Scars [Book 1]✅

Eleven

The boys made it to the library. And spent the next two periods in there as well. Harry liked it, the company of Louis. Because he was good at reading people. And he could tell that Louis actually wanted to be there with him. That he was actually having a good time with Harry and not just talking to him because he felt obligated to. He didn't know why though. He didn't know why his new friend became his friend. Or if they were even friends at all.

"Uh, L-Louis?" Harry asked him, fumbling with his fingers as they lounged in the back corner of the giant library, sitting on the table and chair and just talking. And Harry admired Louis as he goofed off, not caring if he got caught for climbing onto the top of the bookshelf.

"Yes, Harold?" he smiled.

Harry gave him a look, because Louis knew that Harold was not his full name, and that it annoyed him, "W-Well uhm, a-are we like, f-friends?" he asked cautiously, gazing down at the ugly maroon carpeted floor. He didn't want to look up at the older boy, afraid that he would laugh at him and tell him that he would never be his friend. Or that he would never be able to make any friends, and that people just pretend to like him because he's worthless.

"I would hope so," Louis nodded, "that is, if you want us to be," he questioned, and even though he loved Harry's wild curls he cursed at how they blocked the view of his face when he looked down.

Harry looked up, nodding, "I-I want us t-to b-be," he agreed, "I onl-ly have one f-friend so," he told him, biting his lip embarrassedly.

That's because people don't like you

"Well, now you have two," Louis nodded with a smile, "I could introduce you to some of my other close friends. I'm sure they'd like you too."

"I-I don't kn-know," Harry sighed, pursing his lips.

"Please!" he begged, "please please please please please please please please!" he whined, and Harry shut his eyes tight, groaning in response.

"O-Okay okay," he gave up, opening his eyes and tilting his head at Louis, who had already hopped down from where he was sitting.

"C'mon, let's go! It's about lunch time already anyway. Niall's going to love you, practically loves anyone, that boy," he grinned, grabbing Harry's hand and gently pulling him down as well. And Harry actually felt good about being dragged around by Louis, because he knew it wasn't in a bad or negative way. It was for a good reason.

Though when the cafeteria came into view, Harry's smile faltered, and he became nervous. He stopped in the entrance to the cafeteria, fumbling with his feet. Because he hadn't eaten more than a granola bar in the mornings in two weeks. And even then he sometimes didn't even eat the bar. So to be in a large room with over two hundred kids and over two hundred full lunches made him feel weak at the knees and made his stomach churn.

"I-I uhm," he stuttered, looking down at his feet.

"You coming?" Louis asked concerned, taking a step towards Harry.

"Uhm, I-I just, I-I don't e-eat," he mumbled, and he hoped that he was quiet enough for Louis to not hear him. But he was wrong, and Louis was a bit stunned and confused. Because if you told someone that you don't eat, they don't automatically think "they're starving themselves". They most likely think "well what does that mean? They don't eat lunch? Or they don't eat at all?". It confuses people sometimes, and they don't bother to ask about it.

Though it wasn't that Louis didn't bother to ask. It was just that he was scared. Because Louis had noticed that Harry was extremely skinny, and he could tell that it wasn't healthy for a boy like Harry to be that small. Not that it changed his perspective on the tall curly haired boy, he still thought he was all cute and shy and kind and handsome. But he didn't want to offend Harry, or accuse him and be wrong. So he kept quiet about it.

"You don't eh, have to eat. Just sit with us, alright?" he asked him, and Harry sighed. Because he didn't want to sit in a room with a bunch of greasy fattening food around him, which sometimes didn't do good for him. It made him sick, thinking about how much fatter he would get by eating some of those gross foods, even though he actually needed that fat in him. But he also knew that he wanted friends, and that he wanted Louis to be his friend and to hang out with him, and want to hang out with him. So he thought about it, and realized he had two options. One: he could just make up a useless excuse and have Louis think he didn't like him and not talk to him anymore, or two: he could suck it up and sit with Louis and his friends, whom he had yet to meet.

Of course, Harry went with the latter, "Okay," he almost whispered, and followed Louis into the crowded cafeteria.