Behind The Smile *[Skephalo Highschool AU]*

Chapter 30

Wow! That's a big number! Can't believe we've made it this far.

P.S. please bare with me, as my mental health kinda sucks rn. Chapters will mostly be angst, and maybe some fluff. Also please point out any mistakes I make with spelling and stuff. Or words I use incorrectly.

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Zak's POV

I see Darryl grab his now ringing phone from his pocket. I can't hear what the other side is saying, just what he's saying.

"Mhm, okay. I can come now- yeah I'll be right there," is all he says before hanging up on the person. He turns towards me again, a sad expression on his face.

The expression catches me off guard, and my eyes widen a little. I quickly stand, walking over to him. My voice is caught in my throat, making it unable for me to talk at all.

I just embrace him in a hug, and it's like time stops. He doesn't move, or make any noise. I'm probably just being annoying. But he bugs me back.

I can hear the sadness in his voice as he talks to me, but I can't understand a word he says. Why can't I hear him?

He eventually pulls away from me, actually smiling. He looked happy. My eyes flicker, but in the end they're still the same dullness they were before.

I watch as he leaves, watching him walk away through my window. It's dark out now. What if he gets kidnapped?

I'm such a hypocrite. Telling him to focus on himself then not even focusing on my own self.

I sigh, curling up into a ball. I lean against the wall, looking away from the window. The quietness of the room is almost too much for my brain to handle.

But Mia saves me, by coming in once again with another sandwich. I stare at it, then look at her. She comes and sits next to me. "Since you know how to make a sandwich now, I don't have to make them for you anymore, right?" I joke, but I don't smile.

Her head shoots to me. "Of course you do! You're sandwiches are way better than mine!" she exclaims, hitting me playfully on the arm.

I give her a large smile, trying to make it look somewhat real.

The room goes quiet again, and all I can hear is the sound of our breathing. My eyes focus on the wall in front of me.

"Zak, mommy said you had to go to school tomorrow and she doesn't care what you say she isn't changing her mind," Mia states, standing up. I look at her. The thought of going to school just makes me want to throw up.

But I'll see Darryl. So it's fine. Everything will be fine as long as he's there.

Mia leaves, and I fall onto my back, sighing. I don't know how long it took, but eventually I fell asleep.

———

Darryl's POV

I don't think to do anything really when I wake up. Mostly because I woke up an hour late, meaning I only had 20 minutes to get to school.

I rush to get ready, quickly eating a grabbing my phone before running out the door. I quickly get in my car, rushing to get to school.

———

The morning goes by slowly, and I really don't see anyone I know. It's mostly just blank in my memory, me bring too focused on the school work than my social life.

When lunch finally comes, I look for the one person I actually cared about seeing. Zak.

I look around the loud lunchroom, voices filling my ears. Then, I spot exactly who I'm looking for.

A smile spreads across my face, and I quickly walk over to Zak, who's standing alone. He looked uncomfortable.

I place my hand on his shoulder, and he jumps, spinning around to face me. "Oh, it's just you. Hello!" he says, probably attempting to put emotion into his voice. It doesn't work, I just don't want to break it to him.

I don't show the concern on my face though, because then I feel like he would notice and feel bad. So, I just smile at him. He doesn't smile back.

"You're here today, that means you're feeling better, right?" I ask. He smiles slightly and nods. I frown.

"Uh, are you coming to tutoring still?" I ask, and he nods again. Why isn't he talking-

"Hey! Zak! Come sit with us!" one of his friends yell. He smiles again at me, before quickly running over to them.

(A/N: pls someone tell me why lovejoy is so good-)

I sigh, before turning around and leaving the lunchroom. I would see him later anyway.

———

Zak's POV

School goes by as slow as always, but I was honestly just waiting for the day to end. My voice completely died after saying one sentence at lunch, and I really had to apologize to Darryl for that.

As soon as the final bell rings, I quickly run through the crowded halls to get to the classroom I know Darryl's already set up.

But someone stops me.

"Hey, Zak! Wait!" the person who stopped me says. I turn to face them. And once again in front of me stands Theo. I frown.

"Hey, look, I can't hang out today okay-" I start, but he stops me. "What? Are you seriously going to hang out with that nerd?" I sigh to calm myself.

"Yes, now please leave me alone. You've caused enough problems for me," I stand up for myself. I just needed to walk away-

Nope. I was stopped again. I spin around. "Dude, I said leave me alone!" I yell, and everyone in the hallway stops. Everyone's staring at us now. My expression turns into one of fear. I hated having the attention on me.

"But, I didn't even do anything to you," Theo says in a sad voice. Everyone starts whispering. I start shaking, taking a few shaky steps backwards, before running away from the crowd completely.

———

I make it to tutoring, and I know Darryl can tell somethings up. My face is one of annoyance and fear, and Im trying to stop myself from crying.

"Uh, Zak? Are you okay? You're not really listening," Darryl asks, and I look up, realizing I was zoned out.

"Sorry," I mumble, siting up straight and writing what he talks about in my journal.

———

When tutoring finally ends, I let Darryl walk me home. He offered to, and I felt bad declining.

We talk as we walk, the air around us warm. Just talking to him brightens my mood. We walk for a while, purposefully walking slowly so that we have more time with each other.

Until finally, we make it to my doorstep. "Alright then, bye Zak! I'll see you tomorrow," he says, but I stop him before he walks away, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. "Bye bye!" I say, before shutting the door behind me.

And for once they day, a real smile rests on my face.

———

Okay I have no idea if this was good or not. Also don't worry about the chapter ending, I'll be posting again tomorrow. WOO! YAY! Okay yeah. Byeee!

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Word Count: 1224