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The hallway was alive with noise—laughs, the clatter of lockers, and the hum of overlapping conversations. Louis moved through it all like a ghost, head low, eyes trained on the scuffed toes of his Converse. He adjusted the strap of his bag and clutched his books tighter as if they were a shield.

Every corner, every shadow felt like a threat. Because Harry was there somewhere. Watching. Waiting.

The bell had rung ten minutes ago, and the crowd had thinned. Louis had ducked into an empty side corridor, taking the long way to class just to avoid running into him. But he hadn't made it far before he heard the heavy, deliberate tread of boots behind him.

"Louis."

The voice stopped him in his tracks. Low, familiar. Too close.

He turned slowly, his heart thudding. Harry stood there, just a few feet away, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket. His hair was a mess, his jaw set tight, and his green eyes—usually so calm—were burning with something Louis couldn't name.

"What?" Louis croaked. He hated how small his voice sounded, hated that he couldn't seem to meet Harry's gaze.

Harry didn't answer right away. He took a step closer, his brow furrowed like he was trying to figure something out.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally. His voice was quiet but firm. "I need to know you're okay."

Louis blinked, startled. "What—what are you talking about?"

Harry sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "I've barely seen you since...that night. You're dodging me, baby. And if it's about Jack..." his jaw tightened, his tone sharpening. "Please tell me you and him are done."

Louis flushed, his stomach twisting. "It's really none of your business."

"It is when—" Harry stopped himself, exhaling through his nose. He shook his head like he was trying to stay calm. "You don't owe me anything, Louis, but..." he trailed off. "If you're still dating him—"

"I'm not," Louis interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt a rush of shame even admitting it. "I need to...I need to talk to him about it, but it's over."

Relief flickered in Harry's eyes, but it didn't last long. "It's taking everything in me not to—" he cut himself off again, shaking his head.

"I don't need you to fight my battles," Louis muttered, looking away.

"Maybe not," Harry said. "But he needs to back off," he hesitated, his voice softening. "And if you're not okay, you can tell me. I won't...I don't know, push or whatever. Just say something, anything."

Louis' cheeks burned, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. "I'm fine," he mumbled. He tried to step around Harry, but Harry shifted, blocking his path.

"Louis," Harry said again, softer this time. He reached out, his fingertips brushing the collar of Louis' shirt where it gaped slightly. His thumb ghosted over the faint, faded mark on Louis' neck—the last remnant of what had happened with Jack.

Louis flinched like he'd been burned. His hand shot up, smacking Harry's away. "Don't!" he snapped, his voice louder than he'd meant. His heart pounded in his ears as he stumbled back a step, hugging his arms to his chest.

Harry froze, his hand still hovering in the air. His expression flickered—confusion, hurt, and then something unreadable. He lowered his hand slowly, his jaw tightening.

"Sorry," he murmured. He didn't look sorry, though; he looked frustrated. "I wasn't trying to—" he stopped himself again, shaking his head. "Forget it."

Louis felt his throat tighten, guilt clawing at his chest. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Harry ran a hand over his face, sighing. "Just...take care of yourself, okay?" he turned, his shoulders stiff, and started to walk away.

"Harry," Louis said quickly, the name slipping out before he could stop it.

Harry paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

Louis hesitated, his mouth dry. "I'm fine," he said again, quieter this time. "Really."

Harry stared at him for a long moment, his gaze searching. Then he gave a small nod, his expression unreadable, and walked away.

Louis stood there long after Harry disappeared, his fingers brushing absently over the mark on his neck. He couldn't tell if the knot in his stomach was relief or regret.

***

The parking lot was nearly empty, the last few stragglers from the day lingering near their cars or chatting in clusters. Louis kept his hands jammed in his jacket pockets as he walked, head low, eyes on the gravel. The cold air stung his cheeks, but he welcomed the sharpness—it kept him focused.

"Louis!"

He groaned internally at the sound of Jack's voice. Of course, today wasn't over yet. He kept walking, pretending not to hear.

"Louis, wait up!" Jack jogged up beside him, his breath puffing in the air. "Come on, don't ignore me."

Louis stopped abruptly. "What do you want, Jack?"

