The new student ~ ZarryStylik

Chapter 14 - the wish

Hand in hand they walk back to camp. The flashlight stays off. Only when the path forks and you have to orientate yourself Harry switches them on briefly. Zayn feels really weird. As in a dream. He finds it exciting to walk hand in hand with a boy through the dark forest. Exciting but not uncomfortable at all.

Something reflects the moonlight between the roots of a tree. Zayn bends down for it. "Turn on the light." Harry turns on the flashlight and illuminates the forest floor. "Wow." He says and steps closer. Zayn is holding a small crystal ball. Hardly bigger than a marble. It sparkles in the light of the flashlight. "Coool." Zayn says happily. "I bet it's one of those hidden items. If you hand them in at the camp you will get a prize." Says Harry. "Congratulations."

Zayn closes his hand around the ball and shakes his head. "I'm not giving them away. I'll keep that as a reminder." Harry eyed him carefully. "As a reminder?" "To the camp, of course." Zayn replies. "And to the forest, my fall into the stupid ditch." He hesitates, but then he says bravely. "And that you got me out of it."

For a while they stand side by side in silence. The light from the flashlight flickers. Then it's dark. Fortunately, it is not far. Harry clears his throat. "The lanterns are already back there."

"Harry." Zayn says slowly as they start the last part of the way in the dark. "May I ask you something?" "Sure." Zayn swallows. "Jannik told me about your parents. That they are divorced and that you was kicked out of school." He pauses. "I hope you're not mad now." "Oh bullshit," says Harry. "Jannik told me that you knew." He stops. "You know what, I'm glad you know." "Really?" Asks Zayn incredulously. "You're not mad?" "No, why." Harry asks back. "I just don't want to talk about it all and I don't want that people feel sorry for me. That's all. You know, the worst part was this constant argument between my parents. Always bickering and roaring and screaming. Nobody wanted to give in. Everyone wanted to be right. They didn't even think about how Gemma or I felt." "It's good that you're feeling better now." Zayn says softly. Harry nods. "It's still a stupid feeling that my father stayed in Manchester. And I live alone with my mother and Gemma." he says. "But I'm slowly getting used to it. I write regularly with my father and he'll come to visit us during the next vacation." "That's great" says Zayn happily.

He suddenly laughs because something else occurred to him. "May I ask you something else?" "I already told you you can." "About the tables and chairs on the first day of school" says Zayn. "You know. The pyramid, that was you, wasn't it?" Harry stops so suddenly that Zayn almost tripped over. Because the moon is pushing through the leaves, Zayn can see that he is trying to look dead serious. "I swear," he says in a solemn voice. "That I have nothing, absolutely nothing to do with building the chaos pyramid in the classroom. As much as I'm standing here in the forest." Zayn laughs even louder than before. "And should I believe you?" "Hey, I swore." Harry indigns with an offended expression. "Stop it, I can't anymore." He wipes a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. "But I still don't quite believe you. Sorry." Harry joins his laughter. "Okay." He says. "Then the creation of the Chaos Pyramid will go down in history as an eternal riddle." "I agree," says Zayn. "But now let's go further, otherwise they'll send a search party from the camp."

After a few minutes, Zayn finally recognizes the path he took hours ago in the opposite direction. The lanterns bathe the edge of the forest in a beautiful light. The entrance to the camp can be seen shortly afterwards. "That's it then," says Harry. "I guess we made it." Zayn thinks he hears a hint of regret in his voice. He realizes that he too would have gone a little further. If that stupid leg didn't hurt so much." He sighs. "Yes, looks like it."

He slowly pulls out the crystal ball. "You can make a wish, by the way," he says to Harry. "After all, you saved me. And this ball is a magical item. You've earned a reward."

Harry puts a hand on the ball and closes his eyes. When he opens it again, he smiles. "That's it?" Asks Zayn. Harry nods. And then he leans forward and gives Zayn a gentle kiss on the mouth.

Zayn's lips tingle and his stomach tingles too.