Reality

Self-Evaluation

Harry

I grab my rental car keys from my dresser and slip out of my room, trying not to wake up Zayn. It's almost eleven in the morning and he's still asleep. I don't understand how he can sleep this late ... unless he went to bed at an obscene hour. He does this nearly every day. I don't know what timezone he thinks he's in.

Heading down the hallway, I almost expect to see Liam or Aubrey pop out of their room. They've only been in Missouri for four days now, but I feel as if I haven't seen them in a year. It's weird when they're not here. The two of them are the only people in the house that I'm actually close with, and when they're gone, I almost feel alone. Thankfully they get back later tonight. I've been a little bored without them. Weirdly enough, I miss Liam's snarky comments.

As I walk down the stairs, Louis rounds the corner before he stops at the bottom step, looking up at me as if he didn't know anyone else was in the house.

"Hello," I greet once I get to the bottom, standing right beside him.

"Hey," he glances down to the keys in my hand and looks up. "Where are you going?"

I scratch the back of my neck and shrug. I don't really have a plan for where I'm going or what I'm going to do. I just thought I'd get out of the house and maybe stop by Scarlett's place to see what she's up to. I don't even know if she's awake.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'll swing by Scarlett's place and pick her up. I'm kind of hungry and it's around brunch," I answer Louis. He slowly nods his head in understanding, and it kind of looks as if he's sad. "Uh. Do you want to come?"

"Won't I be a third wheel?"

"Well, it won't be awkward if that's what you're worried about. Aubrey never feels like a third wheel when we hang out. You should just come with us."

"Okay good. I was hoping you'd tell me to come," he exhales a sigh of relief as we start walking out of the house and towards my car. "I've been feeling really alone lately ... you know ... after all that stuff with Mikaela happened. I don't know who to talk to anymore."

I slip into the driver's seat and buckle my belt. "Oh. You can always come talk to me if you need to."

Louis quietly thanks me as I pull out of the driveway and make my way down the street. The drive is fairly quiet between us. I don't remember the last time the two of us were actually hanging out together. It must have been around the time we first moved in.

The thing about Louis and me ... we're very different yet very similar. We're both a little socially awkward, have mainly been loners back home, and seem to find ourselves quite alone in this house. On the other hand, I do enjoy a good party where he would rather stay home. I think he's the type of person that becomes very comfortable in a routine that he gets anxious just thinking about doing something out of line, which is what confuses me as to why he chose to stay here this summer because I'm one hundred percent positive that this whole experience is wild for him.

But when I think about the reason I came here, I realize we're nearly the same. If my friend didn't push me into coming here, I would have stayed at home in Minnesota for the whole summer with my ass in the library. Maybe someone else pushed Louis to come here, too.

I pull up to Scarlett's apartment, parking right next to her white range rover. My little egg of a car looks like shit compared to hers.

We walk up the steps to Scarlett's floor, Louis moving with hesitation. He looks like someone walking through a haunted house, just waiting for a bloodied clown to jump out at him. I don't understand why he acts like this, like someone that's lived their entire life underground and is walking above ground for the first time. It's strange.