Zayn sings quietly to himself, making sure the lyrics to the beat he created is satisfactory before he performs it in front of his music class later today. He calls the song "Befour". About his life before college mostly, which probably isn't very interesting to the rest of the world but of its put in a song, it will most likely make up for something...hopefully.

Hopefilly, his classmates won't listen to the lyrics much so they won't get too bored.

Zayn hears a knock on his door, making him break concentration and snap his head up. He sighs heavily and stands from sitting on his bed before walking over to the door. He opens it to reveal Niall, moving out of the way to let the blond boy in.

"Why didn't you just use your key?" Zayn questions as he walks past him.

"I left it in here." Niall shrugs.

Zayn closes the door and walks back over to his work that's giving him endless anxiety. He can't wait to perform this and just be done with it.

"Is that your assignment for music?" Niall asks.

"Yeah." Zayn sighs shakily, having a knot in his stomach. He looks up at Niall as the blond walks past him.

"Are you nervous?" Niall asks, sticking his head into the mini fridge as he does.

"Very."

"That's your problem Zayn." Niall says as he comes back out of the mini fridge, a yogurt in his hand. He looks at Zayn who waits for his explanation. "Don't get so damn nervous. Aren't you used to performing?"

"Not at all actually." Zayn says, shaking his head. "Until I came here, I've never performed in front of anyone."

"Why?"

"Never had the oppurtunity." He shrugs.

"Not even like, in front of your family or something?" Niall questions, searching his desk drawer for a spoon and successfully finding one.

Zayn thinks back to his past, ignoring the fact Niall puts spoons in his desk drawer. "No." He responds.

"What? Were they too busy for you?" Niall snaps, quirking up an eyebrow. Zayn watches as he tears off the top of the yogurt cup before throwing it out.

"Um, yeah, actually. My parents are entrepreneurs so they were busy...and rich."

"Like...Richy rich type rich?"

Zayn cracks a small smile. "I guess you could say that."

"Damn. What are you doing here? You could be going to a private college."

"I wanted to go here." Zayn says.

Niall plops on his bed, the bottom bunk, while Liam owns the top. Zayn, however, stayed in his own quarters. It wasn't a huge fight, though. Liam and Niall wanted the bunks.

In fact, when they were moving in, Liam came with Zayn. Niall was the first to be here, already have taken the bottom bunk. Although, Liam wanted the bottom so the kid actually waited for Niall to get back from wherever he was and they argued a little but Niall won and then they became close friends somehow.

Maybe it was because they both shared the same majors, their education degree. They both want to be teachers, which is beyond Zayn because he cannot stand children, especially teenagers. He doesn't see how anyone would want to be a teacher. He doesn't even like people in general, except Liam. Liam is a huge exception.

Zayn didn't talk much at the time, still doesn't...to Niall at least.

And yeah, it does make Niall feel kind of bad, even though he tries his best not to show it.

"Hello. Earth to Zayn." Niall says. Zayn blinks quickly before looking at Niall again, noticing he was staring into space thinking about nothing.

"Yeah?" Zayn says.

"What time do you have to be there?"

"Um, two, why?"

Niall looks at his phone in his hand before looking up at Zayn.

"It's one fifty seven."

Zayn's eyes widen. "Holy shit!" He exclaims, jumping off his bed and collecting his stuff. How did he let time pass by him like that?

"I can drive you." Niall says, throwing the yogurt cup in the trash.

"You can?" Zayn asks.

Niall nods.

Zayn agrees and even though Zayn is going to be late anyway, him driving right now would be terrible, especially since he's so frazzled by being nervous and late. And he knows Niall knows where the music room is since he has a class right beside it.

When Niall reaches, an eager Zayn looking out the window jumps out quickly, saying a very hasty thank you from over his shoulder as he runs towards the room. And Niall says something but he doesn't here it.

It's two fucking o' five. Shit.

So Zayn runs and runs across the field   until he reaches the doors. He swallows the lump in his throat, putting his hand on the handle of the door and pulling, his heart dropping when he realizes, it's locked.

"No." He whispers in dissapointment, running a hand through his hair. How could he be so stupid to not check the time? But Zayn knocks on the door and at the same time it slowly opens, revealing the professor inside.

And Zayn sends him his best smile.

"Hi, Mr.Talvin." Zayn says.

"Your late Zayn," the man says, looking at Zayn from over his small spectacles.

