One minute more of that piercing silence and Louis would fall asleep. His freaking Chemistry teacher Mr Harris was the worst person in the world. Except for three people, everybody was done with the exam and instead of just giving them a break for a second he was already writing down tasks for them on the blackboard to solve until the lesson was over. That's just cruel. 

Annoyed into infinity, Louis glanced around the class and stopped at Harry, who was still writing his exam and looked kinda frustrated. For a short second Louis felt bad for him but then he remembered that Harry had literally denied his offer of help and just ridiculed him when he wanted to study together. On this Monday, Harry didn't even show up in the cafe and Louis really wasn't sure why he even waited for him. Now Harry had to pay the price for it and as far as Louis could judge it the exam wasn't going any good. 

"Can he just give us a break and leave us alone? We just wrote a fucking exam for Fuck's sake" cursed Niall under his breath, making Louis and Zayn snicker. 

"Who said that?" turned his teacher around furiously and looked at the students, but everyone just gave him innocent looks. Thank God he was too uninterested to actually memorise their voices. 

As he had turned back around to the blackboard and kept writing down his shit task, Zayn Louis and Niall just wanted to do something stupid to break the silence and annoy Mr Harris. So they took out a notebook, tore out three pages and crumpled it into paper balls. Liam side-eyed them with a warning look but they just shrugged at him. Louis could also feel Harry's gaze on him but he ignored it. Zayn was the first one to throw his ball but he just hit another student, who threw something back at him, which Zayn dodged so it hit the person behind him. This caused a paper balls war. Niall knocked over the teacher's water bottle but Louis hit Mr Harris against the back of his head like it was planned. 

Furiously Mr Harris turned around. "Who in the hell did this?". 

Louis pointed at Zayn, who pointed at Niall, who pointed at Louis with a completely innocent face. Behind them, the other students had stopped their paper balls war and just grinned guiltily. Everyone but Liam, who did absolutely nothing. 

"Detention for all of you except for Mr Payne". 

After a glorious day of detention, the week went by pretty fast and soon they found themselves back in Mr Matthews class, ready for the cultural topic... or not so ready. Niall and Liam were standing in front of the class to present their researches. 

"Okay, here's my story. Once upon a time ... nothing. I'm completely British just like Harold thought he was too. My people never even left the house. I'm not even self-made tea, I'm industry tea. Individually wrapped. Here it comes" started Liam and threw little wrapped tea bags at his classmates. 

"Oh, that's the worst report I've ever heard" complained Mr Matthews. 

"Oh you don't want one?" asked Liam snippy, referring to the tea bags. 

"I do want one" nodded Mr Matthews. 

"You made me do this" threw Liam the tea bag towards Mr Matthews, who just caught it. 

"Great News, Niall. Your report couldn't possibly be any worse" told Mr Matthews Niall while Liam kept throwing teabags. 

"You don't know me" snorted Niall, grabbing his stuff and making Mr Matthews look like he wanted to run away. 

"Turns out everyone already knew that about me but I'm Irish," said Niall enthusiastically. "I'm a leprechaun, Woah. Here, have a potato" threw Niall a potato at Reggie. 

"That's what you brought? Potatoes?!" was Mr Matthews aghast.  

"No, that would be a stereotypical ignorant cliche. I also brought our own made soap" presented Niall a green package of Irish Soap. 

"Niall, Ireland has a rich deep cultural history. You show us something authentic right now" deamnded Mr Matthews. 

Niall thought for a second and then walked over to Reggie and climbed on his desk. "What are you doing?" wondered Mr Matthews. 

"I'm gonna Riverdance all over Reggie's head" answered Niall innocently. 

"Do it" grinned Reggie and Niall was about to start. 

"Sit Down!" was Cory done with it. "Both of you have just squandered an opportunity to show us who you are. Harry and Eleanor, show us who you are". 

"Sure about this?" asked Eleanor Harry uncertain. 

"We look good" stated Harry surely. Both of them were wearing cowboy outfits, had a lasso around their shoulder and were wearing big colourful hats with a yellow star on it. 

They stood up and held a red sign in the air 'Don't mess with Texas'. "Texas" cheered both of them, making Mr Matthews sigh to himself. 

"Sit Down". 

"You lied to me" claimed Eleanor offended. 

"Don't mess with Texas" glared Harry jokingly at Mr Matthews. 

"You're not from Texas" pointed Mr Matthews out. 

"His grandpa lives right down the street from my family" huffed Eleanor. 

"You're not from Texas either". 

"Her aunt lives right down the street from my family," said Harry almost the same as her. 

"Sit Down". 

"Okay, back to us," said Liam and pointed at Niall, who had brought out a bagpipes and started playing. 

"No!" exclaimed Cory, making Niall stop. "Bagpipes are Scottish, not Irish". 

"Potato? Potato" threw Niall a potato to Cory. 

