Song: hypnotic, Zella Day
Surprisingly Louis' food ended up pretty good for his first ever cooking experience. Sure he had some help along the way, but he wouldn't lie, the satisfaction at the end of the lesson was worth all the difficulty he had to endure.
What was even better, was Harry couldn't even deny that his food tasted good. At the end of the lesson the students were allowed to try each other's food if they wanted to. Louis thought it was pretty pointless considering they had all made the same dish, but it was nice being complimented on his cooking.
It was also the first time since arriving at the school that Louis felt the recognition he had expected. Every single student in the class wanted a taste of his food, were practically lining up for some. By the end of it he barely had any left for himself, but he couldn't bring himself to care after being swarmed by his classmates who were desperate for his attention.
He distinctly remembers looking over the crowd of students to see Harry watching on in shock, maybe even a little embarrassment. All Louis did was smirk back, feeling extremely smug.
The rest of the day went just as well, Louis deemed it the best day since he had gotten to school and his hopes were lifted. For a week he had felt out of control, anxious and disappointed from the lack of attention and rise in conflicts he didn't know how to handle. He almost felt as if he was being recognised for the first time again.
However the students following him around school like lost puppies did confuse him. Because why now? Why had they waited nearly a week to show their appreciation? He assumed they must have been intimidated after only just meeting him and shrugged it off like he did with most things in his life.
"Why are they following us again?" Zayn whispered to Louis and he and Liam walked either side of him.
"Because they've finally come to their senses and realised who they're going to school with" Louis boasted, smirking at a few girls who giggled behind their hands as they eyed him.
"If I had known crowds of people following you around and staring at your arse was all it took to wipe that frown off your face I would've paid them off days ago" Liam replied, nudging Louis' side.
"You wouldn't have to pay people to do that Liam. They love me already"
"Alright don't get too cocky, I can deal with people worshiping you like they're in some kind of cult but I can't deal with you gloating about it. Where are we going anyway?"
"The common room. Thought we could play ping pong or something" Louis replied. They had just finished classes and he was bored, the common room was the closest thing to entertainment they had.
"I like it here and all, but the school is bloody boring. I can't wait till the weekend when we can go shopping" Zayn commented with a sigh, all he really wanted was some new beauty products as he was running low.
"You would think with us staying here full terms they would provide us with some decent things to do. There's only so much of pool and ping pong a man can take" Liam agreed, walking behind Louis into the common room.
"Maybe we should take it up with the headmaster. I'm sure if money is a problem my father can fund them to buy us shit to do" Louis shrugged, taking a seat on the large couch, deciding they would play ping pong in a bit.
"Never thought I'd say this but thank fuck you're rich" Zayn replied as he took as seat next to Louis, Liam sitting besides him.
"See, told you it has its perks" Louis grinned, leaning his head back.
"I have money too you know" Liam said to Zayn, quirking a brow.
"You're not as wealthy as me though" Louis snorted, trying not to laugh at Liams offended face.
"Stop being rich bitches, I'm the poorest out of us" Zayn stated, though it didn't bother him too much, he wasn't very materialistic even if it often came off that way and he was quite happy living in a minimum wage household.
"Sorry if this sounds rude, but if you're not from high class how do you know Liam?" Louis asked. And it was rude, but Zayn knew better than to voice his opinion.
"I, um, I was a waiter at one of his family balls. I needed the job to help my mum out but I met Liam there and we pretty much hit it off straight away. We ended up just talking the whole night when I should have been working" Zayn explained, slightly self conscious of the fact that he was revealing to Louis, the richest boy in the school, that his family struggled for money at times.
"Oh. You're pretty different from most poor kids" Louis said without thinking.
"Louis! You can't just say shit like that" Liam interjected, leaning up further.
"It's fine Li" Zayn assures him with a small smile. "I get it, you're not used to being around people of lower class"
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I just- I guess I've always had the impression that I shouldn't interact with poorer kids or people of lower class because, well, nobody in my family does. And that made me think there must be a reason for that, so I assumed poor kids were bad people or something, I don't know. You're not though, so it's fine" Louis struggled to explain, because for once, he didn't want to be a complete dick head about it.
Liam and Zayn didn't respond for a moment, looking between each other and Louis with confused faces. "Well, I wasn't expecting that" Zayn replied, smiling softly.
"What do you mean?" Louis asked, not understanding why the two seemed so shocked.
"You, Mr I hate poor people and anyone beneath me, actually seeing the good in them for once" Zayn explained, laughing slightly with Liam.
