𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 || 𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐨

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱.

it had been three weeks since the first day of school. zak and darryl spent time together almost everyday. they had grown close, so much so that zak began to speak more often when the two were together. it wasn't nearly as much as he did around his family, but it was a big step up for him.

it really helped that darryl didn't make a big deal out of it when he did speak. he would have hated drawing that much attention to himself. he probably would have reverted back to hardly speaking at all, which was the last thing he wanted. but darryl didn't act any differently when zak spoke up about things, which was a huge relief.

they walked alongside each other on the sidewalk. darryl spoke enthusiastically about his day. he spoke about how someone in his fifth period brought in brownies for their birthday, and they even remembered to make them gluten free. and he spoke about how he found a dollar in the grass on his way to school. they were the smallest things, but they didn't fail to make darryl so happy. zak smiled to himself as he glanced over at the boy who was waving his hands around as he spoke. darryl caught his gaze and gave him a puzzled look. "what?"

zak's smile widened a tiny bit, and he shook his head. "nothing." i just like seeing you happy. that's all.

darryl raised his eyebrows, grinning. "alright then."

they continued walking, the air laced with a comfortable silence. zak ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. he gasped quietly. darryl turned to look at him with confusion. zak stopped and looked over at darryl, asking, "do you wanna come over later?"

darryl paused to think about the request. "today?" zak nodded. "um, yeah, sure!" zak grinned. "i'd just have to ask my parents first. what if we just stopped by my house real quick, and then i could walk with you to yours?"

zak's face fell. "oh, i forgot my mom isn't home. do you think they'd mind?"

darryl thought for a moment. "well, i don't know. i think my mom trusts me. i guess i'll just have to figure that out." he laughed lightly.

zak's mom trusted him to stay home alone. he wasn't reckless or immature. she didn't have to worry about him throwing parties while she was away. she had texted him with no second thought earlier in the day to let him know that she would be staying over at her sister's for the night, and that she left money on the counter for him to order pizza if he got hungry before his dad got home from work. she even told him he could have a friend over as long as they didn't "do anything stupid" and he remembered to wash the dishes.

not everybody's parents trusted them that much.

they got to darryl's house, and darryl disappeared through the front door. zak waited patiently on the porch, messing with one of his hoodie's drawstrings absentmindedly. after a few minutes, darryl emerges from the house. he no longer had his school bag, and his face was very red. he stared down at the ground, wringing his hands. he was embarrassed. but for what?

"u-um, i can come over," he said, avoiding zak's gaze.

zak chose to ignore it, leading darryl over to his own house.

he probably should have thought this through a bit more. what were they going to do? he didn't exactly do a lot other than sit and think about his life, so he had no idea what people would normally do when they hang out with each other. they could watch a movie or a tv show, or something like that. his family did have nexflix, although he didn't ever really use it. goodness, he really had no idea what he was doing.

darryl honestly didn't mind what the two did. even if they didn't do anything at all, just simply in the presence of each other, he would be content with that. but he wouldn't say that.