Months later.
Niall ate another scone. It was early autumn and outside the wind whipped through the trees roughly. The sky wore a grey cloak almost every day now. He took another sip of his tea and scanned his fellow classmates.
Ex-classmates. He had graduated, somehow - though it didn’t really feel that way yet. School still seemed too graspable, seemed like its trials never truly ended.
He had spent the holidays in Ireland in a football camp. Got a scholarship, no biggie. He shrugged and fixed his hair, trying to look his best. Not in an attempt to impress anybody of course, just for himself.
Cher had been right about one thing – working out more did him a lot favours. He flexed his arm muscles, pursed his lips and pushed thoughts of that bitch out of his head again.
He was about to throw another biscuit into his mouth when a young man stepped through the door. Niall nodded and smiled when their eyes met.
Liam still had that eager gleam in his eyes but he looked more mature now. The innocence in his features had drastically faded. A few heads turned, appreciating the grownup stature.
“It’s been too long.” Niall was crushed by Liam’s embrace. “Good to see you.”
“Same.” Liam let go of him and patted him on the shoulder. “I thought you were going to miss the reunion.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Niall shook his head and they stared at each other, seizing one another up. For a moment an awkward silence settled between them before they both burst with laughter.
“I missed you.”
“And I missed that other cunt. Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I thought you did!”
“Huh.” Niall frowned. “He’s probably sick of you.”
“Me?” Liam raised his eyebrows in distressed surprise.
“Yeah, you annoying mofo.” Niall punched Liam’s side.
“I admit that I liked not having him call me every single day …but he even went missing on twitter.” Liam sighed and his eyes glazed over with unreadable emotions. “I got to skype with you often though. That was nice. It was, right?”
“Sure.” Niall noted Liam’s slumped shoulders and sombre tone. His parents had always warned him that everything changed after school ended. “Seemed like things changed between us at some point though. You’re not stuttering anymore.”
“I –“
Suddenly Liam grabbed Niall’s hands, a desperate look appeared on his face and Niall rolled his eyes. “What’s got into you now, man?”
“Z-ungh.”
Slowly, Niall twisted his head in the direction Liam was staring and his whole body froze and set itself on fire at the same time.
Zayn stood in the doorway, cigarette between his lips. He wore black jeans, black boots and a lilac top with “too school for cool” boldly printed on it. His arms were covered in tattoos and his hair, perfectly styled, had a blond streak in it.
-
Adults had told him all his life that school was the best time of one’s life, that everything after was worse than anything one could experience as a teen in the safe confines of the educational system.
He took the remainder of his cigarette and flicked it from his fingers. It landed in a half empty glass that stood all by itself on a table. Perhaps the glass was half full, he mused.
