope the comments I get today aren't more fat jokes.
I limp downstairs to the kitchen, the boys already awake and eating like usual. Harry is already in the kitchen to eating some jam toast. I try my best to walk normally holding in the pain, I should be used to it by now. I feel really lightheaded by the time I make it to the kitchen, so I decide to have something small to eat. I usually snack on cucumber bits and rice crackers if I'm absolutely starving, that's all I'll allow myself besides water. Today though, I'm feeling especially crappy, so I grab a granola bar from the cupboard. It's a low-fat bar and only has 4 calories in it. I grab the bar from the cupboard and spin around to leave. Instead, I freeze when I see everyone staring at me. Harry looks completely speechless.
"Whhhatt?" I ask curiously.
"Um no nothing" Harry says as he coughs and looks away.
"Nothing Lou, it's just you always wear baggy clothes and that uniform actually fits you and you look um ..." Scott says sheepishly looking away.
"What Scott means is that you look good Lou" Edward says
I'm feeling so self-conscious right now, they think I'm too fat to wear these pants and they don't want to tell me how horrible I look. I'm such a loser how did I ever think I'd look ok in tight clothes.
"It's ok you can tell me how horrid I look; I will just go get one of my old uniforms" I say embarrassed.
"No!" Harry says louder than necessary. Drew and Edward give him a weird look.
"I mean no, you could never look horrid you look nice I like it" Harry says embarrassed.
I look at him confused.
What on earth are they even talking about? I just nod my head and back out of the kitchen. That was really weird. I think to myself.
The school day passes quickly and its last period biology. Now that Mr Charles has been fired, I'm not allowed to change biology classes, so I'm still stuck with Joey and his group. Our new teacher Mrs White is ancient old and just drones on and on. Good thing is she doesn't believe in homework, bad news is she also doesn't care about the teasing and taunting I receive from the cool group and the rest of the class, I've been pushed around all day, and I have three new bruises to add to my collection. Ashton is busy throwing spit balls at my head and I'm trying to ignore it, it's so humiliating especially when the rest of the class finds it so hilarious. The bell rings and I don't rush to leave, I gather my things slowly in the hope that the rest of the class will leave so I can get the spit balls out of my hair in private.
Everyone exits the classroom and I follow a few minutes later. I'm relieved to find I'm alone in the hallway. I can't help but think someone is watching me though. I'm catching the bus home today, Drew has a college scout coming to his football practice and Harry had to leave at lunch for a dentist appointment, he said he would come back and pick me up after school, but I told him not to worry. I really didn't want to be a bother; I'd rather walk home in all honesty I don't feel like being humiliated on the bus today.
I decide to go to the bathroom before I leave, maybe by the time I'm finished I would have missed the bus and I will have no choice but to walk. I walk into the bathroom, no one is around, and I quickly do my business. I'm just about to leave when all of a sudden, I'm absolutely saturated in freezing cold water and pushed. I slip over on the floor and try to regain my balance. As I fall to the ground, I can see the sink coming closer to my face and I can't stop it. My head cracks on the side of the sink just above my right eye and I'm pulled into darkness, with the sound of Joey and Mikey's laughter.
I wake up and I'm freezing cold, it's dark and I can't see much. My head is absolutely pounding. The memories of being pushed and hitting my head come back to me and I groan in frustration. I stand up slowly on shaky legs, I feel like I want to puke.
My eyes have adjusted to the darkness, and I make out the toilet just in time, before I'm emptying my guts into it. I feel shaky and dizzy and really, really cold. I think of the boys, they must be so worried. How long have I been out for? I reach for my phone in my pocket and see I have 50 missed calls, all from the boys and Harry. Shit they are going to kill me.
I go to open the bathroom door and the handle won't turn, I'm locked in, just fucking great. Either Joey and Mikey locked me in, or the janitor didn't check the toilets before he locked them. I check the time on my phone it's 7:34pm I've been out for 4 and a half hours. I must have hit my head really hard, I just want to cry. Why wouldn't Joey call someone, I could have died, but I guess that's what they want. I debate who to call. Scott and Andy will most likely yell, Edward will be so worried and disappointed in me, Drew will be an absolute wreck with worry. I decide on Harry. He will be worried but won't blame me and will listen to what I have to say before jumping to conclusions. My mind is so foggy I can't focus properly, it takes me a few minutes to dial Harry's number. He answers in two rings.
