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Zayn wasn't sure quite how he ended up here.
His mother had told him that she was going to the park for a jog and that he should come along, saying he needed to get out of the house every once and a while. Zayn had been reluctant at first, but he eventually agreed when his mother said that she would get him ice cream afterwards.
When they had arrived at the local park just up the road from their house, Zayn’s mother suggested that he play on the playground while she went on her jog. The jogging path in the park was in the shape of a deformed oval that followed the path of the land, with minor twists and turns and small hills along the way. The playground resided in the middle of the vast landscape, so joggers had a pretty clear view of the playground during their entire run.
Zayn had taken up on that offer, not really being the athletic type. His mother kissed him on the head and then set off on her run. Walking with his sketchbook clutched tightly to his chest, Zayn headed for the playground, his eyes zeroed in on the vacant swing.
That is, until her heard the voice of Jamie and stopped dead in his tracks. A wave of fear rolled through him as images of his last encounter with Jamie flashed through his mind.
~~~
“Your drawings are stupid,” Jamie spat at him, throwing the now empty sketchbook at Zayn’s feet.
Zayn knew that he should've taken his sketchbook with him while he went to help the teacher run an errand. He figured that it was free time anyway and most of the class was outside. His sketchbook was safely tucked inside his school bag. It was only now when he realized his mistake.
Zayn willed himself not to cry, balling his fists by his sides so tightly that his knuckles turned white. But his body betrayed him when he felt a single tear stained his cheek as he let out a ragged breath.
“Oh look, the baby is crying,” Jamie mocked, and started laughing while his friends joined in. The five of them had Zayn surrounded with Jamie standing right in front of Zayn. They each held pages that were once bound inside of Zayn’s sketchbook, but were now forcefully ripped out; some of them torn while others were severely wrinkled. In Jamie’s hands, Zayn recognized one of the colorful images as the red and green fire breathing dragon that he had worked on for days to perfect; a gift to his mother for her birthday. His heart sank when he realized that he would no longer have a gift to give to her the next day.
“Why are you crying, Zayn?” Jamie taunted, cocking his head to the side in feigned concern. “Do you want your drawings back?” A cruel smile played on his lips. A few of his friends snickered.
“Why are you even asking him that?” Curtis, Jamie’s best friend, (or his sidekick as Zayn liked to think of him) spoke at Zayn’s right. “You know he doesn't speak.”
“Maybe he will this time,” Jamie shot back, glaring at Curtis. He turned his attention back to Zayn and used his right hand to lift up a random drawing from the crumpled pile in his left. It was the space alien Zayn had doodled just that morning waiting for class to start. The alien had four legs and three arms and was standing on an oval shaped planet. Zayn had given the alien sunglasses just because he thought it looked cool. The drawing was a quick sketch, a random burst of inspiration from his mind, but Zayn had actually liked it a lot. He had planned on coloring it in later that afternoon.
Those thoughts were quickly wiped from his mind, however, while Zayn warily and helplessly watched while Jamie ripped his picture in half and dropped it carelessly to the floor. The two pages fluttered to the ground in a graceful manner, fluttering and twisting in their path, until they made contact with the cool tile and glided a short distance before coming to a halt. Zayn averted his glance to the now ruined drawing on the ground and felt anger rush through him, so sudden that he gasped and his still balled up fists started to tremble.
But he didn't move. He didn't say a word.
“Told you,” Curtis smirked at Jamie.
This only seemed to provoke Jamie even further; he started ripping up more and more pages that were taken from Zayn’s sketchbook in a feverish manner, barking orders at his friends to do the same. Soon enough, Zayn found himself surrounded by shredded and thrown pieces of his artwork that he had worked on for months.
Zayn didn’t shed another tear, he was too busy focusing on the anger that overwhelmed him in that moment. He kept his eyes down, still focused on the ripped-in-half alien that he had felt so prideful about. But now that was ruined. All of his drawings were ruined. The only thing that he took pride in was being destroyed right in front of his eyes. Everything he had worked on, everything he would show to his mother every day after school.
Gone.
When Zayn heard the final piece of paper rip, the room fell silent. He looked up to glare at Jamie, who was looking back at Zayn with a smug yet hopeful expression. Jamie wanted Zayn to lash out. Jamie wanted a reaction from Zayn. Jamie wanted Zayn to yell at him and possibly start a fight. Jamie wanted anything, something.
