Privilege

Chapter 6

Compared to Louis’ and Harry’s room, Zayn and Liam’s room is awfully neat and organized. Niall lets his gaze wander over the many books lining Zayn’s wall and the abstract paintings hanging along the room. He walks over to his nightstand where a single framed picture of him and Perrie in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa lies.

The thing is, Niall has a sneaking suspicion that Zayn really doesn’t like him. The black haired boy never speaks to Niall and when he does, it’s either something slightly condescending or he isn’t even looking at him.

Niall isn’t sure where he went wrong.

He sighs and decides to save the prince’s part of the room for later. He moves onto Liam’s side of the room. Liam’s side of the room is quite boring; the same color all over and no pictures whatsoever. The fact that he is so organized is going to be both a disadvantage and an advantage.

He throws a quick glance at the clock. Zayn and Liam are at the library, reading up on a history quiz and Niall should probably be doing the same, but here he is, searching for evidence that they threw innocent Leo out of school.

NialI yanks out a few of his under-the-bed boxes that contain various notebooks and textbooks. As he hastily pulls one of the boxes out, a bundle of loose papers slips. The papers fall all across the room, white sheets scattered everywhere.

Niall’s heart jumps.

“Oh, crap.” He curses under his breath, quickly gathering them up. They must have piled loosely atop one of the boxes. There is no way he is ever going to get them back in the right order.

’Please let them be numbered. Please, please, please.’ He chants frantically in his mind, the panic slowly bubbling up in his chest.

However, as he stacks the pages back up, he realizes it doesn't matter if they are numbered. Each and every page are filled with exactly the same thing -- the same phrase typed over and over and over again.

I am good enough. I am good enough. I am good enough. I am good enough.

Niall snorts a surprised laugh; he can’t help but instantly feel guilty. Liam is losing it, clearly. Of course, Niall supposes all geniuses are a little off, but this is ridiculous.

There is at least fifty pages of the same thing. He heard that Liam is the smartest boy to walk the halls of Prescott Academy and on top of that, he was captain of the football team and not to forget, he is the well-liked student body president.

Niall can’t quite believe that Liam needs all this affirmation, and when on earth did he find time to sit down and do this?

Hidden snack cakes, secret drug-addictions, and obsessive affirmations.

Maybe it wasn’t such a wonder that those boys are friends, but how do they keep all of this under wraps and appear like kings in everyone else’s eyes?

“Hurry up, Liam!” Zayn’s voice shouts, and Niall has a near heart-attack.

There are footsteps on the stairs.

“I just have to get my planner!” Liam calls back. He is right down the hall.

Shaking violently, Niall shoves the papers back on top of the box and pushes it under the bed. Then the second box and the third box. The third container gets caught on the leg of the bed and Niall scrambles as he tries to jam it back into place. He just manages to get back on his feet when the door flies open.

Niall stands up, straightens his sweater and looks right into Liam’s surprised brown eyes.

“Niall? You scared me.” Liam says, his eyes throwing an almost unnoticeable glance at his bed. “What are you doing in here?”