Jack flinched at the sharpness in his tone but quickly recovered, his expression shifting into something almost contrite. "I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry. For the other night. I didn't mean to freak you out."

Louis crossed his arms, unimpressed. "You didn't freak me out. You pissed me off. There's a difference."

"Okay, okay, fair," Jack said, holding up his hands. "I messed up, alright? But we can work through it. I know we can. You just have to give me another chance."

Louis stared at him, his chest tightening with frustration. "Jack, no. This isn't working. It hasn't been working for a while."

Jack blinked, his face twisting in confusion. "What are you talking about? Things were fine until—"

"They weren't fine," Louis cut in. "And I'm done pretending they were. I don't want to keep doing this," he gestured vaguely between them. "It's not fair to either of us."

Jack's jaw tightened, his posture stiffening. "So, what? That's it? You're just throwing this away?"

Louis shrugged, his voice flat. "There's nothing to throw away. I think you know that."

Jack scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Right. Sure. Real easy for you to say now. But don't act like you didn't lead me on, Louis. You wanted this just as much as I did."

"I wanted to try," Louis snapped, his voice rising. "But that doesn't mean I owe you anything."

Jack's face darkened. He took a step closer, his voice low and bitter. "You weren't worth it anyway. You wouldn't even give me what I wanted."

The words stung, sharp and cutting, but Louis refused to let it show. He squared his shoulders, glaring up at Jack. "If that's all you cared about, then..." he trailed off, shaking his head and scoffing.

Before Jack could respond, another voice cut through the tension.

"Leave him alone."

Both of them turned to see Zayn. He pushed off of the lamppost he was leaning against and sauntered toward them, his gaze locked on Jack.

"Seriously," Zayn said, his tone cool but firm. "Don't make this uglier than it already is."

Jack glared at him, his fists clenching at his sides. "Stay out of it, Malik. This has nothing to do with you."

"Maybe not," Zayn said with a shrug, "but I'm not gonna stand here and watch you be a prick. So why don't you back off before you embarrass yourself even more?"

Jack hesitated, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. He glanced between Zayn and Louis, his lips curling into a bitter smirk. "Fine. Whatever. But don't come crying to me when you find out what your real friends have been up to."

Louis frowned, his stomach twisting uneasily. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jack chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Oh, nothing," he took a step back, his smirk fading into something colder. "Good luck, Louis. You're gonna need it."

With that, he turned and walked away, his boots crunching against the gravel.

Louis stood there, his chest heaving with frustration and confusion. He glanced at Zayn, who was watching Jack's retreating figure with a clenched jaw.

"What did he mean by that?" Louis asked, looking between Jack and Zayn.

Zayn hesitated, his expression flickering with guilt before he quickly masked it. "He's just being a sore loser. Don't let him get in your head."

Louis narrowed his eyes, his stomach twisting even tighter. "Zayn..."

Zayn sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, Lou, can we talk about this later? You've had a rough enough week already and-"

"No," Louis said firmly. "If there's something I need to know, you'd better tell me now."

Zayn's silence was deafening.

"Fine," Louis said finally when Zayn didn't respond, his voice trembling with a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Whatever. I can't deal with this today anyway."

Zayn watched Louis walk away, his heart heavy with guilt. He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair before jogging to catch up with him.

"Louis, wait," he called, his voice tight.

Louis stopped but didn't turn around. His shoulders were stiff, his head slightly bowed.

"What do you want, Zayn?" he asked, his voice weary.

Zayn hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. "I need to tell you something."

Louis turned slowly, his expression guarded. "What now?"

Zayn swallowed hard. He had promised Harry he wouldn't say anything yet, but Jack's bitter parting words had thrown everything off course. Louis deserved to know something—at least part of the truth.

"It's about Jack," Zayn said finally.

Louis crossed his arms, his brow furrowing. "What about him?"

Zayn exhaled sharply. "He-" he swallowed. "He did something bad."

Louis blinked at him. "Okay, like?"

"To you," Zayn said softly. "He did something bad to you," he explained. "That's why Liam and I were fighting him."

Louis shook his head, confused. "Something like what?" he asked. Zayn bit his lip. "Hey! What did he do?"

Zayn's throat bobbed as he hesitated. "He cheated on you," the words were so quiet that Louis could barely make them out. 

