Sing Us a Song, You're the Piano Man

Chapter 12

Harry POV:

All through practice, I tried to avoid confronting Nick, but he apparently didn't trust that I could or would keep my mouth shut. Every single time I even looked at Louis, Niall, or Liam, he was right there, glaring at me or mouthing 'I will end you' across the field. I tried to keep that from getting to me, but I had never been good at that, especially when it came to Nick. That, plus what the others had told me about Zayn, caused my performance in practice to be less than stellar. I guess having a swollen eye also contributed to that. After practice, Coach held me back. The other three hesitated before heading into the locker room, and I turned nervously to Coach, scared.

“Listen, Styles. I know working with Grimshaw cannot be easy for you. But I'm gonna need you to step it up a little in practice, OK? Don't let him get to you.”

“Easier said than done, Coach,” I mumbled, looking down at my feet. Coach put a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him, or rather, down at him, considering my height. He grimaced as he saw the bruising on my face.

“And you really should get that checked out. Looks like it hurts. I can't pretend to know what you go through on a daily basis, but if someone is hurting you, you can always come to me.” I blushed and looked away.

“Thanks...I guess I should go...” He nodded and I picked up my bag, heading for the locker room, but he called me and I looked back.

“Styles...Tomlinson is a good lad, and he cares about you. He would be good for you.” My eyes went wide and I choked on my words. I could feel my face burning, and he just smirked. “See you at the game tomorrow, Styles.”

I ran quickly for the locker room, surprised to find most of the team still there. I peeled off my shirt as I reached my corner where Niall, Liam, and Louis were all standing, talking and already dressed. They looked up as I threw my bag down, and I could have sworn that Louis actually blushed. I knew that I was still blushing from my conversation with Coach, so I just dressed as quickly as I could, avoiding looking at any of them.

“What did Coach want?” Louis asked as I stood up with my bag on my shoulder. Shit.

“Umm...he just wanted me to know that he is there for me if I need to talk to someone...” I said, but it came out as a whisper. I hadn't told Niall and Liam about anything yet, and I didn't want to have to tell them here, in the locker room, in front of all these people. Because I knew that when I finally did get around to telling them, I would break down, and I didn't need that kind of humiliation in front of the team...again. Niall and Liam didn't say anything to that statement, but I knew they were thinking about it and I felt a surge of guilt. I would have to tell them soon.

“Hey, Lou, you ready to go?” asked a voice from behind me, and I turned to see Zayn standing there, smiling. There was something weird about it...his smile didn't reach his eyes. It was almost like he was faking it. I knew better than to ask, so I just moved out of the way to let Louis pass by.

“Yeah, Z, I'll be out in a few.” Louis commented, and Zayn nodded, heading for the door. Louis turned to us again and said quietly, “I'll see what I can get out of him. Sometimes he talks to me, so maybe I can find out what's wrong.” We all nodded and mumbled words of encouragement, and Louis said his goodbyes, rushing past me. His hand brushed up against mine and I turned my head quickly, my face a brilliant scarlet. Soon enough, me, Liam, and Niall were the only ones left in the locker room. As we began walking through the school, Niall took his opportunity.

“OK, so what did Coach really say?”

“Seriously, Ni, you are so nosy!” I retorted, but I knew he wouldn't give up. “Well, what I told you was the truth, he did say that if I needed someone for anything, like, pertaining to having to play with Nick again, then I could come to him. But...he also basically told me that I should ask Louis out.”