Letters to the Author -Larry Stylinson

chapter six

"You're lying. You did not." 

"I did." Louis groaned, running his hand roughly over his face, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. "And I was too shocked to do anything about it. I just walked off, Niall. Maybe it was because I was knackered, but now he's gone and I'll probably never see him. I would ask Zayn but for some reason the boy can't stand me."

Niall shrugged, writing a few things down in his notebook and typing a problem into his graphing calculator before looking at Louis. "He just might tell you, or get you a chance to meet the boy. It won't hurt to ask."

Louis sighed. "But I don't think he'll be here tomorrow." Lucile jumped when he threw his pencil onto his textbook. He was so done with uni right now. He couldn't focus on two things at once, like Niall always seemed to do.  He had the rest of the semester, which was about three months. They were only a couple weeks into the semester of his second year and he was already struggling. He just wished there weren't as many things on his mind.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?"

Louis shook his head, lazily reading over a paragraph from his textbook. He had an exam in a few days, and he had studied quite a bit, but not enough. 

"How about you and me go to the coffee shop, and see if Zayn's there. And then, since it's Friday night, we can go home and study for a couple of hours and then I really want you to come with me to this awesome party I was invited to."

Louis looked up through his glasses, his blue eyes staring into Niall's. "A party?" He murmured. The idea caused a weird feeling in his chest. It reminded him of high school, of all the parties he never attended, of all the get-together's that people had without him. 

"I wasn't invited," he said weakly, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Well, didn't I just invite you?" Niall reached over and ruffled Louis' hair. "I hear a lot of cool people are going to be there. Even Liam."

"Since when did you know Liam?" Louis asked, surprised. "Every time I talk about him you act as if you've no idea who he is."

"No, no. Me and Liam are friends. Not that close, I just know him because I know a lot of people." Niall grinned, showing straight white teeth. Louis understood why Niall was popular. He was good looking, he was blonde, and he was extremely outgoing and friendly. Which led to why he was confused that Niall always seemed to be by his side nowadays, when he could be hanging out with people so much cooler.

They paused for a second, a second in which Niall took to write down the answer to his problem and Lucile took the time to switch to the other boy's lap. Louis scoffed at her, stung. "Thanks, love," he frowned, pretending to cry, which resulted in a bark of laughter from Niall.

"So, Louis, will you go?" Niall looked at the older boy hopefully, his eyebrows raised in expectancy. Louis sighed, running a hand through his hair and biting his lip before nodding reluctantly. 

"Fine, fine. But you can't leave me, okay?"

"Deal." Niall stuck out his hand, and Louis took it tiredly. 

"I love you, mate," Niall smiled widely, leaning forward to hug Louis, and Louis shooed him away.

"Shut up. You reek of cheese."

***

"You can't cut in front of us."

Oh, Louis thought. The sass is real.

He placed his hand on his hip, spinning around as skillfully as he could in his vans, before tilting his head a bit. "I work here," he stated. "And I have a question to ask my boss about my scheduling." He walked forward, never breaking eye contact with the woman who looked as if she refused to stand down. "If it weren't for me you would be drinking dry beans and nails for breakfast, understand?"