falling for you [prequel] ➳ l.s.

one - first day of school

On the very first day of English class, Louis noticed the curly-haired boy who sat in the back. He figured that pretty much everyone did -- the kid was stunningly beautiful, with chocolate-brown hair framing his face and hypnotizing green eyes staring intently up at the teacher.

He tried not to stare. He really, really tried. It was the first day of his junior year of high school, and he really wasn't looking for a long-term relationship. He just wanted to get through his last two years, maybe have some fun along the way, then move on to bigger and brighter things.

Louis had known for a while that he was gay. His family was completely accepting, thankfully, so he basically just told his mum and kept on living his life. In fact, his mum had actually laughed when he told her -- saying, "Seriously, Louis? You've been prancing around the living room singing Elton John since you were five years old!" -- and he had immediately felt silly for being so worried to come out to her.

Point being, Louis wasn't at all afraid of being himself. And he had the support of his family to thank for that. He didn't have many friends, but he didn't have many enemies, either; he pretty much just got along superficially with everyone. He didn't have any particular desire to get to know any of his classmates on a deeper level. None of them really piqued his interest, anyway.

But this curly-haired boy, on the other hand, definitely had all of his attention. Louis spent the entire class period stealing glances at him, entranced by the way the boy chewed religiously on his lower lip all while furiously scribbling notes on an unevenly-ripped piece of paper. The deep green of his eyes made Louis feel lost in the heart of some enchanted forest, and the boy hadn't even made eye contact with him yet.

When the bell rang, Louis actually jumped with surprise. Usually, he was the one watching the tiny second hand on the clock tick steadily, the very first one out of his seat when the bell sounded. But he had been a bit preoccupied.

He knew he should wait, and just hope that things somehow developed naturally between them. Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly known for his patience.

Holding onto his momentary bravery, Louis turned back toward the boy to say something. He furrowed his brow in confusion when he found the seat already empty, and glanced toward the door just in time to catch sight of a curly head rushing into the hallway. He sighed, disappointed, but at least they had class together again the next day. In reality, he had the whole school year to get the boy's attention.

Finally not distracted by that mysterious new student, Louis realized he had to use the bathroom before his next class. He moved quickly through the crowded halls, weaving smoothly between clumps of people. A silly surge of pride rushed through him, as it had taken him the past two years to master the skill of safely navigating the school hallways. He really was a junior now, and with every passing minute, he felt more and more like an upperclassman.

Louis hurried into the bathroom, checking his phone to see that he only had three more minutes before his next class started. He cursed silently when he remembered that the bathroom always got pretty busy between classes, so he would have to go beside someone else. He unzipped his pants and shuffled in awkwardly beside another boy, keeping his gaze fully forward. Getting accused of peeping at the urinals was not on his first day of school bucket list.

Then something warm and wet splashed on him, and he froze. He pulled up his pants quickly, unable to even process what had just happened. Like, seriously, they were all teenagers already, and some people still couldn't control their aim?

"Oops!"

Just as Louis opened his mouth to tell the other boy off for literally peeing all over him, his blue eyes locked with those stunning green ones.

And all he could manage to say was: "Hi."

/

"You peed on him, Haz? What the hell is wrong with you?" Niall hadn't stopped cackling since Harry told him the story, earning a bunch of annoyed looks from the librarian. He tried his best to contain his hysterical giggles, but he just couldn't help himself.

"Niall," Harry whined. He folded his arms on the table and used them to hide his face.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Niall wiped a tear from his cheek, finally regaining control of his laughter. A wide grin still covered his face. "Tell the rest of the story. Really, I want to know, especially if it's as good as the first part was."

"Alright so, I peed on him," Harry continued, shooting Niall another glare when he almost started laughing again. "And then he gave me his number."

The smile dropped from Niall's face, instantly replaced with confusion. "Wait, what?" he exclaimed, leaning over the table to get closer to Harry. "He gave you his number?"

"Yeah, he told me to give him my phone, and then he put in his number," Harry shrugged. "Does that mean I'm supposed to message him or something?"

"Wait, this is the junior boy in our English class, right?"

"I think so." Harry furrowed his brow thoughtfully, trying to place the boy's face in his memory. "He looked really familiar, but I'm not sure. Unlike you, I actually pay attention to the teacher during class, not other fit students," he teased.

"Oh, piss off. That's why I just get you to help me with my papers," Niall shot back. "You can point him out to me tomorrow."

"I will," Harry promised, adding a bit wistfully, "He's definitely very handsome."

"I just can't believe he gave you his number after you peed on him," Niall stated, still feeling the need to clarify the story for himself out loud.

Harry just grinned with amusement, even as his cheeks flushed red once again. "Yeah, that would definitely be a funny story to tell your children, wouldn't it?"

"It's just weird, mate," Niall decided, scrunching his nose in confusion. Catching Harry's sassy eye roll, he exclaimed, "No, really, that just has to be some kind of fetish. Seriously, I'll search it up online when I get home just to fact check for you."

The bell rang loudly, and the two boys scrambled up from their seats, hurriedly packing up their belongings. Harry actually shuddered at the thought of Niall's new research project as he followed his friend out of the library.

"Please don't search for it, Ni. I really don't want to know."

"I'll send videos, then?" Niall teased.

Harry just shoved his shoulder playfully, throwing his head back and laughing loudly as they entered the bustling hallway.