A one shot where Louis runs home everyday and Niall knows why
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Everyone knew why Louis ran home (nearly 2 miles) ever single day. The running started the first day of his junior year. Nobody could understand why the nonathletic boy literally sprinted home after school. Most people thought it was because his mom would yell at him or some other silly reason. But it wasn't supposed to happen again.
But it did. All through his junior year he ran home and nobody could figure out why. There were rumors spreading that he was going to try out for the track team or that his mom was dying of cancer, but none of them were true.
I was the first to figure out why Louis ran home. One day after school I tried to chase him down and damn that boy ran fast, but somehow I did it. When he got to the front door of his house I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back to look at me.
"Louis why are you in such a rush?" I asked. He tried to pry his hand from me, to try and get inside, but I held strong. I could see the desperation in his eyes as he looks inside again.
"Niall, please, let me go. I just have to check something, after that I'll tell you I promise!" Louis protests. I let go of him, if the situation was serious enough for him to run home everyday after school then I ought to let him check on whatever it is he wanted to check on.
He thanked me and ran inside. I could hear a conversation, but the voices were hushed. I swore I heard a silent I love you, but I didn't dwell on it. Louis comes out a moment later looking a lot more at ease.
"Niall, I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing, but he doesn't want me to tell you. You have to understand why I'm doing this." Louis says.
"Who is he? Is something wrong, Louis?" I ask, my mind drifted to thoughts of kidnapping. Was Louis kidnapped? Did Louis have someone kidnapped? What kind of trouble had he gotten into? Did I really want to be part of that now?
"Niall," He sighs looking inside for a moment before dragging me to the roadside. "Do you remember Harry Styles? It has something to do with him. Now leave before someone gets suspicious and please don't tell anyone." He informs, pushing me away from his house just as his assigned bus pulls onto the street to drop the kids off.
Everyone knew that in their freshman year Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles dated. They both came from different middle schools and were in the school choir with me. Everyone knew that they were going to be a classic high school love story.
As everyone predicted the two got together not long after that. They were always seen together and the other always seemed to know where their counterpart was. It was a strange thing that nobody understood but them.
In their sophomore year however, Harry didn't come back. Louis never talked about Harry or where the boy had disappeared to. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, but Louis kept his lips sealed. Many people tried setting Louis up with other people to 'help him get over his first lost love', but he just told those people to kindly fuck off.
Louis went from the best male singer the school had, the guy with the best jokes and the best boyfriend and the best life to a paranoid boy that literally fell in on himself. Everyone wanted to fix Louis Tomlinson, but nobody knew how.
It wasn't until the end of our junior year that someone slipped and said that Harry Styles had attempted suicide. Unlike the other rumors about the two boys, Louis never shoot this one down. Many people tried to ask Louis himself about it, but he just left without his signature 'fuck you' or 'burn in hell's. After that everyone accepted this as the truth.
People started piecing together what they knew about the story to get the whole picture. Most people thought that in the summer of our sophomore year Harry Styles attempted suicide (the reason was still unknown to everyone), but Louis still wanted to be in a relationship with him. Harry had dropped out of school, the source of his problems, and went to online schooling. His parents, riddled with shame that their son was depressed, left him. The Tomlinson family already accepted Harry has their own and let him move in with them. Harry slowly started to heal, but still had suicidal tenancies. Louis and Harry were still an item and with the house abandoned during the day, Louis was paranoid Harry would attempt suicide again.
Nearly everyone in our grade pitied the boy. Everyone wanted to help, but no one knew how. The gifts started small. Sometimes someone would shove a McDonald's gift card into his locker to pay for dinner one night or someone would pay Louis' lunch for him. Louis never wanted the gifts, you could tell, but he didn't say no.
Everyone knew that since Harry had came to live with Louis that Louis had taken on responsibilities that he needn't take on yet. Everyone wanted to make things easier on the boy. That was when one of the members of the varsity track team noticed Louis' shoes were starting to break from running so much, so the guy (Liam Payne) bought Louis a pair of brand new running shoes.
It was now senior year and everyone knew why Louis ran home everyday after school. The teachers, the students, coaches, faculty, lunch ladies, everyone at that went to our high school knew about The Boy That Ran Home. Louis was always careful to watch his grades and was careful to not do bad things so he didn't have to stay after for tutoring or detention.
I sat with Louis at lunch everyday after I knew. I wanted him to at least acknowledge that I cared about him. I didn't care if he thought the rest of the world was a piece of shit, as long as he knew I was here for him I would be able to sleep.
"How is Harry doing?" I ask, the day was Friday somewhere in January. Louis looks up at me, he had bags under his eyes and looked like he hadn't slept in days.
"He's doing fine. When I tell him I love him he believes me now and last night he kissed me back. He hadn't kissed me back in two months." Louis says, his voice a little more cheerful than usual.
Louis had told me that Harry was on and off again depressed. He would get moods when he just felt like shit and times when he felt a little happier. Louis always said he loved the days when Harry was actually and truly happy, although they are rare. He says that it was like the old days.
"Do you ever want to break up with him? Find someone else?" I mutter. Louis keeps eating, like he hadn't heard me. I was about to say it again, this time a little louder, when he answers.
"I wouldn't dream of it." He mutters. I bid him goodbye as I didn't have any classes with him for the rest of the day.
When the last bell rings I watch as he starts his usual dash towards his house. I saw a few people whispering to each other, but nobody did anything.
Everyone knew on Monday that something was wrong. The whole school seemed backwards. There was a heaviness in the air that wasn't there on Friday and nobody could explain it. Louis was there that day and I asked him how things were going. He looked at me, his eyes cold and dead. He never answered my questions but instead stood and dumped his lunch out.
Everyone knew that afternoon why everything seemed wrong when they saw Louis catching the bus.
