Louis's POV:
We showed the girls out the door. They decided to quickly run back to the dorm for a moment. We were laughing hard at Luanna because she was leaving in the panda onesie she had gotten from someone the day before.
When Jake and Liam and I got to the living room, we saw a strange sight. Niall was lying completely stretched out in the middle of the room with a huge smile.
"Niall?" we approached him cautiously.
"Best Christmas of my life!" he yelled so loudly that my ears hurt. "I love you, Lou!" he shouted, raising his arms. "I love everyone! This is the best Christmas you could ask for!" Only now did I notice he was wearing the sweater Luanna had given him. "Thank you, world, for such friends, for everything!" I was surprised we weren't deaf yet. "Yessss!" he screamed one last time and ran out the door.
The three of us rushed to the window. Niall, wearing only socks, ran into the snow and fell face-first into it. He started making snow angels and just rolling around. I hadn't seen him like this in about three months. I ran to the door, wanting to warn him about catching a cold, but as soon as I opened it, I heard more shouts.
"She forgave me! Forgave me!" he was bursting with joy, and I was happy I could help my best friend. I was happy about everything. My best friend was happy because of a girl, and I had found a great girlfriend myself.
After thinking for a second, I charged after him into the snow. We both yelled like crazy, and every passerby looked at us like we were nuts. I won't argue. We probably did look like it.
"She liked my gift!" Niall chirped again as we walked back toward the door.
"So you gave her that panda costume?" I laughed.
"Yes!" he squealed, jumping into the air.
"Calm down, buddy. I know you're happy, but they'll be back soon, and we need to change clothes, and you need to calm down. Unless you want to tell Luanna..." I said, and that helped a little. He was still shaking inside. I don't know if it was from the cold or excitement.
Niall quickly ran upstairs to change into dry clothes, and I walked to the living room, where all the other guys were already sitting. Looking closer, I saw them showing each other pictures of us rolling in the snow.
"Delete those," I sighed.
"Never," Harry answered. "They'll be useful in the future," the cheerful Harry grinned.
"Whatever. I'm going to change," I mumbled and walked toward the stairs.
Luanna's POV:
"Why are you dressed like that?" El laughed.
"I think she looks fiercely cute," Beth said.
"I think so, too. Someone gave it to me yesterday, but I have no idea who," I replied.
"Niall," they both said in unison.
I shrugged and unlocked the room. "Grab what you needed, and let's go back," I said, leaning against the door frame. After maybe ten minutes, they finished rummaging, and we could drive back.
As we returned, I felt like something was about to happen. Walking up the path to the door, I heard something rustle behind the bushes.
"Run to the house, faster! They were hiding there, waiting for us! Quick!" I yelled, but it was too late. I saw one snowball hit El, and she rushed into the house. Two hit Beth, but she also scrambled inside. I was left alone and farthest from the door.
All seven guys charged at me and tackled me. They started kicking snow and throwing it at me. I tried to defend myself and brought one person down with me, but that was the most I could do. I was soaked through, and only then did they stop.
I struggled to my feet and realized they were already gone. Shivering, I went inside, where I heard laughter. Ignoring them, I went upstairs to the second floor to take a hot shower. I found a towel in the bathroom, so I stripped off my clothes without bothering to do anything else. As the warm water ran over my body, I felt a hundred times better. When I was completely warm, I turned off the water.
Wiping my body and drying my hair, I realized I didn't have any dry clothes. Wrapping myself in the towel, I went down to the living room, where everyone was. Their eyes fixated on me. I felt the guys' persistent stares, except for Harry, Louis, and Jake. I snapped my fingers, and they seemed to snap out of a trance.
"Do you guys have any clothes?" I asked, crossing my arms.
"Come on, I'll give you some," Niall was the first to stand up. I followed him to his room, which was surprisingly neat and cozy. Grey walls, a black rug, a white desk, and a wardrobe. He took a white, long-sleeved T-shirt from it, and from a drawer, he took gray sweatpants and handed them to me.
"Um, well, I guess... I'll go," he mumbled and left the room.
I quickly got dressed and felt more comfortable. The clothes were too big. The pants were slipping, so I tightened them as much as I could, and I always liked wearing big shirts. My feet were cold, but I would survive somehow.
I walked down the stairs, rummaged in the closet by the door, and found some slippers. Having no better option, I put them on.
Returning to the living room, I found everyone sitting on the couches, choosing a movie to watch. Since there was no room on the sofa, I slowly approached and lay down across everyone's laps. I stretched out comfortably.
"First," El started. "What are you doing here? Second," she continued. "Why are you so light?" she frowned.
"First, there's no space," I mimicked her. "Second, that's what happens when you don't care about your weight," I snorted.
"But still," she whined. "Ugh. I'm jealous."
"Louis, your girlfriend is crazy," I said.
"I agree," he replied, and El turned to him with a scowl.
"You're dead," I only said, and he started running from the pursuing El.
"You know, there's space now," Josh said. "You can get off us."
"No. I really like it here," I said with a grin, but a minute later, I was shoved off them onto the floor.
"Ouch," I winced. Jake started laughing first, followed by everyone else.
"Fine, fine. I'll sit normally," I mumbled and sat down in the gap between Jake and Niall. "So, what movie are we watching?"
"Horror," all the guys said at once, trying to sound spooky.
"Yee!" I shouted.
"Don't celebrate," Liam grinned eerily. "You're going to be terrified."
"We'll see who's terrified," I snorted.
Beth came in with a bowl of popcorn, and they started the movie. I had seen it, so I decided to scare them. In the middle of the film, just as the scariest part was about to hit, I said I was going to the bathroom. Timing it perfectly, I knelt behind the sofa, hugging the wall so they wouldn't notice me. The girls were already terrified, and I was seconds away from striking, but Niall turned to me. He looked completely unimpressed by the movie and was just staring at me with a raised eyebrow and a small smile.
Putting a finger to my lips, I signaled for him not to say a word. He nodded. I ran my fingernails across everyone's necks, and they flinched, while the girls squealed. Slowly, they all turned to me, and just as they were about to spot me, I jumped up and screamed, and they started screaming even louder than me.
Niall and I started howling with laughter so much that I fell to the floor and started writhing with him. The others watched us, trying to catch their breath.
"Did you two conspire against us?!" Louis asked, angry.
"No, he saw me halfway through the act," I explained. "Besides, I said you would be scared, not me. You should have seen your faces," I laughed.
"But you weren't scared? Not at all?" Liam frowned.
"I've seen this movie about three times," I replied.
"Me too," Niall said.
"It's a shame I didn't think of filming it," I feigned disappointment.