The first exams of the semester were the hardest thing in the world for Louis. It was so strange to have these kinds of exams instead of normal school ones. Louis was studying nonstop for a whole week. This much he had never studied before, but he wanted to do well.

During the exam he was very focused and wrote way too much but afterwards he had a good feeling about it. Glancing at his watch, he realised Harry's next exam was in an hour and he was probably still in the dorm, practising for it. It was a practical exam with both of the instruments he was playing. The violin and the guitar.

Quickly, Louis went back home and stumbled upstairs until he reached their dorm. Through the door, he could hear Harry playing the guitar, but something was off. He sounded sluggish and tired if you knew how good he really was. Carefully, Louis turned the doorknob and opened the dorm door. Immediately, Harry stopped playing and changed his position on the bed.

"You don't have to stop. Keep going" requested Louis nonchalantly.

"There's no use to it. I sound bad anyway" hung Harry his head low.

"What I heard sounded good, but you have been better. What's wrong, Haz?" sat Louis down on his bed directly in front of Harry.

"I can't concentrate. There's too much on my mind" sighed Harry out with his guitar on his lap.

"Maybe you should try to involve it into your play. If you can't keep the thoughts out, let them lead you. Don't be afraid. Let it out" advised Louis him softly.

Unsure, Harry plucked some of his guitar strings and started to play that classical song from before again. This time it sounded way better and more like Harry, but for some unexplainable reason, Louis felt sad. Was Harry sad?

"You were right. Letting my emotions flow with the music helped a lot. Thank you, Lou" beamed Harry joyfully at him.

"No problem" smiled Louis back but it felt forced.

"I'm gonna go now. Do I see you later?" stood Harry up from the bed and grabbed his guitar and the violin case.

"Of course, Haz" assured Louis him.

"Great. Bye, Lou" waved Harry before he left the room.

As Louis was left alone in the room, he put out his notebook and opened it again. After their moment in the music store, Louis had come up with a new songtext and was working on it since. He had named the song Against all Odds and it was obviously about his feelings for Harry and being one-sided bonded but still being in love with him and the way that felt every day.

We might be unbonded, but I still need you here with me. When you're gone my soul longs for you, and I feel lonely. How can that be?

An incoming message on his phone tore him out of his thoughts and his horrible lyrics. He rummaged it out of his bag and looked at the screen. It was a text from Shawn into their group chat.

From Shawn @Weirdos:

'Party time tonight!!! Let's celebrate til dawn'

From Nialler @Weirdos:

'I'm in and Harry too. He just doesn't know it yet'

From Zayno @Weirdos:

'Li and I are in. Tommy?'

From Tommo @Weirdos:

'Sure thing. What about the girls?'

From Nialler @Weirdos:

'Aren't they still in their exams?'

From Nikki @Weirdos:

'Not all of us. I'd guess they're in though. You know A and A. No party without them'

From Shawn @Weirdos:

'Great. See ya in two hours outside at that large tree'

From Lima @Weirdos:

'You're a Freak'

From Tommo @Weirdos:

'No, a weirdo. Hence the name'

From Shawn @Weirdos:

'I hate you all'

From Nialler @Weirdos:

'Love ya, too'

Laughingly, Louis put his phone down. He had some really strange friends, but he loved it. Hopefully going to a club was a good idea. His stomach was feeling weird at the thought of it, but he shrugged it off. Instead, he went to his cupboard, he hated the word closet, and looked through his clothes. He had no idea why he still had some of them. They only reminded him of a part of him that didn't exist anymore. Like usual, he chose some black jeans, a loose shirt with an imprint and a jeans jacket. He knew he was going to freeze but he couldn't look like utter shit in a club.

After he had put his clothes on and made sure they weren't too tight, he went into the bathroom to go over his messy hair. He styled it a bit, but not too much and put it into a styled messy fringe swept to the side. He brushed his teeth and washed his face and lastly put on some cologne. Double eleven.

Shortly after he was ready, Harry stormed into the room like a madman. He threw his things onto his bed and headed towards the bathroom. "I have no time. Need to get ready" rushed Harry past him and closed the door.

Louis only shook his head at his antics and scrolled through his phone. Àmber had just texted him that she was coming too with Aria, but they wouldn't stay for too long because they wanted to visit Àmber's family tomorrow around noon.

The door to the bathroom opened again after an eternity and Harry stumbled out of it with a towel wrapped around his waist and nothing else. His hair was already done but he was wearing no clothes. Louis had to try really hard not to stare at his perfect naked body and drool over his freaking dormmate. Now he really felt like the stalkerish creep Jake thought he had been all along.

When Louis looked back up and tried to calm his thoughts, he realised which outfit Harry had chosen and that pissed Louis slightly off. It was the one Harry had bought when they were out shopping together, and Louis had joked around about getting laid and attracting boys with that blouse and those very tight skinny jeans. But damn, everybody would drool after Harry in those clothes tonight and Louis wasn't liking that idea one bit.