"Louis?" he says panicked. Ohhhhhhh maybe Harry wasn't the right person to call.
"H" I say quietly, my voice hoarse.
"Are you ok Lou, where are you?" he says quickly I can hear the boys in the background asking questions. He shushes them.
"I-I-I-Im ok I think" I say, my head starts to really pound, and my vision goes funny. I slide to the floor of the bathroom leaning against the wall.
"Where are you?" he asks trying to sound calm.
"I hit my head I-I-In the bathroom, I was pushed.......Joey and Mikey" I say slowly, I'm concentrating so hard on making sense, I can feel myself slipping into sleep again.
"The bathrooms at school?" Harry asks, but I can't respond.
"Louis baby??" Harry questions, my stomach flutters at the nickname.
"Yeah, at school" I manage.
"We're coming Lou" he says, and I can hear him explaining to people what's going on.
"H I'm so tired, I can't, I can't think" I stutter out.
"Stay with me Lou, don't go back to sleep" he says.
"I have to" I say.
"No! Louis you need to stay awake for me" he almost yells.
"Please don't yell at me H" I whimper "d-d-d-d don't be mad" I whisper.
"I'm not mad at you gorgeous, at all. I just need you to stay awake ok"
"Ok" I say.
Harry stays on the phone with me for what feels like forever. By the time I hear voices outside the doors my head feels like it's going to explode. I hear the door unlock and the first person I see is a police officer, he turns the light on, and I squint.
"He's here" he yells into the hall. I hear voices and footsteps running through the halls. Drew is first to me, engulfing me.
"Are you ok? Jesus Christ I was so worried Lou" he says crushing me to him.
"I'm fine I'm sorry D"
The rest of the boys come in and I'm relieved to see them all. I apologie so many times to them, I feel so guilty I can't even catch the bus home by myself without something happening.
"What happened, we were so worried we called the police" Drew says.
"I'm sorry, I went to the bathroom before I headed to the bus and" I stop, I can't tell them about Joey I'll have to make something up, they just can't know.
"I slipped and fell, I hit my head on the sink and that's the last thing I remember. I woke up and called Harry straight away" I say looking down.
I see Harry make his way into the bathroom, he walks over, and he kneels down in front of me, he lifts my chin.
"Your head needs to be looked at, how long where you unconscious for?" he asks concerned.
"Um I think 4 hours" I say timidly.
"Did you vomit" he asks, and I nod.
"You probably have a concussion; you need to see a doctor. You could hardly put two sentences together when I spoke to you" he says worriedly.
"I'm fine" I try.
"Why are you wet?" Edward asks.
My clothes and hair are still pretty wet considering I was lying in a puddle of water for four hours on a freezing bathroom floor.
"Ummm, I dunno" I say sheepishly.
"Come on let's get you out of here before you get sick" Edward says helping me up.
I get to my feet, but a massive dizzy spell takes over and I stumble forwards, Harry catches me instantly. I try to steady myself on his arms, but the spell is lasting a while. I feel Harry scoop me up bridal style and carry me out of the bathroom
"I-i-i-im ok H, I can walk" I say.
"After that, no way! just relax I've got you" he says.
I relax in his arms. I've been here a lot lately and as much as I hate being a bother to Harry and will regret my behavior in the morning. I snuggle into him, and his hold tightens on me sending Butterfly's to my stomach. I love being in Harry's arms I just wish it wasn't always because he had to rescue me from my pitiful school life, but because he loved me as his boyfriend and wanted me in his arms.
Harry's POV
I'm lying on my bed trying to finish this stupid history homework. It's both painful and boring. My mouth still hurts slightly from the dental check-up I had today. I was hoping to be back at school in time to bring Louis home, but my appointment went over, and I didn't make it back. My thoughts keep slipping to Louis and his beautiful smile. I'm worried about him though, his smile seems to be fake and dull at times and I wonder how much pain he is actually trying to hide. I need to tell him how I feel about him it's consuming me. The thought of him being sad and lonely and the need to get to the bottom of it, is all I can think about.
