"Happy 12th birthday Superman!" the birthday card read. Zayn scoffed and threw it in the trash. His birthday wasn't for another couple months and he was going to be 11, not 12. His own father could not even remember what year/ day he was born or even bother to put a note in the card. It was like this every year.
"Asshole." Zayn muttered as he picked up the now full trash can and threw it over his shoulder before heading down to the large trash bins.
"Afternoon Zayn." his downstairs neighbor said as he sat outside on his small back porch drinking a beer, which is pretty much all he does Zayn has figured out.
"Afternoon Mr. Johnny." Zayn mutters, continuing his walk to the garbage bin in the cold weather. Usually Zayn's mothers poor excuse of a boyfriend, Yasser, would take care of this but Zayn has not seen him or his mother since the night before. It has happened many times before, and Zayn was sure this would not be the last time. His mum and Yasser would go out and party so hard and get so drunk and high that they would not wake for hours. They once threw a party at their small apartment and when six year old Zayn found his mother passed out, he cried and cried, because he thought the woman had died, to the point Trisha vowed never to let her son see her like that again. She may be tough on the boy, but that night was to much for his sensitive self to handle. Anyways, he headed back to his apartment where he flipped on the TV, something he was never allowed to do because Yasser thought that since he pid the cable bill, he was the only one allowed to use the TV. Zayn put it on some superhero cartoon, and watched the screen intently as he didn't know when he would be able to do this again.
However, because he was so into his show he didn't even realize Yasser and Trisha walking in. "Zayn!" Yasser boomed and Zayn jumped up, fear basically radiating off of him.
"What the hell? You know you're not allowed to watch the telly!" Trisha screamed slapping the boys cheek, but shooting the boy a sympathetic look that let Zayn know she didn't mean it.
"M' so sorry mum. I-I." he stuttered as he held his cheek. Yasser stormed over to the boy before he could finish his sentence and slapped him right across the face, a lot harder than Trisha did. So hard that Zayn fell to the floor with a whimper escaping his lips. Yasser gave Zayn a single, but harsh kick to the stomach, before falling on to the couch with a thud and content sigh.
"Pathetic, good for nothing brat, go and get me a beer." Yasser said and Zayn just stared up at him as he clutched his aching stomach. "NOW!" Yasser boomed and Zayn scrambled to his feet and scurried off to grab and open the beer bottle for him.
"Here." Zayn mutters, shoving the open bottle towards Yasser the bottle before walking off to his own room.
"Lose the attitude boy or I will make you!" Yasser hollered and Zayn huffed in annoyance, but didn't dare say anything as he knew Yasser would stick to his word if he did. He closed his door and locked it before falling on to his bed and staring out the big window. He watched all the cars and people passing by, occasionally watching a few obvious drug deals occur. Both him and his mum wanted to get out of this part of town where everything bad happens and police seem to never get a break, but Yasser insisted on them living here as it was the only place they could afford despite the fact of Trisha working in retail and Yasser working on selling drugs. And don't get Trisha wrong, she was a hard working, independent woman who got with the wrong crowd after her and Harry's nasty divorce. She loved Zayn with all her heart and Zayn loved her so much too. He knew the slaps she gave him are so she doesn't look weak in front of Yasser, and sometimes Trisha will wake the boy up in the middle of the night so they can have their snuggle time. So she still loves her son even though she may not be able to show it all the time.
-
"Come on Liam! Pick it up! You got it buddy!" Louis yelled from the sidelines as Liam dribbled the ball down field. He swiftly kicked the ball as hard as he could into the net and he scored! Louis yelled and screamed, "That's my boy!"
"Love, as much as I love seeing you support our boys, I don't think many other people enjoy it, especially because this game doesn't even count for anything." Harry said pulling Louis back down into his seat. Louis blushed and looked around at the glaring parents.
"But they are just so damn good at footie! The jealous parents can get over it." Louis laughed and Harry shook his head with a smile. The two continued to cheer on their boys, only a bit in a calmer way. The boys ended up losing by one point, but thankfully it was only a scrimmage so it didn't really count.
"Hey you boys played great today, especially because it's going to take a while for you guys to get back into the swing of things. You have to remember that the season hasn't even officially started yet." Louis said trying to cheer up his sulking teenagers.
"Yeah whatever." Niall muttered kicking a rock under his feet. Harry smiled and threw his arm around the fifteen year old and pulled him close. "You know what would make me feel better?" Niall asks, wiggling his eyebrows. Harry hums as he unlocks the car and gets in. "Dinner from Nandos!" Niall says with a smug smile.
"Oh and a Toy Story movie marathon would help my aching heart." Liam says dramatically as he holds his hand over his heart.
"Oh really? Well I guess we have to make our boy's happy." Louse laughs and Harry shakes his head with a small chuckle.
