Behind Your Eyes [Zayn Malik]

Two.

"Welcome, all of you, to Tong High School. This is your first day here, so I'd like you all to go out into the playground and get to know each other. Come back in here in twenty minutes and we'll play some games to break the ice."

My first day at Secondary School. New faces, new books, new experiences. I made my way out to the playground, pushing my glasses up further onto my nose. There was a group of people standing by the wall, and I ran my tongue over my braces as I approached them.

"Hi, I'm Alex!" I said, grinning. The boy in the middle, Zayn, I think his name was, walked forward to me.

"Hey, nice glasses!" he smirked. The people around him began laughing whereas I thought he was serious.

"Thanks! My mum said that blue suits me. It's my favourite colour too!"

He turned to look at his friends and cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey, Nerd! Did your mum do your hair for you as well this morning?" someone in the group shouted. I felt for the two plaits in my hair, which my mum had indeed helped me with.

"Did she cut your sandwiches into triangles for you?" another person added.

The entire group was snorting with laughter and I stared at the ground, a blush filling my cheeks.

"I'll see ya round, Nerd." Zayn said, knocking my lunchbox out of my hand, spilling its contents onto the floor. The group walked away, talking and laughing as they went. As I picked up my food from the ground there was one question constantly playing on my mind:

What did I do?

•

Days passed quickly. Between uni and my job, there was little time for me to have fun or go out. The only time I had really was at night, but everywhere I wanted to go would be shut and I don't like nightclubs, so that leaves me with staying in and ordering food.

Saturday was still there, though, permanently etched into the back of my mind. Bored in class, I'd find my mind always returned to it, planning and constructing fantasies in my head. That's what I did; what I was good at. Writing, reading, imaginary things. I loved to be able to step away from reality into a perfect world where I could control what happens.

I've always wanted to be in control. That's why when I was younger, and was bullied, I ended up harming myself. I couldn't control the hate, I couldn't control the spiteful insults that were thrown at me, I couldn't control what they'd do to me. But I could control the blade as it slowly sliced my skin. I felt power from that.

And unfortunately that's what scared me the most.

Thursday came fast and Tyler was due back home at about 4pm. Having had something on my mind all week, I picked up my phone, scrolling through my contacts as I ate a bagel.

Liz Brockman.

I clicked her number and my phone began calling her. She picked up after several rings and I held the phone close to my ear.

"Hi, Liz speaking."

"Hi Liz, it's Felicity."

"Hey! How've you been?"

"Pretty good, actually! Could you meet me down in the café in five minutes?"

"Sure, I'll be right there!"

"Okay, see you then!"

Our phone call was short, but then sometimes they were, because I needed to talk to her face to face instead of through the phone.