- 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 !

16. 𝘐𝘕𝘝𝘐𝘛𝘌𝘚.

" chapter sixteen "
.INVITES.

☆•. 16. | "YUSEF." The teacher called looking at the laptop in front of him. Henry sat in class, arms crossed on the table with his head leaning against them. Nick sat beside him. As the boy who's name was called answered, Henry gently nudged Nick's arm with his elbow.

Nick looked toward him as he raised his head off his arms. "It's kind of my birthday on Saturday— Well, me and Charlie's birthday."

The boy furrowed his eyebrows. "Is it?"

"Mhm." He smiled. "Me and Charlie are planning on going bowling with Elle, Tao, Isaac and Louis, I was going to ask if you wanted to join us, but since you barely know most of them, you don't have to.—"

"Yes." Nick nodded with a smile.

"Nick and Henry, keep it down please." The teacher called causing Henry to make a face and sit up in his chair, his right arm laying straight while the other stayed the same.

Henry felt Nick nudge his hand with his pinky finger. Henry glanced at him with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "Thanks for giving me barely any time to get you a present." He whispered. The boy snorted looking at him.

"You don't have to get me shit." Henry whispered back.

"No, I am gonna—"

"I'm being serious—" Henry tried to speak but Nick shushed him. The boy looked at him with an offended look causing the other to silently laugh at him. "If we weren't in class, I would punch you."

"What? You'd punch me?" Nick looked at him.

"I'm kidding, I'm too nice to do that." Henry innocently smiled before turning back to look at the teacher. Nick just shook his head at the boy before doing the same, glancing at him every so often. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Agreeing to come." Henry smiled. "If you didn't, I would have had to put up with Louis and his annoying bowling. He is completely shit at it."

"You are so nice to your friends." Nick sarcastically whispered with a smile.

"I know, right? Don't know why they complain."

—

"SO, If we meet there at 4:00 then we can play two games," Tao planned out as the three, Henry, Tao and Charlie, all exited the school building, heading toward the gate. Henry had his headphones around his neck while walking on the left of Tao. "Then we get some food and then hand around the arcade for a bit."

"Right, yeah, good plan." Henry patted Tao on the shoulder with a smile.

"Well, I do try—" Tao suddenly moved as something came flying at them, Henry didn't move as it flew past his head. Slowly, he turned around looking at it before looking back to Harry and his laughing friends. Tao rushed forward, slamming his shoulder into Harry's. "Watch out, dicknozzle."

"You all right, mate?" Harry asked, getting in Tao's face with a glare.

"Harry, don't start." Nick stood from the bench, walking toward the group of three.

"What? Are you best friends with these weird little Year 10s now?" Harry asked before Nick snapped.

"Just stop picking on people for no reason."

"Aw!" Harry pretended to coo. "Are you gay for them?" He laughed.

"Classic Harry!" Tao spat. "Resorting to homophobia when you can't think of a good comeback."

Harry scoffed. "Mate, are you in a mood today?"

"Are you? Serious question." Tao interrupted. "Life must be really hard when your only personality trait is rich bell-end." Henry tried his best not to laugh in Harry's face as a scowl appeared on it. His eyes went to Nick, then to Harry then to a certain red-haired boy who stood not to far away. "Come on." Tao muttered, pulling Henry away.

"You... are fucking brilliant, I'm not even joking." Henry patted the boy on the back.

"Why, thank you." Tao smirked.

"You shouldn't have done that." Charlie looked at the boy.

"What do you mean?" Tao asked.

"I know you're trying to help but you're making things worse." Charlie looked at the two. Henry hesitated before nodding, agreeing with him. Henry glanced behind him, spotting Nick who watched them from afar.

"—we have to show Harry that he can't just walk all over us." Tao explained as the three walked further and further away from the school.

"It..." Henry sighed, looking forward. "It's way more complicated than people think. It's not just us versus them."

"What? Because of Nick?" Tao turned to look at him.

"Maybe." The boy shrugged.

"I'm sure he can look after himself."

"I really don't want him to be dragged into this shit. He isn't like the rest of them—" Henry tried to speak.

"Oh, well, we can't possibly hurt your new best friend, Nick Nelson." Tao spat at him causing a Henry to look at him with furrowed eyebrows. "I wonder how Louis feels about this."

"Fuck you." Henry muttered, pulling his headphones off his neck and on to his ears. The music instantly started playing in his ears, the tune of 'When The Sun Goes Down' by Arctic Monkeys echoing in his mind, ignoring the boys who stood next to him as he glanced toward Nick, who stood with Imogen.

.•

NICK stared at the Instagram post by Imogen. A photo of her and him with the caption 'this boy 🥰'.  He then scrolled to the next post which was from Henry. It was a photo of him and Elle making funny faces at the camera, the next photo was of him and his guitar. The boy sighed as his mum entered the room.

"Had a good day, Nicky?" His mum asked as she walked past him. The boy only hummed in response as he stared at the photos. "What's up?" She asked.

The boy looked at her, locking his phone and placing it on the table that he sat at. "I said I'd go on a date with this girl, but I kind of also agreed to go to Henry's birthday party on the same day." He explained.

His mum smiled, looking at him. "Oh, do you like this girl?"

"Well, um... her dog died." He furrowed his eyebrows trying to explain his situation. His mum mad a face of confusion as she listened.

"Uh, not following." She leaned on the kitchen counter, looking at her son.

"She was really upset, and I felt bad. And she asked me out and I didn't know how to say no." He explained. "And I tried to tell her we probably shouldn't go out, and I couldn't. Because I didn't want to upset her when she was already crying about her dog." His mum nodded, finally understanding.

"Oh, okay."

"I mean, a lot of people are expecting us to get together, but I don't think I like her like that."

"You know, you shouldn't go out with someone because you feel sorry for them." His mum told him. Nick nodded, looking down. "Don't worry. The right girl will come along, just you wait." She turned around going into the cup and mug cupboard while Nick sighed.

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