Long Lost and Refound - A Zayn Malik Story

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Long Lost and Refound

Avery's POV

I lazed on my mattress, flipping through my novel on my stomach. I sipped my Coke, peeking out the window. Snow was floating through the night air, making its calm way to the ground and reflecting the streetlamps' glow. Closing my eyes, I lay my cheek on the open pages. My mind wandered to school on Monday and I fidgeted with my bracelet.

Suddenly, my door burst open and hit the wall. I shot up, scrambling to the headboard and dropping the coke to the floor. My mother stood in the doorway, a piece of paper in hand. Uh oh. My report card.

She advanced slowly into the room, narrowing her eyes at me. My eyes flickered between her face and the death sentence in her hand. She reached the side of my bed and threw the report card at me.

"Not a single A?! One B, three C's, and two D's? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU DO IN CLASS?!" She threw her hands in the air. Her face was a deep red and her words had a slight lisp to them; she'd been drinking before she came home. I just watched her, bringing my knees to my chest and hugging them with shaking arms.

"Avery." Her voice was dangerously low and calm. She turned her back to me and ran her finger across the top of my dressing table. "I need you to pull your grades up." She suddenly gripped my hairspray and turned, throwing it at my face. I ducked and it hit the top of my head with a clang. I gasped, gripping the spot. I looked up from between my knees and she reached down, grabbing my hair. I shrieked as she yanked it up, forcing me to look into her eyes. "Because, sweetie, we can't have you stay in this house any longer than we need to." She slapped me across the face and gripped my hair tighter, preventing me from moving my face from the impact. I gasped, reaching up to pull at her fingers.

"I mean, we have to pay for your food," she yanked my hair towards the ground and let go, making me fall off the bed onto my side. "Clothing," she kicked my stomach and I curled from the impact, whimpering. "And not to mention we could rent out this room for some cash." She picked up my book and sneered at it, flinging it at me. "You read so much, darling. Why can't you put some of your brains into actually learning the crap we pay them to teach you at school?" I screamed as she reached down and grasped my hair once again. I felt some disconnect from my scalp as she pulled it up so I was kneeling. She bent over to my face and I could smell the reeking alcohol on her breath.

"Love, if your grades aren't up by next semester, your father will personally visit you. And unlike me, there won't be much talking." She punched me under my eye and I fell to the ground, hair falling over my face. She walked out, fixing her jeans in the process, and left me to cradle my swelling bruises.

I half sat, half lay there, shocked at what had happened. No matter how many times I went through that, it never failed to amaze me. How my own mother... I shook my head, wincing at the resulting pain. I sat up, cradling my knees and rocking back and forth. I trembled, remembering her last threat. She didn't mean it, I knew she didn't. She would never...

I stood up on shaky legs, grabbing a large sweater and pulling it over my head. I peeked out the door, stepping into the hall when I was sure it was empty. I made my way to the front entrance and slipped out once I had my boots on, quietly shutting the door behind me. I walked down the driveway to the sidewalk and turned left, digging my hands in my pockets. I kept my eyes on the snow-covered sidewalk, still dazed. Once I was a couple of houses down, it all hit me.

I collapsed on the edge of the lawn in front of a bush, burying my face in my knees. They thought I was a burden to them. They hated me. They didn't want me around. Tears started soaking my jeans and I shook with silent sobs, which soon turned into body-wracking wails. They didn't want me. I sat there for what seemed like hours, biting my hands for some release from the pain in my heart. I tasted blood and I sat up, looking at my hands, astonished.