"Oh fuck off. Instead of teasing me about being nice you should just accept the compliment" Louis huffed, slapping his arm harshly.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you said all that. It's just, weird? I guess. I'm so used to you being an asshole that I wasn't ready for it"
"Fine, I'll continue being an asshole then. You're poor and I hate you"
"Well, it was fun whilst it lasted" Liam shrugged, a large smile on his face.
"Niall don't, that's fucking weird and he's not worth it anyway" Harry's voice came from the door, his tone pleading and instantly catching the three boys attentions.
"It'll be quick Haz, just stay outside if it bothers you so much" Niall replied before heading over towards Louis.
Harry sighed and reluctantly walked behind him, he stopped a few steps away and looked more awkward and out of place than he did that first day on the train. Louis furrowed his brows and looked up at the blonde boy stood in front of him. "Can I help you?" He asked.
"Um, this is a bit strange and I totally get it if you want to tell me to fuck off. But, I Uh, can I. Um" Niall stuttered, unable to maintain eye contact with Louis.
"Spit it out" Louis interrupted, looking at him with a bored face.
Fucking pathetic.
"Could I maybe have your autograph?" Niall blurted out, his face going red with embarrassment.
Louis didn't respond at first, trying to figure out if this was some weird joke Harry had set his friend up to. But by the look on Niall face this was no prank.
Amidst the silence, Liam and Zayn were trying not to laugh, Harry hid his face behind his hands as he shook his head and Niall looked just about ready to run for his life.
"Okay, um, I get it. Yeah, no worries. It was weird for me to ask, I shouldn't have done it. You think I'm weird now don't you? God, harry was right. Harold! You were right!" He shouted at the end, Harry just groaned in second hand embarrassment.
"Have you got a pen?" Louis asked, smirking at the situation.
"Oh. Um yeah. Hold on" Niall replied in surprise, quickly opening his bag to grab a pen and a piece of paper; almost dropping them from his shaky hands. "Here"
"Cheers" Louis said as he took them, biting the pen lid off and letting it dangle from the corner of his mouth as he wrote his signature. Once finished he put the pen lid back on and offered the two items back to the Irish boy. "Sorry, my handwritings a bit scruffy- shit. You probably don't want the pen back now do you?" He realised, not thinking when he had put the lid in his mouth seconds before.
"No! I do. I mean, it's fine. It's just, spit? I guess. No biggie" Niall quickly said, trying to compose himself though he wasn't doing a great job of it.
"Okay?" Louis dragged the word out, handing back the paper and the pen. "Is that all?" He asked, looking between him and Harry.
"Yeah, that's great thank you. Sorry again if that was weird. I guess you could say I'm a fan" Niall sheepishly apologised, biting the inside of his lip.
"Bet you're friend over there isn't happy about that" Louis grinned. "Oi styles! You want an autograph too?" He asked sarcastically.
"Fuck off. I know what kind of person you really are unlike Nialler" Harry replied with a bitter tone.
"Oh don't be shy, I know you want one" Louis said with a smirk, a sing-song lilt to his voice.
"I think I'd rather have Donald trumps autograph than yours. Niall, come on" Harry dismissed, rolling his eyes as he beckoned his friend over.
"Leaving so soon? What a shame, I'd have quite liked to beat your ass at Ping pong" Louis pulled a faux sad face, eyeing the table.
"You couldn't even play pool, I highly doubt you'd be any good at ping pong" Harry scoffed.
"Wanna find out?" Louis asked, standing up from the couch, Liam and Zayn raised their brows at each other behind his back.
"No, you're a waste of time" Harry said, taking Niall by the arm to walk away.
"You're scared because you know I'll beat you" Louis replied, taking a ping pong bat and twirling it between his fingers.
Harry stopped and turned around again. "Oh what? Like you beat me in everything else?"
"I beat you in football"
"And I beat you in the quiz"
"So we're equal. Why not see who wins?" Louis proposed, taking the other bat and holding it towards Harry who still looked hesitant.
"I have nothing to prove to you" Harry said expressionless.
"Oh? To me it seems like you have a lot to prove, because so far I've been asking myself why I even give you so much attention when you don't deserve it" Louis tilted his lips to the side with a shrug. "Why not prove you're a worthy competitor?"
"Because I already know I am one. If it weren't for your title you'd be nothing Louis. You treat everyone around you like shit and don't care for anyone but yourself. I know if it weren't for your second name, you'd be at your knees begging for my attention" Harry replied, standing his ground as he watched Louis close enough to see the flinch in his demeanour.
It seemed to be a theme that whenever the two argued in public they'd get an audience, and it was no different this time around. They only listened because of who the two were, how some nobody had the guts to challenge a Tomlinson repeatedly. Harry loved it and Louis hated it.
"From what I've seen you have one friend and your sister. No matter what my title I wouldn't waste my time begging for your attention" Louis finally replied, a cocky grin on his face.