But Zayn wasn’t going to give Jamie what he wanted.
When this became evident to Jamie, his expression turned into one of malice, “Whatever. You’re pathetic, Malik.” He turned and stormed out with his friends following close behind. One of them purposely bumping into Zayn on their way out, but Zayn stayed where he was.
Feeling numb and with shaky knees, Zayn picked up every single piece of paper that littered the floor. He closed his eyes and cradled them briefly before angrily shoving them into the trash, his vision blurred by oncoming tears.
The teacher walked back into the classroom then, having just gotten back from making copies after telling Zayn his assistance was no longer needed. Seeing Zayn’s expression, she asked him what was wrong and placed a hand lightly on his shoulder.
Feeling more tears coming, Zayn roughly shrugged her off and ran out of the room.
~~~
There Jamie was, eagerly jumping onto the swing Zayn had had his eye on. Without a second thought, Zayn’s feet seemed to be in control as he abruptly turned and walked in a completely different direction, silently praying that Jamie didn't see him. He stumbled slightly in the grass when the land sloped down a tiny hill. Spotting a giant oak tree up ahead, Zayn picked up his speed until the massive branches were shielding him from the sun. Zayn turned around to see that the playground was no longer in view over the hill he had walked down. He figured he would be safe from being spotted by Jamie. Unless of course Jamie decided to come this way, but Zayn doubted it, considering it was a good distance away from the playground.
Walking forward a bit more, Zayn stopped to sit down, leaning against the tree trunk. He placed his journal in his lap and rummaged around his pockets for one of the many writing utensils he always kept in them.
Now here Zayn was, sitting under the shade of an oak tree, all in an effort to avoid one person.
Zayn opened to a fresh page in his somewhat new sketchbook, a twinge of sadness rolling through him remembering his original sketchbook and all those drawings he had lost.
Zayn shook his head; he wasn't going to think about that.
Leaning his head back, Zayn pondered for a moment on what he should doodle. Usually, Zayn never thought about what he would draw, he would just put pencil to paper and leave everything else to chance. Now, Zayn can’t seem to get the constant sneer of your drawings are stupid out of his mind.
So he thinks first.
An idea soon comes to him and Zayn decides to draw a superhero, kind of like the ones in the comics he’s been reading lately.
Moments pass and Zayn is so invested in his work that he doesn’t even notice the dog bounding near him until it pounces on his side and knocks him over, his journal falling to the ground, still open.
Zayn lets out a startled breath, but it soon turns to laughter when the dog starts licking his face.
“There you are, Rex!” A voice called. Zayn turned his head to see a boy about his age running towards them. He was holding a red leash in his hand and seemed a little winded.
When he got closer he breathed out, “I’m so sorry! I was just to let him off the leash for a little while, but he took off!” The boy leaned his hands down on his knees and caught his breath. He seemed to notice Zayn’s predicament and apologized again.
“I’m sorry! Here-Rex! Get off of him!” The boy walked forward and pulled the dog off of Zayn with a bit of a struggle. The boy then clipped the leash to Rex’s collar and let out a sigh of relief.
The boy turned to Zayn, “Mind if I sit here a minute?”
Zayn quickly regained his composure and sat upright again. He shook his head.
“Thanks,” The boy said while sliding down next to Zayn. The dog, Rex, wiggled his way in between them and rested on his stomach. Rex was breathing heavily, his tongue sticking out, a small puddle of drool formed at the end of it.
The boy turned to face Zayn again, “Sorry about that. My family just moved here and we thought it would be a good idea to adopt a dog. As you can see it’s still a work in progress,” The boy laughed and patted Rex’s back. “Do you want to know how old he is?”
Zayn stared at the boy while he talked. He had big brown eyes and brown hair that seemed to move in every direction, curling at the ends. Zayn was intrigued by the way he talked, so much so that he didn’t realize he had been asked a question.
The boy must have taken Zayn’s silence as answer because he soon answered his own question, “Nine months old!” The boy grinned like this was the most amazing news ever.
Zayn’s eyes widened as he looked back at Rex. This dog was only nine months old? He was huge.
“I know right?” The boy seemed to read Zayn’s thoughts. “I can hardly believe it myself.”
Zayn glanced back at the boy, then focused his attention on the dog again and lifted his hand hesitantly, wanting to pet the animal, but not sure if he could.
