Vulnerable (Zayn Malik AU)

Chapter 29

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Daisys POV
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Friday came around, and I'd never been more ready for the weekend. All I wanted to do was sleep it off. Sleep the whole two days away. My week was exhausting, and if I could forget it, I would.

Lilly was back in Economics after not being there the two days before, so I was getting glares again. Boy did I miss those.

Being Ms. Fay's aide was becoming a busy task. The art show was only a week away, and I was in charge of practically everything. 

Creative Writing was a bore as usual, but Zayn and I were back to mouthing to each other from across the room, so that made it a little better. He was also back to walking me to every class, which only a fool would protest.

When fourth period came around, he was reluctant to let me go inside. Everything was completely normal again.

"Hey." I said to Ms. Fay.

"Hey, girlie!"

"Have anything for me to do?" I asked as I took a seat at my table.

"You're not my aide this period, overachiever." She laughed.

"I know, but I feel bad if I don't ask." I shrugged.

"Well, nope. I've got it under control."

I nodded and turned to fully face the table. Paul was playing some game on his phone and Franky was twiddling his thumbs.

"Nice to see you're back." I said to Franky.

"I guess...?"

I ignored the question in his tone and decided to pull my phone out, sending a quick text to Zayn.


To: Zayn<3
-Franky's back. Yay.


I put my phone in my pocket, laughing at myself. It wasn't even funny, but I knew Zayn would be happy with my lack of enthusiasm.

"Why didn't you come?" Franky spoke up.

"Pardon?" My eyebrows scrunched with confusion.

"TOOMEY!" Mr. Morningside called from the door of the class.

"Sup, Jeffrey?"

He gave me an exasperated look of warning before continuing. "I need your help if that's ok with Ms. Fay." He looked to her.

"I don't mind. But, don't be trying to steal my best aide now, Jeff." She teased.

"Oh she's your aide?"

"The best I have."

I sat up more on my stool, pride filling my face.

"That's not saying much. She sucks." Mr. Morningside laughed.

"Says the guy who needs my help!" I laughed.

"That I do. Bring your friend." He gestured to Franky, and with that he was out the door, expecting us to follow. I had no chance to argue.

When we caught up to him, he was walking into the theatre across the way. "Why are we here?" I asked.

"My class is setting up for the art show, but they're all freshmen. I need some senior expertise."

"But, I suck." I repeated his words.

"So you see how desperate I am, then." He teased. "Alright. That table over there is full of students art posters. I need them put on the wall. But they must be straight and perfect. Don't stab the thumb tacks through them either, or I'll kill you."

"That's a bit dramatic, and kind of a threat. You are still my teacher, Jeffrey." I laughed.

"True. I'll just give you detention."

"No worries. I got this." I patted his shoulder and walked over to the table, Franky following suit.

"Why is he so nice to you..." Franky asked, sounding nervous.

"What? Why does everyone think that's nice? He said I suck."

"I've never seen him be so chill with a student." I stood up on a stool and Franky handed me a poster so I could tack it to the wall.

"I don't know, I guess. Zayn asked the same thing. I have no answer."

"You called him Jeffrey. If I called him that he'd probably kick my ass." He handed me another poster.

"Oh, please. He couldn't hurt a fly." I laughed.

"If you say so..."

We worked in silence, and my phone was going off in my pocket, but I just ignored the vibrating. I had to focus on the task at hand.

"Trade me." Franky said when I started to shake my hands. My thumbs were getting sore from the tacks.

I nodded and stepped down from the ladder. Conveniently for him I finished all of the high posters, so he didn't even need the stepping stool anymore. I handed him posters as he added them to the wall.

"What'd you mean in class?" I broke the silence.

"When?"

"You asked why I didn't come...come where?"

"Oh." He put another poster on before answering, as if he was deliberately testing my patience. "On the ski trip."

"I'm sorry...the what?"

"The group went on a ski trip. Zayn was invited, but you guys didn't come so...did he not even tell you?"

"No. No he did not." I ignored the fact that he referred to him and his friends as 'the group'. Of course he didn't. Why would he want me around his friends that he claims aren't his friends. I thought to myself, annoyed.

"The bells gonna ring. You can head back, Toomey." Mr. Morningside said from across the room.

"You can see from far back. Are they straight?" I asked.

"No. But I'll fix them. It's not your fault that you suck." He shrugged.

"You know what? I stabbed every one of them." I said as I walked out.

"YOU WOULDN'T."

"Why wouldn't I! I suck!" I laughed from the quad. Of course I didn't stab any of them, but my compulsive teacher was going to carefully check them all now that I had said something, and that knowledge alone was satisfying.

The bell rang right as Franky and I entered the ceramic room. The other students shuffled out as fast as usual, as if the room was on fire. I grabbed my things and said a quick goodbye to Ms. Fay before leaving.

"Well hello. Your phone ok?" I was greeted by Zayns toothy grin as I emerged from class.

"Hey." I said, tired. "And yeah, it is. Haven't checked it, sorry."

"You alright?"

"Well. I was doing great...kind of."

"What happened? Damnit. I've really got to have a chat with Franky."

"Oh? What about? The ski trip you didn't want me on? Yeah, you should probably do that. I'm sure all of your buddies are wondering why you didn't show up with me."

"He told you..."

"Yeah, he did. But you should've been the one to tell me, Zayn. Why didn't you go? I mean, you didn't have to take me, but you shouldn't skip things just because of me."

"Daisy, it's not that I didn't want to take you. I didn't even want to go. Those people aren't really my friends. You're my best friend, and after you the closest person I have is my mum...that's actually really sad when I say it out loud." He laughed nervously. "But as for skiing, I've never been. And if I ever did go, I'd want you there. Just you and I alone."

"If they're not your friends why do you hang out with them so much..." I'd never been more confused by a person in my life than I was with Zayn. "Nevermind. Don't answer that."

"No it's ok, I don't mind. I-"

"It's not for your benefit that I don't want to know. I just don't care anymore. All of the drama is exhausting, and I'm over it."

"What does that mean.." He teetered.

"It just means...I no longer care. I'm not going to waste my energy anymore."

"Are we..."

"Oh! No, no." I laughed. "No. We're fine, Zayn." I stood on my tip-toes and kissed his cheek. "I just don't care. I trust you. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do. You're still hiding stuff, and you still confuse the heck out of me...but I'm just going to turn the other cheek. I know nothing, and I don't want to know anything. If I know anything, it's that you make me happy. You give me this feeling in the pit of my stomach that freaks me out, but makes me giddy and excited at the same time. At first I hated it...because it's so foreign. But it really is a great feeling."

"You know what that is right?" He smirked.

"Digestive problems." I shrugged.

"No!" He laughed and pulled me closer. "That, Daisy Ann Toomey, is love."









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Authors note:

So short, so late.

My apologies.

If you follow me on instagram, then you know I'm in the process of moving at the moment, and it's hard to find time for myself let alone write/:

I'm currently lying on my living room floor, on 4 sleeping bags aka my bed until we get our own furniture. I also have a pulled muscle in my left arm, bruises where you don't want them, pimples from stress, sore everything, and ingrown nails that actually made this really hard to type.

Moving is hard. Let's hope I survive it.

I'll try to update on Friday...but it might not happen so don't hold me to that. I promise I'll update as soon as possible.

If you're still reading, I love you.