Chapter 21 ~ The Conversation

[Louis]

When I woke up the next morning, I didn't want to get out of bed. My muscles really didn't want to move, plus I didn't want to go to school and face yet another day there. However, I still knew I needed to, which was the worst part. I couldn't miss school just because I didn't want to see one specific person.

That was why I forced myself to get up about two minutes later and walk over to my closet to get dressed. I chose a dark, green hoody and a pair of black, skinny jeans. After that, I combed my fingers through my hair and swiped my fringe to the side.

Once ready, I went downstairs to find mom, Lottie and Fizzy sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. "Morning guys," I said groggily, getting out an empty bowl before sitting down next to Lottie.

"Morning," they all said in unison, mom adding a 'honey' at the end. I refused to face her after yesterday night's events, still mad at her for talking to Anne.

I started eating in silence, munching on some cereal and milk. Lottie was on her phone as usual when she ate breakfast, probably scrolling through her Twitter feed. Mom and Fizzy seemed to have a conversation about school, mom telling her she had to do her homework even if she didn't want to.

Lottie suddenly let out a gasp, scaring the shit out of me. She turned her head, looking at me with wide eyes. "You're all over Twitter, Louis."

My heart stopped beating in my chest. "What are you talking about?"

I reached out to grab her phone from her hands, my own eyes widening at the sight. There were several pictures of me and Anne outside the cafe we visited yesterday. Scrolling through the tweets, I realized they were trying to find out if I was someone important to Harry considering I was hanging out with his mother.

Anger boiled up within me. Now I couldn't even hang out with his mom to get involved with him? What was next? I was seen with a guy that looked like him? I was sick of this. Sure, if Harry hadn't kept me out of the light from the start, this would have been different, but since I didn't want anything to do with his fame, I couldn't help but be mad over it.

I'd hung out with Anne several times outside our houses before, why did this happen now?

"Fuck this shit," I muttered, handing Lottie her phone back.

Mom shot me a sympathetic look. When Lottie had let out that gasp, she'd caught everyone's attention at the table. I didn't need mom's sympathy though. I didn't need anyone's sympathy. I just wanted to go back to how things were before that stupid boy decided to come back and visit his family.

Not feeling hungry anymore, I decided I would go to school early. I sent a quick text to Hannah, telling her she didn't have to wait for me as I went out in the cold weather and started walking to school. Chills ran through my body at the freezing air, and I hugged my arms tight around my body. God, I really wished the cold could just disappear.

Once at school, I walked into the building and through the hallway to my locker. Since I was a bit early, there weren't many people here yet, which I appreciated. Maybe I should get here early more often?

After having put my backpack and jacket in the locker, I grabbed my books and headed for Mr. Waltz's classroom. I wasn't shocked when I arrived and noticed that I was the first one there. Mr. Waltz hadn't even shown up yet.

Without knowing whether it was a good idea or not, I decided to fish my phone from my pocket and log onto Twitter again to see what people were saying.

Apparently, some of Harry's fans were positive he was bisexual considering they thought I was his boyfriend. I snorted at that, wanting them to know the truth about it. Instead of doing anything about it though, I continued scrolling through the tweets.

@Harry_is_my_fave: I am certain this guy just wants attention. I mean, why else would he appear out of nowhere so suddenly when Harry visits his hometown?

I could feel my blood boil up in my body by the tweet. The worst part was that the more tweets I went through, I realized most of his fans thought I was just some attention seeker. I could feel the fist that wasn't gripping the device clench together tightly.

Who did they think they were, going around and saying stuff like that? They had no idea about the truth, yet they just thought the worst thing possible about people. It wasn't really fair. It wouldn't surprise me if they were just jealous that they weren't the person who had been seen together with his mother.

Maybe I was overreacting a little, but I just didn't like being falsely judged for something I hadn't done. That was what made me almost throw the damn device across the room.

I was just about to close the app when the classroom door opened and a few students made an entrance. I didn't really know how many they were because the only one I was focusing on was the curly haired lad who was looking down at his own phone.

On instinct, I got up from my seat, knocking the chair down to the floor in the process. Without caring about it, I stomped over to the boy who hadn't acknowledged me yet, and he didn't until I was standing right in front of him. A shocked look crossed his features right when I shoved my phone in his face.

"What the fuck is this?"

The shock slowly left as he took my phone in his hand. He squinted his eyes to see what I was referring to. Once he had registered what I was on about, he handed me my phone back with a sigh.