“You can pet him if you want to,” the boy encouraged Zayn, smiling. “He might be a giant, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly,” The boy hesitated, “Well, at least not on purpose.”
Taking the boy’s words as approval, Zayn rested his hand on the dog’s head and began to scratch behind Rex’s ear. Rex nudged his head into Zayn’s hand, closing his eyes.
The boy laughed, “Hey! I think he likes you!”
The thought brought a smile to Zayn’s lips. Zayn had always wanted a dog, but his mother wasn’t very fond of them. So Zayn had settled with the two goldfish that his mother did allow, but Zayn found them boring and they died about a week ago.
“I’m Liam by the way,” The boy piped up after Zayn had been scratching Rex’s ear for a while. “What’s your name?”
Zayn looked back up at him and found the boy-Liam- staring at him with a curious yet kind expression. Zayn cleared his throat and squeaked out, “Zayn,” so low that he could barely hear himself.
“Zayn?” Liam repeated, making sure he heard him right. When Zayn nodded, Liam pursed his lips out in a look of approval. “That’s a cool name.”
Zayn gave him a confused look. His name was cool? No one had ever told him that before.
Zayn only had time to ponder over that for a second before he heard Liam exclaim, “Hey that’s a cool drawing! Is that a super hero? You draw pictures?” Pointing at Zayn’s sketchbook that still resided open on the ground on Zayn’s left.
A flash of panic struck Zayn as he hastily gathered his book and hugged it close to him. How did he forget about it so quickly?
“Are you okay?” Liam asked, concern washing over his features.
Zayn nodded, not making eye contact.
“Was it?” Liam questioned.
Zayn gave him a puzzled look, not understanding his question.
“The picture, I mean,” Liam explained. “Were you drawing a super hero?”
Zayn felt his face heat up. He was embarrassed that someone had seen his drawing. He slowly nodded again, staring at the ground.
“Really?” Liam seemed elated, “I could tell. It was really good!”
Now Zayn was really confused. Liam didn’t think his drawings were stupid?
“Why’d you cover it up? Do you not like it? Because I do,” Liam seemed genuinely confused.
Zayn didn’t answer him. He didn’t know how to answer him. Lately, Zayn had mixed feelings about his artwork. He used to love whatever he drew because his mother always told him he had talent and that she loved his drawings, too. But ever since that incident, Zayn has had nothing but doubts.
After a moment of silence, Liam spoke again, “Does it mean a lot to you? Is that why you don’t want other people to see it?”
Zayn guessed that that was partly true. His drawings were more of a secret now. He didn’t even show them to his mother anymore.
Zayn shrugged.
“I understand,” Liam said quietly. Then he turned to Zayn again and spoke in a low, secretive whisper, “I have something that means a lot to me too. You wanna see it?”
Zayn made eye contact with Liam. Zayn had to admit that he was curious as to what Liam wanted to show him. He nodded slowly; a little nervous about what was to come.
“Okay…” Liam started in a warning tone, “But you have to pinky promise that you won’t tell anyone that I carry this around with me.” Liam held out his right pinky, extending his arm over Rex towards Zayn.
After a second of slight hesitation, Zayn held out his left pinky and hooked it around Liam’s while Liam’s eyes bored into his intently.
Pulling away a moment later, Zayn felt intimated by Liam. Why was it so easy for Liam to talk to Zayn like this? Better yet, why was Liam paying attention to Zayn in the first place? Zayn didn’t think of himself as interesting in the slightest, but the way Liam looked him made Zayn think differently.
A beaming grin suddenly took over Liam’s face as he started to reach down and fumble with his pockets. He gave Zayn one last look before slowly pulling out what he wanted to show Zayn. Liam held it up proudly so that Zayn could have a good look at it.
A Batman action figure.
It was small, small enough to fit inside a pocket. It looked old; certain areas where the black had faded to gray. But at the same time, it looked well kept. As if Liam spent every night polishing it just to fall asleep with it at night. He probably did, Zayn thought.
At first, Zayn was confused. This was it? This was the thing that meant so much to Liam? So much that he made Zayn pinky promise not to tell anyone he carried it around? Zayn’s first thought was that that was kind of…
Weird.
But then he looked up at Liam’s beaming face and it didn’t seem so weird anymore.
It’s the same, Zayn realized. Just like Zayn treasured his sketchbook, Liam treasured this little action figure with all his heart. It was a form of comfort; a sense of security.
