The Water Boy (Narry)

Chapter 3

Once I  finished up with all of the laundry and equipment, I was finally free to go home and be at peace with myself. Each day it felt more and more like a relief to me that freedom was waiting for me. There are people who prefer not to be home as much as possible but I was the complete opposite of them. 

Walking into the door, I kicked off my muddy shoes, small clumps landing on the floor. My mum was going to just love seeing this if she greeted me at the door. I quickly brushed the pebbling dirt into a small pile before dumping it out the front door. I didn't understand why I never thought to beat out my shoes before coming inside. 

"Mum, I'm back!" I shouted in case she cared to know. 

She worked during the day when I was away at school. She liked being able to be home by the time I've gotten back around from my own job. She had asked for a switch in her hours when I became her last "baby" left to take care of. It was understandable that she was feeling more and more empty after losing her next oldest but I just didn't want her over-focusing herself on me. I was a teenager and I didn't need her turning me into a Mum's Boy. I was being bullied enough, not that she knew of this either. The last thing I wanted to do was tell her and have her worried and heartbroken over me. Plus, I've never seen my mum angry so it's best to keep her out of this. Her role as a protective mother didn't need to be poked at with a stick a million times until she bursted. 

My mum walked over to the door, her glasses slightly hanging down the bridge of her nose as she looked down on me. Could she smell me? I tried my best to wash my hair until I was scraping my nails against my scalp. I did stop a few times, wondering if maybe Harry noticed my vigorous actions. I doubt he cared about it like I imagined in his eyes. 

"I expected you home almost an hour ago. You should have called me to let me know." She gave me a knowing look. 

I let out a sigh, the half-truth coming back to me so I could tell her my reason. Again, minus the fact that another boy poured his own urine on me. "I'm sorry. The coach had me stay late for laundry and making sure things were all cleaned up properly in the equipment room. There is a match tomorrow, you know." 

"All right."

She came over to hug me and I tried my best not to tense up so she didn't try and read my discomfort. My back was also a bit sore from my fall as well. I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow with a slight bruise. Once she pulled away from me, she smiled and I felt a pang of guilt that she didn't know a huge part of her son's life. 

"I'll have dinner ready by six and by the smell of your hair I'm guessing you already bathed at school?"

 I nodded. "I was already there late enough so I thought I'd just go on and have a quick one."

"I wouldn't be hugging you otherwise if you smelled."

You have no idea how relieved you should be. Urine smells horrendous. 

All I could do was act how I normally did around her and give her a small sly smile. "I'm going to head off to my room and get my coursework started on before dinner." I was such a good boy at times. 

She ran her fingers through my flattened down hair. There was no point in styling it up over again if I was just going to be a bum at home afterwards. "I'll call out to you when I need you to come set the table then. Try not to have your music too loud this time and don't get distracted by any sporting matches on the telly." 

I gave her a face, the one I usually gave her when she repeated rules a thousand times over and I knew them. Sure, I disobeyed them every now and then because everyone had their own meaning of too loud or sometimes matches were quite heated and I needed to know how everything played out. It shouldn't matter because I always got my coursework done. These things keep my mind off of what's happened to me. I'd really like to forget for a while what happened with Zayn and Liam. With Harry, I wanted to remember it in a way of a fantasy. Infatuation was beckoning out to me this evening.