"And from what I've seen you have two friends and a pathetic fan base who only want you for your name. Ah, wait. They're not your friends are they Louis?" Harry taunted, looking over at Zayn and Liam who were watching the heated discussion with wide eyed and tight lips.
"I chose to not have friends, you just can't make any to begin with"
"First of all, you have no proof to back that up with assuming that you don't stalk me twenty-four-seven. Secondly, we're barely a week into the school term, hardly anyone has made a large amount of friends yet" he rolled his eyes.
"Look I honestly couldn't give a shit how many friends you have Styles, you up for a match or not?" Louis asked once again, bored of the conversation.
Harry hesitated and the students watched eagerly for his answer. Louis eyed him pointedly, holding the bat out to him once again as Zayn and Liam sat behind him debating wether they should go down to the kitchen and ask for some popcorn.
"Just one match. Then I'm done" Harry accepted, taking the bat from Louis roughly before walking around to his side of the table.
"First to eleven points wins" Louis grinned, pushing up his sleeves to his elbows.
Harry didn't reply, only watched as students gathered around the table to watch the match. Liam and Zayn stood behind Louis and Niall stood behind Harry, the rest stood near enough to the table so they wouldn't interfere with the game. "Liam, Zayn, keep count of my points and Niall? Was it? Keep count of Harry's" Louis said, ready to serve.
In all honesty, Louis hadn't played much ping pong or table tennis, whatever you want to call it, so he was hoping luck was on his side today. He reckoned he could win, because how hard could it be? It's only hitting a small white ball across a table.
You've got this.
"Ready?" Louis asked Harry, who nodded in return. Louis dropped the ball onto the table and when it bounced back up he hit it across the net towards Harry, who quite easily hit it back again. Louis leaned to the side and managed to hit the ball again, nearly missing as he was surprised Harry had so much control over what he was doing.
Louis could faintly hear whispers of students making bets over who would win, he smirked as many of them were backing him up. He did wish they would be quiet though, it was distracting him from he game.
Distracting him so much that he missed the ball when harry hit it back after a few goes and it fell off the table with a bounce. Louis' eyes widened, "well shit" he said in disbelief, taking the ball from another students hand as they gave it to him with an uncomfortable look on their face.
"Wanna re think saying I'm not a worthy competitor?" Harry asked with a smug smile, leaning against the table on his hands.
"It's only one point styles, you need ten more before you can act cocky" Louis shrugged, not too bothered about it. He served the ball once again.
The second time round, Louis scored a point as Harry hit the ball way too hard and it went soaring into Liams face. Zayn spent the next few minutes fussing over the boy to make sure he was okay, even if it was just an air filled ball that really couldn't cause that much damage. Louis had to hold in his laughter.
Harry scored the next two points after that, the first because louis wanted revenge for his friend and purposefully aimed the ball at Niall, who didn't mind being hit in the face by a Tomlinson. The second because Louis got distracted by a teacher who was checking in on the students who he then told to piss off and earned himself a detention.
Out of determination, Louis quickly caught up again and the points were 4-3, putting him in the lead once again. The longer they played the more enthusiastic they became and the better they were at the game. Harry often struggled to serve the ball but got the hang of it after a while, whilst Louis wasn't as fast at reacting to a hit and the students often changed their bets on who would win, even though they probably should stick to their initial predictions.
At one point, Louis hit the ball so hard it went flying across the room and almost landed in the fireplace. Louis didn't even know why the fire was on seeming as the school had heating, and Zayn turned it off after their brief panic.
They were nearing the end of the game, with the points 10-9 to Louis. It was going to be a close call but Louis was sure he could get his final point and win, and he couldn't wait to rub it in Harry's face.
"Prepare for this to be the final round Styles. I'm positive you'll fuck up again" Louis said cockily, watching as Harry was ready to serve.
"wouldn't count on it" Harry replied, and dropped the ball to the table to hit it over the net. Louis refocused and hit the ball back, feeling the tension in the air almost as thick as the day of their quiz in history.
It ended up being a short round, and to Louis' disappointment Harry scored another point when he accidentally hit the ball into the net, now making it it even. "What was that about this being the final round?" Harry asked with a smirk.
Louis grabbed the ball and grit his teeth. "You can't make fun of the thing you've been doing countless times during the game" he said, referring to how he hit the ball at the net instead of over it.
"I can when you so blatantly stated that I would be the one to fuck up" Harry replied.
Louis ignored him. "Final round then. Whoever scores this wins" he said, ready to serve.
"Yeah, that's like the whole point" Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up and play" Louis served the ball, almost catching Harry off guard as he shot his hand out to hit it back again.
