Adore You [Larry AU]

Fourteen.

It was the last day of term and Gemma had convinced me to wear a Christmas jumper. I cringed at the idea but the look on her face when I tried it on made me go through with it. She was so proud of how far I had come. From hiding away skipping lessons in one college to making real friends in another; I couldn't deny her something that made her think I was truly happy.

And maybe I was happy for the first time. Looking back at the last couple of months I felt like a different person. I was going to parties, I was hanging out with Louis or Kendal most nights. Of course Louis was the highlight about everything, but Kendal and I were becoming real friends too.

I walked into English and Louis eyed me up and down before cracking up. "What are you wearing Styles?" I almost swotted him round the head as I walked past but thought better of it. I laughed too and sat down behind him. "Please tell me you are changing before my party tonight?"

"Duh, I have a shirt in my bag." He spun around in his seat and faced me. "To be honest no no please stay like that, it's too funny. That can be my present"

I looked down at my jumper with the phrase 'Merry Christmas ya filthy animals' printed along it and real working Christmas lights hanging below it. I looked back up at him and saw his eyes tracing the slogan too. "I got you a real present though. Should I just return it?"

"What? You bought me something?" His eyebrows knitted together into confusion and I felt like it mirrored my own expression. "Is that not what you do when it's someone's birthday?"

"No. I mean yeah but no-one else will have. You really didn't have to."

"Well you're my best friend now so I did have to. It's nothing special anyway don't get your hopes up now!" His face softened and it made my heart stutter for a second. I hadn't called him my best friend before and I was starting to feel worried that it wasn't okay. "It's special cause it's from you." He whispered before turning back around to face the front.

*

The final bell rang and I raced to the quiet toilet block to get changed. I stripped my scratchy Christmas jumper from my body and replaced it with a long sleeve black t shirt. I stuffed the jumper to the bottom of my bag and pulled out Louis' present. It was just a bottle of vodka I bought from the corner shop but I tied a blue bow around it. I wanted to be the one to give him his first legal drink. And I now owed Gemma £20 so I hoped it was worth it.

Coming out the toilets I bumped into Zayn, Perrie and Eleanor. As usual Eleanor scowled at me and I didn't even try to greet her.

"Hey Haz, do you need a lift to mine?" Zayn's broad accent spoke first and I shook my head.

"Lou said he was giving me a lift." Eleanor's face changed to unreadable when I used that nickname for Louis and I mentally kicked myself.

"No, actually Louis is taking me home to change and then we're going over together." Eleanor looked fiercely at me, her brown eyes nearly black. Especially when she enunciated Lou's name. My face fell as she spoke and I looked over at Zayn and Perrie.

"That's fine, Harry you can come with us then." Perrie smiled warmly at me and I meekly smiled back agreeing. We walked off as a four before Eleanor split off. We made it to Zayn's car and climbed in.

No-one said anything for a little while before Zayn broke the tension. "Eleanor really doesn't like you does she?" He was looking into his rearview mirror at me as he drove.

I snickered at his remark but Perrie slapped him. "You can't say to someone that someone else doesn't like them. Besides, I think she's just jealous that you and Louis are so close. They aren't really anything other than sex. And even that has dried up recently...Oops! Don't tell anyone I told you guys that."