Behind The Smile *[Skephalo Highschool AU]*

Chapter 31

Hey y'all. My mental health is better now, so that's fun. Uh, I think I skipped a day of daily questions so I'll start that up again.

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Zak's POV

The house is dark when I enter, and my smile fades when I see Mia sleeping on the couch. Shouldn't she be sleeping upstairs?

I walk over to her, carefully picking her up. She's light as I carry her upstairs. The stairs creak as I step on them.

Once I make it to her room, I notice why she was downstairs. The room is empty, except for a huge poster on the ground with open paints surrounding it.

My face saddens as I stare at it.

I walk past it, placing Mia in her bed, tucking her in. Soon the only sound in the room is her soft breathing.

I sit down next to the painting. It's sketched out in pencil, then painted in. Paints spill all over it though, as if someone ruined it.

The original painting is a picture of Mia and I together, colored in the most vibrant colors. But mixes of yellow, orange, and blue are sprayed across it. I frown.

I slowly start cleaning up all of the paint that spilt on the floor using the paper towels that are scattered around.

Eventually, it's mostly cleaned up. I then take the poster, and lay it down on top of Mia's dresser to dry.

I sigh, and leave the dark room, before heading to my own room.

But as soon as I enter, I bump right into someone. "Who was that?" the voice of Zarro says. I look up, him towering over me. I give him a confused look.

"Don't give me that look. The guy you kissed at the doorway. Who was that?" he grumbles, crossing his arms. My face turns red.

"Um..my friend?" I say, phrasing as a question on accident. He scoffs. "Sure, Zak. But just so you know, if I ever catch you dating a boy, I won't hesitate to make your life a living hell."

He spins around, walking over to his bed and turning away from me. I glare at his back. He can't tell me what to do. I can date whoever I want.

I huff and walk over to my own bed, engulfing myself under the covers.

———

Darryl's POV
(This is a flashback from after the call)

"Sorry Darryl, but I don't think she's gonna last much longer," a doctor sighs. Tears flow down my face.

"Come on! There has to be more that you can do. Right?" I mumble, sniffing in-between my words. The doctor shakes his head. "She has 2 days left, and she can't leave. I'm sorry."

-Flashback End-

I guess maybe I should've spent more time with her. Now, here she is. On her last hour. Maybe I really am selfish. Spending all my time with Zak.

"Darryl," she whispers, and I sit down next to her. "Just know I always love you, okay?"

Tears silently fall down my face as the moment I was dreading happened right in front of me. Her eyes closed, and that was that.

———

The next morning I don't get up from my bed. In fact, I don't think I've left my bed since I got home the night prior.

I wasn't planning on doing anything today. I tried to call Zak but I'm guessing his phone was dead because he didn't respond.

So, I just went back to sleep.

———

When I wake up again and check the time, I realize that it's already 4 PM. Did I really sleep that long?? All of the sudden, I feel my stomach growl. I go to get up, before I realize that a tray of food is sitting on my nightstand.

Confused, I grab one of the chocolate covered marshmallows that sit there. I examine it, and nothing seems to be wrong with it. I take a bite, the chocolate filling my mouth.

I finish the marshmallow and go to pick up another one when I hear laughing downstairs. I freeze, moving to the farthest side of my bed from the door, covering myself with my blanket.

I hear the door open, and a loud bang. "ZAKKKK! HE'S AWAKE!" I hear someone scream and run out of the room. Zak?

I stick my head out, staring at the doorway. Books are covering the floor. Then Zak walks in, staring at the books. "Mia! You made a mess!" he yells, and then Mia comes in behind him. "Sorry," she says.

Then he turns to me. "You're awake," he says, smiling. I give him a look full of confusion and shock. "I thought you would never wake up. You were sleeping all day long." He starts picking up the books.

Mia walks over to me, holding a flower. "Here, for you," she says, holding it out to me. I slowly reach down and take it.

"T-Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, why are you both here?" I mumble, and Zak looks up. He frowns. "Well I couldn't find you at school, so I thought you were just sick, so I went home and got Mia and came here. But you didn't seem sick so I just took care of you," he explains, stacking up the books in a pile.

I stare at him. "You've been here all day?" I ask, and Mia nods happily. "It was a plus for me cause you have so much food!" she exclaims. "I've never seen that much food in my life."

I laugh, forgetting that they can't really afford that much food. I grab one more of those marshmallows, shoving the whole thing in my mouth.

The rest of the evening we play board games and watch TV, then Zak claims he has to leave once Mia falls asleep.

He turns to me before leaving though. "You'll be at school tomorrow, right?" he asks. I smile at him and nod. He returns the smile before leaving. Then, the house is quiet again.

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Yayyy! Chapter! Hope y'all liked it.

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Word Count: 1031