Stand Tall, They'll Tear You Down.
Chapter Three
Zacky's POV
I woke up the next day oddly excited. I've never been this excited about school, and I had no idea why. Then I remembered all that happened yesterday. I smiled to myself and felt a blush creeping up my face. "Syn..." I remembered how absolutely gorgeous he was, and his amazing ability to make me smile no matter what. I remembered how comfortable I was with him even though I had just met him.
I was smiling the whole way through my morning routine, and all the way to school. I was putting my things in my locker when I heard the voice I'd been waiting to hear since it left me yesterday.
"Zacky! Hi!" I turned around to see Syn's amazing smile. "Hey Syn."
"Hey, did you ask your mom about the party?" Jimmy asked, throwing a wink at Syn.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Jimmy smirked at Syn, and Syn scowled and looked away. I had to stifle a giggle as I realized what was going on.
* * *
It was third period and I remembered I had that class with Jimmy. I went in the locker room and saw a tall skinny man that had to be him. "Hey Jimmy!" I called. He turned around and waved. "Oh, hey Zacky." I took an empty locker next to his and began changing my clothes. "Damn, he has a nice body..." I thought to myself. "Not as nice as Syn's of course." I added, smirking. We went into the gym and started jogging.
"So, Zacky...What do you think of Syn?" He asked. I blushed and looked away.
"He's...he's nice." I replied, looking at the floor. Jimmy laughed and playfully punched my arm. "You like him, don't you?" He asked, making me blush more. I didn't say anything, but I knew he knew the answer.
* * *
Syn's POV
I was releived that school was finally over, and I went to find all of my friends. I smiled at the sight of Zacky and walked up next to him. He smiled at me and said hi. The other boys chuckled and smirked at me, as usual, but I just smiled at Zacky. "So, are we hanging out today?" I asked. "No, I gotta go home. I have a lot of work to do." Jimmy answered. I stared at him. Since when does he give a fuck about work? I rolled my eyes. Since he's trying to get me and Zacky together, that's when. "So I suppose no one else is either?" They all shook their heads. We said our goodbyes, and it was just me and Zacky. "Hey, you don't live very far from me. Why don't you come over to my house for a while?" I asked. "Yeah, that'd be awesome." He smiled, and so did I. "Do you have to ask your mom or something?"
"Oh, no, I told her I'd probably be hanging after school again, so she didn't come to pick me up." We both smiled and started walking to my house.
When we got there I opened the door and gestured for him to go inside. I walked in behind him, closing the door. "I'm home!" I called to my mom. "You have a nice house..." Zacky said quietly. "Oh..thanks. My room is upstairs." I said, as he followed me up to my room. I walked over to my stereo and turned it on. There was a Misfits CD in, which was good because I knew Zacky liked them. I noticed Zacky standing in the middle of my room looking around. "You can sit down, ya know." I said chuckling and taking a seat next to him on the bed. "You play?" He asked, eyeing my guitar in the corner. "Oh..a little." I replied modestly. A little? I was the best I knew. But I didn't want to seem like an arrogant asshole to Zacky. "You should play me something." He said shyly. I smiled and went over to my guitar, sitting crosslegged on the floor. I started playing along with "Helena", which was playing from my stereo. I got into the moment and started singing along. I looked at Zacky to see him smiling widely, and I smiled back. The song ended and I put my guitar back on its stand. "That was amazing!" He exclaimed. "You're an awesome guitar player. Better than me."
"You play, too?" I asked, resuming my seat on the bed. "Yeah..."
"That's cool." There was an awkward silence. "So uhm...why did you move?" I asked.
The look on his face made me regret asking. "Well, uhm...when I came out to my family, everyone was okay with it. Except my dad...He..he..." I could tell whatever he was trying to say was too painful to talk about. "It's okay, Zacky. You don't have to tell me." He looked up at me and I smiled reassuringly. "No...I wanna tell you..." He said, and I put my hand on his leg. He placed his hand on top of mine and continued. "Well..My dad has always had some...anger issues...but he had been going to anger management classes and getting it under control... I never thought..." He trailed off. I squeezed his leg and he laced his fingers through mine. "It's okay Zacky..." I whispered. He sniffled and went on. "He...went crazy...He...he called me and my mom every name in the book...he threw things...he...he beat us..." I let out a small gasp and he continued. "He beat my mom and called her worthless for "conceiving a fag"...And when he was finished with her, he started on me...And then he left. We couldn't stay there anymore...so we moved here." I saw tears beggining to form in Zacky's eyes, and I pulled him close. "Oh, Zacky, I'm so sorry..." I stroked his soft hair gently as he sobbed into my shoulder. "My dad didn't accept me either...but...it was nothing like that...I'm so sorry." I kissed the top of head and he nuzzled into the crook of my neck. I wanted to stay like this forever. He felt so perfect in my arms... I gently rocked us back and fourth, and Zacky sighed in content. Then a small sound and a vibration in Zacky's pocket pulled us out of the moment. "You have a cell phone?" I asked as he pulled the device out of his pocket. "Yeah, I just got it...It's my mom. Hello? Yeah, I'm at Brian's...okay. Hey Syn, what's your adress?" He asked. I told him, and he relayed it to his mom. "Alright...See ya." He hung up. "My mom's coming to pick me up." He said, and we went outside to wait for her. It was only about five minutes before she pulled into my driveway. "See you tomorrow, Zacky." I smiled and kissed his cheek. Blushing, he said goobye and got in his mom's car. I went up to my room and sat on my bed, recounting what had just happened. I noticed there was still a wet spot on my shirt from Zacky's tears. Then I realized his smell was still lingering on me. I changed into my boxers, leaving the shirt on. I inhaled deeply, taking in all of Zacky's essence I could, and let out a long content sigh before slipping off into dreamland.
