How to be a bad boy || larry

Step three

Step three: Act like you don't care.

Harry's noticed a difference. Not a drastic one, but a small one. It's like people can see him now. With his new clothes, frowning face and him talking to Louis people are starting to notice.

He walks down the busy halls that lead to the lunch room and almost screams when someone places their hands over his eyes. The hands are warm and small - Harry'd think they're girl hands if not for the callouses.

"Guess who?" Louis' wispy voice whispers in his ear.

"Hi, Louis," Harry whispers back. Louis lets his hands drop and then walks next to him, a smile on his face.

"Ready for another step? I see you're following the no smiling rule," Louis tells him. The two start walking again and Harry scowls.

"I flinch every time I smile because I'm scared you'll spray me," Harry tells him. Louis laughs and it sounds like wind chimes on a sunny summer morning.

"Sorry. Anyways, step three is really easy: act like you don't care. That's it," Louis informs him with a shrug. Harry looks at him with furrowed brows and Louis just keeps up his fast walk.

"How do I do that?" Harry asks and Louis looks over at him and smirks.

"Easy. You're sitting with me at lunch and I'll show you," Louis tells him.

This makes Harry feel sick. He's going to sit at the popular table with all the beautiful, perfectly put together students. He's not going to survive and yet, Louis is still dragging him over to it.

"Hi, this is Harry," Louis introduces him when they get to the table. Harry gives them a small wave and it's so awkward. Louis elbows him in the side and gives him an annoyed look.

"I'll get us lunch. Sit down," Louis tells him. Harry just nods and sinks down to the plastic seat. Liam Payne is sitting across from him in all his manly wonder and Niall Horan is next to him, with his boyish grin and student gov pin. Eleanor Calder is sitting at the end talking to Sophia Smith and they're both strikingly beautiful and if Harry was straight he'd definitely go for them.

"So, Harry, how do you know Louis?" Niall smiles. Harry just tears his eyes away from the girls and looks over at Niall. The boy is friendly and has the personality that gets along with everyone.

"We did a project last year... Or I did a project and he ate my gummy bears," Harry tells him. Niall laughs and nods his head, picking up a fry from his plate.

"Sounds like Lou," he says and his eyes show his fondness for the boy. It's not in a romantic way either, it's fond in a weird friendship way.

"What sounds like Lou?" Louis' voice returns. He places a tray of macaroni in front of Harry which Harry happily digs into.

"Not doing work and eating," Niall replies. Louis hums and leans over so he's close to Harry's ear.

"Watch the girls. They've perfected the not caring," Louis mumbles. Harry gives them a  side glance and sees them now talking to the dark and beautiful Zayn Malik and his peppy girlfriend Perrie Edwards. Eleanor looks bored as Zayn talks and Sophia is picking at her nails.

"Isn't that rude?" Harry murmurs and Louis nods.

"It is, but you want to seem rude. Try to do that the rest of lunch," Louis instructs. Harry nods and then Louis turns back to the conversation. He pulls out his phone and puts in one earphone and then starts to play games.

"... In my English class?" someone speaks up. Harry can feel people talking to him and he looks up to see Liam smiling.

"Yeah," Harry says shortly and then he turns back to his game. He feels bad instantly and he wants to look up and apologize, but Louis actually looks impressed.

"Okay..." Liam trails off and his eyes linger on Harry before he turns back to his friends.

"That was good," Louis congratulates him and Harry just keeps his head down and continues to bop to his music. Louis rips out his earphone making Harry jump and look at him.

"Don't care with them, not me," Louis tells him firmly and Harry chuckles and places his earphone back in.

"Okay," Harry replies in a bored, dismissive tone and Louis just rolls his eyes, but a small smile sits on his face.