Louis' POV

I had noticed Harry the minute he'd walked into our first class, all I'd known about him was that his last name was Styles, he was way taller than me, and he was really fucking attractive, with his pretty curly hair, his beautiful green eyes, his muscular arms and shoulders. He must play sports of some kind, or work out? I had enjoyed watching him during class (In a totally not creepy kind of way... I hope) And then I heard him talking to Niall Horan about the location of their next class, and then they were talking about me, which I didn't catch most of because I was shuffling through my bag trying to see if my schedule matched up with his. I really wanted it to, I wanted to be his friend. He was new at this school and he already seemed so warm, and accepting, and I was glad that Niall had a friend. By the time I had pulled out my schedule, found out that I was indeed in the same class as Harry, the boys had disappeared, and checking my watch I realized I was going to be late to class.

This meant I had to go all the way to A building to get a pass from the office. I jogged up the stairs, coming face to face with Catherine Damercio, the only person in the entire school that I hated beyond anything. She was the school bully, always pushing people around. My conversation with her had been the exchange of four words on the first day of my freshman year, she had been a Sophomore at the time, since then she'd been held back two grades, leaving her in the same grade as me. I knew from the very beginning that I was going to hate her, her words to me had been "Get a life (and then a very particular homophobic slur which is totally not okay to say to anyone)"

I mean, who wouldn't hate someone who'd said that to them?

As we met at the top of the stairs she looked down on me, a good six inches taller than I was. She didn't even speak to me, she just shoved me, hard, I lost my balance and toppled down the three sets of stairs that I had just climbed up. She ditched before anyone came to help me.

They called an ambulance, and my mother, and everyone was talking about it for a while.

My second meeting with Harry had been brief, I'd been talking to a counselor about making up the work I'd missed, and Niall and Harry had come to get a pass. That's when I learned what his full name was... Harry Styles, what a badass name. He'd looked nervous,a nd cute, and out of breath.

The third time I'd seen Harry was the first time we officially met. I'd been listening to bad pop music through my headphones, sitting on my front steps, when he'd caught my eye, walking down the street in front of my house. He looked good, his hair in a bun on top of his head, t shirt, and tight jeans. It took me a little while to work up the courage to say something, but once I did we ended up chatting for a while, making my heart race a little. Just this chat and I felt like I knew him, this was our conversation... But of course, I couldn't let Harry know that, I wanted to talk to him forever. And then he invited me to have pizza with him... And Niall, Niall was nice.

I thought back to my conversation with Niall, it had been at a football game during our Sophomore year together, it was the beginning of the year and I was debating whether to do cheerleading like I had as a freshman, or if I should join the football team. I had been worried that I wasn't good enough. I hadn't played football since fifth grade, since the middle school wouldn't let me on the team. Niall had sat next to me, and shared his chips with me while we watched, and then we'd talked about snakes, for a full hour during the game, while we were watching every move on the field, stopping to cheer whenever someone scored, or the goalie made a good save. Our conversation had ended with me relaying my thoughts about joining to team to Niall, and he'd just said "Go for it" telling me that if I wasn't good enough they wouldn't let me on the team and I could go back to cheer, and if I was good enough then they'd let me on the team, and I wouldn't go back to cheer.

And look where I was now... Captain of the football team.

Harry kept staring at me while we talked at the pizza place, probably just him being an attentive listener, and I liked having the chance to meet his gaze, and examine his eyes.

At first I'd thought that my crush on him would go away immediately, like those slight crushes you get on people you see one time on the underground, and the whole ride you find yourself planning your future life together, you never even talk to the person, then you just end up going separate ways and forgetting about them. That's the only kind of crush I'd ever had before, and this was somehow different, because every time I glanced at Harry my heart rate seemed to double, and everytime we parted ways, I just seemed to want to see him even more. What was wrong with me? I'd only properly met him once... Today. Sure I'd had my conversation with him, and it went surprisingly well, but that only meant he had potential, nothing more.

My conversations had started in middle school, after a group of kids who had never even met me, decided that they hated my guts, and then some other kids began talking behind my back, making assumptions about me. People would say that the way I walked was conceited, the way I would only ever talk to certain people was selective and generally looked down upon. I gained this entire reputation, just because I was just a socially awkward kid that nobody ever bothered trying to befriend. So after sixth grade was over I decided to have a single conversation with every single person in middle school, which put me a million miles outside of my comfort zone, I started with a boy named Liam, who was still my friend today, I'd sat down with Liam at lunch one day, he was just as unpopular as I was but for different reasons, I was unpopular because people noticed me too much, and Liam was unpopular because nobody noticed him at all. He'd been surprised when I sat down, used to being ignored. It took me a while to just say

"Hi"

"Hi"

"I'm Louis"

"Liam"

I nodded "What's... Your favorite colour?"

"I don't know. You?"

"I don't know"

"Okay"

"Want to be my friend?"

"Are you a serial killer?"

"I don't think so... You?"

"Not the last time I checked"

"Are you good at card games?"

"I don't know, you?"

"I know one, wanna play?"

"Okay"

The most awkward conversation I'd ever had, but we'd played that card game, then walked to class together. And somehow, we'd become inseparable after that. Of course, Liam and his family were off in America at the moment, he wouldn't be back until the third week of the semester. I did end up having a conversation with almost every person in the middle school, and then since then, I'd been popular? It was weird how well it had worked to stop most of the rumours and the skeptical glances. I'd even had conversations with the non-english speakers at my school, and ended up learning some spanish, korean, vietnamese, french, and several other languages. Not fluently mind you, but I knew how to say hello and goodbye, thank you, you're welcome, and several other important words and phrases in each language. And all that had carried over from middle school into high school, since most students here had gone to the same middle school, or we'd met before at least, we didn't live in a huge town after all.

