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The days had been absolute hell for Harry. He hadn't gotten any sleep and he tortured himself every night for three straight nights thinking about the possibility of Zayn being right. Deep down inside, he didn't think Zayn would lie to him about something as serious as that. But then again, he did lie about work. So he didn't really know what to believe anymore.

One thing he could say though was even if Zayn really was telling the truth and he discovered his father killed his parents, it didn't give him the right to kill him. It didn't give him the right to hurt Harry like he was hurt and then think he would be okay with that. That was what bothered him the most.

He spent so much time torturing himself about when the last email from his father might be and wondering when he would turn on the news and find out a man had been gruesomely murdered in his home. How was he expected to process that his boyfriend could ever plan and be capable of something like that? It was hard. So he told Niall he needed to take the entire week off.

On the contrary though, taking a whole week of school off wasn't really an option. So he didn't have any choice other than to go and just avoid Zayn. But at least it wasn't so hard to do that because Zayn never approcahed him or tried to talk to him either. Therefore, instead of walking each other to class and kissing each other goodbye like they usually did, they passed each other in the hallway and one acted like they didn't even see the other.

At lunch, Zayn went to sit with his football buddies while Harry ate alone. At least for the first two days. Because by Wednesday, Halloween, Louis had come over and said he noticed something was different and wanted to eat with him.

Harry didn't tell him about the reasons, but he did tell Louis they weren't dating each other anymore. Louis was shocked to say the least. Harry and Zayn looked like they were totally in love. And Harry thought they were too. But apparently they weren't.

Harry thought Louis was super sweet for what he did. He had never eaten with Harry and Zayn before but he still noticed he was by himself and offered his companionship anyway for two days in a row. All the time Harry tutored him and had conversations with him in class, he never once thought about extending his friendship to him before.

So that's why on Friday when he saw Louis run past him crying and he doubled back to go after him, he realized that he might have to offer it sooner than he thought.

From a distance behind, Harry saw Louis dart into the boys' bathroom just off the main hall. He went inside too.

"Louis?"

"I'm okay." He said. But the way he was standing at the mirror and trying to quickly wipe his eyes made it clear that he wasn't.

"Is anybody else in here?" Harry asked out loud. And when no one answered, he knew they were alone. So he locked the bathroom door from the inside.

"Louis, are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Because I'm here. You sat with me after I had boyfriend problems. The least I could do is help you."

Louis looked at him with watery eyes. "I don't think so."

"I won't judge you. I promise."

"I know you wouldn't because judging wouldn't make sense coming from you."

"So it is about Liam then."

He gasped quietly and faced him. "You know?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"How? Did somebody tell you?"

"No. I actually found out by myself. You know the formula sheet you were using at tutoring?"