It didn’t take long for Zain to realize that everything Theo said was right. The longer he kept pretending, the worse it got. But instead of feeling like he had to fix things, Zain started to feel like he didn’t care anymore.
The truth was, he didn’t want to fix it. He was tired. Tired of pretending, tired of lying, and mostly, tired of being the perfect son everyone expected him to be. So, instead of answering Ella’s text, he let it sit there. It was easier that way.
The next few days were a blur. Zain didn’t show up for most of his classes, skipping them to hang out with his friends instead. Theo didn’t seem to care, he was always around, but Zain noticed something different about him. Theo wasn’t nagging him about Ella, he wasn’t pushing him to make things right with her. Instead, he just kept laughing and acting like nothing was wrong.
And maybe that’s what Zain needed. To stop feeling like he was always being watched, always being told what to do. He was sick of being good. Being good had never worked for him. It had never made him feel anything real. So why bother?
By Friday, Zain was done. Done with everything. His parents would never understand. Ella would never understand. They were all just people waiting for him to be something he wasn’t.
That afternoon, he sent a text to Ella.
Zain: “I think it’s better if we just end this. Sorry.”
He didn’t even think about it before hitting send. The moment he sent the message, it felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders. He didn’t care about her reaction. He didn’t care about his parents anymore. He didn’t care about anything.
Theo’s voice brought him back to the moment.
"Hey, man," Theo said, leaning against the lockers as Zain walked by. "You good? You’ve been kinda... off lately."
Zain didn’t even look at him. "I’m fine."
"You sure? You didn’t look fine when you sent that text to Ella."
Zain smirked, looking up at Theo now. "Yeah, well... I don’t care anymore."
Theo raised an eyebrow. "You don’t care? About her or your whole life falling apart?"
Zain felt a spark of anger. "It’s not like I had much of a choice, Theo. You don’t get it. You don’t have parents breathing down your neck, telling you what to do. You don’t get what it’s like to be trapped in a life that isn’t even yours."
Theo’s face softened, but he didn’t back off. "Zain, that’s not an excuse. You don’t have to be like this. You don’t have to tear everything apart just to feel like you’re free."
Zain laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. "Well, maybe I’m tired of pretending. Maybe I like the idea of breaking everything just to see what’s left."
Theo’s eyes darkened, but he stayed quiet. Zain could see the disappointment in his face, but that only made him feel more satisfied. He didn’t need Theo’s approval. He didn’t need anyone’s approval.
That night, Zain didn’t go home. He stayed out with Theo, doing whatever. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. It felt like everything was slowly slipping away, and Zain didn’t want to stop it. He was tired of trying to fit into a life that didn’t feel like his. So, he didn’t.
The next day, Zain’s phone buzzed with a message from his mom.
Ms. Mitchell: "Where are you? We need to talk."
Zain didn’t answer. Instead, he tossed his phone aside and headed out the door. Let them look for him. Let them wonder. He didn’t care anymore.
And as he walked away from everything, he could feel it. The power of being bad, of being free in a way he hadn’t felt before. He didn’t know where this was all headed, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He was done being the good son, the good student. He was ready to be something else.
Even if it meant losing everything.
ns 15.158.61.39da2
