Scruffy and Curly

Infro

Driving school. Getting your license. Being free and able to just drive somewhere. Isn't that what every 18 year old dreams of? The windows down, music up, wind in your face as you go 100km per hour with your friend and you both shout the lyrics to your favorite song out so loud that they can be heard to the next city.

Well I was about to get my dream come true. But before that, I had a month of cdriving school to complete.

I had turned 18 in the beginning of the year already, but my parents didn't have the money to pay for my license yet. It was around 2 000 euros and that was hell of a lot. Specially to someone who's mom was a unemployed and dad who worked as an engineer. But now the time had come, it was summer, a month before my school started again, and finally, finally my parents told me that I was going to get my license.

It was the best thing that had happened to me in a while.

I told everyone over Facebook, made a funny and sarcastic text that was so me, so Harry as my friends would say. That was me, sarcastic, funny and just slightly odd. But it was me. Take it or leave it.

Well that was bullshit. I wasn't one of those guys who were really confident and walked with their head up high on the streets. I was tall, a bit lanky, had far too large hands and feet that making me clumsy and knocking stuff down. My hair was unruly and just a pure mess, my natural brown curls decided to have a life of their own since I was little. When I was a teenager and started to look in the mirror for the first time and wonder what the hell I would wear, I learned pretty quickly that there really wasn't anything to be done to the catastrophize sitting on top of my head. It was just there. And as much as I hated and tried to comb and cut and use my mom's hair styling thins in it – nothing changed. It stayed there, "as stubborn as you Harry." my mom would say.

But back to the story. I signed in to the course that would begin in 30 of June. I secretly counted the days. We had to go to the police and pay 60 euros (60 euros can you imagine! for a piece of paper!" my mum yelled) to get a driving permission. Then we had to take new passport pictures and it all those things just made this thing more real. I was really going to do this.

Well the 30th came and I woke up in the morning feeling excited. It was really odd on how the day was really here. The first theory lessons was today at five.

I got up, got dressed, went to the library with my mum and then waited for the clock to be around 4 so I could get ready. I changed my college pants to jeans and tried to fix my hair some way. It didn't work as usual. I soon gave up with a sigh.

I gripped my helmet, keys, wallet and hopped down three sets of steps to get to my scooter. I've been driving with it for three years now and had always loved it. It gave me freedom.

I drove to the driving school and got there fifteen minutes early. Which was unusual for me, since I was almost always either late or exactly on time.

I walked in from the glass doors and stepped in to a small lobby and office. It had chairs, office desk and a big closet on the back of the room. It was newly renovated and very modern. I really liked the place already.

I was the first to arrive.. A guy walked in to the lobby, a man in his forties and smiled.

"Hello." he said.

"Hey." I greeted back.

"Have you registered for the course already?" he asked.

"Uh yeah I have."

"Good! Was it raining when you got here?" he chatted and sat down behind the office desk.

"A bit." I said and didn't know what to say next. I wasn't really good at small talk.

"Okay. Well hope you didn't get really wet." he said and I laughed.

"No I didn't."

Silence fell and I was happy with that. We waited for other pupils to arrive. I had no idea who else would be here. Soon two guys around my age turned up and two girls. They all looked nice, but i have never seen them before. I nodded and smiled to everyone -it would be nice to make some new friends. The other guy walked over to me and stretched out his hand.

"Hey I'm Louis!" he said happily.

"Hey, Harry." I said and we shook hands. My hair wasn't the only mess I owned. I had the worst memory when it came to remembering people's names. No matter how hard I tried, wrote them down, stared at their face and repeating their name inside my head (or sometimes out loud), I just couldn't remember them.

In junior high I learned a trick where you look at a person and come up with a word that describes them and starts with the same letter as their name. That went well until I had a teacher whose names was Teresa and she was really strict. I started calling her Tight Teresa from that day on, and it sounded so wrong that every time I looked at her I felt a blush on my cheeks and had to avoid eye contact for the rest of my school career.

From that case on I moved in to words that didn't necessarily start with the same letter. Now looking at Louis, I saw that he always seemed to wear a smirk and had a sparkle in his eye, like he was always planning something bad. Or sexual. Or pretty much both, bad and sexual. I noticed how he scanned the room and looked at every pupil, his eyes stopping on the other guy who arrived with him. He gave him a sly smile and I saw the other guy blush slightly.

"Flirty Louis" I decided on.

"Nice to meet you Harry! Are you from around here?" he asked and sat down next to me.

"Yeah I am. You?"

"No I'm not, but just one town over." he said and I nodded.

"You on this course?" he asked. It seemed easy to talk to him and I felt like we could become friends.

"Yeah I am. Getting my license." I said and then felt stupid immediately. We were in a driving school, of course I would be getting my license. I silently punished myself inside my head. I waited for the guy to give me an odd look but he didn't. To my surprise, he laughed. Even when he laughed out loud, that mischief didn't leave his eyes.

"Me too! So excited for this! Maybe a bit too excited to be honest." he said leaning towards me and winked. I laughed relieved, he really seemed like a guy with the same kind of humor as me.

