Like Water {Niall Centric}

Chapter 1: Scholarship

Niall had a delivery to make. Someone from some school in the 'good' part of Silas wanted chicken and dumplings, and today was his day to deliver orders. His surroundings were very different from downtown; the trees and grass were greener and more abundant, the sidewalks weren't chipped and crumbled to rocks in the earth, and the cars were much too fancy to be driven by commoners. Niall shook his head, ridding thoughts of the high life and just pedaled faster, his body jumping from the seat after hitting a speed bump. His tires needed fixing, the bike harder to pedal because of a flat. He didn't have the money though, so he just pushed through. Besides, this was his last delivery for a long, long time.

He finally reached the address, surprised to be face to face with cast iron gates and a guard at the entrance. "Order of business?"

Niall took out a slip of paper from his pocket, unfolding it and reading with shaky hands, "Delivery for Nicola Welsh," He answered, holding up the doggy-bag as proof while smiling innocently.

"Go ahead."

With that, he put his feet on the pedals and rode past the gates, maneuvering through intricate sidewalks to make it to the school's entrance. He hopped off his bike, putting down the kickstand, and grabbed the bag full of warm food. He was hesitant walking through the doors, intimidated by the fanciness of the interior. Gold accents were illuminated by crystal chandeliers. Pure quartz and marble were the floors, and brilliant decorations of the finest paintings and busts made the room seem unapproachable to outsiders.

"Wow," He gasped, turning in a circle as he went along, taking in all the wonderfulness of such a fine and prestigious school made only for the privileged.

"Is that my dumplings?" A girl with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes asked. "From Ernest's?"

"Yes, it is," He held out the bag, the girl taking it from him hastily. "That'll be four-fifty."

The girl handed over a hundred dollar bill, his eyes widening when she scurried away quickly. "Keep the change!"

Niall just stood there, eyes wide and mouth agape. Had she meant to grab a five-dollar bill and not a hundred? Damn, rich kids. Niall thought, Always wasting money and showing off. He walked back to his bike, the blue paint peeling off and bell half-working. "Yo, commoner!"

Niall shrunk in on himself, cringing as if he had a bad aftertaste on his tongue. He hated that word with a passion. He turned around slowly, watching silently as a blonde kid ran over with a smirk. "What do you want?"

"Ah, so you are a commoner! What's a lowlife like you doing here?"

Niall was never a violent person, but he was ready to kick the rich blonde's teeth in. "It's none of your business," He seethed, getting onto his bike and backing up, putting distance between the two.

"Hold on," The blonde put his hands on the handle bar, stopping Niall from leaving. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

"Same reason you think you're better than me," Niall shrugged before slapping the tan hands away and quickly leaving, scared that he would be in trouble for 'assaulting' one of the students.

"Come back here!" Niall just ignored the enraged shouting and cycled back to the restaurant on the other side of town. Slightly out of breath, he walked inside, taking off his uniform cap and grabbing his discarded apron to put it up. He grabbed his tips from the jar, waving bye to the boss, Ernest, before leaving again.

At home, he heard his mother and father yelling at the television, holding hands tightly with tickets on the table in front of them. They sat on the edge of their seats, excitement and hope present in their eyes like the sun in the sky. Horse races. Niall was never interested in gambling, but to his parents, that was all there was to a commoner's life. It was their only ticket to the high life.