Chapter 22 ~ The Attention Seeker

[Louis]

At lunch that day, Niall pulled my chair closer to his, so he could talk to me without anyone else hearing. "What did Harry want to talk about yesterday?"

Right, he was there when Harry had asked me if we could talk after school. It felt like ages ago, but it hadn't even been 24 hours since it happened. It was just that so many other things had taken place since then.

Biting my lip, I glanced at him through the corner of my eye. "What do you think?"

I could see that he clenched his jaw together as he stared ahead of himself. "What did you do?" He asked, turning to look at me.

Right then, I could see the curly haired boy enter the cafeteria. He didn't look my way as he walked over to his usual seat where a bunch of girls was already sitting. As soon as he got there, they instantly turned their attention to him, moving their chairs closer.

Niall followed my gaze, a frown making its way to his face. "Maybe that explains it," I muttered under my breath.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a tap. "Man, you did it again. I was actually starting to doubt you there, but I guess I got it wrong... again."

I didn't say anything, just looked down at my lap. To be honest, I didn't like the way he reacted. I didn't know why, but I didn't want him to be so proud of me just because I stood up to Harry. For one, I didn't even deserve it, but I also thought it was ridiculous. If I wanted to forgive Harry, then it was my decision, not his. I knew he was just trying to protect me, but I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by it. I didn't need protection. I could take care of myself.

"What are you two whispering about?" Zayn asked, raising his eyebrows at the two of us.

"You jealous, Zayn?" Hannah joked, sending him a wink.

Zayn's cheeks turned a light pink as he snorted. "Of course not. I'm just curious," he muttered, giving Hannah a glare.

She laughed, and I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle myself. He was without a doubt jealous. I was sure I wasn't supposed to see it, but Niall gave him a wink in reassurance to which Zayn's cheeks turned even redder.

"We were just talking about Harry, nothing to worry about," I said, my smile faltering when I mentioned his name.

"Yeah, I saw you all over Twitter today, Louis," Eleanor interposed, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

I let out a sigh, leaning down to rest my arms against the table. "Of course you did," I muttered, rolling my eyes.

"Judging by Louis' reaction, I take it there were no good comments about him," Niall said suspiciously, looking over at Eleanor.

The brown-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Louis' just being a drama queen. He was out with Harry's mom a few days ago and there are pictures of the two of them all over the internet. The only bad thing they're saying about him is that he's an attention seeker though. Otherwise, people just think he's a relative or a friend to the family... Well, and some think he's also Harry's boyfriend, but that's not necessarily a bad thing considering they are supportive of it," she shrugged, letting her gaze wander between the four of us.

Hannah raised her eyebrows, looking at me. I bit my bottom lip, lifting myself up so I was sitting straight in my seat again. "I've been out having a coffee with her before. I never thought this would happen," I muttered.

"Some people just don't know when to leave someone alone," Zayn said, looking over at me.

Hannah and Niall nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I just don't want people going around thinking I'm someone I'm not. Plus, I don't want anything to do with his fame," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Eleanor shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think it was that bad though, Louis. It could've been worse."

I sent her a glare because she didn't know what I felt about it. She wasn't the one who had gotten her heart broken by him. If she was, I was certain she wouldn't want anything to do with his life either, especially not when it was his fame that destroyed everything.

Instead of saying anything though, I kept quiet. I was sure she wouldn't change her mind anyway, and I couldn't care less about what she thought either.

"Well, good thing he's leaving in less than two weeks. Maybe we'll have less paparazzi around here when he's gone," Zayn said.

Niall agreed while I nodded my head slowly. I could feel Hannah's eyes on me, but I didn't meet her gaze. Instead, I looked over at the table across the room where the pop star was sitting, laughing as usual with those girls.

I wasn't jealous. I wasn't sad that he was leaving either. I just wondered how it would be when he wasn't going to sit there anymore. It was weird, but after a month I had started getting used to him being back, to seeing him every day. Though, it was absolutely dangerous for me to think like that.

