The Masked Girl (Louis Tomlinson)

Chapter 37: The Fine Girl

Chapter 37: The Fine Girl

“How was your day?”

Louis makes absolutely no attempt at being polite when he shows up outside of the dorm room and invites himself in. He didn't call or text me to warn me that he would be coming. He shows up around eight, long enough for me to have recovered from my phone call with my mom. To say that she is upset is an understatement. She is devastated. I'm devastated too, but I focused on lifting her spirits. I told her that spring break wouldn't really be that far away. I know it didn't do much to comfort her, but it's all that I can do.

As soon as I hung up, I excused myself to the bathroom to hide my tears from Jane, but she knew. She knew, but she's kind enough to not mention it. Instead, when I reentered the room, she asked me what I'm learning in math and if she could help me with any of it. I gladly accepted. We ate while still poring over the endless problems, but it kept us so occupied that it was pleasant. Even though it made me want to gauge my eyes out, I couldn't have been more grateful for the distraction at the moment.

But, then Louis showed up.

“Hello? Earth to Piper.”

Louis is waving his hand in front of my face with a small smile.

“Ah, there we go,” he says, and his smile widens slightly. “How was your day?”

“Fine. I've got a lot of math to catch up with,” I say, giving him a pointed look.

He frowns jokingly and glares right back. I'm hoping to imply that it's his fault that I have so much math to make up, but he knows that I'm not actually blaming him.

“Anything more exciting than math?” he asks, taking a seat across from me on my bed where Jane had been sitting; she lost her spot when she got up to get the door.

“Well, the hospital bill.” I shrug, fighting to keep my voice light.

“Oh no, was it a lot?” he asks worriedly, his eyes frantically searching my face.

“Hospital visits don't tend to be cheap. I can cover it though,” I tell him.

“What's the catch?” he asks, not missing a beat. He really picks up on the subtler details in life.

“I'm not going home for winter break.” I sigh.

I can't try to hide it from him. He would keep pushing and prodding until I told him, so there's no point. The idea that I won't be able to go home makes tears spring to my eyes again, but I already cried. I don't need a second round and certainly not in front of Louis. It isn't that I'm afraid of him seeing me cry. But, crying means that people worry and want to give comfort. I'm perfectly capable of comforting myself. And, I already decided that if he offered that I join his family again, I will refuse politely. I won't do that again, especially not for Christmas since I'm not too keen on the holiday anymore.

“Let me pay for something,” he tells me without a second thought.

“No, that's not necessary,” I say kindly. “I appreciate it, but I've been earning my own money. I’m fine on my own. Call it a pride thing, but it's important to me.”

“Obviously you're not fine, you're going to be stuck here for Christmas.” Louis frowns, and I can feel his temper rising.

“I'll find things to do.” I shrug weakly.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, but he drops the topic, which surprises me.

“Okay sure,” he says.

We have an unofficial staring contest, each of us trying to figure out what the other is thinking, but we're both so hidden from each other. It's an impossible game. Louis blinks, and I smile victoriously. He realizes what I'm smiling about and smiles as well, shaking a bit with silent laughter. It's a beautiful sight.