Incomprehensible [Zayn]

02 | Magician

"HE'S THE STRANGEST guy you'll ever meet," I told Kate as I chewed on the end of a carrot stick. The only sound was my loud crunching and Marielle's chuckling from the end of the table. Liam and Niall just laughed at my evaluation and I just rolled my eyes at them. I'd been telling my friends about Zayn and his odd behaviour from earlier that morning. 

I'd left out the part where he'd manifested a butterfly out of thin air because not even I could figure that out.

"So you're telling me he's a creep?" asked Kate who was reading over study notes. 

I nodded and she just scoffed. Clearly she wasn't ready to accept that Mr Malik's squeaky clean demeanour had already been tarnished. "I'm sorry, but who asks stuff like that? He was pleasant one second and then, I don't know, a weirdo the next."

"I'm sure he didn't mean you any harm, Laura," Liam said as he flashed me a reassuring grin. 

"You'd say that about a serial killer, Liam," I joked and he just shook his head. He was too kind for his own good. Out of all my friends, I could easily say that Liam was the most genuine and selfless. He was my study buddy the majority of the time and I was glad to have at least one friend who was as studious as myself.

"I don't think he was attempting to upset me. I just think he's a bit..." I trailed off as I tried to think of the correct word to describe him. 

I heard Sophie laugh from beside me. "Odd?" she suggested as she played with a strand of her red hair.

"Weird?" added Niall. "I knew a couple o' weirdos back in me hometown and they sound very similar to this Zayn guy."

"How about attractive?" Kate added unhelpfully and Niall shot her a half-hearted grin. 

To everyone except Kate, it was obvious he had a crush on her. The way he'd looked at her for the last few years said it all and Liam being his best friend had spilled the beans about how often he talked about her. Kate often mentioned how adorable Niall was, though no one could ever tell if she meant it as anything more than a platonic compliment.

"Nah," I said and Kate raised a brow at me.

"How can you not think he's attractive? He's like ... a god or something," she said and Marielle nodded in agreement. Of course, Kate had already told everyone about Zayn before I'd even reached the canteen. From Kate's description, Sophie and Marielle were in love with him already. 

"Uh, oh. Looks like Hayley and Megan are already chasing after the new lad," Niall said. 

All of us turned to look at the lunch line. Sure enough, Zayn was standing patiently waiting to be served and not too far behind him were Hayley and Megan. They were checking him out again, and they weren't trying to be subtle about it. I couldn't help but snort when I saw them checking their make-up and hair in the window. 

"Jesus," Sophie muttered as she rolled her eyes and took a bite of her apple.

"Someone's keen," Kate scoffed as she folded her notes and pushed them into her bag a little too aggressively. When she turned back, it was like she was a different person, grinning widely like the Cheshire cat.

"Why do you look so happy all of a sudden?" Liam asked. Marielle glanced at him sideways and smiled. 

"Yeah. Why the grin?" Niall urged.

She beamed at us all before she opened her mouth to speak. "I was thinking about having a small get-together this weekend. Just us lot. My parents are going to see some relatives in Wales, and they asked if I would be alright on my own for a few days. You guys in?" Kate asked. She tucked her blond hair behind her ear and took a sip of her water, waiting for us all to answer.