No fixes

He tried to keep his mind blank for the past week but his thoughts kept replaying that day and every word in detail over and over. He was back to pretending his phone didn't existed as it vibrated and dinged with notifications from his friends. Things were happening on social media but he paid it no mind. He layed in his bed like a starfish and stared at his blank wooden ceiling playing with a loc of his hair. He cursed himself for thinking again but he couldn't stop. He wished he could delete his memory or something so he could be back to his old self but that wasn't happening. This wasn't like him, he usually moved on and forgot about people easily but now it was just different. He was afraid to get attached to people and this was one of those cases. Maybe why he was so hung up was because this time it wasn't him doing the rejecting.

His siblings were incredibly worried about the boy who only seemed to leave his room for meals. His eyes were sunken and baggy but his only response to everything was "I'm fine" which was clear he wasn't. Laverne considered sending him to see Kady a little more than he usually did but that would seem like pushing it. She couldn't stand to see her little brother in such a state that made her heart ache. A ding dong! From the front door pulled the young woman out of her sorrowful thoughts.

"Is Zayn home?" Daniela asked with a shaken up daze in her eyes. Next to her was Lorel who kept up her usual poker face.

"Uh, yeah." She stepped aside to let the two girls in. She didn't think they all made up so well already. She knew Zayn and Daniela reconnected at the dinner but from what Zayn said her and Lorel were at odds. "Just upstairs." She smiled to the girls in hopes these familiar faces might boost her brother's mood.

The two knocked on the boy's door with no response from the other side. They fumbled the knob but it was locked. "Zayn?!" Daniela called out and knocked some more,

"Is he even there?"

"Laverne said he is." Lorel starts aggressively pounding in the door out of sheer annoyance of the boy ignoring their reach outs.

"Open the flippin door Zayn!" Lorel yells.

"Stop." Daniela places a calming hard on her friend's shoulder. The two stand there for a few more seconds before they hear movement coming towards the door.

"What the hell do you want?" The door flings open to Zayn in his new state.

"Oh my god?" Lorel yelps.

"We came to see you."

"Well you've see me now leave." Zayn tried closing the door but Lorel placed her foot in between it.

"Well you've been ignoring us and we're concerned…." Daniela steps into his room and looks around and it's unkempt state. She kept her comments in her mind but of course Lorel had to be the vocal one.

"What stamped passed through here?" She clicked her tongue as she cleared a space on his side couch to sit in. She sighed and set aside her bag and glared up at her miserable looking friend. "My intuition says this has something to do with Aaron and if it was I feel like I was right about something."

"What are you talking about?" Daniela takes a seat next to the girl pushing aside some more clothes.

"I said I felt like Aaron's excuse of maybe in the future meant not ever or you have to wait really long and by Zayn's state I say I was right." Lorel was smiling to herself but Daniela felt this wasn't the right time to be like this.

"Is that true?" Zayn passed a hand through his tangled hair and nodded.

"I laid my feelings out there and he was still asking for more and it felt… I don't know. I was offended by his implication and everything I just felt-" Zayn let out a breath it was like he was holding and collapsed on his bed. "I hate feeling how I do."

"I get it." Daniela mumbles. Lorel eyed her and once again clicked her tongue.

"Well, you know what my solution is."

"Getting back out there." Her friends mumbled as this wasn't the first time they heard that.

"I don't think he's ready for that." Daniela warns but Lorel was too far gone into her type of problem solving fog.

"Come on, since school is out for the next month everyone is planning shit. Like covert mixers, parties, outings. Bitch the showcase might be off and the Queen of hearts. Our source of entertainment is each other. No phones, Nada. The three Ps can't know." The two looked kinda confused. "Principal, Parents, Police. The principal is in the hot seat with all the recent stuff, the parents are on high alert and going all protective and police are looking out for the crazy shit so everything is toned down no posting. " Daniela was kinda on board because she could use a little socializing but Zayn didn't want to go anywhere. He was comfortable at home.

"I don't wanna do anything."

"Oh my god! You could use it and get your mind off Aaron. Some mindless partying is the trick. Daniela, no drinking." She pointed her finger in Daniela's face who nodded in agreement, no protest. She knew her situation and already cut out the drinking and was pretty sure she could handle herself at the party. She had no reason to be guzzling alcohol.

"I just don't think I could handle it as of now." Lorel rolled her eyes and fooled her arms. "If you wanna go party, that's fine. Supporting from afar."

"Lorel, I think he's right. Now is not the time." Daniela places a hand on the girl once again who shrugs it off.

"I know you'll change your mind in three days time when the student held Queen of Hearts starts."

"For real?" Daniela jumps up at the thought. The queen of hearts was a big thing to the girls of Ferris hugh's. It determined who was the face of the school for the next year. Most people didn't take it particularly seriously but the ones who took part thought of it as if they were competing for a throne. It consisted of a series of events. All it really takes to win is money and popularity. Daniela had it in her mind that this year she would compete and there was a window she might win.

"Why are you so excited like you're taking part?" Lorel asked Daniela almost jokingly but by the girl's smile she could now tell she was serious. "You're kidding right?"

"I wanna try it out."

"Like you have a chance."

"I know I don't really have that much of a chance but I still want to take part." Lorel glare on Daniela was heavy. She hated the idea of that pageant and now she despised her now-again friend for her desire to take part. She hated the queens of hearts due to the fact her two older sisters once held the position. They expected her to do the same but she showed them a clear distaste for following in their footsteps.

"I think she could. I mean it's all about money and gaining popularity."

"Zayn, it only works if people genuinely like you." That hit Daniela really hard. It's not like she didn't know her peers didn't particularly like her but she didn't need it repeated by her friend. She didn't want to hear about it; she wanted to ignore all that and pretend she had a chance at being seen for more.

"Lor-"

"It's not gonna work and I'm not gonna pretend like I believe you have a fair chance at winning." Daniela shrugged once again with tears pricking her eyes.

"It doesn't matter." She took a deep breath and everything paused. "I'm gonna win."