Out Of Tune // Jachary au

dieciséis

Hey girlypops!!!

I like this chapter because it's cute. 😂💛

I hope y'all enjoy this one. 💛

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When Zach's mom came to his door to let him know dinner was ready, he didn't want to go down. He wanted to lay in his bed and stare at his phone waiting for jack to call him back.

His phone rang and his heart immediately picked up speed. It dropped when the call was Juniper. He felt bad but he ignored it and went downstairs. He put his phone in his back pocket and gently walked down the steps.

He entered the dining room where the rest of his family was. He plastered a smile on his face and sat down next to his little sister and his mom. He got some food and hoped they didn't notice anything wrong with him. He did put a sweatshirt on though so his dad would leave him alone about the purple marks. It was the one he had let Jack borrow the night before.

He took a sip of his water and looked down at his food. He didn't want to eat right now.

"Are you okay Zach? You seem a little down." Zach's dad wiped his mouth on his napkin and raised a brow at his son.

"Oh yeah I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from the flying and stuff." Zach took a bite of the lasagna and looked away from his intense gaze.

"Are you sure? This isn't about that boy is it?" His dad looked at him and Zach felt his stomach lurch.

"W-what?" Zach cleared his throat and hid his shaking hands under the table.

"That boy in the pictures. You know the ones I'm talking about. I think his name is Jack. You think we don't keep up with the social media but we do. I see the headlines." He looked at Zach with this look in his eyes that Zach didn't know if he liked or not.

Zach looked down at his plate and tried to blink the tears away. He swallowed the lump in his throat and stood up. "I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't- I um- holy hell."

Zach clamped a hand over his mouth and tried to leave the room but his dad grabbed his wrist to pull him back.

Zach was scared. He didn't want his dad to yell at him or be upset with him. He felt weak with the tears rolling down his face. Zach looked at the floor and swallowed back a sob. He was not going to breakdown in front of his family, especially his younger siblings.

His dad placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into a hug. Zach hugged him back and cried. He didn't even know why anymore.

"It's my job as a parent to make sure my kids are alive and well. I hate seeing any of you three upset. You have no idea how hard it is not having you here with us. I am so happy that you are living your dream and you are successful with it. I couldn't be more proud having you as my son. When I saw those pictures of you in your car broken and upset, it killed me. And then the ones outside of your new studio made me cry. Your mother was the one who told me that you would be alright because you're a strong kid. I know that you still struggle with your anxiety. Julian told me about your hand. That boy in those pictures seemed to be helping you. It looked like he was doing everything in his might to protect you and make sure you were alright. That's all that matters to me. I don't know what you call yourself but I don't care if you are with that boy as long as he treats you well. You think we don't notice these things but we do." Zach's dad reached up to wipe the single tear that fell out of his own eyes before wiping Zach's away. "And tell this boy I want to meet him."

Zach laughed and wiped his face off. "I'll give him the message."

"Good now let's eat. And then you can update us on everything else that's going on in your life." Zach's dad sat down. His mother mouthed a 'thank you' to him before pulling Zach over and kissing the side of his head. Zach smiled and kissed her cheek.