Scars (Ziam)

The Truth

Warning: This chapter does contain mentions of mental illness and depressing thoughts. Please read carefully and always ask for help if you need any. As always, I am always here to talk if need be.

Love you all. Enjoy :)

Chapter 15:

    Zayn parked in the driveway, and I unbuckled my seat belt, surprised at the disappointment I was feeling now that our time together was coming to an end. Perhaps it was the fact that I had never had a friend since the accident.

   Everyone I knew, or thought I knew, turned their backs on me... when I needed a friend more than ever. Nobody wanted to be seen with "the freak with the psycho mother." The words hurt more than anything. I could deal with the fact that people didn't want to spend time around me, but their words along with those actions were like hooks that dug into my chest-- they would hurt much more to pull out again.

     "I had fun tonight," Zayn said, offering me a kind smile. It was hard to believe that sitting in a car and eating frozen yogurt while talking about random things could be seen as fun, but I felt the exact same way. "We should make this a thing. We get frozen yogurt once a week. What do you say?"

    The question was left hanging in the air between us while I pondered over it. If I accepted, then this would turn into a routine. It would become second-nature to me after a while, and I didn't know whether or not that was a good thing. Zayn never said he was staying in town.

   Third-year art student. That's what he said when he told me what he did for a living. He had art in galleries, and he had his uncle's shop here. He was visiting now, but I didn't know how long he was going to stay. Did I want to risk getting so used to someone in order to just have them leave like everyone else did?

    "Okay," I nearly whispered, finding that I regretted the decision as I made it, but I didn't have it in me to reject him. It was rather selfish and reckless of me.

    But Zayn smiled widely, and I felt warm at the reward.

   "Great. I'll see you tomorrow, Liam." I nodded, whispering out a goodbye before I climbed out of the car and made my way to the front door. I was far too aware of the fact that Zayn was still sitting in the driveway, waiting for me to safely get inside. I forced myself not to look back as I opened the front door and disappeared from Zayn's view.

     I walked into the house, expecting to just pass by where my father was usually watching TV on the sofa and make my way to my room, but I froze in my spot as soon as I lifted my eyes to see my dad, Ruth, and Nicola sitting on the sofa.

    I felt like concrete stuck in one spot, and I found that the air was slowly becoming thicker, more difficult to breathe in. My lungs felt like they couldn't handle all of the pressure. It all seemed so, so similar to another time.

    I looked up at Nicola, who was sitting beside me and holding onto my hand. I didn't understand why we were all waiting for our mother to come home, but I sat on the sofa patiently, just like they told me to.

   "Do you think she's coming back today?" Nicola asked my dad, and I raised an eyebrow, meeting the confused look in Ruth's eyes as well. Why wouldn't mum come back? Where would she go? She lived here, too.

   "She has to," Our dad replied, but he looked worried as he did so. He looked over at Ruth and me, and he smiled at us. "When your mum comes in, I want you two to give her a big hug, and then I want you both to go upstairs and play something for a while. Okay?"

   Ruth replied for the both of us, being the older one. "Can do, Dad," She smiled back, and then the door opened at that exact moment.

   Ruth nodded her head in our mum's direction, and I followed her lead. She stood up and rushed to our mum, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing on tight. "You're home!" She cheered, and my mother smiled as she hugged her back, her eyes drifting over to meet my own.