Like That - Larry AU

The Proposal

Why is this so hard?

Fucking English.

It literally only needs to be a few paragraphs, maybe one, if he's so eloquent with his words. He won't even be there when Zayn opens the envelope. And, yet, the words just won't come out.
What does he say? It's not you, it's me . . . Fuck, he's not breaking up with him. That's just terrible, honestly. Zayn would never believe he's really trying if he said that.

"Turn to page 40."

Fuck, they're supposed to have their books out?

Louis should probably be paying attention to the words strewing out of the older lady at the front of the classroom. He's got the feeling that she's the type of teacher who will crack down on anyone who looks even the least bit distracted. Or the one who takes phones away for having them out. But Zayn is much more important right now.

Sorry, Mrs. Velleti.

He had tried to write last night while the promise to write him had been fresh in his mind, but every draft he wrote up, he hated and ripped up. It's so hard to string together the right words for everything that he wants to say. How to make him understand that this was the right decision, even if Zayn disagrees with it. He had also maybe fallen asleep a half hour in, but that was only because he had some tea and that shit knocks him out faster than he can say Yorkshire.

There's a few sentences on his notebook already, but Louis erases them and shoves the paper away, annoyed. The shavings stick to the paper and under his fingernails, scattering across the page like tiny butterflies...and fuck, the lack of sleep is really getting to him now, isn't it?
Louis glazes over the dark head of hair sitting in front of him and the whiteboard, gritting his teeth against a headache. He pushes his greasy bangs out of his face and licks his dry lips, turning his head to the ceiling.

The collar of his new uniform his aunt bought him is itchy, scratching uncomfortably at his neck, and Louis is having a moment of deep regret as he tries not to scream in frustration. Wool polos are the last thing he would choose to wear to school, and his khakis are definitely a size too big because they keep slipping to show the hem of his boxers when he stands up. The metal of his belt digs into his stomach, and Louis is completely fucked over from getting in so late last night.

It's a bloody nightmare really -- this school.

The teachers are prissy and uptight, more like university professors than high school instructors, though they do not mess around about tardiness. Louis' already got a warning about that. Apparently going to the fucking loo doesn't warrant as a good excuse for showing up past the bell. Oh, and the bell. It sounds like it should be ringing in a prison, not a secondary school. It never fails to drive nails through Louis' skull.

Louis really would have been fine with a public school but no. His aunt is now convinced that he's been deprived such privileges as having three fucking cafeterias to choose where to eat lunch from and receiving puppies during pep rallies (They probably give out puppies, right? Or maybe money?) after living with his deadbeat dad. Like that's a normal thing for a child to have access to. His cousins are definitely spoiled. And everyone who goes to this school, for that matter.

And despite what his aunt said, his cousin never waited around for him. So it's been quite shit.

"You look like shit, mate."

Had someone read his mind?

Louis' eyes flick down in surprise to see it came from the boy whose head he had on and off been staring at for the past fifty minutes.

(What? He's got nice hair.)

He's twisted in his seat now, one arm laying across the back of his chair and whispering underneath the teacher's lecture, voice sounding grainy and overworked. His face is sculpted, like each curve was crafted by an angry artist but his skin smooth and clear, and he's got green eyes that illuminate his boredom. He's not dressed nearly as conservative as Louis -- in black jeans and a sweater that looks much less irritating. Louis is literally the most dressed up person in this building at the moment, even though he's probably the poorest, and that annoys the shit out of him.