You're Perfect To Me *A Ziall AU*

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

<<Zayn's POV>>

I had to rush to get to work today, and so did Waliyah, who came in on the bus with me. I checked the time. Like usual, I had just barely enough time to get into my uniform and shoes. I checked my phone and looked for any important emails. Good, I had none. I added Niall's lessons on my calendar. I wanted to hang out with more people. I wanted to do some more art, and to help out others in life. But my schedule was so hectic, and loaded.

We weren't quite the most well-off family. Both of my parent's parents were immigrants, from Ireland and Pakistan. They worked minimum-wage jobs, and so did both of my parents, in fact, both of my parents dropped out of school. My mother dropped out when she was sixteen and my father dropped out when he was seventeen. They had to work for the family and avoid the debt collector and the IRS.

We didn't necessarily have a lot of debt, but we didn't have much money though overall. My mother was a cleaning lady for some richer people and my father was a hard construction worker. Our family worked hard and we valued hard work. My little sister, Waliyah who is sixteen, worked at a party planning store. My older sister, Doniya was already moved out and she worked as a movie theater concession attender and she also went to a community center, to be a nurse.

I did all I could to make as much money, even if it meant working night shifts on school nights, skipping meals and buying clothes and living off of coffee and ramen. I wanted to do all that I could to buy either a car, or college tuitions. One thing that had kept us surviving was my parents' refusal to take any loans. Except for our mortgage and car payment, which we still need to pay off.

We were a very busy working family, but we tried to spend as much time together as we can though. Safaa, our youngest, who was fourteen and not old enough to get a job, was very responsible and did most of the house chores, giving the rest of us more time to work. We all made sure to her that grades were number one priority. We applied for as many scholarships as we could, hoping we could get one to help our family out of our brink of poverty.

I got into my costume, grabbed an apple to eat. I looked at my homework that had to be done. Only about three pages about the history of thermodynamics for physics due tomorrow and two pages have already been written. Okay, I was good. I slipped on my shoes. Waliyah was already gone, she had to run a bit early. Safaa came home.

"Hey Zayn!" She said, as she took off her worn-out Mary-Janes.

"Hello, Safaa." I said, as I was finishing my apple. I threw out the core. "How was school?" I asked.

"It was good, I made a new friend today." She said. She was in eighth grade this year, just one more year and she was in high school. "Waliyah already left?" She asked.

"Yeah, so do I, gotta Zayn, I guess." I said. I've left in hurries so many times, that for us, 'gotta Zayn' means that we have to go in a hurry.

"Oh, okay," She sighed.

"Make yourself some mac and cheese and some of the leftover meatloaf in the refrigerator!" I said, as I pulled on my jacket. "Bye! Have a good night and do your homework!" I said as I rushed. Like every weeknight, poor Safaa was usually all alone at home doing chores, homework and maybe watching some television or YouTube on the family computer, until nine o'clock, when my father gets to come home. Then my mother comes home about a half hour later, then me and Waliyah after her. Doniya was on her own, but she still keeps in touch.

I didn't have a car, but thankfully, I was close. I ran to work. That's one way I stay fit, I run to work everyday after school, for about a quarter mile. I went inside for work. I worked at a local, pet supply shop.