A small part in the back of Zayn’s mind willed that Liam would never have to experience what Zayn experienced when his original sketchbook had been destroyed. Liam seemed way too nice to be heartbroken.
Looking at Liam, Zayn couldn't help but smile back at him, getting the sense that there was finally someone who understood him.
“Hey, you’re smiling!” Liam noticed, and his grin grew wider making the corners of his eyes crinkle. “You should smile more, it suits you.”
Zayn blushed at that comment, but didn’t even get a chance to respond before Liam started speaking again.
“You’re an artist right? A really good one?” Liam asked without giving Zayn a chance to answer. “Do you think you could draw him?” Liam gestured to his mini Batman.
Zayn was taken aback by his question. He’d never been given requests before. In fact, Zayn had never drawn anything for anyone before except his mother, but that drawing was long gone.
Liam seemed to sense Zayn’s hesitation, “Pleeeeaase? You’re just really amazing at drawings and I’d love to have one of my favorite hero.”
Just then a distant “Liam!” was heard in the distance. Liam whipped is head towards the sound and whined, “Aw that’s my sister. I have to go soon.”
Zayn had to admit he felt an unexpected disappointment from Liam’s words. He wanted Liam to stay.
Liam turned back to Zayn, his eyes lighting up with an idea, “How about I make you a deal, yeah?”
Zayn nodded.
Liam continued, “Can I trust you with Mr. Batman? That way, you can have a model to look at while you’re drawing him. Then when I see you again, I’ll have both my action figure and a cool new drawing to hang up on my wall!”
Zayn blinked. Was Liam actually about to leave his most prized possession in Zayn’s care? Just so Zayn could draw the little thing? It felt like a lot of pressure, and Zayn wasn’t sure he could do it.
“I see that you really care about that sketchbook,” Liam said in an after tone. “I think I can trust you with my Batman.”
Zayn was feeling overwhelmed. A part of him was hesitant while the other part was screaming at him to just say yes to the offer. If it meant eventually getting to see Liam again, Zayn could do it.
“Please?” Liam begged again, brown eyes pleading.
Zayn would do it.
So Zayn nodded, and the look at Liam’s face was the best response he could’ve gotten. Liam was ecstatic, overwhelmed with joy.
Liam passed the Batman action figure across Rex and into Zayn’s open hand. He then got up, pulling Rex with him.
They heard Liam’s name called out again in the distance, this time sounding a little more than annoyed. Liam rolled his eyes, but then smiled down at Zayn.
“Take care of him, yeah?”
Zayn nodded furiously, determined to do this for Liam. He clutched the Batman close to his chest along with his sketchbook.
Liam gave him one last smile and turned to walk away, but faced Zayn again. “Oh, and Zayn? You should let other people see your drawings. You’ve got true talent.”
Zayn grinned, his heart warming at those words.
Liam was walking away with Rex, and Zayn found himself calling out to Liam before he even realized it, “Wait, Liam! Where will I meet you again?”
Liam turned, some distance away, and shrugged with a carefree smile. “Who knows? Maybe Rex will be the one to sniff you out again!” Liam laughed, “But don’t worry, Zayn! I’ll find you!” He then turned and ran, the voice calling Liam’s name getting more agitated by the second.
Zayn watched him go until he disappeared, smiling to himself. He looked down at the tiny Batman in his hands and grinned at it, already planning in his mind how to sketch the figure.
Looking to his left, he could see the silhouette of his mother in the distance, still jogging the track. She spotted him and waved, and Zayn waved back at her.
Suddenly, Zayn got up and pocketed the Batman securely in his left pocket. Gripping his journal tightly in his right hand, Zayn sprinted towards the track. Maybe he would take up his mother’s offer to go jogging with her now.
Zayn’s mother noticed him and stopped to wait for him to catch up. Zayn trudged along, feeling completely different than he did this morning. He felt lighter and happier, all thanks to the boy with the big brown eyes.
So when he does catch up with his mother, they decide to walk while he tells her everything about Liam. About how nice he was, and how he wanted Zayn to draw Liam’s Batman for him. Zayn’s mother was delighted, finally hearing Zayn speak so much after that one incident that neither of them like to talk about.
Zayn finishes his walk around the track with promises of ice cream forgotten; already excited about what he’s going to work on when he gets home. He feels like he’s starting over; with an unexpected form of security and a new sense of hope.