the glass boy || l.s.

PROLOGUE

LOUIS

"Zayn, hold up!" I called out, getting lost in this undiscovered neighbourhood was the last thing I wanted.

I jumped off my skateboard, pressing my right foot on the curved deck so I didn't have to bend down completely for it to reach my grasp. I tucked it under my armpits and dusted my palms on my black tank top. The sound of Zayn's skateboard wheels grew louder and came to a halt, and he mimicked my earlier actions.

"What's wrong, mate?" he came to stand beside me.

Zayn and I spent every Friday skateboarding after school around town but today we took a different route from our usual path, a neighbourhood lined with houses slightly bigger than the average size and it was all too quiet, much different than my neighbourhood which either had kids running around and screaming or stray dogs barking and howling or even worse, both.

I didn't take much time taking a look at the lavish houses, everything was in white and it was boring me. I was going to set a mental reminder for myself to never let Zayn lead the way. There was nothing much entertaining to see on this part of town compared to our usual rides, besides my near collision with some school kid earlier on. But at the far end of the neighbourhood, just a little further from the other houses, before the road came to a left turn to exit the neighbourhood, stood something from which I couldn't take my eyes off.

"Holy shit, man," Zayn rested his elbow on my shoulder, seeming to focus on the same thing as I was.

It was a glass house. Well, most of it was glass. Surrounding the building were tall pine trees, complementing its extravagance compared to the other houses nearby. On the front porch parked three cars I could only dream of ever having.

A red Audi A5 Cabriolet.

A silver Porsche Panamera Turbo Executive.

A black Mercedes-Maybach S650 Pullman.

The staircase leading up to the front door had plants neatly arranged alongside it and through the glass walls, Louis could see there were three storeys and the interior walls were made of beige marble. Fucking expensive marble. The second and third storey had a balcony made of, obviously, glass respectively that overlooked the front porch and lawn.

They must have a big family to need a house that big.

"That's fucking sick, man," Zayn sighed, in awe at the luxurious design. I shook my head, tearing my eyes away from the house.

"Yeah, well, we should get home before it gets too late," I said, placing my skateboard on the road and adjusting one foot on it. "My mom's gonna feed my balls to the stray dogs."

"You're right," Zayn said. We started skateboarding out of the neighbourhood in silence.

I quickly boosted my speed with my other foot, making sure to bend down as I do so for balance.

"The late one eats cow shit!" I yelled over my shoulder, looking at Zayn who was trying to catch up.

"That's not fair, you cheating fuck!"

I laughed, letting the wind take my voice away with it behind me. But it wasn't just my voice. My mind was also lost with the wind, drifting back to the glass house in all its glory. The owners are lucky as fuck.

When I got home, not before telling Zayn to enjoy his cow shit for lunch jokingly, I couldn't help but frown at how cramped my house was. The paint on the walls were chipping off, the floor creaked with every step, and there was this odd smell I can't exactly pinpoint.

"Louis! Come eat lunch, we're in the kitchen!" Jay's voice boomed in the house.

"Nah, Mum!" I yelled back, already halfway upstairs to my room. "I'm not really hungry!"