My need to protect him and hold him is getting too much for me to bear. As soon as you meet Louis you are instantly drawn to him. When he walks into a room, he just lights it up. There is something about him that makes you want to smile, to want to be around him. As insecure and innocent as he is you just can't help but love him. I'm pulled out of my thoughts to the sound of my phone buzzing. I reach over and grab it off the table. Drew's name flashes across the screen. I look at the time and see its 5pm he must be finished training with the scout. I quickly answer keen to hear how he went.
"Hey D" I say.
"Hey Haz," Drew says sounding distracted and worried, I know my best friend and I know when something is wrong.
"What's wrong Drew, what happened?" I ask, assuming it's something to do with the scout.
"Please, please tell me you came back from the dentist early and picked Louis up and he is with you" he says slightly begging me. Why would he think I'd pick Louis up and not tell him about it?
"No D, I didn't make it back in time, he said he was fine to catch the bus" I say confused.
"No yeah of course, it's just he um wasn't on the bus and he's missing, he isn't at home, and no one has seen him we.... we can't find him Haz" his words pull at my heart and my chest is heavy. Where could he be? Thoughts of something terrible happening to Louis run through my head. What if he is hurt? What if someone has hurt him?
"Fuck D, I-I-I shit, I'll be over in 5" I say, not knowing what else to do.
"Yeah, thanks Haz" he says and hangs up.
I pull my sweats off and replace them with black skinny jeans and pull my navy-blue jumper over my shirt. I pull on my sneakers and place a Snapback backwards over my unruly hair. I grab my keys and phone and dash out the door to my car. On the way over to Drew's I call Louis a few times, but he doesn't pick up. I pull into the driveway with worry set into my chest. I race through the front door to the Lounge room, there are two police officers talking to Scott and Edward while Andy paces back and forth across the carpet. Drew is sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
"Any news?" I ask entering the room causing Drew to whip his head up to meet me. His eyes are glossy, and I know he is worried.
"No, we have no idea where he is Haz, I'm so worried" Drew says.
"I know D, we will find him ok I promise you" I say to him, uneasiness in my voice.
I don't know what I will do if something has happened to him. Guilt rushes through me as we sit and wait for any news. The boys are constantly trying to call his phone, the police said it's a good sign it's still ringing. Two hours pass with no news and my mind starts to think the worst. Where would he be? If Joey and his group are behind this, I won't hold back. They will wish they never messed with Louis that's for sure. My phone then buzzes in my pocket I pull it out and I have to blink twice to believe it's actually Louis calling. I answer instantly.
"It's him" I shout.
"Louis?" I answer carefully hoping to hear his beautiful voice on the other end of the phone.
"H" he says so quietly his voice sounds strained.
"Are you ok Lou? where are you?" I ask trying to get information in case we get cut off.
"What is he saying?" Drew is asking.
"Is he ok?" Scott asks.
"Where is he Haz?" Edward asks.
"Shhhhh just let me talk" I say back trying to quiet them so I can hear Louis on the other line.
"I-I-I-Im ok I think" he says. He doesn't sound ok he sounds sleepy.
"Where are you?" I ask trying to remain calm but hoping he tells me quickly.
"I hit my head I-I-In the bathroom I was pushed.......Joey and Mikey " he says slowly.
He can hardly form a sentence I'm worried sick, Joey has done something to him, I knew it. I need to know which bathroom; the school bathroom would make a lot of sense. I knew Joey was behind this, but I can't think about that now all I care about is getting to Louis quickly to make sure he is ok and safe.
"The bathrooms at school?" I ask. I wait for him to reply but he doesn't. Panic sets in.
"Louis baby??" I ask. The pet name I so desperately want to call him falls from my mouth shamelessly. I need to know he is ok.
"Yeah, at school" he says again sounding half asleep.
"We're coming Lou" I say.
I turn to tell the boys and they rush to organize to get to him, I follow them to the cars and keep Louis on the line.
"H I'm so tired I can't, I can't think" he stutters out.
Shit he needs to stay awake. If he has hit his head and has a concussion, he needs to stay awake.