I woke up the next day oddly excited. I've never been this excited about school, and I had no idea why. Then I remembered all that happened yesterday. I smiled to myself and felt a blush creeping up my face. "Syn..." I remembered how absolutely gorgeous he was, and his amazing ability to make me smile no matter what. I remembered how comfortable I was with him even though I had just met him.
I was smiling the whole way through my morning routine, and all the way to school. I was putting my things in my locker when I heard the voice I'd been waiting to hear since it left me yesterday.
"Zacky! Hi!" I turned around to see Syn's amazing smile. "Hey Syn."
"Hey, did you ask your mom about the party?" Jimmy asked, throwing a wink at Syn.
"Yeah, I'll be there." Jimmy smirked at Syn, and Syn scowled and looked away. I had to stifle a giggle as I realized what was going on.
* * *
It was third period and I remembered I had that class with Jimmy. I went in the locker room and saw a tall skinny man that had to be him. "Hey Jimmy!" I called. He turned around and waved. "Oh, hey Zacky." I took an empty locker next to his and began changing my clothes. "Damn, he has a nice body..." I thought to myself. "Not as nice as Syn's of course." I added, smirking. We went into the gym and started jogging.
"So, Zacky...What do you think of Syn?" He asked. I blushed and looked away.
"He's...he's nice." I replied, looking at the floor. Jimmy laughed and playfully punched my arm. "You like him, don't you?" He asked, making me blush more. I didn't say anything, but I knew he knew the answer.
* * *
Syn's POV
I was releived that school was finally over, and I went to find all of my friends. I smiled at the sight of Zacky and walked up next to him. He smiled at me and said hi. The other boys chuckled and smirked at me, as usual, but I just smiled at Zacky. "So, are we hanging out today?" I asked. "No, I gotta go home. I have a lot of work to do." Jimmy answered. I stared at him. Since when does he give a fuck about work? I rolled my eyes. Since he's trying to get me and Zacky together, that's when. "So I suppose no one else is either?" They all shook their heads. We said our goodbyes, and it was just me and Zacky. "Hey, you don't live very far from me. Why don't you come over to my house for a while?" I asked. "Yeah, that'd be awesome." He smiled, and so did I. "Do you have to ask your mom or something?"
"Oh, no, I told her I'd probably be hanging after school again, so she didn't come to pick me up." We both smiled and started walking to my house.
When we got there I opened the door and gestured for him to go inside. I walked in behind him, closing the door. "I'm home!" I called to my mom. "You have a nice house..." Zacky said quietly. "Oh..thanks. My room is upstairs." I said, as he followed me up to my room. I walked over to my stereo and turned it on. There was a Misfits CD in, which was good because I knew Zacky liked them. I noticed Zacky standing in the middle of my room looking around. "You can sit down, ya know." I said chuckling and taking a seat next to him on the bed. "You play?" He asked, eyeing my guitar in the corner. "Oh..a little." I replied modestly. A little? I was the best I knew. But I didn't want to seem like an arrogant asshole to Zacky. "You should play me something." He said shyly. I smiled and went over to my guitar, sitting crosslegged on the floor. I started playing along with "Helena", which was playing from my stereo. I got into the moment and started singing along. I looked at Zacky to see him smiling widely, and I smiled back. The song ended and I put my guitar back on its stand. "That was amazing!" He exclaimed. "You're an awesome guitar player. Better than me."
"You play, too?" I asked, resuming my seat on the bed. "Yeah..."
"That's cool." There was an awkward silence. "So uhm...why did you move?" I asked.
The look on his face made me regret asking. "Well, uhm...when I came out to my family, everyone was okay with it. Except my dad...He..he..." I could tell whatever he was trying to say was too painful to talk about. "It's okay, Zacky. You don't have to tell me." He looked up at me and I smiled reassuringly. "No...I wanna tell you..." He said, and I put my hand on his leg. He placed his hand on top of mine and continued. "Well..My dad has always had some...anger issues...but he had been going to anger management classes and getting it under control... I never thought..." He trailed off. I squeezed his leg and he laced his fingers through mine. "It's okay Zacky..." I whispered. He sniffled and went on. "He...went crazy...He...he called me and my mom every name in the book...he threw things...he...he beat us..." I let out a small gasp and he continued. "He beat my mom and called her worthless for "conceiving a fag"...And when he was finished with her, he started on me...And then he left. We couldn't stay there anymore...so we moved here." I saw tears beggining to form in Zacky's eyes, and I pulled him close. "Oh, Zacky, I'm so sorry..." I stroked his soft hair gently as he sobbed into my shoulder. "My dad didn't accept me either...but...it was nothing like that...I'm so sorry." I kissed the top of head and he nuzzled into the crook of my neck. I wanted to stay like this forever. He felt so perfect in my arms... I gently rocked us back and fourth, and Zacky sighed in content. Then a small sound and a vibration in Zacky's pocket pulled us out of the moment. "You have a cell phone?" I asked as he pulled the device out of his pocket. "Yeah, I just got it...It's my mom. Hello? Yeah, I'm at Brian's...okay. Hey Syn, what's your adress?" He asked. I told him, and he relayed it to his mom. "Alright...See ya." He hung up. "My mom's coming to pick me up." He said, and we went outside to wait for her. It was only about five minutes before she pulled into my driveway. "See you tomorrow, Zacky." I smiled and kissed his cheek. Blushing, he said goobye and got in his mom's car. I went up to my room and sat on my bed, recounting what had just happened. I noticed there was still a wet spot on my shirt from Zacky's tears. Then I realized his smell was still lingering on me. I changed into my boxers, leaving the shirt on. I inhaled deeply, taking in all of Zacky's essence I could, and let out a long content sigh before slipping off into dreamland.