Louis' POV
As soon as I got back to my apartment, I set my notebooks and textbooks down on my desk, groaning to myself as I fell face first onto my comfortable bed that I've missed all day.

Another day jam packed with coming up exams and even more studying to get caught up  on within this next week. Saying that I'm stressing out would definitely be an understatement.

I lifted my head up from the pillow I buried it in, glancing over at the alarm clock sitting on my nightstand. It was only 3:30 in the afternoon, so I still had the whole day ahead of me. Although, I'd definitely prefer a nap right about now.

But if I sleep now, I won't be able to go to bed by the time night falls.

Letting out a sigh, I pushed myself up from the bed, moving over towards my desk and pulling out the chair before sitting down. After staring blankly at my textbooks for a few seconds, I opened up my notebook, along with the maths textbook.

Coming to this college in NYC, I plan on majoring in Creative Writing and Journalism. Ever since grade school I've had a passion for writing, so I shot for my dreams of possibly becoming a writer someday. It's a long shot, but it's a chance that I'm willing to take. I'm in my second year of college, after moving here about a year and a half ago from my hometown in Doncaster.

After what seemed like ages of cramming my brain with information and typing up an essay for my English lecture tomorrow, I had finished everything necessary to prepare myself for these tests. For the day, at least.

Pushing the fringe away from my face, I clicked the lock button on my phone, watching as the screen lit up with my background wallpaper of my best friend, Liam and I from when we were around 16 years old. It was around four years ago when the photo was taken; there was an annual fair occurring in Doncaster that Liam and I attended together. We were both stuffing our faces with funnel cakes and I decided on taking a photo of us with powdered sugar coated all over our lips and noses. Looking back on the memory, I can't help but smile.

Liam and I grew up together all of our lives, and he's one of the main people I miss back at home. Our families were close friends, especially our parents.

Liam's family moved to Doncaster due to a job switch with his father's work, and they just so happened to be living right across the street from where I lived as a kid. So when my mum invited Karen and the rest of their family over for dinner one night, Liam and I were practically instant best friends. That's always how it works out when two kids are only eight and six years old. But Liam and I have been the closest of friends ever since.

We still talk, of course, but sometimes it gets pretty busy with my lectures and exams over here in college, while Liam is still back in the UK doing his schooling. About a year ago he mentioned something about his dad's job switch again, which resulted in them moving to Cheshire and out of Doncaster.

I plan on visiting Liam and my family sometime around Christmas break, once college lets out for a few weeks. If I could visit during the summer holiday, I would, but I can't afford to make two separate trips. Working at the coffee shop pays just enough to get me by to pay for monthly rent in my apartment, and save up enough each year for a plane ticket back home for the holidays.

Back when Liam and I were in middle school, me being in 8th grade while he was in 7th, I did have questioning closeted feelings for my best friend. I, of course, never told him, in fear of ruining the strongly bonded friendship we've created for so many years. I wouldn't say it was an experimentation in attempts to figure out my sexuality; the feelings were just there.

I suppose the 'feelings' were just a one time thing, for they faded away after a couple of months when I realized Liam and I would be nothing more than friends.

I've had one girlfriend, and that was in my freshman year of high school. This, as shitty as it sounds, was experimentation. After being constantly preached to from my mother about how wrong homosexuality was, the thought slipped into my own head as well. The lectures from my mum didn't start until the beginning of high school, since she knew that was around the time where kids started experiencing real crushes, and all that high school petty shit.

That little fling lasted maybe a month, and it just didn't feel right to me. It didn't feel right once throughout the entire 'relationship'. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't push myself to believe that I was really straight. The thought of dating a girl made me cringe, and I couldn't look at them the way I looked at guys. It was all too foreign.

So, after several years of crying myself to sleep most nights, afraid that I was a complete and utter disappointment to my family, I came to conclusions that I was gay; and there was nothing I could do to push that away. That decision was finalized in my senior year of high school, and I still haven't quite told anyone. Not even Liam.

After deciding that I had done enough studying for the day, I closed my textbooks and notebooks, pushing them aside and stacking them in a neat pile on my desk. I stood up from my desk, grabbing my phone to see that it was just a little past six.

Still too early to sleep.

I scrolled through my contacts list on my phone, pressing down on the familiar name and the phone icon, watching the screen change to a current call. I lifted the phone to my ear, hearing it buzz a few times before an Irish accent rang through the speaker. "'Ello?"

"Hey, lad!" I chirped, pushing in my desk chair neatly and setting the pencil and laptop back into their usual places.

"Hey, Lou. What's going on?" Niall chuckled once he realized who the caller was, and I could hear some shuffling in the background.

"Just finished studying for all these bloody exams I have to prepare for."

"Yikes." Niall let out a laugh. "I'm at the campus field having a few kicks around. Come join, yeah? You gotta be stressed, mate."

"Definitely." I nodded, walking over towards the front door of my apartment and slipping on my worn out black vans. I grabbed a couple of dollars off of the desk, as well as the keys to my apartment, slipping my jacket around my shoulders securely. "I'll be there in around ten."

"I'll be here!" Niall spoke, before hanging up the phone. I tucked my phone into the pocket of my black skinny jeans, heading out of my apartment and locking it behind me.

I pressed the button of the elevator, patiently waiting for it to open as I rocked back and forth on my heels.

