Vulnerable (Zayn Malik AU)

Chapter 26

Naaaaants ingonyama bagithi Baba,

Sithi uhm ingonyama

I allowed my phone to keep ringing as I stretched before finally sliding it open. Another day in agony.

I slumped onto the floor and put on some bb cream. I stared at my eyelashes for a moment, but didn't really care enough to do anything about them.

My attire had only one agenda: comfort. I put on some yoga pants and a sweatshirt before sliding on my faithful nikes.

For the first time in three days, my stomach actually growled.

I grabbed my things and went into the kitchen for some breakfast. Being that my stomach was empty, I picked an apple. If I ate something heavy on an empty stomach it would just hit rock bottom and make me sick. I stuffed two poptarts in my backpack for later, and head out the door.

It was a cold November morning. The dew on the grass was glistening, the fog was light, and the air was nipping at my nose. My sweatshirt wasn't as big and warm as Zayns would've been, but I didn't have the audacity to grab his from my closet.

Each car that passed by me created an unwanted wind that made me wish I had decided on thicker pants. My yoga pants just weren't cutting it.

I cursed under my breath as I entered the parking lot and saw his car. Because I skipped school the day before, it still felt like Monday. But it wasn't, it was the day Zayn came back to school. I thought it was hard when he was gone, but I didn't think about how hard it would be seeing him there and not being able to speak to him.

I avoided his car at all costs, taking the back way to class that I had come to love. Foolishly, I glanced at his car and saw his eyes on me before I disappeared behind the French building. The thought as to why he would have the car if he didn't intend on picking me up crossed my mind, but I didn't let it bother me.

The bell rang as I approached Econ, but I needed a minute to myself. I ducked into the nearest bathroom by the lockers and was happy to find it empty.

I stood in front of the full length mirror at the end of the bathroom, examining my choice of clothing. I was always so comfortable around Zayn, but in that moment I felt I didn't look good enough. Even my hair was a bit of a mess. I pulled it all to the right and tried my best to tie my layers into a braid. After multiple deep breaths I turned around and made my way to class.

I saw Zayn enter the bi-quad as I approached the door, and I had to work even harder to keep my breath steady.

The class was full when I arrived, but for once no eyes looked my way. Zayn filed in just a few steps behind me as the bell rang and I took my seat while he stopped to speak to our teacher.

I couldn't tell what they were saying due to their whispered tones, but it didn't look good. Zayn was rubbing his neck and Mr. T had that same smirk he always did when he was talking down upon students. The girlfriend in me wanted to go up and smack that look right off of his face, but then I remembered I may not even be his girlfriend anymore.

Mr. T handed Zayn some worksheets, and then Zayn took a seat at his desk right next to me. His head stayed low all period while he caught up, and the rest of the class worked on vocabulary terms. Having him so close without being able to even look his way was torture, but I managed to focus on the task at hand and finish the 43 terms.

When the bell ending first period finally rang, I bolted out the door without even looking back.

"Morning, Daisy." Ms. Fay greeted me.

"Morning. Do you have anything for me to do?" I asked as I put my Econ book on top of her shelf like every other day

"Yeah, actually. Can you clean the glazes in the back?" I nodded and turned before I realized where I was about to put my bag.