Are You Real?

Chapter One

This is a short story involving Ziam. Dedicated to Alt-Ziam

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When Zayn was only 5 years old, he arrived at the school he would attend until he was 18. His mother led him through the doors quickly and into a small room filled with other kids the same age as him.

As Zayn held his mums hand as she signed the papers, he took a look around the small room. He was different than the kids around the room. His hair was not light enough to be considered brown, and his skin a little too tan. In the corner he saw a pale skinned blonde girl with a brown haired girl with glasses pointing and whispering, looking right at him. Zayn moved behind his mothers legs and looked up at her with big watery eyes. "Mummy?" He asked her quietly, tugging on her skirt.

"Yes honey?" Trisha said squatting to his level.

"Th-they are pointing at me!" He whispered, again latching onto her side.

"Darling, no they aren't, they probably think your cute!" Trisha said enthusiastically, kissing the top of the young lads head and standing up to finish the paper work. Zayn just sighed and clung to his mum's leg, he knew the looks those girls were giving him weren't because they thought he was cute, but because he was strange and different.

Zayn was left at his mother's side for a few more minutes before the teacher told the parents to leave. Trisha bent down and whispered in Zayn's ear as she heard him whimper. "Darling, you will be fine, just make a friend hon." She said before smiling and walking out the door, leaving a shaking Zayn to the judging eyes of his classmates.

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A month into school, Zayn still remained alone in his classroom with no friends. He had tried to talk to the boy in the desk next to him, but he had been ignored. The teacher had tried to help him make friends, but it was no use, no one person in the class tried to even be a friend at all. Even after 2 months no one had even made a move. So Zayn took it upon himself to "make" a friend, thinking of his mothers words that first day of school.

And "make" a friend he did. If no one was to really be a friend, he decided on a virtual friend, an imaginary friend.

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On a rainy day in October, Zayn created his imaginary friend. He chose a name that was not very well known. Liam. It was perfect and Zayn thought it fit very well. Age wise, he deemed Liam a year younger, and began to think of character traits.

Zayn scribbled messily of a piece of paper Liam's age and name before writing a few words down describing what his perfect friend would be like.

Nice. Smart. Cute. Shy. Gentle. Loving.

Zayn smiled as he finished writing, holding it up and reading it back to himself, realizing what he was missing. What would Liam look like?

Brown curly hair. Longish hair. Brown eyes. Nice teeth. Pretty smile.

Now it was perfect. Zayn smiled as he tucked the sheet in a safe place. The next morning he planned to bring his new friend, already asleep in the bed, with him to school.

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"Liam, you're coming too right?" Zayn said as his mother pulled him out to the car to go to the store. Zayn smiled as Liam said yes, grabbing Zayn's outstretched hand and tumbling into the car with the smiling black haired lad.

Trisha sighed as her son babbled to himself or to "Liam" his imaginary friend. She knew he was having problems making friends in school, but when she had told him to "make" a friend, she had not meant it literally. She encouraged Zayn still to enjoy time with his friend, but she knew he would have to let it go soon, fearing more disliking of her son by the others students.