Niall was another close friend of mine, I just haven't known him for as long as I've known Liam. I met Niall here at university through our love of football, or American soccer if you'd call it. He's on the college team, playing defense for as long as I can remember.

The elevator doors slid open, and were thankfully empty as I stepped inside of the cramped corridor. Pressing the first floor button, I leaned back against the metal railing, humming along softly to the annoying music that played through the small elevator as I watched the doors close.

After what seemed like forever, the elevator shaft finally made it's way down to the first floor, the doors sliding open. I walked out, seeing a few people that were patiently waiting for their turn in the elevator.

I gave them a small smile, with a nod of the head as a greeting before walking past them and out of the apartment building doors. I let out a huff from the cold January air, seeing the busy passing cars passing by along the streets, which was completely normal for an average day in New York City. That was one of the downsides of living in such a populated area.

I stood by the side of the street, leaning on my tip toes just slightly enough to glance down at any possible taxis that may pass. I lifted my hand up in attempts to wave one down, but they continued on driving past.

NYC was not my favorite city in the world, let's just put it that way.

After a couple more taxis passing by, I finally managed to wave one down as it came to a slow stop on the side of the street in front of me. "Thank god," I murmured as I opened the backdoor, climbing inside and shutting it behind me.

"Where to, kid?" The taxi driver glanced back at me through the front mirror, black sunglasses shielding over his eyes.

"NY University." I replied as I leaned back in my seat, pulling the seat-belt across my chest and buckling myself in. He nodded, glancing in his rear view mirror before pulling back out onto the street filled with plenty of cars.

-

"Thank you, sir." I spoke politely as I handed the taxi driver enough money to pay for the drive to the college campus. He nodded in response, and I quickly shuffled out of the yellow cab, shutting the door behind me and watching as the vehicle pulled away from the curb.

I shrugged the jean jacket closer to my body, shivering slightly from the crisp air. It was still in the winter season, so it was fairly cold outside; especially around this time of night.

I walked around the back of the building, towards where the footie field was set up. No one was around, except for maybe a few other college students that could actually afford a dorm room on campus. Niall, for example, was one of them students. He shared a dorm room with one of his other friends, Zayn.

When I made it to the football field, I couldn't miss the blonde bloke that was kicking the black and white ball across the field and into one of the goals. I jogged up, pushing through the metal gates as I walked onto the grass field.

"Mind if I join?" I let out a chuckle, zipping up my jacket as I walked further out onto the field. Niall jumped in surprise, turning around to look at me. "As long as you don't give me another heart attack." He placed a hand over his chest, causing laughter to bubble from my lips.

He leaned down to pick up the ball, tossing it over towards me. Out of instinct, I lifted my knee up and let the ball bounce off of it before chasing after the soccer ball and stopping it with my foot. "What are you doing out here at this time of the evening anyways?"

"Coach wanted me to work on kicking goals," Niall shrugged. "He said he was thinking about upgrading my position on the team, I just have to prove myself worthy enough."

"Took him long enough to take that into consideration." I spoke, drawing my foot back before kicking the ball with force, watching as it flew into the large white goal net.

"I guess. I mean it when I say you should join the team, Lou." Niall encouraged, and I stopped in my tracks, looking over at him. He has always wanted me to join the team, since football was my favorite sport for as long as I can remember.

"I don't know. Football is just kind of a side hobby, you know?" Honestly, I never thought about joining the team, or even trying out, for that matter. With all of my studies in the way, I just don't think I'd be able to make football become apart of my daily schedule.

"At least think about it, yeah?" Niall gave me a pleading look, more or less one that a small puppy dog would have. Niall knew me well enough to know that the puppy dog eyes was my weakness.

"Oh, come on, Niall! That's not fair." I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?" Damn, the boy has never been this persistent.

I groaned, rolling my eyes as I walked over towards the net, leaning down to grab the ball. "Okay, fine. I'll at least about it, but no promises on me actually trying out."

"Works for me!" Niall cheered as he ran over to me, knocking the ball out of my hands before leading it in the opposite direction towards the other goal net.

That little fuck.

-

After nearly two hours of kicking the ball around the football field, Niall and I had parted ways, him heading back to his dorm room saying Zayn was probably wondering where he was. I, once again, had attempted to wave down a cab so I could get back home to my apartment.

I shuffled into my bathroom, making sure to hang up my jacket on the coat rack in the hallway. Washing my hands, I pulled out my contacts case and easily took out each of the clear contacts, placing them securely into the case as my vision became blurred.

Deciding on a shower in the morning, I took off my shirt, tossing it into the plastic hamper in the corner of the bathroom, along with my jeans after setting my phone on the bathroom counter. I slipped into a pair of plaid pajamas, running a hand through my feathered hair and grabbing my phone, heading back into my bedroom.

I unlocked my phone, seeing I had two missed calls, along with text messages from Liam. I guess I got distracted at the campus field, considering I hadn't checked my phone all night and Liam messaged me around six, which would've been eleven his time.

Bloody timezones, I swear. Another reason Liam and I don't talk as much as we used to.

"I need a favor, maybe?"

"Hey, mate. You must be busy. I was wondering if you would happen to be interested in helping my friend out?"

I narrowed my eyes at both of the texts. What friend do I need to help out and for what reason? I shook my head as I typed back my reply.

"Explain, please."

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