17 Black (Part Two)

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i'm sorry for not updating for a few days, i was at my dads✨

here's a chapter though, hope it's satisfactory enough for u

don't forget to vote, comment, share, whatever there is to do.  stay safe, wear a mask, don't be dumb:)

message me if you need or want anything<3
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As Louis walks through the front doors of the school building, he sees Liam by the lockers waiting for him. He takes a deep breath, putting a faux smile on his face. No reason to worry the kid even further, so might as well act as if everything is in it's right state of normalcy. 

"Hey, Soggy," Louis chirps, hoping his feigned happiness will wash his friend's brain of any memory of earlier this morning.

"Hey, Elf," Liam shoots back. "Wanna explain what that phone call was about? Or what the fuck happened to your hand?" A teacher begins to yell, suddenly, seeming to have overheard Liam's ill-mannered words. The two boys walk away quickly, not waiting up to hear the end of whatever consequence they were about to receive.

"Did we have calculus homework?" Louis asks, trying to not-very-subtly divert the subject of the conversation away from himself. Liam gives him a 'don't bullshit me' look.

"No, and stop that. What's going on with you? Who do I need to beat up?" He asks, basically being the right-hand man of an interrogator.  Louis looks up at his friend with kind eyes, grateful that Liam cares so much about an issue so small.

"Nothing's going on, Li. Was just a misunderstanding, is all," he lies. "And I cut my hand on a broken plate. I'm fine, really. No need for you to punch the face of an antagonist. Thanks for offering your service, though. Much appreciated."  Liam smiled, smacking the back of Louis' head.

"How'd you break a plate?" He asks. Louis raises his eyebrows. Are there really so many ways you can break a plate that he'd have to ask which one is was specifically?

"Well, Lima, when people drop plates, sometimes the plate really can't handle it, and just has to break. Kind of like you, when I teased you for shaving your head. You broke- punched me in the stomach, and everything. Never realized how delicate your ickle feelings were, mate," he teases, dodging Liam's second attempt at hitting him. He's thankful that Liam didn't push too hard for answers, though he probably knew Louis wasn't telling- or going to tell- the whole truth, anyway.

"I gotta go to English, Li. See you there," Louis calls as he turns down the hall. There's a lot more people than there usually is during this time, he thinks. Maybe he's just finally not running late to class for once.

He's almost at the door when he sees Harry, who looks anything but cheerful. Louis stops at the door, giving him a questioning glance, wondering what's wrong and why he's here so early, which Harry just returns with a frown-scowl-angry face type of look, walking past him briskly. Louis frowns, but tries not to think too hard about why Harry would've just done that.

In comparison to back in his car, he now seems almost integrated with a certain coldness, an emotion Louis thought he never would have seen again from Harry.

He makes his way to his desk, slumping into his chair, not ready for this "new essay prompt" his teacher's been way too excited about, almost as if she looks forward to talking about a singular topic for more than 20 minutes. Louis deems himself too scatter-brained to handle something like that.

The bell rings, and the last group of kids flow into the classroom, hurriedly getting sorted before Ms. Maine walks in.

She was actually one of the better teachers that Louis' had throughout the years, not seeming to hate children, or her job for that matter. She's quite young, late twenties or so, with dirty blonde ringlets of hair that fall effortlessly down her back. Her large brown eyes remind him of Liam a bit, having that same look of innocence to them, and her bright smile gives her a glow of kindness.