Modern Romeo & Juliet

one

Black like the color of my mum’s hair. Black like those bitter winter nights when me and Waliyah would crawl to the roof and observe the star encrusted sky. Black like black. Pure emptiness. Am I dead? Or in a coma? Zayn. Of course not! I was. . .

 Zayn

. . .great! I was at a club, dancing my. . .

 Zayn

. . .ass off . . .

Zayn

. . . having

Zayn

. . . fun.

I felt my eyes strain open and am blinded by white. God this is worse than when everything was black, I fidgeted but felt pain shoot through my forearm and it wasn’t until the white settled down that I realized that I was hooked up to an IV. I glanced down to my exposed shins and toes, a thin hospital gown covered me. I scanned the room and it was white and bare with two chairs propped against the wall in front of my bed. It was at that exact moment that my mum popped up in the hallway and trailing after her was father and Waliyah. They all had worry tainted on their features. Once mother reached my room her eyes were burning with tears and her hand slid up to her mouth protectively.

“My baby. . .” Her usually sweet as honey voice was rough and jagged like a spear. I said nothing. I never really was a sensitive person so when Waliyah approached me first and reached for my half numb hand I smiled. “Hey there.” Her hand retreated back to her side. I gnawed the inside of my cheek as a soft thud was softly approaching me. Father towered over my bed. His eyes were bloodshot and slanted almost like red slits and that’s what broke me.

“Why?”

I swallowed down the sore clump accumulating inside my throat, “Why what?”

He looked flustered as he stared at the IV. “Why do you do this to yourself? To us? Zayn Javadd Malik you answer me this instant.” I felt his stubby finger jab my knee and my mother quickly fled to my aid, “Darling be gentle.”

He turned on her abruptly, “Gentle? Tricia darling we have been nothing but gentle!” he gestured his whole body to where I lay motionless really. “Now look where our boy lies! A hospital bed! The next time he’ll be in a body bag!” His words meant to come out as a warning, as advice, but to mother and Waliyah they were nothing but numbing jabs to the chest. My little sister gripped the seating of one of the chairs as she concentrated on the furrowing pattern of her corduroy jeans.

Mum steered father out into the hall, but not even a wall could muffle her cries and the thudding sound of her tiny fists barreling down on his broad chest. “Please shut your mouth! You’re making this far more difficult!” She sounded frantic.

“Babe, we can’t keep babying him! The tough love starts now and if you don’t march in there and tell him I sure as hell will!” I could hear the car keys jingle deep inside his jacket’s pocket as he signaled towards me. “Fine!” her voice finally steadied and sharpened. She stormed towards me and pain distorted her otherwise pretty face. She pawed at my cheeks and began to lap me up in soft motherly kisses. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” It was an incantation she kept repeating over and over but they were just hallow words. Empty and meaningless.

I searched deep inside her wide dark eyes in an attempt to figure out why she was so sorry. From my peripheral vision I noticed father scooping Waliyah in his sturdy arms and then I also noticed the huddled men at the entrance. They were in all blue, kinda like Grey’s Anatomy. “Mum what’s going on?” My voice trembling.

Her hand softly smoothed my cheek and for once it didn’t settle my unraveling nerves. The men looked serious and solemn as they stood at the door way. My mother’s face looked strained and the corners of her eyes look worn and crinkly as she forced a smile to appear on her thin dry lips. “Look baby you’re going to be fine okay? You’ll do everything these nice men say and I promise you, you’ll be better in no time!” Her voice dripped with artificial sweetener and it made me want to puke.

“Where am I going?” I asked a bit louder this time and her eyes got watery before scurrying off to my dad’s side to take Waliyah from his grasp. “I love you.” And just like that. She was gone. My father approached the bed and looked sternly into my eyes. His stubby fingers taking hold of my shoulder, “Look son, you’ve made some terrible choices and those choices have some terrible consequences and this is one of them.” I shot him a look as if none of this was taking a toll of me, “This will be good for you. For all of us. Just please listen to what the doctors at rehab have to say.”

I almost choked, “Rehab?” The word whipped out of my now too thick tongue and my throat felt scratchy and dry yet again. “Dad you can’t be serious? I’m perfectly fine, okay?”

“No you’re not! Zayn you need help and God-damn it the people are New Horizons will give it to you!” His eyes were fighting back tears and I felt myself weaken both physically and mentally at the sight of the first tear slowly make its sluggish way down his cheek and onto my nightgown creating a slightly darker circle. My eyes cast down, I could no longer bear to look at my father who had begun to let multiple dampen circles to cover my gown. “Fine.”

With that said my father squeezed my shoulder one last time and walked away and then the men circled around me like a shark would its prey and I prayed they’d just gobble me up and end it all.