All About Us (Larry Stylinson)

10. Listen, Please

It was 2 months later and Cody was off crutches. Everyone had gotten used to the routine of waking up for school and relaxing on the weekends.

Louis had come home early from football practice and immediately headed for the couch when he came home. He quickly found himself slipping into sleep and just before he was completely gone he heard the front door open and then slam shut, followed by someone screaming.

"Hayden just go home, I don't want to talk to you right now!" Alexis screamed.

Louis immediately sat up and turned his head towards his screaming daughter.

"Please just hear me out." Hayden begged.

Alexis stormed into the living room, past her father and towards the stairs, with Hayden following behind.

"Just go!" Alexis screamed again.

"Not until you listen to what I have to say." Hayden said trying to calm her down. "Please, let me explain."Alexis started walking towards the stairs as Hayden tried to follow her again.

Louis knew he had to stop this as he saw the look on his daughters face. He quickly got off the couch and put himself between Hayden and Alexis and he really saw how angry his daughter was. This was exactly what he was afraid of.

"Whoa" Louis said as he pushed back on Hayden's chest. "Hayden you need to back off. Alexis go upstairs, now." Louis said sternly. "You." Louis said as he pointed a finger at Hayden and Alexis was completely up the stairs. "Sit down." He said angrily.

Hayden rubbed a hand over his face in frustration as he walked over to the couch and took a seat.

Louis stomped over to the couch across from the one Hayden was on and eyed him.

"What the hell is going on?" Louis asked annoyed.

Louis looked at the boy across from him, and then he noticed that Hayden had a slightly bruised jaw.

"I got a months suspension today at school for getting in a fight... Alexis saw the fight and... L-let's just say this isn't the first fight I've been in and Alexis knows that. Now she thinks I have a short temper or something and she thinks I'm like... Violent or, I don't know..."

Louis looked at him quizzically and he felt himself  get even more frustrated as he learned this. "What do you mean this isn't your first fight? And why were you fucking fighting in the first place?!" Louis asked as he raised his voice.

Hayden squirmed in his seat, unable to meet Louis' eyes. "The reason we moved here was because I got kicked out of my school for beating up a kid..." Hayden barely whispered.

Louis sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "You better start explaining, before I kick you out of my house." Louis said as he tried to even his breathing and not raise his voice again.

Hayden took a couple of breaths and he had his eyes trained on the ground. He tried to form the words but he couldn't. Nothing would come out.

Louis couldn't keep in his anger as he looked at the younger lad. "Now Hayden!!" Louis yelled, making Hayden jump.

"Josh was getting picked on, okay?!" Hayden almost yelled.

Louis looked at him confused but decided to let Hayden continue.

Hayden took a couple more breaths before explaining calmly. "T-there was a kid in my grade constantly bothering him. He would come home from school with bruises and a bloody nose or black eye... At first he wouldn't tell me who was bothering him. But one day he came home crying and he ran up to his room, so I followed him. He told me everything. He said that a kid in my grade would call him a faggot and all of these awful other things before punching or kicking him..."