Twins // l.t.

C H A P T E R 9

life is too short
to follow the rules

Chapter Nine:
(unedited)

Juliet's POV:

I sit, criss-cross applesauce (that's still a thing, right?) on my bed as I watch Louis. He is literally the weirdest person ever. His right hand was entangled in his hair while his left hand was patting his thigh. He was walking back and forth in the space between our two beds. He was chanting something softly under his breath, but I couldn't make it out.

I laugh, saying, "You meditating or what?"

He glares at me for a moment. He suddenly opens his eyes wider and starts looking at his arms like, 'what am I doing', almost like he was snapped out of a trance. He slowly removes his hand from his hair, looking frazzled.

"I'm actually not sure," he replies. He sighs, walking backwards until he falls on his bed (but, in reality, missed the bed and landed on the floor). "Ow," he says without feeling and interlaces his fingers on his stomach.

"You...You okay?" I ask, concerned. He looks, well, depressed.

"Am I?" Louis asks and sits up (without the use of his hands, may I add) (is he hiding an ab of steel under there or what?) and looks at me. "Am I, really?"

"Well, I don't know, Lou. I'm not a mind-reader."

"Not that 'okay'. I meant like 'okay' as in, like, am I..." He sits there, shoulders hunched, fiddling with his fingers. "Am I a good person?"

My lips slightly part at the question. "Louis, you are a great person."

The laughs coldly. "That's not what the rest of the school thinks."

"Louis William," I say and stand up from my bed. "Stop making this a pity party. You have everything: you're talented, not only in sports, but also in music, you're good looking, funny, charismatic, and you get the point. Louis, you're not a bad person." I sigh. "You're you, Louis. You're nearly perfect." I take a step closer.

"You're a better person than me."

I open my mouth, then close it. I was at an utter loss of words. "Lou?"

He doesn't respond. He just looks into space.

"Erm, Boo?" I ask and smile a little at the baby nickname.

"Yes?"

"I hope you don't mind me snooping," I start and sit down next to him, "but, you know, you kind of dragged me headfirst into this sorrow-wallowing, so it's kind of by business, too."

He turns his head to look at me.

"Lou, what...what happened?"

He looks back at my bed. He waits a moment, then says, "I got an English partner."

"Yeah...?"

"Her name's Emily."

"Does she have red hair?" I ask, my friend in mind.

He nods.

Dear heavens. This won't end well.

For some reason, Emily practically despises Louis. Not even sure why. She just does. Sometimes it ticks me off, but other times, it's as if I can tell funny things that happened to Louis and not be glared at for 'insulting my idol' or whatever. But, as I have learned to know, she can go overboard at times.

"And she... She told me about the things people've been saying...about me."

"Oh, dear," I whisper to myself.