Behind The Smile *[Skephalo Highschool AU]*

Chapter 32

Hi!

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Darryl's POV

The house is quiet the entire night. The only reason I notice is because I couldn't sleep. I mean, I just didn't feel tired. People get like that all the time, right?

When I finally did fall asleep, I remember it being around 5 AM. And I had to wake up at 6:30. So fun. Anyway, when I woke up, I tiredly got dressed before walking into the bathroom, slipping my phone into my pocket.

I comb out my hair, which is pretty knotted, before brushing my teeth.

I sigh quietly and exit the room, flipping off the light switch before walking downstairs. I pull out the cereal and pour myself a bowl of it, eating it slowly. I wonder what Zak's doing right now.

I pull my phone and unlock it. I don't have many notifications, only a few from Zak saying good morning and from my father talking about my mom. As soon as I see the message my mind spirals, and my cereal is abandoned as I stand there.

A ringing noise from my phone takes me back into reality, and I quickly pick it up. I see it's Zak before pressing accept. What could he need now?

"Hello?" I say, my voice cracking because I haven't used it much today.

"Hi! I was just checking in. Did you eat? Did you get dressed? Did you get up? Are you feeling better?" he overloads me with questions and I kind of just stay quiet.

"Darryl?" his voice once again brings me back to reality, and I sigh. "Yes, I'm good. You don't need to check up on me you know," I respond, picking up my cereal bowl and placing it in the sink.

A small giggle comes from the other side. "I know, I know, but I want too!" he exclaims, and I can picture his smile in my mind. I shake my head, and smile forming on my face.

"Whatever, I'll see you later, okay?" I say, and hear a 'okay' from the other side before hanging up. The headache that was there yesterday starts to surface again, and I groan.

This was going to be a long day.

———

When I get to school, it's all chaos as normal. Everyone's running around, talking to their friends, rushing to get homework done that they forgot about. But me? I'm just looking for Zak.

I don't have to walk for long before I find him. He's talking to one of his friends, and he hands them a book before they walk away. A smile rests on his face.

Then, he notices me and happily runs over to me. "You're here!" he exclaims. It was quite early, how was he so full of energy? Not something I could relate too (the author agrees).

We make small talk until we hear the first bell and part ways. But weirdly enough, someone stops me. The hallways are empty now, everyone being in classes or skipping outside. Who could this be?

I turn around, and someone much taller than me hovers over me. I'm pretty sure they're a senior, because we share the same art class. But other than that I've never interacted with them before. What could they want?

(A/N: I honestly suck at making scenes like these so please bare with me in the next part of Darryl's POV. Also this wasn't my idea, so credits to the person who gave me it. You know who you are.)

"Uh, do you need something?" I ask, taking a step away so we're not as close. "I'm going to be late to class."

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I heard your mom died. Must suck, huh?" he remarks, crossing his arms. I stare at him. But I never told anyone that?

"Uh, yeah. Can I go now?-"

"It must really suck not having a mom. I mean, who else is gonna take care of your poor ass?"

My eyes widen in shock. "Excuse me?" I take another step away, before completely running away. I hear him yelling after me angrily, but I never wanted to interact with him again. Ever.

———

Zak's POV

When lunch finally came, I was pretty excited. Darryl said we could go on a walk to catch up with each other.

But you know, nothing ever goes as planned, because as soon as I leave class someone pulls me by the arm. Come on, what is up with people and doing that?

I shake them off of me and turn to face them. I almost scream in frustration. Of course it's Theo. "What do you want?" I mumble, crossing my arms. He rolls his eyes ever so slightly.

"I want an apology."

"Yeah? For what?"

"You being so rude!"

After he yells that, he catches a lot of peoples attention. I tense, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on me.

"You were rude first, you shouldn't be talking." My voice is quiet, but people have moved closer just to hear us.

He growls, before pushing me backwards. "I WAS NOT! NOW APOLOGIZE!" he screams, grabbing me by the collar. He's way bigger than me, so I just glare at him. People start recording.

"Leave me alone," I mumble, but he doesn't move an inch. I try to pry his hands off of me, but I fail miserably.

He leans down and whispers in my ear. "You'll pay for this, Zak. Starting with this."

Then, he kisses me.

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HAHA CLIFFHANGER! BUT IT'S FINE, BECAUSE THE NEXT CHAPTER IS BEING POSTED RIGHT NOW! GO READ IT!

Word Count: 932