with venom on your tongue » l.s.

3 | LOUIS

If Louis had to pick, Autumn would be his favorite season. Despite being a Winter baby, he loved the crisp weather, the crunch of the leaves under his shoes, and the optimism that came with the start of a school year and a brand-new planner. It was September and he was back on campus at Saint Augustine, more than ready to take on his senior year. He had a good feeling that it was going to be a successful one. Last year didn't quite pan out the way he had hoped in terms of his grades, but there was no point in holding on to that. Besides, senior year counted the most since he wanted to be valedictorian.

This past summer, Louis pored over all the pamphlets he'd collected over the years of the Ivy League universities he was considering applying to — Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. He'd had the opportunity to visit each campus a couple of times and he'd taken notes and made pros and cons lists before finally deciding on making Harvard his number one choice. They had a great program for Political Science, something he'd been wanting to major in since he was in elementary school. William mentioned to Louis that he had a few friends and acquaintances who worked at Harvard and that he'd definitely start talking with them so Louis' application and name were at the forefront of their minds when choosing students for next year.

As Louis walked out of his last class of the day, he began to feel a bit sentimental. This was going to be his final year at Saint Augustine and he really wanted to make it count. Maybe say "yes" to more things instead of "no". Like having movie nights with Liam or going to more of Theo's football games. He'd make more of an effort this year since this would be his last chance. After this, everything would be different.

Louis put his earbuds in as he walked toward the library. He knew it was only the first day of classes, but some of the teachers assigned homework that would be due the following week, so he just wanted a head start while he still had free time. Swimming would also start up in a couple of weeks and he knew once that began, his schedule would become hard to maintain. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his phone out to play his studying playlist but a new text message caught his eye. The number wasn't saved on his phone, so he initially thought it was spam, but when he went to delete the message, the words on the screen caught him by surprise.

Unknown Number (3:01 PM): hey. is this Louis?

It seemed sketchy and he wanted to ignore it, but something was stumping him about this. He'd always been too curious for his own good. After mulling it over for a few seconds, he decided to just do it. Sending a text back wouldn't do much harm.

Louis (3:11 PM): Yes. Who's this?

Unknown Number (3:11 PM): i'd like to remain anonymous if that's ok. just don't want the drama

What the fuck? Louis' brows furrowed as he approached the oak doors of the library. He closed his phone and went inside, snagging his favorite table on the fourth floor. After getting his planner and laptop out, he opened up the message thread again.

Louis (3:17 PM): Alright. Is there a reason you texted me? How did you get my number? Have we met?

Unknown Number (3:17 PM): not really. i just know of you and i wanted to tell you something.

Unknown Number (3:17 PM): it's about theo

Unknown Number (3:18 PM): i knw it's super creepy that i'm texting you. I had to ask around for your number, but i really needed to speak to you

Louis (3:18 PM): About Theo?

Unknown Number (3:18 PM): yeah, there's something you should know about him

Louis stared down at his phone, his thoughts running wildly with what this could be about. It was obvious that whatever it was, it wasn't good news. Nobody would have gone out of their way to speak to him if it wasn't a bad thing.