Zephaniah // z.m

Twenty six

Zayn

We walked over to the school in silence, both not really knowing what to say. I knew it was my fault as I had ruined the vibe between the two of us, that night on the balcony, but I didn't really know how to fix it.

Hannah didn't really seem to be bothered, though. She was just looking around her, observing the other parents that followed the same direction, their kids probably being a grade higher.

She was wearing a white and blue striped dress today and I would be lying if I said it didn't suit her. It was slim fit, just like her body. Her wavy hair was let down, her cheeks pink from the breeze that hung in the sky.

I felt guilty. Because again, my behavior was uncalled for. So before I knew it, it slipped out of my mouth, "Hannah, I'm sorry." I mumbled.

Hannah turned her face to me, a frown appearing on his forehead. "What? Why?"

"For snapping at you again. I know it ruins the vibe, I just don't always know how to.. like.." I hesitated for a while, "It sometimes just happens before I know it." I admitted sheepishly.

"Oh," Hannah said quietly as we entered the building. "It's okay, I guess." She gave me a small smile.

"It's not, though.." I said.

Hannah shrugged, "It's whatever, Zayn. I just have to keep in mind that you don't always mean it like that. Then I should be fine," She smiled again, her dimples showing.

God, her dimples.

I took a deep breath, wondering if she forgave me that fast again. I really didn't meant to snap now, even if I used to all the time. I wanted to change my attitude for her, because she didn't deserve it.

"I guess," I said quietly, looking up when somebody called my son's name.

"Zephaniah Malik?"

I stood up and motioned for Hannah to follow me. We entered the classroom silently and sat down on the designated chairs.

I stared at the woman in front of me, secretly observing her when I realised I hadn't even seen his new teacher yet. She looked rather young and she seemed to notice that I looked young as well.

"Zephaniah Malik's father?" She asked carefully, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she stared at me uncertainly.

"Yep. That's me," I stretched my hand out to her and shook it, watching her as she turned her attention to Hannah.

"And you're his mother, welcome." She said with a smile on her face, causing me and Hannah to freeze almost right away.

Hannah blushed, "Oh, no, no, I'm Zephaniah's caregiver." She said quickly, glancing at me and giving me an awkward smile, which I returned.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The teacher said, quickly grabbing some files and sorting them, "Uhm, alright. First of all, welcome. As you probably already know, we're going to talk about Zephaniah's behavior at school, his progress, results and attention points at the end."

"So, from what I notice is that Zephaniah is a very sweet boy. Very shy, very quiet but he's sometimes a little too sweet," The teacher started, telling me information I obviously knew as he was my son. "It surely doesn't work for his benefits, as some other boys in his class take advantage of it. He doesn't dare to speak up for himself, am I right?"

I removed the beanie from my hair and ran a few fingers through it as I slightly slouched back onto the chair, "Uhm, no, he doesn't. Although I try to teach him it, something holds him back."

"I noticed, which results into the other boys being mean to him at times. As you know, he has ten other classmates, only one other kid with autism, which is a heavier form, expressed into aggression at times. The other kids have behavioral issues, which means they're very hyper, aggressive at times and rude when it comes to language and vocabulary." The teacher explained.