What Are The Odds?

fourteen

"Um, Liam?" Ashton says awkwardly while trying to get the attention of the slightly younger boy who was talking to the rest of the football team.

Upon hearing his name being said, Liam looks up only to furrow his brows when he sees Ashton standing there expectantly. Liam is quick to excuse himself from the group of jocks and drag Ashton outside of the canteen before looking at him in annoyance.

"Can I help you?" Liam asks while looking around to make sure no one is staring at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, are we only allowed to talk to each at the hospital now? Because last time I checked it was you that was asking me for help," Ashton says back with a glare as he crosses his arms.

Liam lets out a sigh as he rubs a hand across his face before relaxing his figure and looking back up to Ashton.

"I know I'm sorry, okay? I'm trying to be less of a dickhead, but it's not that easy when all my friends are dickheads."

"I'm not a dickhead."

"Yeah you're just annoying," Liam jokes which causes Ashton to once again glare only this time it was jokingly. "So what's up? Did you need something?"

"Right, um, so I have a meeting scheduled with Headmaster Higgins now, and since you're contributing a lot to this fund raiser I thought it was only fair if you had an opportunity to go to it as well," Ashton offers while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, um, what do I have to do?"

"Nothing really, I'll do most of the talking but you know more about the funds coming in then I do so maybe you can help with the money aspects of it?"

"Uh, yeah that sounds fine."

And that was that. Liam and Ashton walked off to Headmaster Higgins office who was patiently waiting for the students to arrive, only slightly surprised upon seeing Liam with Ashton. Paul guides the boys into his office nonetheless and has them sit before addressing whatever it is they wanted to speak of.

"Another fundraiser in mind?" The headmaster starts as he looks to Ashton.

"Yeah, but this one's gonna have to be more than just a car wash," Ashton starts before going on to explain everything.

The senior student informed the headmaster of everything and anything known of and that he was allowed to speak of on Zayn's condition. He talked about how he could see the boy becoming sicker as well as how he knows about Zayn now needing radiation which tends to be a last resort for children. He tells him about how majority of the Malik family have moved back home and gotten second jobs to help pay for the medicine but they are still coming up short. And finally he tells him about Liam and Louis' idea.

He tells him how Louis volunteered to pay for all facility costs as well as provide food in the case that they cannot get companies to donate their services. He told him about how Liam has a few insiders that are willing to give big donations in cash as well as silent auction items, and yeah Liam did blush a bit at the look Paul gave him. And basically, overall, Ashton said everything he could to get Paul to just agree to the idea.

"I like it. I went to school with Yaser Malik when I was younger and I know he's a sound man, I would hate to see him struggling like he is. Do we have a date that you would want to set this for?" Paul asks the two boys, and for the first time since entering the office Liam speaks up.

"Next weekend," the boy states firmly which has Ashton looking at him as if he were crazy.

"What? No Liam we can't do next weekend, that's too soon. There's not enough time to plan it, and we both still have class so it's not like we even have full days to plan," Ashton argues but Liam sticks to his answer.