Long Lost and Refound - A Zayn Malik Story

Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Long Lost and Refound

Zayn's POV

We both sat with our backs against the wall. Her arm was over my shoulders and I leaned me head onto her shoulder, leaning my body towards her and staring at the pile of crushed cans across from us.

"He left," I started, "when I was eleven." Her arm squeezed my shoulders gently, encouraging me to go on. "I don't know exactly why he left. Mum never talks about it. I just remember that one night, New Year's Eve, they started fighting after me and my sisters went to bed. Doniya was twelve, Waliyha was one, and mum had just become pregnant with Safaa. I peeked around the corner of the hallway to watch them. I remember how much their screaming scared me." My voice broke and I wiped a tear before it fell. Avery started rubbing my shoulder and she took a deep breath, I assumed to calm herself. "What scared me the most was my mum crying. After dad flew out the door, mum just collapsed in the middle of the living room. I wanted to go and tell her everything was going to be okay, but I just ran into Doniya's room. Dad came back the next morning, but he left mum a couple weeks after that. On my birthday."

"Oh, Zayn," Avery whispered, leaning her head sideways on the top of mine. "Thats horrible. But why did you suddenly remember everything today?"

I fought back tears when I replied. "Today's my birthday. January twelfth," I whispered. She took a sharp breath and I looked up at her. Her cheeks were trailed with tears. What she asked next, though, threw me.

"Why are you telling all of this to me? You just met me," she asked. I blinked at her, my brow creasing. I looked at the wall opposite us and leaned my head on her shoulder again.

"I guess because I don't think I can tell any of this to my other friends. They're all so absorbed in their own lives. I've never really connected with any of them emotionally. Guys don't do any of that. When I met you, I helped you through whatever it was you were going through." I looked up at her and her face was turning hard in the darkness. Her arm stiffened around me. She absentmindedly fidgeted with her other hand, rubbing a spot on her thigh. "Avery," I muttered. She looked down at me uncomfortably. "Please don't do this again."

"Don't do what?" she asked, eyes darting away. I sighed, looking down at my burned palm.

"Shut me out. There's something you don't want me to know and it's killing you to hold it inside." I looked back up at her and her face was incredulous, the hard mask melting away. "What?" I asked.

"How can you only know me for two weeks and already know exactly what's going on with me?"

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back onto her shoulder. "It's okay. I do it to everyone. It freaks everyone out."

We sat there for a while, me huddled under her arm and her cheek on my head. The sun had set completely and the stars were appearing. There was a small building tension in the air but I ignored it, humming quietly to myself.

"My parents beat me," Avery blurted. My eyes shot open and and looked up at her. I couldn't see her very well but I knew her face was contorted with emotion.

"I kind of figured," I mumbled.

"Yeah."

"Why?" I asked.

"It's really pointless, actually. They don't care about my grades, or my behaviour. They just want an excuse to beat me to pulp." Her voice started to fill with bitterness. "Sometimes they'll come home drunk and just hurt me for no reason. They enjoy inflicting pain. They..." She broke off and suddenly broke into tears, pulling her arm away from me. She rested her arms on her knees and buried her head into them, shaking with barely controlled sobs. This time, I wrapped my arm around her.