Outcasts

Chapter 11

The first thing Harry did when he got home from school was his homework. He ignored all distractions including his continuously buzzing phone and lost himself in historical facts and mathematic problems. Never before had Harry kept such undivided attention to his schoolwork, but he was determined to get back to his usual perfection. He had let his grades slip due to his constant thoughts of Louis, but with enough effort, Harry could bring them back to their previous immaculate state.

Hours passed by, the sun set, and Harry continued to work at the professional desk in the corner of his room. His parents had dragged him downstairs to eat a speedy dinner, but besides that, Harry hadn’t let anything stop him. Liam’s words had drilled painfully in his brain. They rung through his head relentlessly, constantly reminding him that he had failed.

The problem was: Harry had never done anything to disappoint anyone before. The feeling was new and painful. Letting someone down was something Harry thought he would never experience before. But now not only had he disappointed his best friend, but he had disappointed himself. And that made it so much worse. Perhaps his standards were too high, but Harry had lasted seventeen years with unrealistic expectations for himself, and he wasn’t about to stop now.

Long after night had set, Harry continued reading and rereading through monotonous notes and bland textbooks. The only source of light came from the lamp desk that was positioned to illuminate the pages of Harry’s textbooks. aHaEvery time his eyelids would start to droop with fatigue, Harry would remember every mistake he made, and snap back into focus.

Harry’s sleepy eyes glanced at his clock to see that it had reached one a.m. It was frightening how quickly time had passed, but Harry wasn’t bothered by the late hour. He would have continued working if he hadn’t heard a strange sound coming from his balcony. His ears tuned in to the disturbance; trying to recognize the sound. After careful consideration, Harry concluded that someone was fiddling with the lock on the door to his balcony.

A jolt of panic and adrenaline caused Harry to shoot up from his chair in front of his desk. He picked up the small lamp on his bedside table, held it over his head menacingly, and crept towards his balcony door.

Since Harry’s room and the world outside were dark, he could only see the black silhouette of the intruder’s body hunched over concentrating on the locked doorknob. In one speedy movement, Harry unlocked the door, flung it open, and slammed the lamp down onto the shoulder of the trespasser’s body.

“Ow fuck, Harry! Shit! It’s me – Louis!” The newly identified Louis hissed in pain.

“Louis?! What’re you doing here? It’s like one in the morning! Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Harry asked in disbelief.

“Well shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Louis countered, “What’re you doing up anyways?”

“I was just studying.” Harry said quietly in embarrassment.

“You’re studying at one in the morning? Harry, no test or whatever is worth sleep deprivation. Go to bed, darling.” Louis said gently.

“There isn’t even a test tomorrow.” Harry replied irritably, “Wait, why did you break into my house?”

“I just wanted to know why you didn’t reply to any of my texts or calls. I was worried about you. But I guess I see why.” Louis said with a chuckle, as he picked up Harry’s phone that was flooded with missed calls and new messages.

“Yeah sorry. I was just really busy.” Harry sighed, as he slouched down on his mattress.

“Harry, love, why are you up all night studying?” Louis asked concernedly, after he sat down beside his boyfriend.