"It's not my fault."

My eyes widened by his words. "It's not your fault? Then whose fucking fault is it, huh?" I snapped, widening my arms in front of him.

He ran a hand through his curls, looking a bit exasperated as if this was something that happened all the time. "Louis, my fans always make up stories about me and people around me. I have nothing to do with it," he shrugged, walking over to take his seat.

I followed him there, not happy with his answer at all. "But this is ridiculous. I have been out with your mom before and this never happened then."

He still refused to meet my gaze. Instead, he fumbled with his phone, slipping it into his back pocket. "I wasn't here then, meaning there were no paparazzi here. People didn't really know about my family up until now. That's why."

Still feeling angry about it, I grumbled; "Can't you do anything about it? I don't want people going around thinking I'm some attention seeker."

Harry rolled his eyes, finally looking up to meet my gaze. "Louis, they don't even know your name. All they have is your face. You shouldn't even worry about it."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "It doesn't matter. Everyone here knows who I am."

"Yes, but they also know that you don't want any attention. They are aware that you know me and my family," he reasoned, making me pout.

Feeling a little defeated, I turned my gaze to the floor. "Well, I don't want to be all over Twitter anyway, especially since I don't want anything to do with you and your fame," I muttered, walking away from him to go back to my desk.

Once I had picked it up from the floor and sat down, I looked over to the curly haired boy only to notice that he looked a little hurt. I wondered if that was because of my words or something else. I was positive it was because of what I said, yet I didn't care about it. It was the truth after all.

A minute later, Mr. Waltz finally showed up, and that was also when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the first period. I was quiet during the entire lesson after that, writing in my notebook. I was so into it that I almost jumped in my seat when the bell rang.

Shaking myself back to reality, I got up and was just about to leave the classroom when Mr. Waltz called my name. I knitted my eyebrows together, wondering what I had done to be held back.

Walking over to his desk, I looked at the man questioningly. By now, the classroom was empty with people, only the two of us left. "Yes, Mr. Waltz?"

He pursed his lips, a wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. "How're things going between you and Mr. Styles?" He asked, placing his pencil on the desk.

I was shocked by his question, seeing as he hadn't brought up anything about me and Harry ever since that test before Christmas break. However, I knew that had all been set up just because of Anne, so this came as a shock considering she most likely wasn't part of his curiosity this time.

"Uh... It's alright, I guess," I shrugged, not really knowing what to say.

He nodded curtly. "Has he changed since he came back? I'm sorry for asking, I'm just curious after what he answered on that test."

"I see..." I trailed off, scratching the back of my neck. Mr. Waltz wasn't a teacher I usually talked to about personal stuff or school stuff either for that matter, so it felt kind of weird to do it. The only time I'd really talked to him was about that test. I would be less surprised if he'd wanted to talk to Harry considering Harry had always liked Mr. Waltz.

"He's changed a little, yes... Why are you asking me this though? Why don't you just talk to him about it?" I wondered.

He gave me a small smile. "Mr. Styles wouldn't tell me himself if he's changed, now would he?"

I assumed he had a point there. It just felt weird that he wanted to talk to me. Was he really that curious? "How come you care so much about him?"

Mr. Waltz shrugged his shoulders. "He's always been one of the greatest students I've had, and I already liked him before he left two years ago. It was a nice surprise to see him back in the classroom that day. I'm sure you know his passion for English too, don't you?"

I bit my lip, nodding my head slowly.

"His mother contacted me as well, which you are aware of. Then it's the fact that his life outside of here has changed so much. It's astonishing to see his road through everything. So, I was just curious to see how he's adapting back into the school-life, and I can't see that none other than you would know better about it than himself."

I gave him a bleak smile, shaking my head. "You should know by now that we don't really talk to each other anymore. He left me when he got famous, you know?"

For some reason, it suddenly felt easy to talk to him. He was more open-hearted than I'd ever thought was possible for a teacher, and he seemed generally curious and caring about the pop star.

"I know," he admitted. "I'm not very surprised by it either if I do say so. Harry was young when he auditioned for the X-Factor. Fame came quickly for him, and I think he had a hard time adjusting to it at that rate. I mean, imagine yourself becoming famous in only a few weeks. His life changed drastically, and I think he just didn't know how to handle it all."