But they were there, heavy and cruel. Louis blinked, his mouth parting slightly in shock.

"Wait...what?" he breathed, his voice barely audible.

Zayn nodded grimly. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you, but you needed to know. Jack kissed...and more... with someone else."

Louis stared at him, trying to process the revelation. "How... How do you know that?"

Zayn hesitated, his gaze flickering away. "Troye has a recording of it."

"A recording?" Louis echoed, his voice rising slightly. Confusion and disbelief twisted across his face. "Why would Troye have a recording? How does that even make sense?"

Zayn shifted uncomfortably. He knew this was dangerous territory, but he couldn't back out now. "It's... complicated," he said carefully. "But the point is, it happened. Jack cheated, and he knows we know."

Louis's hands curled into fists at his sides. "You're not making any sense, Zayn," he snapped. "Why does Troye have this? Why is he even involved in this? Why are you involved?"

Zayn fish-mouthed for a moment before replying. "He's the one who... he's the one Jack kissed."

Louis' throat went dry. "Jack kissed Troye?" he snapped. Zayn nodded and Louis looked lost. "Why did he record it- why would he?"

Zayn winced, realizing he'd pushed too far. He couldn't tell Louis everything—not yet. Not without Harry.

"You need to talk to Harry," Zayn said finally. His voice was soft but firm. "He can explain better than I can."

Louis stared at him, his chest heaving as emotions swirled—anger, hurt, confusion. "You're just... throwing this at me and telling me to talk to Harry?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry," Zayn said earnestly. "I really am. But it's... it's not just my place to say."

Louis shook his head, stepping back. "I don't even know what to believe anymore," he muttered.

"Believe that we care about you," Zayn said quietly. "Even if it doesn't feel like it right now, we're trying to help."

Louis didn't respond. He turned and walked away again, his mind spinning as he tried to make sense of everything.

***

Louis found Harry on the far side of the school parking lot, leaning against his car. He'd driven to school after realising that Louis had left the house before Harry had the chance to walk with him. 

Harry looked up when Louis approached, his green eyes narrowing slightly with concern.

"Louis?" Harry said, straightening. "What's going on? You look—"

"I need you to tell me the truth," Louis interrupted, his voice taut and shaking slightly.

Harry frowned. "About what?"

"About Jack. About Troye. About this recording Zayn says exists," Louis snapped, stepping closer. "I've had enough of being the last to know things."

Harry stiffened, his expression darkening. He glanced around before gesturing toward the passenger side of his car. "Get in," he said.

"What?"

"Just get in, Louis. Please," Harry said, his voice quieter but urgent.

Louis hesitated for a moment, uncertainty flickering across his face, but finally, he yanked open the door and slid into the seat. Harry followed, getting into the driver's side and shutting the door with a soft click. The air was thick with tension, the car silent except for Louis's shallow breathing.

Harry gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "Zayn told you?"

Louis didn't answer right away, his eyes fixed forward, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He felt exposed and vulnerable. "Did you know about Jack and Troye?" Louis asked, his voice coming out tight and angry.

Harry let out a heavy sigh, his head leaning back against the seat. "I..." he trailed off. "Yeah, baby, I knew. I'm sorry-"

"How?" Louis cut him off immediately. "How do you know about this?" he snapped.

Harry swallowed, pained. "There was this...plan," he started. "This stupid plan."

Louis shook his head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Zayn and Liam," Harry said. "They asked Troye to see if... well, to see if Jack would take his number. That's all it started as and then-"

"Why would they do that?" Louis exclaimed. "I don't understand."

Harry shrugged helplessly, panicked. "You guys were moving so fast. They- they just wanted to see that he was good for you," he rushed out. "And he wasn't, baby, he wasn't good for you."

"Did you know about this?" Louis asked. "Did you know that they were doing that?"

Harry nodded slowly, guiltily. "I knew about the plan," he said finally. "I told Zayn it was a stupid idea. I didn't want any part of it," he paused, glancing over at Louis.

The younger boy was silent, just listening. Eyes wide and teary as he listened as Harry broke his heart.

