Surviving High School With My Imaginary Fiend (Ziall AU)

Chapter One

     'I hope no one smelt my fart.' was the highlight of my day, and as disturbing as that sounded, it was not me. I swear. Unfortunately, I didn't know who it was either. I was in the lunchroom, filled with neverending noises, both running through my mind and ears. Sounds came from every direction, and it was starting to give me a migraine.

Middle School was a walk in the park compared to this. I mean, the classes weren't too bad except that I didn't really know the people that came to this school.

     "Someone's sulky," a familiar voice said.

I looked up to see a not so familiar face. He gave me an amused look and put his tray of mashed potatoes and meatloaf down. It was the first person who talked to me today. His expression remained the same, as if it were frozen in the same state.

     "Hi Niall," he finally greeted. His eyes were brown and hair was cut short. Yet, I couldn't recognize who it was until his assistive thoughts spoke out to me. Liam. Liam Payne. "You don't remember me?" He asked, pretending to be hurt. No, of course I remembered him. "You look different," I pointed out, not sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He chuckled, "Thanks."

It felt really weird seeing him again. The last time we talked was almost half a year ago, when he was a nerdier looking guy. Today, he was a completely new person. Dare I say attractive. Natural selection has certainly treated him well; his shoulders were more broad, arms were buff. His whole build was noticeably larger.

"I saw you earlier today," he said, opening the chocolate milk carton. In world studies, he thought again. "We have world studies together?" I accidentally blurted out. The statement being rather more of a surprised question. "Oh. Thought you didn't know," Liam shrugged, eating away at his lunch. "But still so observative, I see," he stated.

"You have no idea," I laughed laxly.

"And also ebullient," he added. I turned my head away, looking at the other crowd of people. I haven't heard anything from anybody else for a while now. The focus I put on Liam canceled everything else. "So, you like your classes so far?" He continued asking.

 "They're alright," I replied, "Still as boring as before."

 "Well, that's school for you."

"I know," I answered.

 I really want to get to know you better.

That was a really bold move. Oh, wait. He didn't say that aloud. My eyes stayed with his; they were mesmerizing. Was I starting to actually like somebody? It's been a while, since I have. I've always been able to catch the bad side of them before I went onto the next stage. Too many turn-offs.

"Oh. Sorry Niall. But, I gotta go," Liam suddenly said, "My friends are waiting." He pointed over two tables to the right. That led me to another surprise of the day: he was friends with Ed and Harry. Popular kids alert. I guess high school changes more than just the looks of people.

"Alright," I nodded in understanding.

"See you tomorrow though?" He grinned.

"Tomorrow it is," I agreed. He extended a hand as if to make the good bye more formal. Instinctively, I reached for it. Big mistake. It was a physical touch.

     "Liam, you better get going or you'd be late on the first day," a stern voice said. It sounded commanding, yet mysterious. "Yes, sir. I'm going right now." Liam replied respectfully. "And remember what I told you," the other person said, implying something I didn't quite understand.

"Yes. I know," he added, before closing the door behind him. There was a black range rover parked right outside. He pulled up his sleeve to check the watch on his wrist. The time was—

"Okay. Well, see ya," Liam said, peeling his hand away. When he left, I only managed to give him a faint smile. That small vision of him—it wasn't too bad to see, because I didn't fully quite get what was happening. As long as it wasn't something like him being a prostitute or drug dealer, I'm fine.

He seemed pretty decent still.

~*~

Guess how many times my head hit the table today in English? Three. The most tedious class was the last one. I would've liked it more if I hadn't been seated right between the hottest guy on the planet and the one who farted the most. I swear, this was probably the same guy I heard thinking this morning. His name Gaston.

"God, when is this class over?" I muttered under my breath. I could already imagine myself prancing out of the room as soon as the bell rang. I was tired of having to concentrate on the teacher's voice. We don't care if your best friend is the dictionary.

Look at me. Look at me you cutie. Just one quick one.

I sensed an eager mind think. For a second, I almost thought it was directed at me. I dismissed that assumption when I saw a girl on the other end staring wide-eyed at the hot guy. The one beside me. Ew. Look away blondie. No one likes you. Why did you even get to sit next to him. Cockblocking fruit. I grimaced, wishing I didn't have to hear these insults.

I wanted to shove a sock down her throat.

     "Alright the bell's about to ring. I hope you guys have a nice day." The teacher said, making me feel more relieved.

And that was the first day of school. I thought of hitting the bed immediately after I went home. The bed's warm covers and softness surrounding me sounded irresistable in my head. And since there was no homework, I would be able to do anything until the next day.

Then again, it's not like I'd ever have troubles doing homework anyway. The truth is, I never had a problem with anything school-related. Tests were a piece of cake. It doesn't take me more than a minute to figure out all the answers. So, studying was a joke, because I never needed it.

Here's a little review: physically touching other people allowed me to see glimpses of their lives. Physically touching inanimate objects allowed me to understand every content on it. Oh, it gets better. If I held onto book long enough, I'd instantly know what it was about. That crossed reading off my checklist.

I walked out of the doors, screaming 'freedom' in my head. I tried my hardest to not smile abroad when walking, so people didn't think I was crazy. Home was a ten-minute walking distance, which meant I would make it back exactly before the clock struck three.

     I'm gonna get him this time. He's not gonna know what hit him—

The stalkerish voice hissed in my mind. It was right behind me. Almost there.

"Hey Louis," I spun around bumping into the taller brunette I called brother. "Jeez. You got me again," Louis laughed, walking with me side-by-side, "I give up now. How was school?" His tone was back to normal.

"Bad."

"You'll get used to it," he nudged. As much as I wanted to believe that, I had my doubts. I don't think I could go another twenty-eight weeks sitting in a room learning things I could learn in a day. "Will I?" I asked rhetorically.

"Just you wait," he smirked.

"You're not a very good liar," I informed, shaking my head at him.

"Trust me. You'll get to make new friends, go to prom, and all that crap. It'll be fun." Louis assured. "The next four years are gonna be the best four years of your life."

"Okay," I answered sarcastically, giving a one last look at the school behind us with great remorse. Instead, I found myself catching the eye of a guy wearing a black hoodie leaning against the fence.

"Let's just hope you're right."

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