Risk It All || Louis Tomlinson

Chapter One

"Honey, you're going to be late if you don't hurry!" 

Mrs. Smith hurriedly finished her daughter's breakfast and placed it on the table. That girl is the definition of slow, and only gets slower each day. By the way she acts at home you would never have guessed she is one of the top students in her school: top grades, perfect attendance for 7 years, model student, most generous. 

"I won't be late, mom. Don't worry." 

Gabriella rushed down the stairs, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She ran into the kitchen and quickly ate her breakfast of eggs and toast. She drank the last of her orange juice and ran out of the kitchen, turning back after remembering to give her mother a hug and kiss on the cheek. 

"Have a good day, sweetie!" 

"I'll try! Love you!" 

Gabriella rushed out the door and jumped in her car. She sped to school (luckily no cops were around) and arrived with seven minutes to spare. 

"There you are! I have been looking all over for you!" Gabriella's best friend, Madison, ran towards her and together they headed for her locker. 

"I just got here. I overslept.," she told her. "Again." She opened her locker grabbed her biology binder, placing her bag on the top shelf before slamming the door shut. Biology was always one of her favorite subjects in school. Science in general was something she absolutely adored. 

"Have you heard? There's a new teacher, and I hear he's quite the looker," Madison said happily, practically glowing. Gabriella rolled her eyes at her best friend, who has always been so boy crazy. She never understood why ninety percent of the school's girl population was so obsessed over boys when they could focus on useful things like their education or future. Boys provide you with nothing but heartbreak and confusion, so she therefore refuses to associate herself with them. 

"That's nice, Mads." 

"Don't you want to know what class he teaches?" Madison asked, clearly confused and oblivious to her friend's disinterest.

"Not really," Gabriella mumbled low enough for Madison not to hear. "Sure."

"Literature."

Oh, how wonderful, thought Gabriella. Just what I need for my second period. Girls will be drooling over him the whole class, I bet. 

The warning bell rang and Gabriella quickened her pace, not wanting to be late to her first class of the day. Madison said goodbye to her and ran to her class, leaving Gabriella with a few seconds to think. She walked through the door and barely made it to her seat just as the final bell rang. 

"Ah, Miss Smith. Almost late are we," Mr. Brown, the biology teacher, said with a hint of amusement lacing his voice. 

"Sh, no one has to realize that," she joked. He was one of the most laid-back teachers she had, and they had grown close over the past three years of her being in high school. She could honestly say that they were friends, and to her that was amazing. No one listened to her more or valued her opinions as much as he did. 

"Alright, class. Settle down, settle down. Today we will be learning about osmosis..." 

Gabriella zoned out and found herself focusing on anything but today's lesson. Since it was her second year in that class, she found no need to pay much attention, and the teacher really did not care. She passed all of her tests and and the highest grade in the class, so she was free to do as she pleased. 

As she was in her daze she thought about her fifth period piano class. She could not wait to sit down at the teacher''s piano and play her little heart out. Something about the way her fingers glided over the keys and how each sound reached to her very core as she played mesmerized her. You could say that piano had become her life. 

She was jolted out of her thoughts as the dismissal bell rang, signaling class change. 

"Have a good day, Gabby," Mr. Brown said, flashing her a dazzling smile. 

"You too, Mr. Brown." 

She went to her locker to switch her biology binder for her literature binder and headed to her second period. As soon as she walked through the door she could sense a dramatic mood change. Girls all around were leaning forward in their seats with big grins on their makeup-coated faces. 

They really can't help themselves, can they?

"Hello, class. I am Mr. Tomlinson, your new literature teacher. Today, instead of starting a lesson, I think we should get to know each other. As I go around the room, I am going to call on a student, and that student will give a brief description of themselves. Does that sound okay?" 

One by one, students stood up and introduced themselves. Some of them went out of their way trying to capture the young teacher's attention. Gabriella could not help but observe him as he listened to each student patiently and called upon another. He walked with a little bit of confidence and had a kind smile upon his face. He was wearing light brown pants and white button up shirt with a light blue sweater on top. His hair was brushed to the right where it ended in curls, and he wore glasses. 

"Alright, and last but not least, you. In the back." 

Realizing he was talking to her, she stood up. She lightly flushed as everyone focused their gaze on her. She never was one for attention. She cleared her throat. 

"Uh, my name is Gabriella, but people call me Gabby. I read a lot, and I play piano. I love learning, and poetry is one of my favorite things to learn about. I am also a flower enthusiast." She sat back down in her seat and he smiled at her. 

"All right, class. You may talk quietly as you please until the bell rings, which will be around ten minutes." 

Her classmates chattered excitedly around her, and she couldn't help but overhear some of them, considering they weren't making an effort to be very quiet. 

"He's so hot."

"Oh, the things I would do to him."

"He looks so cute in his glasses." 

Gabriella pulled her poetry book out and began reading, blocking all of the noise out until the bell rang. As she closed her book she realized she was the last one there. 

"Gabriella, would you stay after for a few minutes, please?"

She shrugged and picked up her book, making her way to the front of his desk. 

"Yes, sir?" she asked, wondering what it could be that he wanted. She didn't want to be late to class, but she pushed that thought aside. 

"You said you like poetry, correct?" 

"Yes, that is correct." She shifted her weight back and forth between her legs and nodded.

"Who is your favorite poet?" he asked, clasping his hands together on his desk and looking up at her with interest. No one has ever asked her that, let alone with interest. 

"Robert Frost, EE Cummings, and WH Auden," she told him honestly. No one she knew had ever heard of Auden, so she was quite surprised when he told her that he is one of his favorites as well. They also shared the same poems by him, Lullaby and The More Loving one. 

"You have quite a good choice in poets, Gabriella." 

"Thank you," she responded happily. "You can call me Gabby, if you would like. Everyone else does." 

"Well, Gabby. I will write you a note to your third period." Grabbing a sticky note and a pen from the top drawer, he quickly wrote her a note. "Who is your teacher?" 

"Ms. Davis," she told him. 

"Here you go." He handed her the note and she took it from him, looking at it. Please excuse Gabby for being late. She was helping me figure out tomorrow's lesson. L. Tomlinson." I will see you tomorrow. Have a good day."

On that note, she headed to her class, happy that someone finally shared her love of poetry, even if it was a teacher.