At that second, Harry noticed I was watching him and looked right back at me, a small, innocent smile spreading on his lips. The sight made my heart jump in my chest and I couldn't help but give him a small smile in return. His smiles were contagious, especially when he looked like a real teddy bear.

God, I should really stop this. If I didn't, I was sure I wouldn't be able to contain myself for two more weeks. Why did he have to start acting so nice? It was making it difficult for me. It was much easier when he seemed to want to beat the guts out of me.

Averting my gaze, I noticed that Hannah had been following my gaze as she gave me a small smile. It was weird. I thought she would glare at me for smiling at my ex, but she did the exact opposite.

Thankfully, the other guys started talking about something that caught my attention, taking my thoughts off Hannah's reaction and also the curly haired boy. About ten minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

I walked to my locker together with Niall, turning to him once we got there with a knowing look on my face. "So, you and Zayn, huh?" I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

His cheeks turned a light pink as he bit his bottom lip. "You've noticed it?"

I rolled my eyes. "I noticed something was going on between the two of you already at the party before Christmas break," I chuckled, making his eyes widen.

"What?"

"I'm not blind, mate. You two looked like you'd had quite some fun when Hannah and I finally found you at the party," I winked.

He ran his hands over his face in embarrassment, shaking his head. "I thought we were so careful, but I guess we weren't."

"Nope," I said, popping the 'p'. "So, how's it going for the two of you?"

The embarrassment left his face and was replaced by a smile. "It's really great, I must say. We haven't really talked about what we are yet, but I think we're getting there."

I couldn't help but smile. Ever since I had befriended Niall and Zayn two years ago, I had always held Niall a little closer to my heart. It made me glad to see him happy, and the fact that it was Zayn who made him so was a plus. It just meant the two of them were happy... together.

"That's great."

Before we could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the start of the fourth period. My eyes widened, realizing I was running late. We were running late. "I'll see you later, Niall," I rushed out, grabbing my books and hurried to the classroom, not looking back to see if he was still standing there.

To be honest, even if I kind of enjoyed school in general, it was quite boring to attend classes where I barely knew anyone. I just sat there, concentrating on my work until the bell rang and it was time to go. Sure, that was how it was supposed to be. When in class, you were supposed to work and not talk to your friends. However, it would be funnier if I at least knew someone.

Once the last bell of the day rang, I went to my locker to get my jacket and backpack before heading towards the exits. Hannah was waiting for me outside where she usually was, a smile spreading on her lips when she caught sight of me.

Instantly, I was reminded by the incident in the cafeteria when she had caught me smiling at Harry earlier, and I had to gulp. I wondered if she was going to bring it up. I sure hoped not.

Surprisingly, it seemed she wasn't thinking about it at all because the only thing she talked about was how her day had been and something about that her dad had been promoted. It was like the incident in the cafeteria never happened, or I was just making a big deal of it.

Once we were at her house, I walked her to the porch, giving her a tight hug. "You should really know how happy I am to have you in my life," I told her truthfully, to which she smiled at.

"I'm happy to have you in mine as well, Louis. You're a really great guy."

Returning the smile, I shook my head in disagreement but didn't say anything. "See you tomorrow?"

She nodded her head. "Yep. Bye."

With that, she walked into her house and I made the short way to my own. The only bad thing with walking together with Hannah to school was that I always had to pass Harry's house on my way to hers, which meant I had to walk by it on my way home as well.

Ever since he came back, I had always tried to ignore the big, white house, but when he was busy with his famous life, I used to stop by and talk to Anne at times. The memory made a smile form on my lips. Who thought I would actually miss the times when the curly haired boy was gone?

Because it belonged to the old memories of him and not the new ones, that was why.

When I passed by the house, I noticed that the same black Range Rover I had seen the other day was about to pull up at the parking lot. I really didn't want to be seen, so I stopped in my tracks and hid behind the high bushes that belonged to the neighbors.

Harry got out of the car along with some buff guy and started walking towards the front door. I could see from afar how the guy was searching his surroundings for any suspicious person or whatever as he walked behind the popstar protectively. Harry, on the other hand, was too busy talking to someone on the phone to even notice anything.