And it seemed that luck really was on Louis' side today, as after a few times of back and forth play, Harry clumsily slipped when trying to lean across the table and the ball landed right besides his face that was now on the floor.
Louis both cheered and laughed at the outcome, and jumped around with Liam and Zayn in celebration. Some students were groaning after losing their bets, others were hyping Louis up, and Harry remained on the floor with a sore back, annoyed at himself for having such long, uncontrollable legs.
Louis smirked and walked over to Harry once the cheering had settled down. He stood looking down on the boy who had his eyes shut and was breathing heavily. "Why is it whenever I see you one of us ends up on the floor?" He asked, trying not to laugh.
"Because I'm clumsy and you're a prick" Harry answered, opening his eyes at the sound of Louis' voice.
"Hm, I'd help you up but I doubt a prick would do that would they?" Louis said, leaning against the table and feigning boredom, looking at his nails as if in deep thought.
"No, they wouldn't" Harry said, standing up carefully.
"What on earth did you slip on anyway?" Louis asked, looking at the floor to see if there was a culprit.
"Nothing, I tripped over my two left feet as per usual"
"Well, I knew I'd beat you bambi" Louis said with a cheerful voice.
"Bambi?" Harry tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Yeah. That deer that could barely walk without stumbling over. It's quite a fitting name for you"
"So which is it. Styles, curly or Bambi?" He asked, stretching to crack his back.
"All off them. Styles for when I'm mad at you, which is quite often. Curly came out of nowhere to be honest, doubt I'll be using that too much. And Bambi for when I can laugh at you for falling over" Louis explained.
"Alright. Tomlinson for the same reason. Princess, because you act like one. And Lou, so I don't have to waste my time pronouncing your entire name" Harry shrugged, thinking it was only fair he had his own nicknames.
"If you even think about calling me princess again I'll beat your ass" Louis warned. "And don't call me Lou, only family call me that"
"Well then, I'd say Tommo but then I'd be stealing your friends' nickname" Harry said, looking over at Liam and Zayn.
"How many times do I need to tell you they're not my friends?"
"Oh come on, they basically are. You just won't label them because then you would have to admit to yourself that you've gone against your fathers rules" Harry scoffed.
"My father literally told me to get to know Liam, he's the son of one of my fathers colleagues. And Zayn was just a freebie"
"To me it seems like you're their freebie. See how close they are" Harry pointed to the two who were laughing with one another. Liam gently pushed Zayn shoulder, and the other pulled him back, talking about something Louis couldn't make out as his eyebrows drew together. "You won't ever have that with anyone, because you won't allow yourself"
"I don't even want that" Louis replied, but he knew deep down he was lying. Anyone would want that. The affection between two close friends, having someone there for you whenever you need them, the freedom of being open with someone who won't judge you for who or how you are. He wanted that, but it wasn't what he needed.
"That's a lie and you know it. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at them" Harry said softly, looking at Louis who gulped and adverted his eyes. "You can't deny it"
"I can and I will. Who the fuck do you think you are? A therapist? You don't know shit" Louis said, but he didn't quite hear the strength in his voice he was aiming for and Harry didn't either.
"Your father wouldn't know if you had a friend in school. He's not here"
"He knows everything. Everything about anyone. So if you think for a second he wouldn't know such a minor detail about me then I don't think we're talking about the same person here" Louis shook his head. "I don't doubt he'd punish me for speaking to you so much"
"He punishes you?" Harry asked in disbelief, concern etched onto his face.
"Not like that. He'd probably just make me sit through another one of his lectures, sit me down with a book of our family history and rules for a few hours and take away my phone. It's not a big deal" Louis sighed.
"If he would make you do all that just for speaking to someone then it's a pretty big deal" Harry argued, he didn't think his family could get any more fucked up but Louis proved him wrong once again.
"It's not. I know the rules and why he's like that. It's been the same for hundreds of years so it's not like I can change it" Louis pauses. "It's just how we work"
"If I We're you I'd tell him to take his rules and shove them up his ass. We're not in the 1800's anymore" Harry said, his tone rough with annoyance.
Louis had to bite back a smile at that. "It's not that simple, and you would understand that if you knew him. But you don't and you never will, so really there's no point in this conversation"
"But it was a good one" Harry said shyly, worried he had spoken out of place.
"Maybe for you styles" Louis patted him on the shoulder twice before turning away. "I just wasted ten minutes of my life"
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Author notes:
Hope you guys liked the chapter! I was planning on writing some more but it's long enough as it is and I wanted to get it out tonight seeming as I haven't updated in a few days and the ive got a lot of plans coming up meaning I won't be able to write as much.
I hope you're all doing well, thank you all for the support on both my books and please don't forget to comment and vote!
Love you all xxx