Mood: Broken Frame by Alex & Sierra

Harry sat in his English class, Louis next to him, completely still. Harry had tried to make him move to no avail.

The boy was stuck staring at the whiteboard in the front of the room, tapping his finger against his desk in a rhythmic pattern. The bell rang and everyone scurried out of the room, except for Louis. And Harry.

"Lou? It's time to get to class. We don't want to be late." Harry murmurs resting a hand on his shoulder. Louis flinched, looking at Harry with wide eyes.

"W-What?" He asks, tugging at his sleeves absentmindedly.

"Let's get you to class. Come on." Louis nodded, his blue eyes glassy.

Harry had his hand on his lower back, guiding him through the mass of bodies until they got to Louis' class. Harry left him uncertainly before heading to his next class.

****

Harry looked for Louis at lunch and found him walking to the office. He followed him, waving to him.

"Where're you going?" He asks.

"I have an appointment...with the counselor. Can you...can you come with me?" Louis asks suddenly. Harry looks at the hallway before nodding. He could miss one day of lunch.

They walked inside the office together, Louis knocking on the door.

"Come in." Harry remembered the room. He used to come here many times after his sister...

He shook the thought away, standing by the door.

"Harry? Well, it's been a while." Dr. Martin says.

"Uh...yeah."

"Why are you here?"

"Louis asked me to stay." He doesn't say anything after. He nods and types away on his laptop. Louis sits in one of the beanbag chair and Harry does the same, parallel to him.

"So, Louis how did you meet Harry?"

"He helped me...find my way to class on the first day of school." Louis says. Harry notices the way he scratches at the gauze. Harry reaches over and grabs his hand, smiling at him softly.

"Are you two..." Dr. Martin asks, slightly bashful.

"I don't know." Louis says nonchalantly. He pulls his hand away and wraps his arms around his torso, hugging himself. Harry tried not to look hurt.

"What did you want to talk about today Louis?"

"I don't know. I don't want to talk. I don't feel...good."

"Are you sick?"

"I've always been sick, haven't I?"

"That's not what I--"

"Yeah okay. Well, if I don't have anything to say I'm leaving." He stood and left, leaving Harry and Dr. Martin alone. It was quiet for a few minutes.

"You like him?" Harry nods.

"And you're scared about losing him?" Harry nods again.

"I thought you were dating someone at the moment."

"It's c-complicated."

"Un-complicate it." Harry stands and walks to the door.

"He's fragile Harry. He doesn't understand things. He's been holed up for three years. He doesn't know if you love him or not. Don't play with him." Harry is about to leave when Dr. Martin whispers, "Take care of him, Harry."

He meets up with Louis outside of the office. He was still hugging himself.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Harry asks.

"Fine. Let's get to lunch." Harry nods and follows the boy to the cafeteria. It was full of chatter, teenagers laughing.

Louis headed straight to the table with Niall and Liam. Harry eyed the table with Nick and his friends and then Louis.

Nick was waving to him, a tight smile on his face. Harry points to Louis and Nick sighs shaking his head.

Harry huffs, following Louis to the table. The two boys, Niall and Liam, smile at him.

"Can I sit with you guys?" They nod and Louis doesn't meet his eyes. It's silent.

"So, Louis, me and Liam were going to the movies this Saturday and we're wondering if you wanted to tag along." Niall asks. Harry's surprised he doesn't bring up the bandages on Louis' arms.

"M-Me?" Louis asks.

"Yeah. Unless you're busy."

"No. I can go." The small boy replies and the blonde smiles.

"Now if you can excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. Harry, care to accompany me?" Harry raises an eyebrow. Then he understands.

"Oh, yeah, sure." The two boys stand, leaving Louis an Liam to talk silently.

They walk out of the cafeteria, keeping a few inches between them. They round the corner and walk into a bathroom. Niall checks the stalls to see if they're empty and locks the door.

"What happened to him?" He asks. Harry takes a breath before answering.

"He tried to kill himself...yesterday." Niall's eyes widen.

"Are you serious?"

"No. He's depressed. He's sick."

"If he's sick then why isn't he in the hospital?"

"He was. That's why he hasn't been to school the past three years. He just got out but he's still..."

"What's wrong with him? He told me he had that...shits-zo-frania?"

"It's schizophrenia."

"Yeah that. What is it?"

"He hallucinates a lot. He has a sort of...imaginary friend? But he's not a friend. He tells Louis to do all these bad things to himself and I don't know...I want to help him but I don't know how."

Niall eyes him for a second.

"Do you like him?"

"I-I don't know. I mean, we kissed but I love Nick." Or at least he should.

"Nick the dick?" Niall asks.

"What?"

"Nick Grimshaw right?" Harry nodded.

"Yeah, he basically bullied Liam during freshman year." Harry's eyes widened. Nick bullied someone?

He wouldn't, would he?

"I think you've gotten things confused. Nick is nice. He would never--"

"Have a group of his 'friends' beat someone to a pulp? Sorry to tell this to you but yeah he did."

Harry felt tears brimming in his eyes. This wasn't true. This couldn't be true. He would know.

"You're wrong."

"I didn't come here to tell you how much of a dick your boyfriend is. I came to ask about Louis. Is he okay to go out on Saturday?"

"Yeah." His mind wasn't on Louis. No. It was on the fact that he had been lied to for the past two years.