"Time just kind of flew by, I was practici-"

"I don't care. Don't let it happen again." He says calmly, opening the door to reveal the dreaded judgmental eyes that stare at that unfortunate body that walks in late to a class. And to make it all worse Zayn probably looks like complete shit with his hair messy and sweat glistening off of him.

There are no desks in the room, just chairs that are usually stored in the utility closet, but Zayn doesn't feel like making a ruckus so he just makes a walk of shame to the back of the room. And okay, it feels like a walk of shame because people just keep staring at him and smirking even while the professor is talking.

So Zayn sits on the floor in the back in a way he can see to the front of the room past all the chairs.

"So, who is willing to go first?" The man asks, referring to their singing assignment. He looks around the room, but Zayn doesn't feel so nervous because he can't actually see him, therefore it will be harder to remember to pick him. "How about our late comer?" He says.

Or not.

"Zayn."

Zayn's heart almost plummets out of his chest.

All eyes go to the back of the room, so Zayn stands up quickly, refusing to protest because he already made him upset from coming late. But then he decides against his meek thoughts.

"Um, I don't really think I'm like...mentally prepar-"

"Good. It'll prepare you for future events that you could potentially be invited to. But if you arrive late, then you'll perform terribly because your in a rush, your head is in a daze and your probably focusing in on how embarrassing it is to arrive late instead of the music. Therefore, you will sound off key and play sour notes. Now, speaking of sour notes, what instrument will you be playing?" The man finishes his lecture with the nerving question.

Zayn takes a shaky breath before swallowing thickly. "Guitar."

"You don't happen to have your own, do you?"

Zayn shakes his head.

"Then you'll have to use the rented one." The man says before looking past Zayn. "Someone get it for him please." He snaps.

After having his back facing the class he slowly turns around, seeing the sixty or more faces facing his own. His crumpled up music sheets is held in a deathly tight grip.

A short girl walks up to him and hands him the guitar. "Um, can I have a music stand?" Zayn asks quietly.

She smiles and nods before turning back around and walking away.

Zayn clears his throat and puts the guitar strap on. He finally makes eye contact with the audience shortly before the girl comes back with a music stand.

"Thanks." He whispers.

She nods silently again, which gives Zayn no reassurance whatsoever. Why is no talking? Why is it so damn quiet?

"Go Zayn!" Someone exclaims, and Zayn almost gets excited, until he realizes it's a guy named Daniel. A Hispanic kid whose is basically best friends with Harry Styles and is actually sitting next to him. Harry has his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his lips. He most likely just wanted to make himself known to intimidate Zayn and that angers him to no end.

"No interruptions please." The professor says.

So Zayn sets his music on the stand before awkwardly tuning the guitar and then starting the first notes that lead in the song.

"I've done this before
Not like this

I don't drink to get drunk
I feel all the right funk
If there's something I want
I'll take all the right wrongs
Now, I'm gonna stay in my zone
I'm tired of picking that bone
And I can't be bothered
To fight it no more, no

Numb on a roof
Set it on fire
Just to give me proof
I'm living on a wire
Numb on a roof
Set it on fire
Just to give me proof
I'm living on a wire

So say what you wanna say, what you wanna
So say what you wanna say, what you gotta say, now
So say what you wanna say, what you want
Shame is you won't say that to my face

I've done this before
Not like this, not like this

Time for me to move on
So many hours have gone
Heart beats the pump of my blood
No strings for you to pull on
You've got your tongue in your cheek
So pardon if I don't speak
Can't tune my chords
Into your songs, no

Numb on a roof
Set it on fire
Just to give me proof
I'm living on a wire

So say what you wanna say, what you wanna
So say what you wanna say, what you gotta say, now
So say what you wanna say, what you want
Shame is you won't say that to my face

I've done this before
Not like this, not like this

Flashing lights, so say what you wanna say, what you wanna
So say what you wanna say, what you gotta say, now
So say what you wanna say, what you want
Shame is you won't say that to my face
So say what you wanna say, what you wanna
So say what you wanna say, what you gotta say, now
So say what you wanna say, what you want
Shame is you won't say that to my face

I've done this before
Not like this, not like this
I've done this before
Not like this, not like this"

When Zayn is done, he doesn't look up. He refuses to. For a second, it's completely silent in the room, then he hears clapping, making him eventually look up before taking the guitar off his body, the girl grabbing it from him, and he quickly grabs the music sheets on the stand.

The man rushes towards the back of the room again, adrenaline rushing through his hair.

A few more performances go on, one after the other, and each performance gets better and better. There are no amateurs in this class and that's what scares Zayn the most. Usually he feels confident singing alone, but at that moment, he had his eyes closed just wishing he wasn't in front of all these people.

