Snow | L.S.

Day Three

November 2004.

"Louis Tomlinson, you're in Room 154 with Kieran Jones and Harry Styles," Mrs Gray, read out from a clipboard as she, two other teachers and the students of Year Nine gathered outside of a hotel in Krakow.

You've got to be kidding me! Louis mentally screamed.

"Wait a second, Miss!" Harry raised his hand to protest.

"No objections, Harry! It was settled when Zayn Malik backed out of the trip last minute. I can't put Louis in a room by himself."

"But Louis doesn't want to share with us, isn't that right Louis?" Harry turned around to ask.

"Oh, yeah, with all due respect, Miss, I'd rather jump off a bridge," Louis replied nonchalantly.

Mrs Gray sighed, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "I don't have time to deal with your petty arguments today. We've got a lot to get through."

"But-" Louis and Harry said unanimously.

"No buts!" She held the singular key with a label attached to it by its keyring and dropped it into Harry's palm. "Now go."

Harry rolled his eyes and picked up his bag, shoving it on his shoulder. Kieran followed closely but Louis lagged behind, struggling to drag his feet into the dingy hotel building.

As the three boys walked up the stairs towards their room, Harry said over his shoulder, "You better stay away from us, Tomlinson, or I swear to god-"

"You'll make my life hell? Yeah, I know," Louis replied with a knowing sigh. Like I haven't heard that one before.

At dinner, all the students and staff gathered in the dining room where a buffet was served. Louis helped himself to a small portion of macaroni cheese and salad before taking his tray to find a place to sit. Harry's table was obviously a no-go, and why would he want to sit there anyway? From what he could see, Harry, Kieran and a couple of other mischievous kids were hollering at the table of popular girls, girls that included the lovely Jess Lane, who had actually walked next to and talked with Louis a few times - to his surprise - as they ambled through the city a few hours earlier.

Luckily, Louis found an empty two-seater and sat down, taking out his Nokia to text Zayn:

Been put in a room w/ the terrible King of Kingston.
Send help ASAP.
:P

A few minutes later, his phone vibrated against the table and he opened Zayn's reply:

Srry bro! Will make it up to u! Can have my dad chopper you out of there in no time. Just say the word. ;)
P.S. Send me photos when you get a chance! Poland is supposed to be beautiful this time of year.

"Hi, Louis," a chirpy, female voice snapped him out of his smiling at his phone.

He looked up and suddenly became nervous when he saw Jess Lane standing in front of him, holding her tray of food.

"Uh, hi," he replied cautiously, flipping closed his phone and pocketing it. He looked around, almost as though he was double-checking she was, in fact, talking to him, and not someone near him. It was all very well that they had wandered the museum together, no one saw them separate from the group as they got lost in the different portraits, but this was in front of the whole year, where everyone would know that one of the most popular girls was talking to the artistic nobody. He was expecting her to drop his dinner on his head or prank him as Harry would. Actually, he was half-certain that Harry had had something to do with it.