For Now ➸ Zauren

1.

June 27th, 2014

Zayn

"Zayn!" I rubbed at my temples and stared up at the ceilings. I knew exactly why my mum was shouting my name up the stairs for the fifth time. She was wanted me to take the bin of rubbish out because they were coming for it tomorrow. I told her I would do it when I did it. She obviously disregarded that part. "Zayn!" I hopped out of bed and to my feet before she called out for me again. I pulled my door open and almost collided with my younger sister, Waliyha. "What in the hell? You scared me." She just laughed and walked past me toward her room. "Mum's calling you. Can you not hear her, or?" I didn't answer her and made my way down the beige carpeted staircase. 

My mum, Trisha was standing in front of the stairwell. She was unamused. I gave her a smile. "I don't think it's funny to ignore me," she said. 

"I wasn't ignoring you," I lied. 

"Sure you weren't. Go take the rubbish out, will ya already?" I nodded. My mum walked over to the closet by the door and grabbed her purse. "Zayn, if I come home from work and I don't see the bin out front-"

"You're going to be properly pissed," I finished her sentence for her. "You don't have to worry about it."

"I also need you to put this in the mailbox."

"And you can't walk across the street and do that?" My mum made a face at me. I took the envelope. "Alright, I'll do it. I might even do some dishes."

"Yeah, right," my mum laughed. "You're talking crazy now. If you do that you'll get thirty pounds."

"Have your money ready," I said. My mum smiled at me. She walked over and gave me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love you guys!" she called out. "I'd better get going," she said glancing back up from her phone. She pulled the door open. "Please, remember the bin." I let out a sigh. "Okay. I'll be going now." 

She popped her head in the house once more. "It looks like whoever bought the house across the street is finally moving in." That was the last thing she said before she shut the door.

I started to walk up the stairs until I remember the very reason I was even down there in the first place. These are the reasons I needed my mum in my life. Her repetitive reminders that are constantly being drilled into my head are for good reason. It helps me get shit done. 

I made my way to the kitchen and grabbed the rubbish can. My father, Yaser, was away on business for two weeks, my older sister, Doniya, was staying with a friend from uni, and my youngest, sister Safaa was at camp. So, with the usual six people, dwindling down to three for the time being we didn't accumulate much rubbish. I pulled the black bag out and twisted it shut.

I was curious to know who the faces behind the purchase of the haunted house across the street were. I walked off the porch with the rubbish swinging in front of me. There was one moving truck. They'd been moving stuff in for nearly a week now.  I squinted my eyes to get a good look across the street. I dropped the rubbish down at the usual pick up spot. 

It was strange seeing life at that house when a death had occurred in there just four years earlier. No one had bought the house since. So, you can imagine just how shocked everyone on the block was to know that the house was no longer for sale. I remember standing outside on my porch with my best mate, Liam Payne for almost an hour trying to figure out what the people that were about to move in were going to be like. Now I'll know.

I walked across the street. The mailbox was across the street and diagonal from my house. Just one house away from the haunted house.

"Can you at least smile?" an older woman with bangs asked. I wasn't sure who she was talking to because the mystery person was sitting in the movers van. "It's my birthday! You guys couldn't have waited another day to move out? I couldn't even spend it with my best friend." The raspy voice was a females. I was acting like I was reading the envelope so that I can be more nosy.