The Fires of Spring (Larry AU)

e i g h t

As soon as Harry and Zayn deposit Louis in the nurse office, the nurse shoos them out and back to their class. Louis sits on the foam bed with a sheet thrown across it.

Louis watched the nurse go back into a room, and Louis dashes into the bathroom and locks the door behind him. Without turning off the light, Louis turns on the sink and sits on the floor, his back against the door.

Louis puts his face in his hands and sighs deeply. His whole body hurts. He wants Harry. He doesn't want his mum to overreact. But she will.

She always does.

There's a light knock on the door. "Mr. Tomlinson are you alright?" The voice is unfamiliar so Louis assumes it's the nurse.

Louis rolls his eyes because does it look like he's alright? He doesn't feel alright. He most certainly doesn't look alright.

More knocking.

Louis covers his ears.

"Mr. Tomlinson, is there someone you want me to call?"

Louis immediately starts rattling off his mums number. His mum is the last person he wants to see right now, but at the same time she's the only person he wants to see.

He can hear the nurse speaking softly into a phone outside the door. But Louis stays on the floor of the bathroom with the light off.

Louis wonders what everyone in his second period class what thinking right now. Probably thinking about the crazy new kid who had an anxiety attack in the middle of class.

"Louis, is there anything I can do for you? Do you want a snack, maybe?" Louis hears the nurse ask softly.

"I want some Fruit Loops and some macaroni and cheese and like chocolate milk all in the same bowl. With a pickle as a spoon."

The nurse laughs. "My name is Rachel."

Louis sniffs and wipes his nose. He reaches up and turns off the water running from the sink. He sits in the silence with Nurse Rachel on the other side of the door. He doesn't turn on the light, and he still remains on the floor. His head is still pounding and he just wants to shove his face with food because that usually makes him feel better.

"Your mum said she will be here in five minutes." Nurse Rachel says.

Louis nods even though Nurse Rachel can't hear a nod. So, he says, "Oh."

Louis doesn't want to turn on the light. He wonders if Nurse Rachel even noticed that he had it off in the first place.

A few minutes later, there's more knocking on the door. "Louis, it's me. Open up."

It's Louis' mum.

He opens the door.

His mum gets on the ground next to Louis and immediately envelopes him into her arms and strokes his hair.

Louis is fine now, but he likes his mum caring for him. Even if they won't admit it, every teenage boy needs a good cuddle session with their mums if they were having a bad day.

"Tell me what happened, Louis." Jay murmurs into Louis' ear.

Louis let out a shuttering sigh and rubs at his eyes. "Nothing. Nothing happened."

Nothing really makes sense to Louis at that moment. All he really wants is for his mum to take him home. Home to Doncaster. Back to his old town, he was already sick of this town.

"I want to go home." Louis says when his mum doesn't say anything.

Louis feels Jay nod against his head. Then, she whispers, "Okay, honey. Lets go."