Hollow - LS

0| Support Group

0| Support Group

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"Does it really get better, or do we just get used to it?"

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Support Group

Noun

A group of people with common experiences or concerns who provide each other with encouragement, comfort, and advice.

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"Would anyone else like to share anything?"

Louis' leg had a mind of its own as it carelessly bounced, causing him and the people around him to silently judge him. If it wasn't for their stern looks and scrunched eyebrows, he would have thought he was the only one judging himself. He placed a sweaty palm on his thigh, thinking it would stop his leg from having an apparent conscious, he would have grabbed his leg but feared that the people around him would judge him even more, and he didn't want to give them a reason to.

The sponsors eyes darted from each person, looking like he was hoping for someone else to say anything. His eyes landed on Louis', and unsurprisingly his other leg began to shake. Louis looked away, hoping the sponsor didn't see the anxiety building up in his eyes. He was new to the program, and he felt like the sponsor had an idea that this was his first meeting. It would be slightly strange if he didn't because there was only about twelve people.

Louis held his breath when the sponsor placed his eyes on him again. He seemed to open his mouth, and Louis was at a loss for words, but then someone raised their head. He let go of the breath he was holding when the sponsors eyes went to the person holding their hand up.

"Hi, I'm Niall." Louis looked up to the see the blonde fidgeting in his seat. Niall slowly waved to everyone, and even making eye contact with everyone.

"Hi, Niall," everyone said in unison.

The blonde bit his lip. "This is my third time showing up here. I thought I had everything under control, but obviously not if I'm showing up here." He slightly chuckled, although the room remains quiet. "My anxiety has gotten worse, I'm not even sure what I'm doing with my life, and my sponsor says that this support group might help with that."

As Niall finished his sentence, he couldn't even begin a new one because the guy next to him snickered.

"That's a load of bullshit." He voiced.

All eyes that were once on Niall, switched over to the person beside him. With tattoos peaked out from his flannel, and a beanie covering his hair with some curls spilling out around it, he stood out. When he turned his head to face everyone who was staring at him, Louis noticed a pair of green eyes, an eyebrow piercing, and when he licked his lips, a tongue piercing.

Niall spoke up first, with a shaky breath. "W-What are you talking about?"

"I said that's a load of bullshit," the stranger repeated, a hint of venom laced in his deep voice.

Niall almost looked too shocked to even dare to respond, but thankfully the sponsor spoke up before either one of them could say anything.

"You're not allowed to speak when someone else is sharing," the sponsor explained.

Green eyes rolled. "So, I'm supposed to remain quiet when this blondie is talking shit?"

Everyone remained quiet as the sponsor and the stranger had a silent conversation with their eyes. louis looked around before landing his eyes on Niall, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. A streak of sympathy coursed through Louis, but he remained quiet, curious as to what the next few minutes would bring.

"No, but you aren't allowed to speak when someone else is sharing," the sponsor said. "You know that Harry."

"Is it okay if I keep going?" Niall asked timidly.

Harry interjected, shooting Niall a look. "Pipe down fairy."

The sponsor's lips fell into a thin line, as his eyes hardened, and only focused on one thing. Harry. He remained emotionless while everyone around him kept silent Too afraid to speak.

But soon, he gave up because raised his hands up, motioning for Niall to continue, but the way he was looking, he wasn't going to add anything more. The sponsor picked up on his face expression because he thanked everyone for coming and motioned to the table where drinks were being held along with a plate of cookies.

Louis watched everyone get up before he made the movement of doing the same. As he got up, he walked quickly past the sponsor, in fear that he would realize that Louis never introduced himself.

The sponsor didn't make any sort of movement towards Louis which he was thankful for. If he wasn't nervous of introducing himself in front of everyone before, he certainly wasn't going to do it now after Niall was rudely interrupted.

When Louis walked up to the table to get something, so he didn't seem like some stranger, he settled on the water, when he had his back to grab the bottle, someone spoke up behind him and he almost thought it wasn't for him.

"Kind of ironic that you don't speak during the support group, but still decide to take something."

Louis turned his head slightly to make sure the person was talking to him. Once he realized that those green eyes were focused on him, he made the conclusion that he was speaking to him and waiting for an answer.

Louis said the first thing he could think of. "You didn't speak during the support group. All you did was interrupt someone else speaking."

For a split second, Louis was expecting him to cause an outburst, but when his eyes gleamed a shade brighter, Louis felt his muscles relax.

"It's because I've been here before, were unlike you, it's only your first time." He smirked, before adding: "And don't think that interruption wasn't needed. Niall had the tendency to bore people with the useless problems."

Louis would have been shocked that he knew it was his first, but with only twelve people in the group, his shock defused. As for the last part of his statement, Louis chose to remain quiet over saying anything because of the fact that he didn't hear much of what Niall was saying. So, he figured he could make no judgement.

"I just didn't have anything to say," Louis mumbled.

Harry scoffed, and before walking away, he quickly added: "Please, we all got something to say."

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When Louis made it to the car -half an hour- he could tell by the expression on his mother's face that he had questions. He only got to ask how the meeting went before Louis brushed it off along with any further questions.

The next ten minutes in the car remained silent, with only the sound of his breathing filling the void of the awkward tension. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer his mother's questions, it was just he didn't have an answer himself. He could barely make out what happened during the meeting himself. And if he couldn't figure it out, then there was no sensible way to try and explain and explain it to his mother.

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A/N:

First chapter of my new story!

Let me know what you thought (: