Soft Spot (Zayn Malik)

XXXVI

Chapter Thirty-Six: Show

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I spent the night alone. Zayn left around eleven-thirty, hesitant to leave but hesitant to stay either.We didn't talk at all when the movie finished and he excused himself to leave, a probable act to avoid the awkwardness. My aunt called to let me know that she went back to her house after picking up her husband and my brother never came home...where the hell is Nash? I ended up staying up until five in the morning, waiting for him to come home but he never did. Josh had to give me a ride to school because I wasn't able to contact Aeanne and getting a ride from Zayn is obviously out of the question.

"Are you alright?" Josh asked for the fifth time that morning, taking a quick glance at me before focusing on the road again.

I looked at him and forced a smile, "I promise, I'm fine."

"Where do you think Nash is?"

"I don't know," I shrugged with a sigh, "he's been kinda troubled lately."

"Is everything okay at home? You guys got into a fight?" He frowned.

"No!" I gushed, chuckling subtly. "We're fine, it's something between him and Jade."

"They alright?" He arched his right brow. "Those two were inseparable."

I shook my head, "not too sure about that."

Josh parked on his usual parking spot and helped me out of his car, both of us walking towards our hell-of-a-school. Everyone had their eyes on me, whispering rumors here and there. It was as if I was some kind of actress that recently leaked her sex tape.

I lowered my head in humiliation as I felt Josh's hand rub the small of my back. He looked at me with concern and I just shook my head, still refusing to tell him what actually happened even though he asked a million times during our car ride to school.

It was unbelievable how fast any kind of news spread at Rosewood High, yet they could be so clueless about Amber Locks's pregnancy and Niall Horan's hidden relationship with my best friend. But then again, my bullshit so-called relationship didn't end privately. How fun is it to reveal something like that in a high socialite party? So fun!

I still haven't really forgiven Zayn. Even though I claimed last night that he felt like home, I don't think I could forgive him. And it wasn't because I'm angry; I'm not. I'm just hurt and it's the kind of pain that you'd induce to a child after promising that Daddy is coming home for them to find out that Daddy wasn't really coming home. But the thing was that, my own family broke my heart even before any boy could and the amount of pain that Zayn had caused me is still worst than that. I thought nothing was ever going to compare to that kind of pain, but the damn satanic Bradford boy proved me the hell wrong.

Josh kept his hand at my back as we squeezed our way through the crowd. We found Jaimie, Leanne, Emmet, and Maz in a closed circle and immediately approached them. Jaimie was the first to wrap her arms around me and ask how I was doing. I just nodded at her that I was alright as soon as she let go of me and looked past the unwanted crowd and search for my somehow-always-smiling best friend, who could always comfort me in situations such as this one.

"Have you guys seen Aeanne?" I creased my eyebrows into a frown when I saw no sign of her.

"Nah," Maz shook his head, "we were honestly expecting to see you rebel against this with her, not Josh." The tanned boy shrugged at the lighter drummer. "No offense, mate, but you're not exactly Aeanne."

"Hey!" Josh pretended to be offended but Maz just grinned innocently.

"I wasn't able to contact her," I said, still looking, "my calls went straight to voice mail."