Crash | LarryStylinson University AU

Chapter 1

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A/N: Usual disclaimers apply, I do not own One Direction, yada yada. As I am not British, this fic is in no way based on the British schooling system. If anything, it matches the Australian system. No offence was meant to be made to any kind of condiment, all sauces are valued equally. 

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Louis wasn’t usually a morning person, but even he could admit that the University campus during early hours had a certain appeal. Maybe it was the sounds of the birds midway through their morning song. Maybe it was the only slightly chilly air that had an oddly pleasant bite. Maybe it was the distinct lack of people getting in the way of Louis’ skateboarding. Whatever it was, it calmed his usually chaotic thoughts.

The barista nodded at Louis, pushing forward a cup of coffee to go: Double shot, skinny latte, one sugar. Louis needed the wake up to deal with the early hour. He didn’t particularly need to be there this early, as his first class was in the afternoon today. But, hitching a ride with his flatmate, Liam, was always more preferable than making the long and inconvenient walk to the campus. He always found something fun to do, if of course he didn’t have studying that needed to be done urgently.

He grabbed his coffee, thanked the barista, and started to head towards his usual secluded spot. While the campus was quite large, the student population was much larger, so Louis really valued the little find he had made last year. It was an out of the way bit of lawn, shielded by a few overhanging trees and high hedges. It had a solitary covered picnic bench, where Louis would sit if it started drizzling, otherwise he was content to stretch out on the soft grass. It was quiet on the edge of campus, and it was usually completely empty during the early morning and late afternoon. Louis was usually loud, outgoing, and energetic, but the garden helped him calm down enough to really get himself stuck into his study. Who knew being a drama teacher required so much reading.

Louis rounded the corner and stood facing his favourite slope. It was a very wide concrete path that went on for ages. There were very few obstacles, and it was completely devoid of people this early, so conditions were perfect.

Louis wasn’t the best skateboarder, he couldn’t do any tricks or flashy moves. He had taken it up while he was going through his reckless hooligan phase in high school, like a lot of his friends had at the time. While he hadn’t improved greatly since then, he no longer made painful attempts at showing off poorly practiced tricks. Louis was perfectly happy to simply glide across the pavements, passing by all the poor souls choosing to travel by foot. If Louis secretly revelled in the bad boy aesthetic that came with his board, no one needed to know.

He placed a foot on his skateboard, being mindful of the still very full coffee in his hand. As long as he was careful, he would not spill a drop. After taking a few sips to reduce the risk of an absolute disaster, Louis was ready to go.

He let the path take him, just balancing on the board without pushing with his feet. The walkway was not particularly steep, so Louis always started off slow, but he would quickly gain speed.

The sound of the wheels against the concrete echoed off the large buildings; the wind started to sweep through his fringe. A smile grew on his face as adrenaline coursed through his veins. It was quite simple really, but exciting nonetheless. There was nothing difficult about staying on his board. It just made him feel like he was flying.

He lifted his arms up, wind sending ripples through his shirt. He felt ready to soar. He felt like he was flying through the air and, wait, he actually was in the air. Was he flying?

He landed harshly on the ground, skidding painfully on his forearms to come to a stop. Definitely not flying. He let out a yell and realised he wasn’t the only one to do so. The other person must have come out from another walkway and into Louis’ path, Louis smashing into the other person’s side.