"What a bunch of jerks" shook Cory his head. 

"Cory?"

"No". 

"Cory?". 

"Leave me alone". 

"CORY?". 

"WHAT?". 

"Should I just tell my story?" asked Zayn, seeing how done Cory was. 

"Please". 

"Okay. Well, I was born in Bradford and my Mom is partly Irish and converted to Islam because my father is British Pakistani, which are citizens or residents of the UK whose ancestral roots lie in Pakistan, where my father was born. I grew up in a working-class family and neighbourhood which I think was good for me because I know how hard but also how great life can be. After my parents divorced we still kept parts of my father's cultural traditions for uns because it's still part of us" told Zayn them his story. 

"That's the only authentic thing that has been said today" smiled Mr Matthews satisfied. 

"At least your story is interesting. I want another story" pouted Liam. 

"You all have wonderful stories. You just have to find them. Your stories make this world such a peaceful place" claimed Cory. 

"No, it's not. There are conflicts everywhere" threw Liam in. 

"You mean cultural clashes?" cheeked Cory. 

"Yeah, all through history" nodded Liam. 

"Good boy, Liam" praised Cory him. 

"Good boy, Liam" mimicked Niall Cory's words and threw a potato on Liam's desk. 

"Niall". He just threw the soap on the desk too, followed by the bagpipes, making Liam roll his eyes. 

"There are conflicts as we live in a world full of different kinds of people" came Zayn back to the topic. 

"Right, unfortunately, people have always feared the other" agreed Cory with his godson.  

"The other what?" asked Harry. 

"The unknown. Anybody who isn't like you. From a different country, a different religion, a different look. And our first reaction to that unknown has always been fear" told Mr Matthews them, making them think. 

"Louis?" addressed Mr Matthews him after being silent for the whole lesson. 

"Yes, Sir?" looked Louis up. 

"Did you do the assignment?" Cory wanted to know. 

"No" answered Louis shortly. 

"Why not?" asked Mr Matthews. 

"It's stupid" shrugged Louis tried unbothered. 

"We all need to dig deeper than potatoes and soap and stupid heads" decided Cory to just leave Louis alone for now. 

"Why are they stupid heads?" asked Eleanor Harry confused. 

"They just don't understand us" shook Harry his head. 

"This a topic about discovering who you are. This is for you to understand that culture isn't found in a souvenir shop. Louis, what's culture?" faced Cory him. 

"Our Stories?" answered Louis a bit taken back. 

"Find yours. Find yours. Learn from each other. Otherwise, we don't stand a chance" said Cory in conclusion to the class. "Lesson over". 

Silent and deep in thoughts the students gathered their things together and left the classroom but Mr Matthews held Louis back. "Just a minute". 

Louis leaned against his desk and waited for Mr Matthews to scold him for not doing the assignment but that didn't happen. "Louis, what's wrong? Why haven't you done your researches?". 

"As I said, it's stupid" coughed Louis uncomfortable. 

"And I know that's bullshit. I've seen your face when I announced the task and during the presentations. While Zayn was talking about his family. You're not as good at hiding your emotions to anyone as you might think. So, what's the matter? Why don't you wanna ask about your heritage?" let Cory him know. 

"Who am I supposed to ask, huh? The father that is never home or my dead mother? I'd really wanna know" snapped Louis brokenly at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to...". 

"It's okay, Louis. I'm sorry. I understand" smiled Cory understandingly at him. 

"It's just... this is really hard for me. I can't even find out anything I don't already know because there's no one I could ask. They're all dead or gone. My maid Maria and I tried to find something out but it was useless lost time. There's nothing. I know this task is for us to find out our story, to find out who we really are but I already know who I am. I'm the broken boy without a real family that puts on a brave smile and is relying way too much on his friends and gets hurt easily because life has burned him. It's okay. No need to dig even deeper" opened Louis up to his teacher and felt the tears forming in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Louis. I didn't know that" petted Cory his shoulder and didn't quite know how to react because he couldn't judge what Louis wanted from him. 

"You couldn't know. It's okay" assured Louis him. 

"You're free to go now but know that I'm here if you need something. Oh, and for the task, I give you a ticket" said Cory to him. 

"What's that?" wondered Louis. 

"Practically it means you don't have to do it. You just told me your story, Louis. No need to let the whole class now". 

"Thank you, Mr Matthews" smiled Louis thankfully at his great teacher. 

He walked out of the classroom and was directly met with his friends waiting for him, looking sad and guilty. Probably meant they had heard the conversation. 

"Oh Louis, forgive us for not thinking about this. We didn't even consider how this task could make you feel" fell Liam into his arms. 

"Lima Bean, you don't have to be sorry. It's just a bloody task" patted Louis Liam's back. 

"But it tears up wounds that should stay closed" pointed Zayn out with a sad face. 

"Don't worry so much, Zaynie" tapped Louis Zayn's nose. 