"I guess." Harry sighs, starting route towards Nando's. Although it wasn't their best game, Harry was still so proud and couldn't imagine having anything different in his life. His family was perfect. They were all healthy and smart, no one needed to worry about anything, and at least for Harry, life was much better than before.
Harry can still remember being stuck in that house with Trisha and Zayn, whom he does not like to bring up often. He loved Trisha, but as a friend, and he didn't find his true love, Louis, until after they were married. He cheated on Trisha for years with Louis, and he might not be lying if he said he did not feel bad for cheating on Trisha because she was not his true love. It only started off with dates, which led to more time together, and then a relationship which is when Harry decided to break it off with Trisha, blaming it on how bored he was with her. He ran off with Louis and the two got married not to long later. Zayn had barely even met Louis and before he realized it, he was switching houses every week. At first it was fine, Louis and Harry loved having the boy around and spoiling him rotten before sending him home to Trisha who was struggling to get one full meal on the table. Then when Liam and Niall came into play, everything changed. Harry's focused shifted to the boys who were always at his home and away from Zayn who had gradually drifted away. But Harry was happier and true to who he was, and that's all that mattered. Right?
-
"Zayn baby, it's mumma." Trisha whispers as she shakes the boy awake, looking behind her to make sure Yasser stayed asleep. "Come on baby, wake up."
"Mum? What's wrong?" Zayn asks sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Yasser is asleep on the couch. Do you want to have a quick snuggle?" Trisha asks and Zayn gives a quick nod and lets her crawl into his small bed too. "I am so sorry for hitting you baby. I didn't want to, but Yasser was talking about how I have stopped hitting you lately and I didn't want to but-"
"It's okay mumma, I understand." Zayn says sadly, laying gently down on Trisha.
"No it is not baby and you shouldn't have to understand something like that. You deserve so much better, but I promise, one day, you and I are going to get out of here and start all over." Trisha sighs rubbing Zayn's cheek which was still slightly pink. Zayn just snuggled closer to his mum, if even possible and was soon drifting off to sleep with a small smile tickling his lips. But little did he know, that was going to be his last snuggle with his mum for a while.
-
"Police! Open up!" an officer yelled pounding on the door, successfully waking Zayn up. Zayn groaned and got out of his bed, not even realizing his mother wasn't next to him anymore. He had just figured him mother had headed back to her own bed so Yasser wouldn't find the two cuddling. Zayn quickly made his way to the door as he didn't want to upset the officers or wake up his mum and Yassee. Zayn quickly opened the door only to be met with flashlights on and pointed at him and guns raised.
"Oh god it's like 2 in the morning! I'm just a kid, put the lights down, please!" Zayn whines turning around and rubbing his eyes in pain causing a few officers to chuckle and lower their guns and flashlights.
"Um sorry buddy, we need to look around. Do you mind staying with my partner, Alex, here while me and my officers take a quick look around?" the officer asked and Zayn shook his head, so quickly the officers had their guns raised and flashlights on and were raiding the house.
"Hey buddy, I am Alex, what's your name?" a tall muscular guy asks softly, pulling out a notepad and pen.
"M' Zayn." Zayn mumbled and Alex hummed, writing something down in his notepad. "What's going on?" Zayn asked looking around, slightly scared.
"Nothing you need to wor-" Alex was cutoff by some yelling going on.
"They aren't here." the officer from before said slamming her hand down on the kitchen counter. "Kid, do you know who these two people are?" she asked holding up an old picture of Yasser and Trisha.
Zayn nodded and gulped. Now he was getting quite scared, "S' my mum and her boyfriend Yasser, why?"
"Why don't you go put some warm clothes on. Your parents aren't here so you'll have to come with us. My name is Grace, what's yours?" she asked, ignoring Zayn's question.
"Zayn." he muttered, but didn't move. There was so much happening and he didn't no what to do.
"Okay Zayn, how old are you?" Grace asks softly while Zayn looks around the apartment with wide, confused eyes.
"Eleven." he mumbles.
"Okay, well can you go get dressed and you can come with us so you are not alone." Grace smiles and Zayn just stares at her.
"Come on Zayn, your mum and her boyfriend have been causing a lot of trouble recently and its not safe for you to be here with them. You can't stay here alone anyways." Alex said nudging Zayn's back.
"I want my mum." Zayn says, backing away from the officers and Alex's sympathetic eyes.
"Zayn, you probably will not be seeing your mum or Yasser for a while cause they have caused quite the trouble in this town. Now go get dressed." Alex says patting Zayn on the back to get him moving. Zayn tried to speak but nothing came out. He felt his legs go weak and he fell to the ground, darkness taking over him as he heard some yells of help.
"Someone call an ambulance!"
-
So happy with all the positive feedback!