Pause. Rewind. Play. (A Zayn Malik Fanfic)

Chapter 31: Have You?

I board the plane, collapsing into my seat with a loud sigh. I fastened my seat belt as the final people find their seats. The doors are sealed closed as I try to get comfortable. I lay back and let the flight attendants explain the exits and safety regulations. I knew it'd be a while until we take off, so I fished out my Calculus book.

However, not even that could distract me from the butterflies in my stomach. Thanksgiving, one of the few breaks I'm allowed to have while in college. That didn't mean I could slack off on my studies.

After Morgan's seizure, I was forced by my father to go back to school. I wasn't allowed to leave Miami until Thanksgiving. No one will tell me what's going on with her. I'm supposed to, and I quote, keep my nose in the books for a while. It was a stupid excuse from Mom to keep me out of trouble in New York. I didn't resist though, I knew I had to keep away from Morgan. I knew it would just make me sick if I stuck around to observe her recovery.

Zayn paid for my ticket out to see him perform in Madison Square Garden with the rest of the boys. He seemed eager about it. I didn't want to disappoint and of course it overlaps the last day of my break. Instead of staying in my own apartment, he invited me to their hotel instead to live for a few days.

Having not seen him in months makes me giddy just by the thought. We planned on going back to Bradford together for Christmas to spend with both of our families. It'd be a real blast being together for the holidays. Everything seemed to be falling into place for us.

For most of the flight, I try to study in futile. Its difficult when the man in front of you is snoring very loudly no matter how loud your music goes. I get up mid-flight to go to the bathroom. I pass a girl through the narrow isle, where our shoulders accidentally bump.

"Sorry!" I quickly say. I hear her scoff and she turns around to face me. Unbelievable.

"Well if it isn't Ari." Haley crosses her arms across her chest.

"Hello Haley," I say, trying not to hiss.

"You should particularly watch where you're going. Don't want to take a fall do you," she says. I roll my eyes, deciding to keep going to the bathroom. "Does Zayn know that you know?" She doesn't have to even say it for me to already know.

"That has nothing to do with you," I quickly say.

"Why? Can't handle the fact that your perfect boyfriend really isn't all he's cut out to be? How he isn't the guy you thought he was? Face it Ari, you and I might have our differences, but we both know the truth about Zayn."

"You don't intimidate me, Haley," I say. "If this is your way of trying to scare me, it isn't going to work." She rolls her eyes.

"You really are blind. Zayn does have that affect on people." I clench my fist. "He wraps them around his finger and holds them for a while, before he lets it all fall apart. And you're too stupid to realize that you're just part of the game."

"And you're still living in middle school. Its called staying out of other people's business. You're not in his life anymore, why can't you just let it be?"

"Excuse me ladies. I'm going to have to ask you two to kindly sit back in your seats," the flight attendant says. I hesitantly go towards the bathrooms. The last thing I see is Haley's scowl before she struts off. I lock the door behind me, shutting the rest of the plane out.

I sit on the toilet seat, putting my elbows on my knees and head in my open palms. She's wrong, she's just trying to get into your head, I repeat. Its all just trying to get to you and sike you out.

I finish up in the bathroom and head back to my seat. Haley is nowhere in sight. I plug my ear buds in and drown out the rest of the flight. I'm not going to let her get to me. Not today.