Once the two lads had disappeared, I began walking again, almost sprinting the last bit home because I just wanted to get there. About two minutes later, I stepped into the house and got rid of my outdoor clothing before entering the living room where Lottie was sprawled on the couch, a blanket on top of her as she watched the TV.

"Hello, brother," she greeted, her eyes flickering to me.

I nodded my head in acknowledgment as I sat down at her feet, noticing she was watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy. God, I really couldn't stand that tv-show with all the hospital things. It was just too much illness for my liking.

"Can I talk to you about something, Lotts?" I asked, turning to look at her.

Instantly, she seemed interested as she hurried to click 'pause' on the remote. "What's on your mind, big brother?"

I took a deep breath, biting my bottom lip. "It's just... I don't know, it's stupid," I admitted, averting my gaze from her.

I could see her roll her eyes as she shook her head. "No, it's not. Whatever it is on your mind, tell me. You know you can talk to me about whatever."

When I still didn't say anything, her eyes narrowed. "This is about Harry, isn't it?"

Letting out a sigh, I nodded my head slowly.

"Are you confused about your feelings?" She wondered, but it came out more like an indication.

It was actually scary how well she seemed to know me. It was like she could read my thoughts. "I... You could say so, I guess."

I wasn't proud of it, that was why I found it so hard to admit it. I wasn't even sure of what I thought myself. "Tell me," she required, raising her eyebrows at me in anticipation.

Biting my bottom lip again, I looked down at the black blanket that was covering her body and started fiddling with the end of it. "I just find it so hard to hate him when he's being nice to me," I muttered.

She nodded her head. "I understand. It's always easier to hate someone when they don't like you back."

"Yeah, but that's not all. One of my teacher's told me today that he thinks Harry's behavior is something that'll disappear when he is reminded of what his old life was like," I explained, my eyes widening because I still couldn't believe Mr. Waltz out of all people had told me that.

Lottie thought about it for a while before nodding her head again. "I can see what he's getting at, and I think it might be true as well. Just think of it. Harry was an ass when he first came back here, but he's started to loosen up now, hasn't he?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess."

"So, what if he has been reminded of his old life and has realized what he's missing out?" She suggested.

I narrowed my eyes. "So what you're saying is that Harry being nice all of a sudden has to do with the fact that he's realized he's missing me?"

She gave me a short nod. "Exactly. Plus, I think being home, in general, has made him realize what a jerk he's been acting like," she added.

Maybe she was right. I mean, there must certainly be a reason why he was acting different all of a sudden if it weren't all just an act, that is. Something deep within me told me he wasn't though, and maybe that was because I knew Harry couldn't act to save his life. However, he could still say something without meaning it. That, he had done before.

And even if he was realizing things, how could I be sure he wouldn't go back to the other person once he left again? Just because he realized he was an idiot for abandoning me now, I couldn't know whether he was going to go back to that person again or not.

"I don't know, Lottie. I just find it all so confusing, and it's not helping that these feelings are coming back either. Maybe it'll just be better to see him disappear in two weeks," I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

She reached forward to grab a hold of my forearm. "Louis, don't say that. If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. You can't stop yourself from feeling what you are."

I still refused to meet her gaze, but I promised I would take those words with me. Maybe she was right, but what if Harry and I weren't meant to be?

Suddenly, Lottie's phone beeped from the coffee table, earning both of our attention. We exchanged a look before she reached out to take a look at the screen. She swiped her finger across it, her eyebrows furrowing as he read what the notification said.

"What was it?" I had to ask, curiosity building up within me.

Her eyes left the screen to look at me. "It's Harry. He's tweeted about you again."

My eyes widened at her words, and without thinking twice, I reached out to grab the device from her hands, looking at the tweet.

@Harry_Styles: Please show some respect and don't call my friend an attention seeker. He means a lot to me and my family.

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Heeelllooo guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I know it was quite boring, but it got better towards the end, didn't it? ;)

Pauline .xx