Only half of the class goes today before they are all dismissed.

Zayn waits until everyone leaves before walking through the now empty room since the chairs were put back into the utility closet. Only one chair is left, Harry Styles, who stands talking to the teacher speaking with many hand gestures, animatedly, obviously sucking up to him.

Zayn looks down and rolls his eyes. Harry didn't perform today, thank god, or he would've shown Zayn up and maybe been a little extra just to make sure that he does.

"Zayn." The professor says, making Zayn stop and look at him. "Don't let what happened today happen again, understood?" He says.

The man forces himself to be pleasant, so he simply nods before quickly walking out.

The man decides to walk instead of calling Niall, he's probably in a class anyway so he doesn't want to disturb him.

The man takes out his headphones which is already plugged into his phone before he turns on the R&B music, nodding subtly to the slow beat of Let Me Love You by Mario.

Suddenly, Zayn feels a light poke on his shoulder. He turns around quickly, seeing Harry waving at him with a small smirk on his face. Zayn's face drops. He sighs as he takes his headphones out.

"Hey Zayn." Harry says.

"Um." Zayn mumbles. "Do you need something?"

"Is that how you greet people?" Harry asks, chuckling lightly.

Zayn doesn't respond, waiting for him to continue to his point for stopping him.

"You did really well in class today." He says. "Was that song an orginal?"

Zayn's eyebrows raise in shock at Harry's compliment.

"Um,...thank you. It was." He says, nodding.

"Yeah, your voice...it's like natural talent right there."

Zayn smiles slightly.

"But you sounded nervous." He says, making Zayn's smile drop. "And you were kind of stiff." He continues. "Just saying." He says, shrugging.

Zayn is livid, and he doesn't exactly know how to respond. "I don't need your critics, Harry." Zayn retorts before turning back around and walking away.

"Oh, wait. Zayn. I didn't mean to offend you. Unless, you can't take the truth-"

"I don't need a crtitc from you, anyone but you actually." Zayn snaps, stepping towards Harry, making the man opposite of him quickly step back.

Nevertheless, Harry continues to smirk, irking Zayn even more.

"What's your problem with me? The hate doesn't seem one sided." Zayn says.

"Because this is senior year of college and you might not think so...but I noticed you Zayn. I noticed for three years that you glare at me from across the room, you never clap after I perform, you probably even talk bad about me behind my back."

Zayn would feel bad, but for some reason, he just doesn't. He just really hates this guy.

"And I don't hate you Zayn. And I know this phrase is overused, but hate is such a strong word." Harry says, shaking his head. "I just don't like that you don't like me...so...I'll just act like I hate you to get you back." Harry shrugs.

"Why? How does me hating you even remotely effect you? You have tons of friends, in fact half this campus is your best friend, even the teachers. I'm one guy."

"Because, to see you upset is actually quite fun." Harry chuckles.

"So that's what's up with you, your a dickhead." Zayn spits, narrowing his eyes.

Zayn just can't seem to wipe that amused smile off his face and Zayn wants to make it his mission to finally do. It doesn't even minutely falter.

"What do you mean?" Harry questions, tilting his head to the side.

"Your attractive, your talented, your sucessful. Everything about you seems to be perfect. But your only flaw is that you just have a terrible, terrible personality." Zayn spits. "How'd you get your friends? Pay them?" Zayn chuckles bitterly. Harry's smile doesn't budge.

"How'd you get yours? Put a gun to their head?" Harry retorts, the unmoving smile making Zayn frown.

Zayn swallows thickly.

"Zayn!" The man hears a voice exclaim.

Zayn turns around, seeing Niall in his car. Zayn looks at Harry who also looks at Niall before Zayn turns around and runs to Niall's car. He slides into the passenger seat with a heavy sigh and buckles up, letting Niall drive away in a haste.

"Thanks." Zayn says brethlessly.

"Why were you talking to Harry?" Niall asks.

"He's in my class and was talking about my performance." Zayn says, sparing the further details.

"Oh, how did that go?" Niall asks.

Zayn shrugs. "Okay I guess."

"You guess?"

Zayn shrugs again.

"I bet it went great." Niall chuckles. "Are you hungry? I was thinking you, Liam and I could go out for lunch."

"Sure. Where?"

"I don't know, like, Burger King or something. We need somewhere cheap."

"Sounds good to me."

"Unless your parent's can hit us up." Niall smirks subtly.

Zayn rolls his eyes playfully. "Burger King it is." He sighs.