"Me too." I said and we smiled to each other.

"Okay you can move to the class room now." the older guy said and signed towards a glass door. I got up from my chair and could swear that I saw Flirty Louis checking me out. His eyes traveled from my converse (fake ones) shoes up my skinny black jeans and up my chest and white t-shirt. When our eyes met, he just laughed and swung his arm around my shoulders and leaded us towards the class room.

"You know what Harry?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"I think we are going to be great friends."

I only laughed, I had that feeling too.

Me and Flirty Louis sat at the back of the class room. I could have bet my whole Harry Potter collection that Louis was that kind of guy in school that sat on the back and whistled to everyone who had a nice arse. He sat lazily in his chair and slung his arm over the back. I only smiled – Flirty Louis really was the right choice.

The room was decent sized, it had a white canvas and a projector on the opposite wall as the door we just walked in from. We were seated in the right side, by the window. The left wall was covered in some crazy wallpaper. It was grey and it was like a map, streets with names written on them running up and down. "Willow Street, Percy Street, Delancey Street. " I read.

The room had five tables and three chairs in every table. The guy who Flirty Louis had been checking out was seated in the middle, the two girls on the other side of the room.

"Hey Harry." Louis leaned in and asked me in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah?"

"An odd question, but d'you think that guy is gay?" he asked and I turned to look at him with what must have been a very disbelieved expression.

"You don't like gays do you?" he said and pulled back quickly. All I could do and partly because I'm just odd) I bursted out laughing. He looked at me even more questioning that he had been before.

"Sorry sorry I uh just.." I tried to get out between bursts of laughter and gasps of air.

"It's just that I'm gay." I said he's expression staid the same. For a second I was terrified that I read this whole situation wrong and that he didn't like gays and now he hated me or something. Then he started laughing too. I joined him partly from relief and partly because this was absolutely ridiculous. I just met this guy and I just confessed that I was gay. The only ones who knew were my parents, sister and my best friend Liam.

"Glad to see that you are enjoying our school that much! And it's only the first lesson, imagine how fun it will be when you reach the drivers test!" I suddenly heard a voice. I tried to focus on the figure but my vision was slightly blurred from the tears running down from my eyes.

I wiped them with my hands and then saw a man in front of the room. He was leaning into a high desk that had a laptop.

Let's make one thing clear, I am not that kind of guy who just falls in love with anyone from the first sight. I take a while to like someone and it takes a really long while to trust someone. So that's why I this was all new. All odd and so wrong.

He was a guy in his early twenties I guessed. Two things caught my eye: first his very unruly and fluffy hair. It was almost funny. Then his blue blue eyes. He was smiling at me and it was a really warm smile - didn't know smiles could have raise the temperature in this room, but his made me really hot.

Those things combined leaned me to I somehow managing to choke on my own breathing. How that was possible, I had no idea. I coughed and tried to regain control of my own goddam body and make it stop dying.

"Oh I'm sorry, I know that I'm funny but I didn't mean to be that funny." I suddenly heard a voice next to me. I was afraid to open my eyes because I knew what I'd see. I did anyways and yes, of course this would happen.

The blue blue eyes were now staring at me from a hell of a lot closer than from the desk. He had walked over to my table and was smiling apologeticly at me. Flirty Louis was patting my back as I tried to get myself stop couching.

"D'you need a glass of water or something? We have coffee and tea too." Blue blue eyes asked me. For a moment I wanted to agree just so he could move away and I could stop noticing how smooth and velvety his voice sounded. "harry stop. you're being stupid and hormonal. " But then his arm was resting on my shoulder and all thoughts about forming words flew out of the window.

"I'll go get it." Louis said and patted my shoulder before he got up and walked out from the room. I immediately cursed him to the lowest place in hell, how could he just leave me alone with Mr. Having An Effect On Me. I tried my hardest to avert my attention from his funny but adorable hair and his smooth voice and hand on my shoulder and regain the ability to breath normally again.

By the time Louis was back with the water, I had calmed down and the embarrassments hit me. I blushed and could only hope that it wasn't the same shade of red as the time when my pants fell down in front of the whole school (a long story that involves too big pants I got for Christmas and no belt) in junior high.

I drank the water and felt as the blush got even deeper when Mr. Having A Way Too Big Effect On Me kept staring. Like who does that? Stares when I drink. Creepy old man.

When I finished, he asked I a lower voice so the others wouldn't hear.

"You okay?" His eyes were steady and very stubborn trying to make eye contact on me, but I just kept mine on the table. I wasn't about to risk my new found ability to breath and keep breathing without killing myself.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine." I told him and managed a small smile. I risked a glance at him came very close on chocking again. Luckily he gave me one last squeeze on my arm and stood up.

"You'd think that the number one reason why pupils die while getting their license is car accidents, but as we just proofed, that is not true." he said as he walked back in front of the class. Everyone laughed and for a second I didn't feel so awkward and embarrassed.

