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"Hey Aasim, remember that one time you told us you liked Ruby out of panic? I sure do. That was funny, huh?" Louis teased, looking straight at the mentioned teen. Aasim just melted further into the sofa he was sitting on by himself, avoiding eye contact with everyone. Some of them chuckled a bit, the loudest ones being Louis and Marlon.
"Oh come on Louis, lay off. Aasim's clearly getting uncomfortable," Ruby said, trying to get Louis to shut up for once. Before the pianist had time to retaliate, Violet opened her mouth.
"Like you're one to talk, Louis. You should've seen yourself back when you and Aasim were still a thing! You wouldn't take one step away from him, following him around like a lost puppy!" Violet laughed at what she herself said. Louis went deep red and hid his face with his hands, Aasim looking about the same. The rest of them were laughing light heartedly.
"Violet you won't stop talking about Minnie whenever she's not around," Marlon stated, making the blonde huff and cross her arms defensively.
"Guys, could we maybe change the subject? I literally can't relate to any of this." Omar said, laughing a bit at himself and how alien the conversation from before was to him. Ruby nodded along, agreeing they should talk about something else before someone actually got way too uncomfortable. Aasim cleared his throat and sat up properly.
"So uhh... The weather's nice, right?" The one sitting on his own started, looking down at his hands.
"Wooooow Aasim, you couldn't have chosen a more awkward topic to talk about. Anyway-" Louis was cut off by the sound of the house's double doors opening. He let out an annoyed sigh, already knowing who it was. He stood up and motioned for his friends to do the same.
"Forgot the folks were coming home today, so you guys better leave before they start shouting," The pianist stated, starting to almost push his friends out to avoid conflict between them and his parents.
"Why would they yell at us? We haven't done anything wrong, right?" Clementine, who had been quiet up to this point, questioned, not having seen Louis' parents before this.
"They don't really like people who aren't well off..." Before Louis could elaborate any further two older adults walked into the living room. Louis groaned dramatically, making it known that he wasn't a fan of their company.
"Uhhh hello? I don't think we've met yet, I'm Clementine," The brunette girl tried to talk to Louis' parents, but all she got in return was a cold and judging stare before the two older people looked over at their son.
"Louis, didn't we tell you not to spend time with these types of people?" Louis' father asked rhetorically. Everyone could feel the tension rise in the room, Ruby already making a move to try and leave.
"You don't get to judge the people I choose to hang around. At least they care enough to spend time with me, unlike some people here." Clem looked shocked at Louis' tone, never having seen him act like this.
"Maybe you people should leave. Can't you see how bad of an influence you are being for our son?" Louis' mother said, looking at the other kids, basically telling them to get out.
"Shut the absolute fuck up, you can't talk to Lou or anyone like that. I fucking swear if you-" Louis cut Marlon's angry outburst short to avoid anymore conflict and to try and stop the blond from trying to beat his parents up.
"How dare you talk to us like that you lower class cretin," The older man said coldly, looking down at Marlon, who was being talked to by Louis. Aasim was about to say something, but was interrupted by the older woman.
"And you. Don't even open your mouth. I thought we made sure to show that you are not welcome here anymore," That made Marlon even more mad than he was before and he was about to go in for a punch, before Ruby grabbed him by his shoulder and forcefully turned him towards her.
"We're leaving. NOW," The ginger girl snapped at the blond, getting him to his senses. This would get physical, if they didn't leave right now. The first ones to make a move to leave were Omar and Clementine, who had been staying out of the fight, Aasim right behind them. Ruby had to almost drag Marlon out of the house.
"You negligent pieces of shit..." Violet was about to start insulting the older couple, before she saw the look Louis was giving her. She started walking out, but didn't leave without flipping Louis' parents off behind their back. The old couple turned their attention towards their son once again.
"We're going to have a talk over dinner, for now go into you room and change into something proper. We'll call you when you may join us." Louis reluctantly agreed, leaving to go to the third floor of the mansion, grumbling something under his breath.
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Louis had just changed into a stuffy white button-up shirt and black dress pants, before he heard his mother call him down for dinner. He made his way down to the second floor, where their dining room was situated. He sat down at the other side of the table, trying to keep his distance. The three sat in silence for a while, before the older man cleared his throat.
"So, why are you still spending time with those people?" Louis groaned at the question. They always asked the same question at dinner. He was getting sick of it.
"Well at least I choose to spend time around people I care about. You and mother spend an awful lot time around each other but couldn't care less about the other," Louis' mother gasped at her son's statement, raising her hand over her heart.
"You don't get to be happy if you choose to be rich. Mine and your mother's marriage was-" Louis cut his father off.
"Yeah yeah, you get to be happy or you get to be rich, you don't get to be both! I get it, you tell me that all the time!" The boy dragged out the word "all" to drive the point in more, but his parents didn't seem to listen to what he said.
"It's rude to cut people off, Louis," The woman said, her voice sounded disappointed.
"Hypocrites..." Louis whispered under his breath, but the sound caught the attention of his parents. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, the feeling of the button up suffocating him.
"What was that?"
"I said you're hypocrites! You didn't even let Aasim speak back in the hallway and yet you're calling me rude for not letting father finish the stupid lecture he gives me every single dinner!" The two older adults in the room were negatively surprised their son was talking back to them.
"Speaking of which, you completely ignore the fact that me and Aasim dated once! You people just go on about a wife and kids and all that, which sure I might want, but what if I didn't, huh? What if I were to say the bloodline ends here? What then?" Louis was openly challenging his parents, trying to annoy them, trying to make them angry. He wasn't thinking about what he was saying, not filtering his thoughts and just speaking them out loud.
"Well, that would make you even more of a disappointment than you already are." Louis laughed dryly at his father's words, an annoyed smile on his face.
"If I was such a disappointment, why haven't you thrown me out yet, huh?" He was challenging his parents even more. They were taking the taunt.
"Maybe we should have," The man's words hurt Louis, even if he might not have shown it. Before Louis had the chance to counter his father, his mother opened her mouth.
"I wish I never gave birth to you," That was the pianist's breaking point. The tears he had been holding back spilled out as he slammed his fork on the table and in one swift move left the table.
"Thank you for the food," Louis said, before he ran down the stairs and out the door. The brunet opened the two first buttons of his shirt, finally feeling like he wasn't being strangled at every waking moment. He let out a broken sob as he walked down the giant driveway. This wasn't what he wanted! He only wanted his parents to acknowledge him, to confirm that they wanted him in their lives! But what did they do? They said they wished he was never born! He wasn't even quite sure where he was going before he was stood at the front steps of an all too familiar two story rowhouse. He rang the doorbell and waited until a blond with a hairstyle you couldn't mistake for any other opened the door.
"Damn, you look horrible. Did they say something again?" Marlon opened his arms, inviting his best friend in for a hug. Louis just fell forward, laying his head against the blond's chest, nodding a little. Marlon just patted the brunet's back, in an attempt to comfort him.
"If you don't wanna just stand on our front porch, we could go inside and watch a movie in my room. Rosie would probably be happy to see you again." Louis just nodded at that, walking in as Marlon closed the door behind them.