"I even warned Jack not to make a move on Troye. Told him not to do it, but... but Jack still... he still went through with it. Even after everything... And I—" he stopped, frustration cutting through his words. "I couldn't stop him. I couldn't stop any of it."

Louis' eyes burned, anger flashing as he leaned forward, his voice rising. "You tried to stop it?" he scoffed bitterly. "And then what? You just stood by and let it happen? You let it just play out?" 

"No, Louis," Harry said quickly, shaking his head. "I warned him not to! I didn't know he was going to do that. I -" he exhaled sharply. "I swear, I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want any of this."

Louis' gaze flickered toward Harry. "So you did know and didn't tell me. You knew what they were doing and you stayed quiet. And now you're telling me it wasn't your fault?"

Harry turned in his seat to face Louis, his voice rising. "No, I'm not saying it wasn't my fault. I'm just saying that I didn't want it to happen. I never wanted you to get hurt. I'm trying to help, Louis."

Louis glared at him, something hard and cold settling in his chest. "Help?" he repeated. "By keeping secrets? By letting me fall for Jack, letting him do whatever the fuck he wanted and not telling me? That's how you help?"

Harry's eyes flashed with frustration. "You wouldn't listen to me! You wouldn't even talk to me about it, Louis." 

Louis swallowed, a lump forming in his throat."Harry, I almost-" he choked out. "We almost..." he struggled with the words. "I nearly let him-"

"Don't-"

"But I did!" Louis exclaimed. "And the whole time you knew what he'd done!"

"You pushed me away every time I tried to be there for you," Harry defended.

Louis's expression hardened, his voice cold. "I didn't ask you to be there for me. I just wanted you to be honest. And now you're telling me this shit like you're the one who's been wronged?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I'm supposed to be your friend, Harry. Isn't that what we're supposed to be?"

The words stung, and Harry's jaw clenched, his fists tightening on the steering wheel. "I am your friend, Louis. And I wanted you to be happy, I really did. But you're right, I should've told you everything. I should've said something sooner," his voice low and rough.

Louis shook his head, his voice trembling with hurt. "I was falling for him, Harry. And the whole time you knew," he said, his eyes finally meeting Harry's, raw and full of pain. "And you didn't tell me."

Harry's chest tightened, the weight of Louis' words crashing over him. He swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I didn't want you to go through that, Louis. I didn't want you to get hurt. I didn't want to be the one standing in the way of you being happy, even if that meant him—even if it meant letting you do whatever you thought was right, even if it hurt me."

Louis's lips quivered, the anger still bubbling beneath the surface. "You should've told me. You should've stopped me from falling deeper into this shit. Instead, you stood there, letting it happen. You didn't give a damn about what I was going through."

Harry's voice broke through, almost desperate. "I did care. I was trying, Louis. I swear I was trying."

"When?" Louis snapped. "When were you going to tell me?" 

Harry shook his head, his words catching in his throat. "I don't know," he choked out. "I don't know, alright. I just-" he swallowed. "I care about you, I didn't want to hurt you."

 "So what? You think you can just tell me everything now and I'll forgive you?" he asked.

"No, baby-"

"You think that just because me and Jack are over, I'm going to come running to you? That you'll be my saviour?" Louis cut him off, ranting angrily.

Harry's eyes widened, a rush of anger flaring in his chest. "What the hell, Louis? That's not it at all."

Louis's face twisted in disbelief. "That's exactly what you're doing, though! You think you can fix everything by showing up now, telling me you cared, and acting like this is your chance to step in and play the hero. Well, it's too late for that."

Harry's hands tightened on the wheel, his frustration growing. "Fuck you, Louis," he spat, before slamming his fist against the steering wheel. "I never wanted to be anyone's hero. I just wanted to be there for you, even when you didn't want me."

Louis swallowed, his gaze was cold and distant. "I don't need your help, not like this. Not after everything that's happened," he shook his head, his jaw trembling. "Just... just leave me alone."

Harry stared at him, the words catching in his throat. "No wait," he reached for Louis as he opened the car door. "Louis, please."

Louis pulled from his grasp. "Leave me the hell alone," he repeated, voice shaking as he climbed out of the car. He slammed it behind him without a second glance, leaving Harry sitting there, lost in the silence.

Ummmm

So where can it go from here?

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