Well that lasted until I dared to look up at the guy and found him smiling at me. It made that funny raising room temperature go up again. How could someone do that? I didn't stay and ponder about it, just quickly averted his eyes.

"Okay let's get started then. First we could just get to know each other. We could just go around the room and each of you tell your name and where you're from and then when you're going to turn 18. And something like that. I can start. So I am Ed Sheeran, I am 22 and just graduated from college, didn't quite know what do so I joined my dad's company and started teaching driving. I've been doing this for about a year now and well... What else. I have a normal license, then for motorcycles and trucks. Pretty much any license you can imagine, because of my dad owning this shop, I've spent a large part of my young life sitting in school." he chuckled and other laughed too. I listened to him but found it hard to focus. I just kinda stared at him (I later prayed that it wasn't a creepy stare, but more like "I'm listening when you are talking " stare.) but when I actually got around and thought about what he said, horror hit me.

"Wait so…He's our teacher?" I asked Flirty Louis. He looked at me and smiled cheekily.

"You just figured that out?" he asked and I blushed. Of course he was our teacher. Why else would he be standing in front of the room telling about himself.

"I uh…" I tried to fix the damage but Louis only smiled and clapped my shoulder.

"Man Harry, you are bizarre. In a good way." he said and winked. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to teacher.

Then I realized that I haven't paid any attention on what he'd been saying and missed his name. I tried to think but I lost it.

"What was his name again?" I asked Flirty Louis.

"Ed. Ed Sheeran." he said leaning a bit closer than necessary. I only nodded and turned to look at Ed. "Ed…Ededededed. Ed the… Ginger? No… Ed the Cute? Too cheesy. Ed The Blue Eyes? Too long.." I thought, but my process was interrupted when he stared to talk again.

"Okay let's start from you there." Ed said and pointed at Louis. Louis smiled slyly at everyone before started talking.

"Hey ya everyone, I'm Louis Tomlinson, from one town over, I turn 18 at the end of the year, I do music with my band and currently very single." he said and I chuckled.

"Okay hello Louis, next one." Ed the Someone said. I realized it was my turn and blushed.

"Uh hey... Harry Styles, turned 18 at the start of the year. From this town umm… I like to sing and… I have a cat." I finished. I blushed a bit more because " I have a cat?" Seriously. Well done.

"Hello Harry." Ed With The Most Ginger Hair I Have Ever Met said and smiled that smile again.

"Hey, Niall, turned 18 last month, from Ireland. I love music and play the guitar." a blond guy who sat in the middle said. His accent was really strong. I saw how Louis was practically eating him with his eyes. I couldn't blame him, Niall the Irish had dyed blond hair, very blue eyes and a good figure. He looked and sounded like a in kind of guy you'd be drinking beer all night and watching rugby. Or what ever they play in Ireland.

The rest of the round went by quickly. After everyone had introduced themselves, Ed the I Need A Word Here started talking again.

"Okay! It's really nice to meet every single one of you. " he said and let his eyes meet with everyone. I pretended to answer to a text when I saw that he was looking my way.

"Now we'll just go through what you will learn during this course. You'll have 18 theory lessons, which will be done three at the time, so it will take around three weeks. Then you'll have 18 driving lessons and 20 hours of self-study." Then he went on about the basic stuff, but I got stuck on the thought that I was going to be alone with him in a car. For multiple times. 50 minute at the time.

At the end of the 45 minutes, he told us that we'd be free to go and that we'd see again tomorrow and on Wednesday. Niall got out of the room first and Louis practically did some kind of tiger slash ninja jump from his chair and ran after him. It only seemed around half a second before he was leaning in the door way at the main exit and talking to Niall. I looked stupidly after him and didn't realize my mistake until I heard the velvety voice again.

"Are you okay?" I heard Ed the Teacher ask. I spun around and saw that he was sitting on the desk in front of me. He was smiling kindly and I stammered something in response.

"Yeah uhh… I'm fine. Thanks. I'm fine." I scratched the top of my head and wondered on how I could leave without being rude. I could feel the blush coming back and I just really wanted to run away already.

"You sure? Seemed like you had a bad attack there." he said and it took me a moment to realize what the hell he meant.

"Oh no no. I don't have asthma or anything. I just… forgot how to breath for a second there." I said and really hoped that I had asthma instead. He laughed and his eyes sparkled in a way that I am not supposed to notice.

"Don't worry, I do that too. But I'm glad you're okay." he said and got up from the table.

"Oh yeah umm. Me too:" I said. He took a step towards the door and I followed him.

Once we got in to the lobby, everyone had left already.

"So I'll see you tomorrow at five then." he said and handed out his hand. I took it and we shook hands. I denied the fact that my heart was racing a bit from the contact. Because that would have been just stupid.

"Yeah. See you." I said and quickly left the building. Then suddenly it hit me:

Scruffy. Ed Scruffy I decided on when walked to my scooter. It suited him better than a chocolate chip cookie in your mouth. He was scruffy, but not in a bad way, but more like adorable way.

I was really happy with that name.