Take Me Home

Chapter Thirty-Three

Louis finally got his star moment a month down the line.

He had a football game that day, and his whole family were coming to watch him. He had already scored three goals and they were down to the final three minutes. He grinned, looking out into the crowd and waved quickly to where he could see his Dad and Papa standing, with Niall sitting on the ground next to Cooper and Harry knelt besides them. They all waved back.

He was beyond excited for this day and he had been for weeks. He hated to sound jealous, but in the past it had been all about Harry being sad and Niall having nightmares; there hadn't been any time left for him.

But recently, Niall hadn't been waking up screaming and Harry hadn't been sad quite so often, and school was good, life was good, friends were good, family were good - everything felt good, and the seven year old was beyond pleased about it.

He was running after the ball in the last twenty seconds when it happened. He kicked it swiftly from his opponent and into the direction of the goal. The crowd burst into cheers but Louis had stopped paying attention to that because his ankle hurt. It really hurt.

He tried to play it off for a moment as the families invaded the pitch and his own dad's and brothers came running over. He didn't want to be a baby, he was seven and he'd just scored the winning goal - he should have been happy. And he was, it was just that his ankle was throbbing and he was more focused on being brave.

"Lou, that was so cool!" Niall exclaimed, hugging him tightly as he ran.

Louis let out a small yelp as pain burst through his ankle again, but he didn't say anything, just forced a grin. The thing was, he still had a fear of complaining about pain at times. He may only have been three when his grandparents had left him at the hospital, but he still remembered how his grandfather would call him a baby if he let people know he was hurt.

Nevertheless, he was more than relieved when Zayn took one look at him and said, "what's wrong, little man?"

He bit down on his lip and looked down at his ankle. "I hurt my leg," he mumbled, annoyed because this was meant to be his moment and here he was, in pain instead of celebrating.

Stupid, he thought, it's not fair!

"Alright baby, sit down so your Papa can take a look," Liam instructed, looking concerned as he helped the boy to the ground.

Louis couldn't help but smile despite everything when Cooper jumped up his side slightly, licking his cheek. Harry and Niall laughed, though Niall had moved to put his arm over his shoulders.

Louis was glad he had Niall, and he was still endlessly grateful that his brother had helped with the bullies. They were often called 'the twins' at school now, because they had the same surname and blue eyes, and Niall was only a little bit shorter than Louis and they were both talkative. He didn't mind one bit.

Zayn let out a small breath, smiling up at him. Louis looked down, trying to get a glimpse of his left ankle. He could see that it was bulged slightly over his sock and he chewed his lip. It would be cool to get a cast if it was broken, he decided.

"Nothing broken, just a sprain," Zayn said, and Louis pouted.

"Oh."

His Dad laughed. "Way to sound disappointed, Lou," Liam said with a teasing grin as he ruffled his hair.

Louis pouted through the pain that was pulsating through his limb. He had always wanted a cast so that everyone could sign it. Now it seemed like he was getting all the bad stuff and none of the good. He doubted he'd even need a bandage.