"That's our job as best friends". 

"Exactly" agreed Liam with his boyfriend. 

"Niall?" walked Louis over to him standing a bit further away with his head down, completely ignoring Harry's presence. 

"I'm the worst brother in the world" sniffed Niall. 

"Oh God, Niall. Don't even think that" pulled Louis him into a tight hug. "You're the best brother in the whole wide world. 

"But I didn't...". 

"Shh" shushed Louis him. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Just tell me about your story researches". 

"Looks like I have to call my mother for that" wiped Niall his tears away. 

"I'm sure she can answer every question" smiled Louis bravely at him. 

"How the hell did you come up with being from Texas by the way?" addressed Liam now Harry. 

"Well, my grandpa lives there for ages" shrugged Harry. 

"That doesn't make you Texan" grinned Zayn amused. 

"Yeah, I bet you're as British as I am" was Liam sure of it. "I'm Liam McTea". 

"I bet you're wrong". 

---

"I never knew much about the Gallagher side of my family because my parents divorced when I was five years old. My Mom's Maura Galagher because that's how she rolls. We moved to England with my father but stayed in good contact with my Mom. Still, I didn't know much about them. Now I do. I talked for three hours with her on the phone and she told me stories about my dead grandparents and about when she was little. Then I talked to my father about living in Ireland and going back to my hometown this year. So we ended up looking up old pictures and videos of us in Mullingar, Ireland and it's so beautiful. Even more, than I remember. So thank you for making me find out" presented Niall his work next week on Friday. 

"Great work, Niall. Thank you for sharing your story with us" was Cory proud of him. "Liam?". 

Liam stood up and to almost everyone's surprise, Harry did too. Only the boys knew why and couldn't hide a small grin. "I was born in Wolverhampton and moved here when I was three years old with my Mom while Harry was born in Holmes Chapel and I met him in middle school.  Due to this cultural task, Harry and I went to that culture fair in the city, looking for the British booth just to find out there wasn't one. Later we found something that made us understand why". 

Harry opened the classroom door and turned back to the students. "Field Trip". 

They all followed the two of them outside of the class and stopped in the hallway where Harry and Liam were standing next to a big poster on the wall. "You don't eat in a British booth when you come from here. England is one big cultural fair. Every day we walk through different neighbourhoods, different communities and becoming a part of them is as easy as stopping by and say hello" continued Harry. 

"I am this girl right here" pointed Liam at the poster. It was a girl's face which was a combination of so many small aspects of life and culture all in one. "We all are. A combination of everybody we see every day. Once upon a time, Liam Payne lived in Doncaster, Uk, and that's why he lived everywhere. That's my story. I have a story". 

"Thank you, boys. Now come on, get out of here" ended Cory the lesson for today. 

"That was great. I'm impressed" patted Niall Harry's shoulder, for a second being his normal friend. 

"I took some time but...".

While Harry was talking to Zayn and Niall, Louis pulled Liam to the side to talk to him or more like ask him a favour. He knew it would be difficult but he had to find a way to keep his promise. 

"What's the matter, Louis?" was Liam a bit worried. 

"I want you to help Harry pass this year" revealed Louis to him. 

"What? But... wait why?". 

"I promised to not let him fail but he keeps pushing me away when I wanna help him for whatever reason. I need him to pass. He's smarter than he thinks and your report jut showed that. You did it once. You can do it again" said Louis desperately. 

"But he never wants to study" frowned Liam. 

"Find a way around the normal studying. You're smart, Liam. Trick him into being better. He can do it but only without me. Just please" begged Louis. 

Looking at Louis' pleading eyes there was no way out. "Okay, fine but only because he is an idiot and you're the best person in the world". 

"You guys coming or what?" called Zayn over to them. 

"Missing us already, Malik?" teased Louis him. 

"Always" winked Zayn at him. 

"Let's get some Lunch" clapped Niall excitedly into his hands. 

"Are you free this weekend, boys?" asked Zayn as they walked towards the cafeteria to get their food. 

"Yes" answered Niall and Liam at the same time. 

"Guess so, why?" Harry wanted to know. 

"Just a bit of lads time. You're in?".

"With some alcohol, I am" agreed Harry to it. 

"Tommo, what about you?" faced Zayn him, knowing where this could lead to. 

"Not sure. Gonna see what Maria wanted from me, but I'll tell you later" answered Louis, but already knew he had plans with Josh and Evan. 

"Okay," said Zayn, but Louis knew he had seen right through him. 

"Oh, before I forget about it. Harry?" grinned Liam amused. 

"What is it?" gave Harry him a weird look. 

"I told you I was right". 

-------------A/N--------------------------

This got longer and longer and makes no fucking sense. I have the feeling it's getting worse and worse with every update.... :/

Anyway, Question of the Chapter: What's your story? Is it more like Zayn's or Liam's?

Please vote and comment on what you think, my loves <3