fighting love » l.s.

one - school

Although starting at a new school senior year wasn't ideal, Harry was glad to be getting away from the drama of his old one. He was walking to school in the rain, trying to tell himself that the weather wasn't a bad omen. He pulled his sweater more tightly around himself and put his head down against the wind. He figured he would just stick to himself and ride out the year without too much attention.

When he walked into the school, he headed straight to the principal's office, needing to pick up his schedule and get some other information.

"Harry Styles?" the woman behind the desk stood up and walked around to shake his hand.

He took her hand, trying to stay calm as her skin met his. If it were up to him, no one would ever touch him. Ever. "That's me," he replied, pasting a smile on his face. The school day hadn't even started yet, and he already just wanted to get it over with.

"Someone's supposed to meet us here -- he's going to show you around. What do you think of our school so far?" she smiled warmly.

"I haven't seen much yet," he forced a laugh, "but I'm sure I'll love it." A lie, but he wanted to make her feel good. Sure enough, a smile lit up her face.

"Wonderful! And perfect timing, here's your guide now," she said right as a blonde boy walked in the door. "Harry, meet Niall. Niall, Harry."

"Nice to meet you, mate," Niall said, holding out a hand to shake.

Harry reached forward and grasped the other boy's hand, concentrating on keeping himself steady as the familiar jolt of pain rushed through him. Harry gave him a quick smile. Hopefully he wouldn't have to meet many more people. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach from the constant contact. "You, too," he replied with a polite smile.

"Alright, boys, have a good day. Harry, if you ever need anything, you can always come to me," the secretary told him as he followed Niall out into the bustling hallway.

"Thank you," Harry called over his shoulder as he wove through the crowds, trying to keep his eyes on Niall's bright blonde hair bobbing down the hallways. Niall walked quickly and even with his long legs, Harry had to rush to stay with him.

"Keeping up, curly?" the blonde boy asked, looking back to make sure that Harry was still right behind him.

"Yep," he replied as they headed into the classroom of their first period.

"We've got the same schedule -- that's why they had me show you around. It must be weird coming to a new school so late, isn't it? Don't worry, though, I'll introduce you to my friends and I'm sure they'll love you. They're in this class, too. They love new people -- I hope you like them, though. If you don't, you don't have to hang out with them, don't feel bad, but I'm sure you'll love them," Niall rambled on and on as he sat down at a table in the back.

"You never breathe, do you?" Harry laughed, taking the seat next to Niall.

Niall laughed with him. "I guess not, but you'll get used to it."

Harry didn't reply, leaning down to pull a notebook out of his backpack. More people flooded into the classroom. A couple of boys took the seats across from him and Niall.

"Hey, lads," Niall said. He turned to Harry, saying to his friends, "This is Harry. He's new."

Harry looked up at the two brown haired boys sitting across from them, offering a small smile.

"I'm Liam and this is Louis," one of them said, grinning widely. "You might get us mixed up at first -- a lot of people do, so don't feel bad."

Harry nodded politely and laughed along with his joke, but as his eyes grazed over the second boy, he knew that he wouldn't get the two mixed up. The boy's bright blue eyes studied Harry curiously and the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a wide grin when he caught Harry staring, causing Harry to blush and look down at the table.