"You think I can go like that?" presented Harry his outfit to Louis, who tried to calm his breathing and rage.

"I told you before what I think about that outfit, Harry," said Louis neutrally.

"Great. Let's go" took Harry a hold of Louis' wrist and dragged him out the door and down the stairs to their meeting point at the large tree outside of the Uni building.

"Woah, Harry. You wanna get something tonight?" wolf-whistled Niall.

"Shut up, Nialler" slapped Zayn the back of Niall's head.

"Not everyone is bonded already, Zayno" punched Niall Zayn's arm.

"Can we just go? We're gonna meet Aria and Àmber there" urged Louis them to leave and just drop it.

"Party party party" sing-songed Niall on the way to the club.

Inside the club, they ordered some drinks first and even Harry had one this time and that worried Louis a lot. He swore himself not to overdo it and keep an eye on Harry tonight. This big world of horny and drunk bastards wasn't good for young and naïve Harry. Louis would make sure that nothing happened to him.

Downing two drinks each, they moved onto the crowded dancefloor and danced and jumped around like crazy. All the stress of those shitty exams fell down their shoulders and they drowned the fears of failing in alcohol and dancing. Every time someone danced up to Louis, he denied them in different ways. He wasn't one to hook up with strangers in a club. Especially not when he tried to keep an eye on Harry, who was happily dancing or more like jumping around. He was a mess on the dancefloor, but dozens of guys and girls watched him intensively, which made Louis' blood boil.

Thankfully Niall pulled Harry away from most of those perverts and danced with him. Way too close for normal friends he might add. With a drink in his hand, Louis watched the two of them like a hawk and felt himself getting more and more pissed at Niall even though he had no reason to. Their close proximity fucked him up.

"Please, let him live" begged Àmber next to him, who he hadn't noticed before.

"Yeah, don't kill Niall. He's keeping those freaks away" agreed Aria with her.

"I don't wanna kill Niall. How do you come up with that?" huffed Louis out.

"Serious question?" cocked Aria an eyebrow at him.

"Meh meh" made Louis and focused back on Harry and Niall.

"Lew, they're friends. No need to worry" touched Àmber his shoulder tenderly.

"I'm not worried. Harry can do whatever he wants. I don't care" claimed Louis in a squeaky voice.

"Do you even believe yourself?" questioned Àmber knowingly.

"What am I supposed to do? Dance with him? Yeah, no way" groaned Louis annoyed.

"Why not? Friends do that" asked Aria in a certain voice he already knew way too good.

"I hate both of you" ended Louis this conversation.

"Just come and dance with us instead. You can still keep an eye on him" offered Àmber him.

"Sounds better than sitting around" put Louis his empty glass away and went onto the dancefloor with the two girls.

For the rest of the night, Louis spent the majority of his time with Aria and Àmber or Zayn and Liam. But no matter what he did, he always kept an eye on Harry. The times Niall was busy with Shawn, Louis glared at everyone who even dared to look Harry's way and they always immediately looked away like they knew not to mess with Louis and what was important to him. Wise choice.

Louis' Song – Against All Odds

New beginnings and old fears – that's where it starts.

Scars and pained feelings – Pretended to be fine.

Maybe you hit me hard,

But nothing hurt more than knowing you'd never be mine.

You stumbled into my life,

Dragging me down (with you)

And I fell hard in more ways than one.

Our paths clashed and now I'm on an endless High Drive,

But sometimes it feels like I'm gonna drown (in you)

When you smile, I know it's worth the pain.

Chorus:

Cause the sad truth is we're not meant to be,

Inked reminder burning my skin.

It's a messed-up game, I'm never gonna win.

I'm tied to you and won't ever be free.

(My feelings for you go against all odds)

Destiny has never been on our side.

I can never have you, that's what I surely knew.

I put up an already lost fight.

Still, my feelings for you only grew.

We might be unbonded, but I still need you here with me.

When you're gone my soul longs for you, and I feel lonely.

How can that be?

Chorus:

The sad truth is we're not meant to be,

Inked reminder burning my skin.

It's a messed-up game, I'm never gonna win.

I'm tied to you and won't ever be free.

(My longing for you goes against all odds)

I tried to hate you, but my heart betrayed me.

You wanted to be friends, but my soul was longing for more.

It's nearly killing me, but I lost all control.

And if meant to be or not, I fell in love with you against all odds.

Chorus:

(Cause) the sad truth is we're not meant to be,

Inked reminder burning my skin.

It's a messed-up game, I'm never gonna win.

I'm tied to you and won't ever be free.

(My love for you goes against all odds)

Oh, Baby, I fell in love with you against all odds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Question of the Chapter: When is Louis gonna break?