"Stay with me Louis, don't go back to sleep" I say trying to keep him talking
"I have to" he says, and I panic.
"No Louis you need to stay awake for me" I wince at my tone. I just want him to be ok. I need him to be ok.
"Please don't yell at me H" he whimpers "d-d-d-d don't be mad" it's almost a whisper and guilt crushes me.
"I'm not mad at you gorgeous, at all. I just need you to stay awake ok" I say trying to calm myself.
"Ok" he says
I do my best to keep Louis awake as we drive to the school. When we pull up, the police and the principle are waiting for us with the keys, and we enter the school. We don't know what bathroom he is in, so we split up to check them all. I'm at the other end of the hall when I hear a shout that they have found Louis. I sigh relieved and run to the junior bathrooms. I make it to the doorway and stop in my tracks, the boys are lent down in front of him. He has a cut on the top of his forehead and its oozing blood, he is soaking wet too. What did they do to him? I listen to Louis explain what happened. He doesn't mention Joey and I don't pull him up on it. I will talk to Louis about it later, right now he needs comfort and to see a doctor. I make my way over and crouch in front of him. Even soaking wet and shivering with a huge gash on his head he looks beautiful. His eyes are staring at me so innocently and I can't help the ache in my chest, the ache to hold him and to love him.
"Your head needs to be looked at. How long where you unconscious for?" I Ask gently. He needs a doctor.
"Um I think 4 hours" he says timidly. Shit that's a long time. He is so fucking lucky he woke up.
"Did you vomit?" I ask and he nods. Yep, a concussion we need to get him to the hospital.
"You probably have a concussion. you need to see a doctor. You could hardly put two sentences together when I spoke to you" I say looking into his eyes.
"I'm fine" he says.
"Why are you wet?" Edward asks. he must be freezing.
"Ummm, I dunno" he says sheepishly. I know that he is lying but again I don't say anything.
"Come on let's get you out of here before you get sick" Edward says helping Louis up.
He gets to his feet and stumbles. I reach out and catch him instantly. Fuck he must have hit his head hard. Louis tries to steady himself, but he can't seem to get there. I scoop him up into my arms and carry him out to the car. He needs a hospital now. Having him in my arms feels so right, I don't Ever want to let him go.
"I-I-I-Im ok H I can walk" he says and I all but scoff.
"After that, no way just relax I've got you" I say wanting him to know I'm here and I'll always be here.
Louis snuggles down into my chest and I cuddle him close. The boys follow us out of the school, and we pile into Scott's Escalade. I settle Louis curled up onto my lap and he rests his head on my chest. Drew sits next to me and Andy next to him. Edward and Scott are in the front seats.
"Are you ok?" Drew asks Louis as we start to drive.
"I think so" he says.
"Are you cold?" Drew asks "You're still soaking" he says.
"I'm ok" Louis says quietly.
I hug Louis close, and I look down to check he is ok, I see his eyes fluttering and I begin to panic again.
"Hey, stay awake Louis, open your eyes" I say, he groans but does what I've asked.
"I'm tired Harry, please let me sleep" he says.
"I know babe, but you've hit your head and we just need to make sure it's safe for you to sleep" I say to him.
We pull up to the hospital and head inside, Louis still in my arms, shivering and shaking. Scott walks over to the desk.
"I need someone to look at our brother, he has hit his head pretty bad" he says.
The look on the nurse's faces is concern. They usher us all into a room and I lay Louis on the bed. He doesn't protest and instead is so sleepy, he is trying to keep himself awake though. The nurses start taking his blood pressure and pulse.
"Hi buddy, my name is Melanie can you tell me your name" She asks Louis.
Louis looks so small and is shivering on the bed his eyes barely open.
"Louis" he says his voice is a whisper.
"Can he have a blanket?" I ask getting a little upset, he is freezing.
"How long was he out for?" Melanie asks us as the other nurse gets Louis a warm blanket.
"We think four hours" Scott says.
"Ok Louis, have you been vomiting at all?" she turns to Louis to ask kindly.
Louis nods his head.
"Ok we will need to do some more tests, if you guys can wait outside, we will call you back in when we are done" Melanie says kindly.
