Pride

Like every Saturday night, Louis and his friends can be found in the VIP lounge of their favorite club. Cups and bottles of champagne are littered around them as are ashtrays full of burned out spliffs. It’s one of the many perks of having rich parents that they don’t have to hide their drugs.

Liam is currently making out with two women, alternating between pushing his tongue down the redheads throat and nipping down the brunette’s neck. He had picked them from the dance floor the minute he walked in and they went with him very willingly. The slightly younger boy has always had luck with the ladies, even at an early age. They flock around him and are always eager to share his bed. It helps that Liam isn’t picky either. As long as they’re beautiful, he doesn’t have a type.

Leaning against the glass that separates the VIP section from the rest of the dance floor is Harry. He’s looking down on the dance floor below where a bird has caught his eye. He’s eye fucking her across the room and she’s giving it to him right back.

The bird he’s eyeing is twice his age, the way he likes it. Louis found out quite early on in their friendship that the younger boy likes his women older than him. He has never told Louis why, but the older boy suspects it has something to do with his rather young mother. He doesn’t really know how that works, but there must be a connection there.

“Where’s Zayn?“ Louis asks his friends. "I thought I told him to meet us an hour ago.”

Both Liam and Harry don’t react, not that Louis would have thought Liam would interrupt his make-out session to answer his friend. But he had hoped Harry would provide him with an answer.

Harry does eventually, after having gestured to the blonde on the dance floor to come up to the VIP section. Harry is lucky that Louis doesn’t shout at him for being so slow with his answer, as Louis isn’t really known for his patience.

“He’s probably just resting his eyes. Isn’t that what he always does?” Harry says in his slow drawl. He turns around so he’s facing Louis and gives the irritated boy a smile. If it was anyone other than Harry, Louis would have knocked the smile right off.

“Normally he tells me when he ditches us,” Louis protests. He crosses his arm in anger because he really doesn’t like to be stood up by his friend.

“What’s got you so irritated then?” Harry asks, a playful tilt suddenly added to his smile. “Is it that Melissa bird? Why don’t you like her? She’s quite cute and she reminds me a little of your sister.”

“She’s nothing like my sister” Louis exclaims. His eyes are wide with indignation. How dare Harry compare that poor, insignificant girl with someone as awesome as his sister. “It’s disgusting to compare them. They’re nothing alike”

“Ah Lou, you and your sister complex.” Harry chuckles and shakes his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a sister complex.” Louis' eyes shoot fire as a blush creeps onto his cheeks. “There’s nothing wrong with looking up to your sister.”

"Things between you and Christina are more complex than that, though,” Harry insists. His eye shoot to the door when someone enters the VIP room. It’s the girl he’s been watching.

“Hello, love,” Harry greets her as he holds out his arm for her to get under. She doesn’t blush as she walks up to him and plasters her body against his.

Before Harry can get distracted by the girl, Louis quickly continues talking.

“Speaking of Melissa, I think we should try to destroy her. I know that’s what we usually do with people who get in our way, but I now mean it more than ever. It’s a matter of privacy.”

Harry turns his head and when he sees how serious Louis looks, Harry can’t help but laugh loudly at him. It never ceases to be funny when Louis makes mistakes like these.

“Don’t you mean ‘it’s a matter of pride’ ?”

Louis blushes and punches Harry quite hard. A shock is send through his arm at the collision. He should have expected Louis to react this way. Whenever people correct these kind of linguistic mistakes they touch a nerve. Louis has lived in France until he was five and had been only spoken to in French. He still has difficulty speaking proper English from time to time.

“Whatever, the point remains,” Louis says briskly. “We need to do something about Melissa.”
That Monday, the day starts out as any other day. Her classmates bully her and the teachers do nothing about it. There’s nothing to indicate that Louis has planned something special for her. But that changes after second period.

Melissa is walking to the classroom she had English in two hours ago. She was stupid enough to forget her school book. She’s walking without shoes, her shoes have gone missing. When she wanted to change out of her gym clothes fifteen minutes ago, they had just gone. Probably they’re in a trash can right now.

