Up in Smoke (Ziall)

Prologue

Prologue:

Zayn's all dark eyes, cigarettes, and disinterested glances. He tugs at his school uniform loosening the tie until it hangs loosely around his neck. He leans casually against the brick of the building and brings his cigarette up for a drag, inhaling until his cheeks are sunken and the bud burns, sizzles, and ashes. The other students keep a safe distance away, always making sure to go out of their way to insure a secure radius.

Every once in a while a girl will pass by, glancing longingly his way but quickly look away as his eyes fall on them. No one ever looks long enough to see Zayn's lips twitch in amusement or his eyes crinkle a bit at the sides. He just shakes his head a bit though, letting the cigarette hang limply from his lips. Reminds himself, once again, that it is better this way.

He knows that the day he starts acting like he gives a shit, the day people look at him without a sense of fear, is the day that his world shatters around him. Because when people are too scared to even properly look you in the eye you don't have to worry about secrets being found, truths being revealed.

He drags hard on the cigarette, his eyes full of dark smoulder and lungs full of burning secrets. He drops the bud to the ground, squishes it under his toe, and pushes himself off the building. The sea of students part for him, and as Zayn runs fingers through his dark fringe, he walks down the corridor with only a sense of security by his side.