Heartstrings ➳ z.m.

one - zayn

Chapter One – Zayn

Zayn sits on his hands, eyes on the clock as the other boys talk.

It’s no secret that Zayn does not answer the interviewers’ questions. All Zayn does is sit there, gaze locked on the clock’s ticking hands, counting the seconds as they go by. This is a known fact.

Nobody knows why Zayn even goes to the interviews anymore—though most just assume that it is because he is still a part of the band.

It’s really because the boys want to keep an eye on him.

Zayn resembles a robot, in a sort of way that he almost has no mind of his own anymore. He hasn’t for the past 5 years. Everything he does is automatic; based off of memory.

And honestly, it scares the boys.

At any given time, Zayn can snap back to his old self—or what used to be his old self, if he can even retrieve it anymore—and none of them want it to happen while he isn’t in eyesight.

Zayn bites his lip and begins to shift, his eyes still on the clock. It’s lunch time, and they aren’t eating yet.

That’s not how the schedule is supposed to work.

They are supposed to have exactly 16 minutes to eat, and now they only have 14, and that’s not right, and Zayn’s not okay with that because that’s not how the schedule goes.

He bites down on his lip even harder now, because people are clapping and laughing and the noise is too loud and too defined and it hurts his ears.

He clamps his eyes shut and then he feels somebody tugging on his shoulder. It’s Niall.

Niall starts telling him how sorry he is that they ran into lunch time, but Zayn isn’t listening, because the air is becoming suffocating, and all he wants is to get out of the interview and away from all of those people.

He doesn’t even realize that he’s being taken off of the stage, because he’s too focused on the clock and the reality that they only have 11 minutes to eat now, and that definitely isn’t right, or okay.

When they get backstage, Paul immediately hands Zayn his turkey sandwich, an apologetic look on his face.

And then he only gets to eat for 7 minutes, because Louis is telling him that he needs another sketchpad, even though it’s only been four days, and since his schedule is thrown off anyway, he is wondering if Zayn would like to go with him to purchase his new one. He says that he found a nice little art shop that is close to their flats, and that Zayn would like it. He says that Zayn might even see something else that he wants to try, like paint, or maybe even colors.

But Zayn doesn’t hear anything that Louis tells him, because he’s trying to finish the sandwich that normally takes him 3 minutes to eat, and he’s also trying to finish the applesauce that always takes 5.

Louis is talking again, even though he shouldn’t be. You are not supposed to talk during lunch time. That’s the way it has always been.

When his bandmate is finished speaking, Zayn does not acknowledge him with any words. Instead, he gives him a blank look, pushes past him, and hands his empty applesauce container and the crusts of his sandwich to Harry.

Harry always throws Zayn’s trash away. Every day.

At least one thing can stay the same.

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I don't like how short this chapter is, but I'm just telling you now: Skylar's chapters will always be longer  I'll try to post tomorrow or Thursday.