Forever and Always ✔️

Chapter six - Penelope/Zack.

"So, tell me. Do you have kids?" I asked, diverting the conversation as planned.

"Penelope, we're talking about you here." She said with a sad smile, making me look out the window again. The birds seemed to be having a better time than me right now and I couldn't help but wish to fly away from here and away from this life.

"Please," I whispered, "I need to get that event out of my mind before it drives me crazy."

"I have two boys," she said, "seventeen and ten."

I nodded. "Names?"

"We're not talking about me." She said.

I nodded, looking out the window, I chuckled to myself. "There's this kid at school named Zack, he's in my English class and I think he likes me because he keeps trying to talk to me but, I just push him away." I was too annoyed to pay attention to Zack's little speech about himself and his likes and dislikes.

"Why is that?"

I shrugged. "I can't get close to anyone, you see. After Texas, getting close to people only breaks my heart even more because they all leave."

"Maybe Zack is different, maybe you should give him a chance. You never know, he might be just what you need." She smiled, checking the clock.

"And what's that?" I asked, curious.

"A friend." She replied as the session ended.

A friend, I thought. I didn't have to tell him anything and that was the way I liked it.

*

The next day at school, I kept thinking about what Dr. Adams said about Zack and in English, something he hated, I had the urge to go up to him and ask if he needed any help.

He hadn't spoken to me today which made my day boring, whenever Zack tried to have a conversation with me, it made it interesting to taunt him. He was trying so hard, poor boy. He obviously couldn't find anything else to do, was that why he was so interested in me?

Maybe he was bored as well.

As the class finished, I was the first out the door. I headed to my locker which was opposite to Zack's, I leaned against it and watched as he got his next classes books out. Why did a boy I hardly knew like me so much? Sean, my ex, just asked me out but this guy wanted to become friends.

And I liked that. I told myself I wouldn't let anybody in, maybe I should rethink that.

Zack's POV

Was it possible to hate school this much? I honestly believed that Monday should be a weekend and Friday too, wouldn't that be nice?

I slammed my locker shut with my books in my hands and as the corridors cleared, someone cleared their throat. "Um, Zack?"

I swung around so fast, I nearly slipped over. "Penelope, hi."

It was so unexpected for her to actually want to talk to me. I sighed heavily as it was probably another lecture to leave her alone. "I remember from the other night that you don't like English very much." She said softly with a small smile.

"Actually the correct word is hate but yeah, pretty much." I smiled as I walked a little closer to her as the distance between us was killing me.

She chuckled slightly. "Why do you hate it, is it too hard?"

"Well, I just don't understand the point of it," I ran my fingers through my hair, "and yeah, it's too hard and annoying."

She smiled. "Well, I love English. In fact it's my favourite subject," she paused and I let her go on, "so, if you ever need any tutoring I'd be happy to help."