When the brunette arrives in the classroom she starts searching for her school book. Suddenly she hears the door open and when she looks at the door she sees Stan Lucas walking through the door. She recognizes him because they have French together. She tries to hide her fear as the boy walks towards her but she isn’t too sure she’s doing a good job. He can probably see the fear in her eyes.

“I’ve received your letter.” Stan tells the slightly scared girl with a sly smile.

“What letter? I haven’t send you a letter,” Melissa asks with a puzzled look on her face. Her voice sounds as flustered as she feels.

“Of course you did. You said you would do anything if I only talked to you.” Stan is looking at her like a hunter looks at his pry. His eyes are fixed on her and he looks ready to stop her if she tried to escape.

Then the door is pulled open and four other boys walk into the classroom. Melissa doesn’t know what they’re planning to do to her, but it can’t be anything good. If anything happens to her she knows the school will do nothing, they hate scandals.

Melissa can feel cold sweat trickle down her spine as the boys encircle her. She readies herself to fight. If they think they’re able to take her down without a fight, they’re surly mistaken. When Stan is close enough Melissa rams her fist against his cheek and he stumbles backward at the impact as well as in shock. Melissa manages to maneuver herself between two boys and runs out of the classroom. However, the boys are hot on her heels.

When the poor girl has made it to the other end of the hallway she suddenly feels someone pull at her hair and she trips. She can feel her knees scrape the hard floor as she lands on her hands and knees. The coppery taste of her blood invades her mouth as a crimson trickle of blood falls down her chin. Rough hands turn her around and she staring up into three grinning faces.

“Did you think you could escape.“ Stan taunts as he begins to pull at her clothes. "You promised us you’d do anything, remember. Now let us take what you promised us.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” a familiar voice suddenly sounds from Melissa’s right. The three boys hovering over her snap their heads in the direction the voice came from and Melissa can see their faces chance color as blood leaves them.

When Melissa hears the boys call the person who interrupted them by name Melissa can feel her face heat up. “Mr. Malik. We’re very sorry, but we’re only doing what we’re told. Mr. Tomlinson gave us instructions to do this.”

“I don’t care what Louis told you to do, I just don’t want it to happen here.” Zayn sounds bored as he reprimands Melissa’s attackers. It doesn’t matter to her what he’s saying, she’s just really thankful he’s come to her rescue.“ Just go and bother somebody else.”

The boys are on their feet in a flash and run away is if they are chased by the devil himself.
“Thank you” Melissa whispers, still laying on her back as tears stream down her face. Her heart is still beating rapidly but fear is slowly starting to leave her body.

“Don’t read anything into it, I just hate this kind of stuff” is all Zayn says.

Melissa doesn’t care about her book and her shoes anymore. She just happy Zayn came to her rescue. He could have just walked away and let her attackers have their way with her but he didn’t. He may deny he did it because he didn’t want her to get hurt, but she knows that isn’t true. Melissa just keeps crying, even after Zayn walks away, because she doesn’t know any other way to respond to this kindness.

Melissa may be thankful that her attackers didn’t succeed but Louis is anything but. He’s angry and very disappointed. Not a good combination. However, his face remains calms as he looks at the three boys in front of him with clear disdain.

A few seconds ago, these three good for nothings in front of him had dared to tell him they failed their mission. And it was such an easy mission, all they had to do is scare the poor girl enough for her to want to quit school right away.

“We’re really sorry but Mr. Tomlinson, Mr. Malik interrupted us.”

“I don’t care” Louis shouts, no longer able to control his anger. “You not are not going to get paid. That’s for sure. Just be glad I don’t put red tags in your lockers.”

The three scared boys are indeed glad for the small mercy shown by Louis. It didn’t go as bad as they feared it would.

Louis dismisses them straight away and when they leave his room, he’s once again busy, hatching another plan to deal with the problem that’s Melissa Bewick.

Notes