I thought about it, my eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Sure, Harry did become famous in like ten weeks, but was that really an excuse for what he did to me? He abandoned me without even saying a word. "I know, Mr. Waltz, but he never spoke to me. I waited and waited for him to contact me, but he never did. I don't think you can blame that on the fact that he didn't know how to handle fame," I said truthfully. If anything, I could've helped him if he had a hard time adjusting to his new life.

"I don't know, Louis. I can't read his mind, but you know as well as me that he is a good guy. He fights for what he wants when he knows he really wants it, and aside from what he did to you two years ago, has he ever done something that would make you think differently of him?" He asked, raising his eyebrows at me questioningly.

I let out a sigh, not really knowing what to say because I knew he was right. I had never had a reason to be mad at Harry before because he had never really let me down other than that time. He did have a heart of gold... back in the days. I wasn't so sure about that anymore though.

"How do you know that his new lifestyle didn't change that about him though?"

He tilted his head, thinking about it. "Even if someone changes because of fame - that it gets to them a little too much - they are still the same person deep down. He just needs to be reminded of what his life was like before everything. I think his stay here has helped him with that... Which is another reason why I asked you if he had changed," he admitted, a smile spreading on his lips.

I let out a sigh. This was a lot to take in for me, I had to admit that. However, I was still glad I had this talk with him because I knew I needed to hear someone else's opinion on everything that went on, someone who wasn't in the center of it.

"I see... Well, I guess he has shown a few signs of a change, but I don't really know if I can trust it or if it's just an act. Ever since he hurt me, I've had a hard time trusting him in anything."

"That's understandable," he agreed. "Just think about what I said, alright? I'm not saying that I'm right, but just keep it in mind."

I nodded my head. "I will." And to be honest, I was going to follow his suggestions.

I mean, I wouldn't change my mind about everything just because Mr. Waltz thought Harry was some kid sent from the skies, but I was going to keep in mind that he could be telling the truth about Harry showing signs of changing back to the old him because of his stay here.

"Alright, I won't hold you back any longer. I wish you the best of luck, Mr. Tomlinson."

I nodded, pressing my books to my chest before turning around to walk towards the door. Before I walked out, I glanced back at the teacher. "Thank you," I said, closing the door behind me.

As I walked back to my locker, I didn't register anything about my surroundings. The only thing I could think about was our conversation and Mr. Waltz's words.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice Hannah standing right at my locker when I got there. It was her voice that brought me back to reality, and I turned to her in shock. "Oh, hi," I greeted, sending her a smile.

She returned it, her books against her chest. "Morning to you too, babe," she winked.

Opening my locker, I shoved my books in before turning back to her.

"How come you couldn't walk with me to school today?" She wondered out of curiosity. It didn't seem like it was too much of a bother to her.

"I was just ready early and didn't want to stay home, so I decided to get here earlier. I didn't want to stress you, which is why I told you not to wait for me," I said truthfully.

She nodded her head. "I see. That was actually sweet of you."

Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "I'm not sweet, Hannah. That's where you've got it all wrong. To be honest, I don't know why you want to be together with me. You deserve someone better. Someone who brings you flowers and treats you like a real princess. I'm far from that."

I'd been feeling guilty a long time now. Not only because of my feelings for Harry, but also because I knew I wasn't treating her like I knew I should be doing. A good and loving boyfriend wouldn't avoid being intimate with their partner, something I had done since the start.

Sure, I did talk to her a lot in my free time, but I talked to Niall and Zayn in my free time as well. Deep down, I knew she deserved someone better than me, yet I was too selfish to let her go. I knew how much I needed her.

She hit my arm lightly, shaking her head. "Don't be silly, Louis. You're more than enough for me, and you do treat me like a princess. At least, I feel like a princess in your presence," she said, getting closer to wrap her arms around my shoulders, her books in one of her hands.

I curled my arms around her waist, reciprocating the hug. "You're too good for me, I swear," I mumbled in her ear, making her chuckle.

She pulled back, giving me a smile. "I don't really care if you aren't the best at showing your emotions affectionately. I thought it mattered to me more than I now know it does. You caring about me the way you do is the only thing I need, to be honest."

Yeah, she was too good for me.

At that second, I looked up only to see Harry passing by, his eyes locked on the two of us. I knew I wasn't misunderstanding the sad and also hurt look in his eyes. It was like it was a mixture of jealousy and disappointment at the same time.

The worst part of it all was that I could feel my heart break at the sight, and I knew that it shouldn't.

_______________________________________

This was kind of a filler, but I hoped you liked it anyway. Your comments are amazing by the way. Love you <3

Pauline .xx