Faking Zero

Chapter Four: Garroth: Underneath The Mask

A/N: Double Update???? Yall mfs lucky (jkjk no one is reading this shit) Personally really like this chapter, so hope whoever is reading enjoys it too :) -Arie

A/N: Lmao we go off the grid for a long ass time and then spring a double update? Exactly. Garroth is a bi mess and I stand by that. - Lilian

"So are you going to mope or are you gonna get up? Mom made pancakes." Blinking at Vylad's voice, I looked up from my phone as he leaned against my door frame. He fixed me with a look I couldn't for the life of me figure out where he had picked up. He frowned suddenly, crossed my carpet in a few steps, and with the creak of boxsprings took a seat at the foot of my bed. "Okay, what's up?"

"Nothing!" I said, perhaps too quickly, and he looked at me in a way that had the distinct feeling that if he wore glasses he'd be adjusting them.

"Bullshit. What're you looking at?" My phone was pulled from my hand before I could react. He let out a low whistle. "Damn, you slept with a guy?"

"No!" Heat rose in my cheeks and I prayed that it wasn't forming visible color. "They're just rumors!" Vylad quirked an eyebrow — a habit I recognized he probably got from me.

"Then why flip out?" He tossed my phone back at me and I fumbled for it.

"It's. . ." I sighed and switched the device off. "It's just. . . A reputation thing, I guess." Vylad stood up and smiled at me in his normal lopsided and half-crooked fashion.

"Yeah?" He stretched, and I caught a glimpse of the Five on his left palm. "Well, chill. It doesn't matter. You're a Ten, they're not gonna say shit to you." It was times like that when I forgot that Vylad was younger than me rather than older; he'd always been so well spoken. "But I am not above eating all your pancakes, so come down and enjoy an almost-family breakfast, yeah?" He straightened his smile into something far more contrived before leaving, and I was left to think for a moment before I followed him. Freak out could be put on pause while I had pancakes.

"I owe you a thank you, Zane," I said as I put my syrup covered plate in the sink. Zane looked at me and pulled his mask down with one finger so he could complete his glare.

"Why? Do you want something out of me? Whatever it is, you're not getting it." I almost laughed.

"No, I'm serious right now. You. . . You told me I was being an asshole, and I was. So, now that I know I can work to fix it, thanks for that." He furrowed his brow, but turned away from me as he put his mask back in place.

"Whatever," He muttered, and Vylad laughed.

"Zane, can't you accept that you helped someone for once? Or is that not emo enough for you?" I snickered, and Zane rolled his eyes at both of us.

"Fuck off, reject." Vylad laughed again, but it was a much sharper sound.

"Right back 'atcha." He made finger guns and Zane threw his hands up in exasperation, leaving the room while muttering about how he wished he was an only child. Vylad glanced at me. "I gotta put my fangs in, wait for me?" I nodded.

"Always." His lopsided smile was back as he too left, and I felt my phone buzz in my pocket with another Instagram notification. I ignored it; I had to get ready for school too.

It was almost funny to me to see how much Vylad had leaned into his vampire aesthetic recently. He had always gotten jabs about his name, and for the longest time he was just annoyed, but at some point in seventh grade his mentality changed to 'fuck it and fuck you', going full vampire goth, including wearing genuinely good quality costume fangs to school every single day. He smiled at me with canines that would have been freaky sharp if I weren't used to his eccentrics.