The next morning, Zain could feel the weight of the day pressing on him. The moment he stepped into school, the air felt heavier, like everyone knew something was different. He tried to shake off the feeling, but it lingered, gnawing at the back of his mind.
He walked through the crowded halls, his eyes darting around, until they landed on Theo leaning against his locker, a calm smile on his face despite everything Zain was dealing with. Just seeing him there made Zain feel a little less weighed down.
“Hey,” Zain said, his voice a little quieter than usual.
Theo looked up, his grin widening when he saw him. “Hey. You alright?”
Zain hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. Just... you know. Things at home. I still don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
Theo’s eyes softened, and he pushed himself off the locker, stepping closer to Zain. “You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. We’ve got this weekend. The party, remember? Just focus on that for now.”
Zain chuckled, despite the nerves bubbling in his stomach. “Right. The party.”
Theo shrugged as if that was enough of an excuse to forget about the rest of the world for a while. “Well, I’m looking forward to it. We can forget about everything else for a bit. Just us.”
Zain felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of just the two of them. It sounded perfect, but the weight of everything he was still holding in had him questioning if he could fully relax. But, looking at Theo’s face, so hopeful and carefree, he realized he didn’t have to know everything right now.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Classes were mostly a blur of words he wasn’t really listening to, but every time he caught sight of Theo across the room, his heart would give a little jump. It wasn’t like anything had changed at least, not yet but somehow, it all felt different. Lighter.
At lunch, Zain found himself sitting next to Theo again, just the two of them, their usual group missing. Zain didn’t mind, not with Theo making him laugh over something ridiculous. He could almost forget for a second that things at home were a mess, that his dad was still angry, and that Ella was still expecting him to follow through with the engagement.
“So, what do you think? Will you even make it through the party without causing chaos?” Theo asked, an amused grin on his face.
Zain rolled his eyes, picking at his food. “I don’t know. We’ll see. I’m not really in the mood to have everyone watch me mess up my life for a few hours.”
Theo’s smirk faded a little, replaced by a more genuine look. “Hey, I’m not going to let anyone mess with you. We’re in this together, remember?”
Zain swallowed, his heart skipping a beat at the simple sincerity in Theo’s words. It was all he really needed to hear. He met Theo’s eyes and smiled, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.
“Thanks,” Zain said softly, not realizing how much he needed to hear it until the words left his lips. “Really.”
Theo grinned again, his usual cocky demeanor coming back full force. “No problem. Now, you want me to beat everyone else at the fair? Because I’m definitely gonna do that.”
Zain couldn’t help but laugh, the sound feeling almost foreign after everything he’d been dealing with. It was nice, though, to just have a moment to breathe.
“Bring it on,” Zain shot back, grinning.
The bell rang, and they both gathered their trays, walking to their next class side by side. But even as Zain stepped into the classroom, his thoughts were already on the party in three days. Everything at home was still a mess, but maybe, just maybe, the party could be his chance to forget all of it, even if it was just for a night.
And for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had something to look forward to.
ns 15.158.61.41da2