Harry Styles was so nice to look at though.

Harry's POV

So I'd finally met the mysterious Louis Tomlinson. I had been looking forward to the moment since I'd first seen him, hoping it would give me a clue as to what box he fit into, and then I'd met him and my mind went all fuzzy, and if anything I was more confused now that ever. Niall and I were walking home and he was telling me more about Louis after I had proffered more questions.

"So does he do ANYTHING else"

"Well... He's a good cook."

"A cook? How do you know?"

"One time he brought homemade eclairs to school for everyone in his physics class"

"Okay... Why physics class though?"

"Because physics fucking sucks, he was trying to relieve everyone's misery"

"What else does he do?"

"Well he used to be a cheerleader" Niall broke my mind. Louis was literally everything... How can one person be everything? Imagine how good he would look to colleges.

"Why the fuck does he do so much?"

"Beats me... I don't know how he finds the time" Niall said "By the way Harry... Why do you keep asking about him so much?"

"I don't know Niall, maybe I'm just curious?"

"Or maybe you like him?!"

"What? No... Of course not."

"I mean it's fine if you do, half the school had a crush on him, and you certainly wouldn't be the first guy to try to get in his pants"

"Fuck you Niall, it's not like that" I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

"What's it like then?"

"Okay, promise me you won't think I'm weird?"

"I know you're weird, nothing is ever going to make me change my mind"

"Well... I sort of have this thing-"

Niall cut me off "For Louis Tomlinson!" He tacked on to the end.

"No! I have this thing for classifications... Like I can tell by looking at a person exactly what their clique is, where they fit into society... Like it's weird, but it kind of keeps me sane."

"That's honestly so disappointing, after you said that about me not thinking you were weird I at least expected it to be something interesting" He said jokingly

"Niaaalll" I groaned "Shut up"

"Okay, so do you just look at someone and go, ding! They're a jock! Or ding! They're a nerd? Or do you have to talk to them to find out?"

"I dunno, depends I guess"

"Harry, all I'm asking is if this is a super power or some stupid scientific thing."

"Neither? I just like knowing exactly where people stand..."

"Okay, so where do I stand? What am I?"

"You're musically talented, not a jock, not a nerd, probably a drama kid"

"Okay, but you and I are friends, of course you know those things about me... Um. How about Louis? What is he?"

"He's... Louis is everything..."

"Everything to you? As in you like him?"

"No! He does everything. Jock, Drama Kid, Nerd, Cheerleader, Musician, Cook... Like you name it and he's probably done it. And I hate it... That's why I keep asking questions about him, I can't find a box to put him in"

"Why do you have to put him in a box? Why can't he just be who he is and have that be enough?"

"Sorry, that's not what I mean... I, sorry it's just something I do, just organize people into categories in order to better understand and know them"

"But why?"

"I have... A problem initiating conversations... Like I basically am incapable of it."

"Explain"

"Well... Unless someone talks to me first, my brain, my body, everything just shuts down any possibility of me talking to someone"

"What about the conversations we've had?"

"When we met you asked me if I need help, therefore initiating the conversation. When I met Louis earlier, he called me over, therefore initiating the conversation... I don't really have a better way to explain it"

"Weird... So since you can't talk to people you find other ways to know them?"

"Exactly!"

"So you're like the opposite of Louis?"

"I don't know... I guess?"

"Well guess what Styles? Opposites attract!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You and Tommo. What else?"

"Why?"

"Maybe this is my thing. You have your weird classifications, Louis has his conversations, maybe my thing is like making you guys like each other"

"I'll be going home now" I jokingly run twenty feet before jogging back to Niall and continuing our pace. "I think I know why you have no friends."

"I have friends! How dare you Styles!"

"Oh you do do you? Who?"

"Zayn Malik..." Niall muttered under his breath

"Who?"

"Zayn Malik"

"Who's Zayn Malik?"

"My friend"

"More like your imaginary friend?"

"He just goes to another school okay?"

"Which one?"

"He goes to uni..."

"Age gap?"

"One year"

"I think you're making him up"

"I'm not!"

"Well I won't believe you until I've met the guy"

"Look, he's busy, we're busy... It might be a while until you get to meet him"

"Cause you made him up?"

"You shut up about Zayn, and I'll shut up about you and Louis, deal?"

"Deal" I paused "You know I kind of have to get going, I have an essay to write."

"We were assigned three essays, not one"

"I know, I have to write my last one"

"Wait, you've already done the homework? You're kidding me... How?"

"It's due tuesday... Why wouldn't I do it?"

"I haven't even started, I think I'm going to regret being friends with you."

"Look, I've fallen behind in school before. And it sucks you into a never ending black hole of trying to catch up without anyone stopping to wait for you... That's how school works, they move on whether you've learned the material or not..."

"Okay, okay... It's just, I think most people write a half assed essay the day before it's due and hope for the best."

"I have a feeling that's what you're planning to do?"

Niall shook his head "Maybe" He muttered.

"Well see you on Monday" I said, before heading off towards my own house.

I got home and headed up to my room, sitting down at my desk to write my essay. I stood up and paced the room trying to think of ideas, and the only thing that kept flashing through my mind, was Louis Tomlinson. I walked over and opened my window, looking out at the green grass on our front lawn, a small tree off to one side with a small blue jay sitting on a branch. Flowers in our front garden. See? There were plenty other beautiful things in the world... Not just Louis, with his blue eyes, and sexy hair. Not that I though Louis was sexy or anything. Just a statement of fact. He was... Objectively... Attractive?

I shook my head in an attempt to clear it. And then continued my essay.