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Harry couldn’t get the image of the boy out of his head. He was sat in his bedroom just staring at the wall. He’s seen the boy a few times, but this was a first he has seen him with bruises. He figured it was just fight. Most kids at his school fought, if not every day, every week, there was a new fight.

Harry decided to let it go, and just assumed he was in a fight. He turned to his side, and grabbed his phone. He had 3 new text messages.

‘Come round to my place, say 5.’ –Lou xx

‘I will be home a little late, I need you to do me a favor and run to the store. Grocery list is on the counter. Love you’. - Mum xx

‘Haz? Are you coming? Text me back.’ –Lou

Harry sighed, and glanced at his clock. It was 4 now, so he had time to get groceries, and make it to Lou’s.

‘Hey Lou, might be a little late. Have to run some errands for mum. I’ll be over right after.’

--

“Harry, I know I usually don’t ask, but what’s on your mind bud?” Louis asked for the first time since they’ve known each other.

Harry shook himself out of his thoughts, and turned to his best friend. He had a frown on his face, and it made Harry sigh.

“I can’t seem to get this boy out of my head.” Harry finally said.

Louis perked up at the thought of his best friend interested in someone. “Really? Who?” He couldn’t help to ask.

Harry shrugged. “I’m not sure what his name is... I seen him today coming out of the toilets, he had bruises all over his face and ar-““Harry you do not talk to him, understand?” Louis interrupted him.

Harry was taken back from his friends outburst, and was surprised he talked to him the way he did. “Why not, Lou? You’ve been acting really weird today.”

Louis sighed. He felt bad for keeping secrets, but he’d figured he would find out eventually.

“Harry… Just drop it, please? I’ll tell you another time, but not now.”

Harry was hesitant at first, but eventually dropped the subject.

--

It was the second day of school, and Harry was determined to find out why Louis acted strange whenever that boy was brought up. He didn’t realize that sooner than later, he would get his answers.

Harry paid extra attention in his classes today, seeing if he could get a glimpse of the boy. He seen him in first period, but before he could talk to him, the boy was out the door and mixed in with the rest of the students in the hall.

He never saw him in lunch, so he thought the boy just ate alone in the stalls. It was 20 minutes until the bell, and Harry had to piss again. He still had 20 minutes, and he wasn’t going to wait.

“Lou I’m going to the toilets.” He ignored Louis’s pleads, and eventually found himself in front of the doors to the toilets.

He put his hand to the door, and stopped when he heard sounds coming from inside. He frowned, and slowly opened the door peaking inside.

What he saw made his blood boil, and he had no control when he busted through, pulled Josh off of the lad, slammed him against the wall and hissed in his face, “If I ever catch you around him again, I’ll make you regret it.”

Josh looked surprised, and scared, but quickly covered it up with a smirk. “Styles, why do you always ruin the fun?”

Harry scoffed. “Fun? You think beating people up are fun? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me Styles. That Horan kid is the one that has something wrong with him.” He said through gritted teeth. Harry narrowed his eyes, “Just remember, if I ever catch you around him again, you’ll regret it.”

Harry watched Josh leave, and once the door was close he turned towards the lad. He was shocked, Niall was eating a sandwich.

“How are you eating at a time like this?” Harry asked him.

Niall looked up, and shrugged. “I was hungry. I didn’t get to eat yesterday because the beating lasted longer, but I packed today.” Niall giggled.

Harry looked at him with the same look everyone else seemed to give Niall. “What’s your name?”

“Niall Horan. What is yours?”

“I'm Harry Styles.”

“Harry… well thank you, for stopping him. I was really hungry.”

“You don’t care that he was beating you up?”

Niall shrugged. “I let him. I just figure he has something going on and he needs to take it out on someone else.”

Harry shook his head at the young lad, and couldn’t help from saying what he said. “You’re a strange fellow, aren’t you?”

Niall stopped eating, and took a quick glance at Harry, and then back to the floor. “That’s what everyone says...” He whispered.

For the first time, Harry actually looked at him, and studied his features, and he noticed the laugh lines on his face, but he also noticed how dull his eyes looked and the bags under his eyes.

“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have said what I did.” Harry muttered quickly. Niall simply shrugged, and smiled once again. “Don’t be, I’m quite used to it. My friend Alfie says I’m unique and different, and that’s why people don’t want to be my friend. He says they are scared of different.”

Niall looked up at Harry with that stupid grin he always wore. Harry couldn’t understand this kid, and for a second he wished he knew what Niall thought. He wanted to peak in his mind, and just catch a glimpse of what really went on.

“You’re so innocent.” Harry thought aloud.

“Innocent? No just good.” Niall shrugged.

“What makes you good?”

“Everyone is good. Some people just do the wrong thing, but they are still good.”

“Not everyone is good, Niall. What about the people in prison? The murderers, rapist, robbers? Those are bad people.”

For the first time, Niall had nothing to say. He knew Harry was right, those people were bad, but Niall was stubborn and his mind was telling him no.

Niall shook his head, and quickly stood up. “You’re wrong.” He said stubbornly.

“So if someone tried to rape you, you would let him because you think he has something going on at home?”

Niall was speechless, yet again. What was he supposed to say, he knew Harry was right. There was bad in the world, but Niall didn’t want to believe it.

“You need to open your eyes Niall. Not everything in this world is good.” Harry said before he walked to a stall, did his business, washed his hands, and left. Not once looking at Niall.

--

Niall couldn’t stop thinking about the words Harry said in the bathroom. Somewhere in his crazy mind, he knew he was right, but he wanted to ignore it. His mind just kept screaming at him.

Bad

Bad

Bad

BAD

Niall disliked that word; it described things that weren’t really there. At least, in his mind they weren’t.

‘Niall’s a bad boy. Aren’t you Niall? Admit it; you are bad, the worst. You are stupid, and worthless, and aren’t any good to this world’.

His head screamed at him. A sob broke through his parted lips, and he clutched his head with his hands, pulling at his hair.

“Shut up… Shut up.” He said through gritted teeth.

‘NIALL. NIALL. NIALL. BAD. BAD. BAD.”

“SHUT UP!” Niall screamed.  He was sobbing at this point. Niall didn’t realize it was actually he who was saying all this stuff inside his mind. Niall figured he was a little crazy, but people had crazy in them. Everyone, at least that’s what he told himself, he blamed the voice in his head, for making him so confused and clueless.

He curled up into a ball on his bed, and cried himself to sleep. Something he hasn’t done in almost 2 years.

--

“Hey Lou, I’m not feeling well. I’m going to sign myself out and head home. Mind bringing my bag to my place after school?”

Harry texted to Louis after he left the bathroom. He had a headache coming on, and didn’t feel like staying the rest of the day. He thought back to what happened not even 10 minutes ago, and he still couldn’t wrap his head around what just happened.

How could anyone think there was no evil in the world? No bad? That wouldn’t make the world as it was today. Of course he wished the world was at peace, and everything was good, but that only happened in books, and movies.

This was real life. For a second, he thought Niall was crazy, but he scolded himself. ‘Niall is just different. He sees the world in a different perspective. He lives in fairytales.’

Yes, Niall was different. Harry kept telling himself.

My friend Alfie says I’m unique and different, and that’s why people don’t want to be my friend. He says they are scared of different.

Nobody was his friend because he was different? No, that didn’t make sense. When he asked Louis about him, he looked scared. There had to be something else behind it.