Submit

6

Taking a seat in the lobby Louis scanned the room feeling it begin to spin as words swirled in his head, "You're never getting out of here."

"No master could want you,"

"Did you really think he'd want you?"

"Skips don't get good masters," 

He remembers hearing every insult clearly the day his results came in the mail. He remembers his mother sobbing when he read aloud the day he had to report to skip academy for further education. 

"At least you got marked educated," Oli remarks sitting next to the boy on his front porch, the two sixteen-year-olds had been friends since primary school where Louis told off one of Oli's bullies, the older yet much smaller one - at the time - swore Louis was a dominant from his overpowering demeanor even as children.

No one could've prepared Oli, or Louis' family that the word Skip would've been anywhere on the sheet of paper regarding the boy's status in the world. He thought he passed the test with flying colors.

"R-right," Louis mutters poking at the dirt with a stick he found, he glances at his friend with a supportive smile, "Ma-maybe you can adopt me," he attempts a joke knowing the tears in his eyes along with his cracking voice gave away his own pain at his friend receiving a test score he thought he should've had.

Oli frowns tucking his own results into his coat pocket, "If-if there was ever a-a time that I can help you-"

"Oli," Louis starts meeting his friend's eyes, the tears course down his cheeks, "I-I can't restest until I'm signed for, e-even then t-there's nothing you can do, I-I'm a-a fucking skip with no rights, e-educated or not," the boy sniffles grabbing his friend's hand, "J-just promise me y-you'll be a good owner," his earthy eyes leaving his friends as he glances down toward his neighbors, the event that took place ten years ago burned into his memory.

"I promise Lou," Oli swears wiping his own cheeks, "Be-be a good skip,"

"I promise Oli," Louis whispers softly seeing his new owner exiting from the office once more with a manilla folder tucked between his arm and side, "Ready to go?" The room had settled, Louis stood taking one last glance of the room in full, the white walls, stiff and uncomfortable chairs, and dreary lights, "Definitely."

Placing a hand on Louis' back, Harry leads him to his SUV opening the back door behind the driver's side, "What's that?" Louis questions sliding on the seat furrowing his eyebrows toward the folder Harry pitched in the passenger seat, "That's your file, baby," Harry replies bringing the seatbelt across Louis' chest buckling it for the boy, "I-I can do it," Louis mumbles placing his own hands over Harry's, their eyes meeting when the man offers him a smile, "Why don't you just let me?" 

The skip gulps nodding softly, "Um, um c-can I read it?"

"Read what baby?" Harry returns having closed Louis' door getting into the driver's seat starting the car, "My-my file,"

"We can read it together at home," their eyes meet once more in the rearview mirror, Louis' breath hitches seeing the emerald orbs piercing into him, he felt himself begin spiraling when the car shifted from park to reverse, the skip darts his look out the window seeing the building shrinking as they backed from it.

Louis didn't think he'd ever see the outside of the agency from this view. The view from inside his new owner's car. He had an owner. Louis had officially been fucking signed for.