HOLLOW » Zarry ✔⚠

81

"Zayn Malik! Wake up!"

Zayn is startled awake by his mother glaring down at him. Her hands are on her hip and she doesn't look happy.

"I'm up." He says sleepily. "Ma'am?"

"You are such a disrespectful little boy." She scolds through gritted teeth.

Even though Zayn had been sleep for two hours, he is now completely awake after those cruel words. "What did I do?"

"You disappear for nearly forty eight hours, then you just come back and go to sleep like I don't have a problem with that. What's wrong with you?!"

"I-I-"

"You are so ungrateful! That's what you are." She interrupts. "I don't understand how I even managed to keep you this long. I should have taken you to live with your father before he left a long time ago."

Zayn has to pause and take a deep breath because if he doesn't, he's going to end up crying. "I'm sorry. I know I should have said something. I just forgot."

Of course he's lying.

"Tell me now then. Where were you?" She folds her arms and waits for him to speak.

"I had a soccer game, remember?..." He says cautiously and he slowly sits up in the bed. "And so afterward, I went and stayed the night at one of my teammate's house. That's it."

She grunts with displeasure because even though she knew there was a game yesterday, she has never been one to care about his soccer events. If his uniform wasn't free every year and if the school didn't fund the bus trips for traveling to face other schools, Zayn could never afford to stay on the team.

"Who is this friend, Zayn? Who is it?"

"Uh, H- uh, his name is-"

"Wait a minute." She cuts in. "What is that?"

Zayn frowns. "What is what?"

She slowly walks over to him while eyeing his body and it's so uncomfortable. "This..." She bends down to get a closer look and when Zayn realizes what she's looking at, he cringes.

"It's just a bruise, that's all."

However as soon as he says that, she uses a hand across his face. She slaps him so hard, it immediately turns red. "You liar! This is not just a bruise! It's one of those nasty hickies from your homo partner isn't it?! Zayn. I told you, you are not going to be anything other than straight. What part of that didn't you understand?"

Zayn's holding the side of his face. Tears are already falling. "Mom..." He mumbles as he looks at her because he's in shock. This is the first time she's ever hit him. "It was just a teammate... Just a teammate."

She shakes her head. "It's Harry, isn't it?!" She questions.

Zayn's brows furrow because he wonders how in the world out of all the names she knows, that she would just so happen to throw that one out there.

She must know something. She has to.

"What do you mean?" He sniffles. But he also flinches when she throws her arms out, thinking she was going to hit him again.

"Cut the act, Zayn. Just stop it. I can't deal with the constant lying anymore."

Zayn doesn't say anything as she continues.

"One thing you are forgetting is that while I don't go to your soccer games, I still know you're on the team. And in case you don't remember, your coach mailed printed schedules for the fall and spring seasons to the parents at the beginning of the year, including me. Remember that?"

Zayn nods. But no, he didn't know that. She never told him.

She folds her arms and paces the room. "Yesterday, I came home because I wanted to take you to the store so you can help me pick up a table I saw in a thrift store. Of course, like always, you're nowhere near home."

You're one to talk. Zayn thinks, but his face yields the same blank expression.

"So instead I decided to wait, and I stayed at home for the night. When I woke up this morning, you were still not home. I was so pissed, I actually went and looked for that schedule because I remember the coach had his number typed at the bottom in case I had any questions. So I called and he picked up the phone. I told him you didn't come home last night and I asked if he knew where you might be or where you went after the soccer game. Wanna know what he told me?"

Zayn's eyes widen. He hopes she's not about to tell him what he think she's about to tell him. "What?"

"He said he saw you getting in the car with Harry as he was pulling out of the parking lot. He said Harry is your teammate." She pauses, then chuckles. But Zayn can tell she doesn't think anything is funny. "I was shocked actually. Because... You never told me that Harry was your teammate Zayn. You've always told me he was only a friend. You lied. Of course. Nothing new there... So after I got over that initial shock that I have a compulsive liar for a son, I had to pretend like I had just forgotten about you going with Harry, just to keep the poor man from panicking and having a heart attack. Nobody knows how much I wanted to throw up at the thought of me being okay with you going anywhere with that disgusting boy."

Zayn feels very restricted when it comes to breathing right now. He recalls telling her Harry was just a friend on Christmas day when he had come to pick him up that night. And he purposefully hid the fact that he regularly saw him during his extra curricular activities too.

She gives him a harsh look. "I know you stayed the night at Harry's house. I know what you did with him and I know that hickey is his. I can't believe that out of all the pretty girls in the world, you go and choose another boy. You're disgusting."

"Mom-"

"Don't speak! I wasn't finished."

Zayn starts crying harder. "But-"

"-I said don't speak Zayn! I don't want to hear it! There's nothing you can say or do right now to make me listen." She points at him and shakes her head. "You are an ingrate, you are a liar, and worst of all you are a repulsive homosexual. Therefore... you are not my son anymore."

Zayn's mouth parts a little and for some reason, this emotion of anger suddenly washes over him. He doesn't know why it is, he just knows he feels the same way he did when he decided getting revenge on Harry was better than just simply taking his own life.

No, Zayn doesn't want to hurt her. He's not going to do all the horrible things he'll do to Harry. But he is going to do one thing the same. He's going to speak his mind something serious. He's only got one more day before it doesn't matter what she thinks. And he wants her know something.

"I hate you! You're homophobic and that's all you've ever been! Yeah, I prefer boys over girls. I finally said it. And so what, I slept with Harry. You can't expect me to hate I did it or think it's disgusting, when I loved it and you can't make me be straight no matter what you say! So if you can't accept that, then fine! I guess I'd rather not be your son anymore."

Zayn stares at her and she stares at him in return. She doesn't say anything at the moment. She just looks at him and she glances at the Harry-made hickey at his neck. Right then and there, she makes a decision, one she knew she'd eventually have to make, but that she'd been avoiding.

She's calm when she speaks again, but she turns away, not wanting to look at him anymore. "Well then. If that's how you feel, that's the way it will be. And now that I know that, you should start packing your bags and getting your things together because I'm calling Social Services on Monday."

She turns to leave the room without another uttered word. When she's gone out of sight, Zayn just turns over and buries his face in his pillow. He can't believe he's just faced the bitter truth. His own mother doesn't want him anymore. And sad to say, it doesn't sting his heart even a little when he begins to realize it's very possible that she never even loved him in first place either.