The future is open?

Zayn and Lorel's eyes met as he exited the hall. She raised an eyebrow towards him as he slowly walked through the hallway.

"What the fuck is up with you today?" She asked, gesturing over to his eyes. He didn't have it in him to roll his eyes so he just lifted his eyebrows slightly as an expression.

"It didn't work out." Zayn muttered quietly as his voice was extremely raspy.

"What are you talking about?" She asked dismissively.

"I got rejected..."

"By Aaron? In the first place why would you fix your mouth to confess to him? We established yesterday he isn't worth it." Lorel scowls in his way.

"I didn't get to say anything. I- it was just hard."

"Oh fuck." Lorel realized she reacted incorrectly. Lorel had a problem with being sorta insensitive maybe completely. She always reacted entirely inappropriately to the situation. She always saw other people as being too sensitive and childish for acting the way they did. She never understood why they would wild out on her for the way she was. It was just her normal but sometimes she was able to read the room and correct said behavior. "Sorry, what do you mean you didn't get to say anything? Did ya'll fuck? What the fuck?!"

"No, why did your mind immediately go there? We just-" Zayn grabbed her wrist and pulled her up the stairwell. "We kissed and I was in the wrong and he freaked out and left and I felt hurt. He said he couldn't deal with it."

"You confessed to a guy after he got his car egged for the same thing you're kissing for after he broke up with his paranoid boyfriend. Motherfucker, yes you were wrong. That's heavy as hell. If that was me, I would uppercut you but then again I never went through any of that." Lorel smiled at the thought.

"I just feel awful right now."

"Yeah I can see it in your eyes. Can you even see, right now? Where are your contacts? Wear your damn glasses for the love of god." She placed her palm on her forehead and headed down the flight of stairs back to their floor. "Take my advice, forget about him. Zayn, he isn't worth it. Remember I'm just looking out for you."

As they both rang they both went off to class where Zayn still looked awful.

"You look like shit. C'mon man you look like you got hit by a truck." She slapped the back of his head and turned back to the stuff on her table.

Zayn sighed and stood up to walk to the bathroom. He really did look terrible. Maybe he should get over the shame of being a glasses wearer. He didn't want to walk back out to his car but his eyes were burning and everything seemed like a fishbowl.

"You look high as fuck! What you're smoking in here, pass it." Zayn mentally face palmed at the presence of Chantelle scuttling into the bathroom over to the urinals. He learnt ignoring him only made him 10 times as annoying but acknowledging him made him lose interest.

"Everything." Zayn answered sarcastically which made him chuckle.

"I'm being serious, pass it." He stretched out his palm to Zayn who swatted it away.

"I was joking." Chantelle's expression dropped.

"What's with the red eyes? You either gotta be high or you cried... you cried." Chantelle shrugged and turned to wash his hands. This was new.

"You're not gonna make fun of me."

"Why would I make fun of a perfectly normal human emotion? I cry for minor shit. It's normal. I'm not as toxic as you think. I'm definitely some radioactive chemical but I have feelings. You think of me so poorly because I called your dick average and shared it on the big screen. Grow up!" Chantelle shoved Zayn on the way out, leaving Zayn in a sense of shock he let that slide. He finished washing his face and turned around only to stumble into a wall.

"Fuck!" Zayn braced himself to fall on the floor for his own underestimation of space but some hands stopped him from planting face first. His eyes widely stared at the one to catch him. Aaron smiled down at him and it pulled him out of his initial shock. He pushed himself from the hold and stumbled over to the door.

"Watch your step." Aaron says as his eyes follow Zayn. His breath was caught in his throat as he stared over at Aaron. Fuck, he pretty much wanted to avoid him and forgot what happened didn't occur and bury his feelings forever but him standing in front him was being confronted with it. He turned his head in the other direction ready to get out of here away from him. "I'm sorry things went how it did yesterday."

"No need." Zayn expresses as he rushes out the bathroom.

He wanted to drive off and leave but he knew he'd be lectured by his sister. He pulled out his glasses from the glove box and pulled it on with the most disdain. The teacher was already lecturing on something boring and Zayn was half asleep.

"You ran into him didn't you?" Lorel asked snickering. She didn't need an answer. She could see it.

"I have practice." Zayn stepped out on the field with no essence of energy left in him. He wanted the day to be over already so he could go home and wallow in his feelings in his bed.

"Boy's line up!" He heard his coach shout as she crossed the field in their direction. "Daniels, Snipes, Wilson, Start and today you're running with each other as well." Zayn pulled out his airpods to ignore his surroundings and inner feelings.

For some reason Aubrey kept waving at him, for no reason. Zayn's eyes focused on what's ahead of him, not the idiot on the side. When he realized Zayn wasn't paying him no mind he turned to Aaron.

"What's with the sunglasses?"

"Those are his actual glasses."

"Why doesn't he wear them then? I thought they were sunglasses cuz he only wears them outside school."

"Idk, ask him." Aubrey seemed offended by Aaron's tone.

"Are you still upset about yesterday?"

"Not really… it's fine i guess. I mean I was mocked by someone who's in the same boat as me. He was so proud about it too. Chantelle didn't have to do that, it's not like he never knew. He just did it for show and I hate that."

Aubrey's eyes were focused on the way Aaron stared at the guy running ahead of them.

"And you still like Zayn?" Aaron kinda looked shook.

"Uh um yeah." He licked his lips out of anxiety. He wanted to avoid this conversation but here it was happening.

"And what about me? Have you considered my confession?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Aaron sped off, not wanting to hear another word from Aubrey. That conversation makes him uncomfortable. He didn't see Aubrey that way and he didn't know how to say that without hurting his feelings. He liked Aubrey as a close friend, nothing else they had their moments but it didn't go deeper than that. He didn't want to hurt his feelings.

The locker room came down just to Zayn and Aaron and he tried not to feel any awkward tension but he couldn't help it due to how things went yesterday.

"Zayn?" He froze at the call of his name. "Can I ask you something?" Aaron asked, playing with his fingers. He looked visibly nervous to ask the question which in return Zayn mirrored. "Why-" His eyes shifted and he swallowed the nerves. "Why did you... kiss me...?" Zayn nervously laughed.

"I have no idea."

"So you're saying it was a mistake."

"I never said that but I think you should forget about it. It's not like you actually liked me anyway." He picked up his things he laid on the bench to begin to leave but Aaron grabbed his arms.

"Is it possible that you might… like…me?" Aaron asked the question so hesitantly and quiet it was like a whisper. Zayn couldn't say words so he just nodded. Aaron smiled at his honesty. It still hurt and it felt too soon. "I expected you not to admit it. I don't know what to say."

"That's why I asked to say nothing."

"My wounds are fresh and now is not the time like I said but I hope our future is open."