"No way I'm not leaving" I say standing my ground, there is no way I'm leaving Louis alone.
"Haz it's ok, come on, we can come straight back in" Edward says.
"No, he needs someone" I say.
"You must be the boyfriend?" Melanie says a big smile on her face.
"Ummm" I say awkwardly.
"It's ok I'll let you stay, just don't tell anyone" she says giving me a wink and I relax.
"Thank you" I say.
The boys give me a knowing look and I see Scott smirk at me. I don't care though. All I care about is Louis. They leave the room and I look over to Louis as his eyes start to close.
"Louis honey, I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake" Melanie says.
I'm at Louis side instantly.
"Open your eyes Lou" I say trying to softly coax Louis to open his eyes.
He does and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"Good boy" I say smiling, I start softly caressing his head.
Louis looks exhausted and on the verge of tears and my heart breaks for him. The other nurse Joanna comes over and starts cleaning the huge cut on Louis head.
"It's quite deep Mel, I've paged Dr J" Johanna says.
"Great" Melanie says "Louis, sweetheart can you try to sit up for me, I'm going to get you out of those wet clothes and into something warm" she says.
Louis tries to sit up and winces as he does, he is still out of it and not focusing properly.
"That's it, I know it uncomfortable" Melanie states.
I hold Louis hand and help slightly as Melanie undresses him. I can see the shock on her face when Louis is just in his boxers, He is so thin. Still absolutely gorgeous but thin, too thin. His torso is also covered in bruises, and I gasp when I see them. Melanie gives me a concerned look, I return it. I look up to Louis face and he is crying, tears silently falling down his face.
"Shhhhh its ok baby" I say wiping his tears with my thumb.
We dress Louis quickly, lay him back down and cover him with warm blankets.
"Doctor J should be here any minute" Melanie smiles at me "We need to keep Louis awake until then" she finishes.
"Ok" I say.
The door then opens and a handsome young Doctor walks into the room. He is tall, with brown hair and blue eyes. His muscly frame makes him look quite intimidating but the way the nurses are gawking at him and joking around with him, he seems harmless. He introduces himself to me and shakes my hand, then turns his attention to Louis.
"Hi Louis, I'm Dr Jeremy but you can call me Dr J. Can you tell me what happened?" he asks. Taking out his torch and shining it into Louis eyes. He closes them instantly and rolls to the side to get away from the light.
"No please stop, my head hurts" he says getting agitated.
"Ok sorry buddy, I'm all done" he says.
"Can I sleep please" Louis asks quietly.
"Yes, you can go to sleep now" Dr Jeremy says.
Louis doesn't hesitate to close his eyes and he is out like a light.
"Is he ok?" I ask worriedly.
"Yes, he has a concussion. I will stitch his head and keep him overnight for observation, but he should be fine" the Doctor smiles at me.
Thank fuck. I sigh with Relief. I watch as Dr Jeremy looks over Louis notes. He looks back and forth between the clip board and Louis a few times before he speaks.
"Harry, have you noticed Louis weight dropping at all? he is very thin, at the point that's concerning for a teenage boy, do we need to look into that?" Dr J asks me, his tone very serious.
I don't know how to respond to that, it isn't my place to say yes. I don't even know what's going on with Louis that's causing anything. I can't go behind Louis back and say something that might not be true.
"He is going through some stuff right now and we are helping him through it. He isn't doing it on purpose, he isn't sick" I say back looking Dr J in the eyes. He keeps hold of my stare for what seems like forever before breaking eye contact and sighing.
"Ok, I won't push it further. Keep an eye on him Harry, it gets very serious, very quickly" he says firmly, and I nod.
"What about the bruises?" he asks
"I, I don't know, we have noticed them, but he always has an excuse for them, none of us know the truth" I say upset
"Ok, I'll have a chat to Louis when he wakes up, I'll have to tell his brothers about it, and they will need to observe what's going on too" he says.
I nod my head. He says his goodbyes and exits the room to talk to Scott, I look down at the sleeping boy on the bed. I hope I just did the right thing. Louis wouldn't be not eating on purpose, would he? I will do everything in my power to keep this boy safe.