Mr. Coach (Larry)

Chapter 16

Everyone was anxious. Nobody knew what was going to happen or what would happen to Zayn. I called Harry immediately and he joined me at the hospital. I was proud of myself for not sobbing yet, even though I wanted to.

I glance at the clock and notice it was nearing six. We had been at the hospital for about two hours with no word on how Zayn was doing. My stomach dropped every time the doors would open and a doctor would step out.

"He'll be fine, he's a tough cookie," Harry whispers. I wrapped my hands tighter around his arm. I was clutching him, wanting to keep him close to me. I was so scared that he would be ripped from me too.

I watch the door open again and a nice-enough looking doctor exits. "Zayn Malik," She shouts. I untangle myself from Harry and stand up, praying that the news was good. She smiles at me before making her way over towards us.

"Is he okay? Please tell me that he's okay," I ask. Harry stands beside me and holds my hand tightly. The moment before she answers felt like hours, even though it was only a few seconds.

"He was pretty bad off when we got to him and we're glad that you called when you did. It could've been a lot worse if you had waited any longer. We pumped his stomach and we're keeping him stable for now, but we think... he'll be okay, physically, that is. We need to ask him a few questions about his mental health and he may need to be placed in a mental hospital if it's deemed fit, but Mr. Malik will recover from this," She explains.

I let out a shaky breath that I had been holding. It was like a giant weight was being lifted off my shoulders. Zayn wasn't dying tonight. The words were sweet as I repeated them in my head. The idea of lowering Zayn's body into the ground vanished. I look up at Harry and smile at him. Harry smiles back sweetly and presses a kiss to my temple.

"Thank you, thank you so much," I murmur.

~_~_~

The next week was hectic. Zayn had been in a mental care facility for a few days after the overdose. He was in for a total of three days and he wasn't much better when he got out. I had managed to get into contact with Zayn's mom who still lived in town. Thankfully, she offered to take care of him and let him live with her until he was back on his feet again.

Zayn had decided not to come back for the rest of the school year. There was only a few weeks left. I had managed to talk with Miss. Nelson, who preferred Jesy, and she was tolerable. She even came and ate lunch with Harry and I in Harry's room from time-to-time.

The rumors around school were intense and I wanted to lock myself in my office most of the time. Somehow, some students got wind that a teacher attempted suicide and went rolling with it. It didn't take long for the news to fly through the school and for students to connect it back to Zayn.

It was Thursday, marking a week after the accident, and I was in my office. I sigh as I notice the clock on the far wall telling me that school was going to start soon. Harry had a shit ton of work to catch up on and decided not to join me this morning. It made the morning a little more boring, but I was managing to keep myself occupied.

I hear a knock on the door. I stand and make my way to the door and open it, to reveal Liam. Liam, who was Zayn's ex-boyfriend and didn't even ask if he was okay. The same boy that broke up with Zayn when things got hard. I had developed a small loathing towards the boy over the course of a week.

"Can we talk?" I glance over the boy's face. He didn't look any different than he had before. I move to the side and let him in, leaving the door open.

"The door is staying open," I huff.

"It's about Zayn... uh Mr. Malik. I was just um... wondering how everything was going. I would've come earlier, but I didn't know if it was true or not! I tried texting him, but he never responded and I didn't know what to do. I was too scared to come to you and ask because I figured you hated me. So, I went to Ha--Mr. Styles and uh... he told me to come to you and that he couldn't say anything. Then I figured that the rumors must be true and realized how terrible I am. I never wanted to hurt him," Liam says. I fold my arms across my chest.

"You stepped out of line by asking Mr. Styles to do that, do you understand? You're a student, Payne, so you can't go around acting like the teachers are your friends. It is unprofessional for you to come to my office and ask me about my personal life. You and Mr. Malik are no longer together romantically and you had better start acting like it," I snap.

I had to start treating him like my other athletes. I know if any of my other athletes asked about this I would be angry. I look up at the boy and see his eyes starting to fill with tears. He coughs and sniffles, trying to cover it up I was guessing.

"Yea--yes Coach. I'm very sorry. I just--I wanted to apologize to him. I shouldn't have broken up with him like I did. I was--I was scared. People were starting to ask me if I was dating a teacher jokingly, but it scared me. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I'll just--I should go. I'll see you at practice, Coach." He turns to leave, but stops. "Oh, and for the record. I didn't kiss Niall. Niall kissed me and I pushed him off."

~_~_~

Hey guys!! Dedication is going to @Eshanie_IDK who is reading this for the first time! Hope you enjoy it! Not a lot left of this book! Maybe 3 more chapters and an epilogue! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! ~B