The Wildflowers

Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

At ten o'clock a school pep rally was being held in the gym of Myrtle High. As students filed in and sat by grade, the cheerleaders and football players gathered in the locker rooms. Although cheerleaders don't attend football games, they are always present at pep rallies to excite the crowd.

Louis sat alone on a bench, shaking his legs out of habit. He chewed on his finger nails, and watched everyone talk about the big game tonight. Effie flirted with one of Louis' friends on the team. She rested her hand on his shoulder and threw her head back from laughter when he made a joke. Louis rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the fact Effie was trying to get him jealous. He's broken up with her over the weekend, and she's been acting bitter ever since.

Someone from behind patted him on the back. Louis turned around to see Charlie in a football jersey. He rolled his eyes again and turned away from him.

"I told you to leave me alone," Louis mumbled, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

"Aw, lighten up, Boo," replied Charlie. He took a seat right beside Louis and smirked at him. "Are you ready for tonight's game?"

"Why are you even here, Charlie? You aren't gonna get any playing time since you just joined the team," Louis said quietly.

"I'm here to pump up the crowd and cheer for my new teammates. Am I doing something wrong, babe?" He whispered playfully.

"Stop, Charlie. Sophie is a smart girl. Once she sees us together she'll figure out that she has seen you before," Louis discussed in a hushed tone. "You need to stay away from me when we're in school."

Charlie shrugged, stood up, and walked over to the cheerleaders. Louis put his head down and stared at his feet for the rest of the time in the locker room.

Meanwhile, back in the gym, all the students were seated. Willow and Lottie sat together in silence. Harry, who was seated a few rows over kept looked at Willow. Lottie glanced over to him, looked away, and rolled her eyes.

On the other side of the bleachers were Liam, Zayn, and Annalise in one group, and Niall, Shay, and Nova sat in another. Sophie, who was at the back of the line, climbed up the steps. Niall waved her over from the left, and Zayn waved her over from the right. She thought for a second, gave Niall, Nova, and Shay an apologetic look, then hurried over towards Zayn, Liam, and Annalise.

Zayn stood up and let Sophie sit beside him. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder.

"For a second I thought you weren't gonna sit with me," he whispered in her ear.

"Of course I'd sit with you, babe," she said reassuringly. "I just don't get why you all couldn't sit together."

"We aren't friends with them, though. That would be, well, awkward. I don't like Niall, I don't know that one girl, and Shay doesn't like me," Zayn replied quietly.

"Shay likes you. A lot of people like you, Zayn. I mean, who wouldn't with a face like that?" Sophie laughed, squeezing Zayn's cheek.

"Besides, you hate sitting with some of my friends, Soph. We have Liam as our mutual friend," Zayn announced, looking over to Liam who was chatting with Annalise.

"That's because your friends are assholes," she snapped suddenly. "You seem to get so jealous when I hang out with people besides you and Liam. I don't get jealous of you and Effie because I trust you. I know you would never do anything stupid like that to hurt me. Why can't you trust me?" She questioned angrily, but quietly to not cause attention.

"I never said I didn't trust you," he muttered. "I don't trust that bloke, Niall."

"You don't know him, Zayn!" She groaned in a frustrated, but quiet, tone. "He's never done anything to you, or anything in that manner to me. He wouldn't do something like that."