Under Coloured Trees || Larry Stylinson

1

Louis wakes up to a horrible noise, one that sounds like a hundred Ross Gellers playing a hundred fucking bagpipes and that feels like a thousand tiny needles poking at his pounding head. When he finally realizes where he is -which takes him some time because Louis's not a morning person- he comes to the conclusion that the stupid noise comes from his stupid alarm that means the start of another stupid day -Louis hates those, days in general, that is- and that has someway been changed to actual bagpipes. Which. What the fuck?

Louis grunts in annoyance and kicks the mattress with his legs. Repeatedly.

"LOTTIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" he screams at the top of his lungs. The only response he obtains is a distant-sounding snort and then some giggles. "You little shit!!!!" Now he hears an actual full-on laugh. "I am gonna kill her someday" He then mumbles against his pillow, before eventually starting to get up.

So, turns out, Louis is leaving for uni today, which is as surprising as it sounds, and this need of a proper farewell apparently gave Lottie the magnificent idea of turning his (previously based on waves and seagulls and that relaxing beach type of shit) alarm, into a fucking Scottish festival. Thanks, Lottie, for that, we will make sure to nominate you for the best sister of the year award. However, as he takes the book he fell asleep while reading last night and puts it on the bedside table, he tells himself that nothing can bring him down today, no, because today is the so long waited day. It is the day he leaves this hellhole. Yay.

Don't get him wrong, he loves his sisters, loooooves them. They're his fucking world, all of it. Sadly his is a very small world, cause that's all it consists of, his sisters. It used to be his mom as well, it still is, always will be. But he prefers not to think about that right now. Or. Ever? Anyways.

He's leaving and he is all packed and ready to go.

He still can't believe how any of this is happening, honestly. There was this time at the end of junior year when he really feared he would stay here forever. The thought hit him like a ton of bricks and he almost had a panic attack. Well, not almost, but nobody needs to know that. He still hadn't thought about his future at the time, you know, with his mom and... Nope. No, today is Louis' day. He's happy, he's leaving.

The thing is, it scared him -not knowing what to do after high school, that is- because, see, he's not brilliant you know? He's not an A kid, he is not super smart, or super good at math, or captain of the footie team. He doesn't have a way with words either, he can't express himself that well, and when he tries, he gets shoved against a locker or laughed at or worse. He's not a 'popular kid', he's just a guy, a boy. He is the type of guy Regina George would pick on and write something about in that useless little book of hers just for wearing the same band t-shirt two days in a row or owning only one pair of Vans. He's the type of guy Wheatus would write songs about. You know, teenage dirtbag, loser, all that.

In the middle of this anxiety that being clueless about his future caused him, he was able to figure something out.

He wanted to draw. He likes art, it was the only subject he managed to pass with 'flying colours', as some would say. It took his mind off things, things that he didn't want to think about, dark things that hid in dark places. Louis had been hiding in dark places with those things keeping him company long enough, he wanted out, so he would do the only thing that allowed that, but he'd do it professionally.

The joy that came with that revelation went away as fast. Because, news flash, he doesn't have money. He's broke. Like, actually. And his stepdad... well let's just say he isn't too keen on paying for Louis' shit. Yeah, let's leave it at that.

He wanted to cry at that moment, he remembers actually crying, in fact. Silent tears. So he dedicated weeks and weeks to look for scholarships, even internationally, even though he knew that wasn't very likely. Because Louis would not stay in this place, he'd end up killing himself... Well. Let's not go there.