It has now been a bit over the week since me and Zak decided to be open about our relationship. When we went to school the next school day, we entered school holding hands. Immediately, people noticed and started to quickly whisper to each other while staring at us, already making theories and rumors. Throughout the day, we didn't try to hide how flustered we would get when being with each other, nor try to hide any time we would blush from any teasing, flirting, or kiss on the cheek or forehead.

     For the first day, nobody 100% knew that we were dating, but could only speculate. The only people that knew were our friends since they obviously asked us questions. But they were respectful enough to not go around telling other people that we were dating. Though, after Zak talked to his group, he seemed quite annoyed, wonder why.

     My friends didn't often bring up me and Zak's relationship, but all they could do was congratulate me and also give me warnings and worry about me. Meanwhile, Eiza seemed annoyed at the topic and would constantly remind me it was a bad idea to date Zak whenever she had the chance to say so. It was only after when Zak kissed me once in the middle of the hallway on the second day of freely expressing our feelings to each other did everyone for sure know that we were dating. We have sat at our own table just the two of us twice at the cafeteria. And Zak has even sometimes called me 'love' or 'babe'. So far, everything has been great. I couldn't be happier.

     Right now, it's Sunday night, almost midnight, and I'm texting Zak. We somehow picked up a habit of texting or calling each other late into the night after we're finished with homework. We just talk about random things, but we enjoy it. It's getting late, so I think it's time to get ready for bed. I leave a final text to Zak by saying, 'It's getting late. I should get ready for bed now. Goodnight. <3'

     I leave my phone on my nightstand and go take a shower. After about a 20-minute shower, I brush my teeth and put on my pajamas. Before going to sleep, I check my phone to see a final text from Zak saying, 'Alright then, sweet dreams, Darryl. Love you <3'

     The message makes me smile and feel warm inside. I go to bed feeling nothing but pure joy. As I drift to sleep, I think of nothing else but Zak.

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     I end up waking up when it's still dark out. As I check the time, I see that it's a bit over 3 AM. I groan and try to go back to sleep, but I can't somehow sleep. I suddenly get the urge to drink some water because I feel thirsty. So I slowly drag myself out of bed to get myself a cup of water, hoping that once I drink some water, I can manage to get some more sleep. I slowly make my way downstairs and to the kitchen. But once I arrive at the kitchen, I stop in my tracks.

     It's my dad. He's awake, and it looks like he's looking for a bottle of alcohol in the middle of the night. I should've stayed in bed. Hoping that he doesn't notice me, I try to sneak away from him and out of the kitchen. But I stop once, he says in his loud, strong voice, "Where are you going? Don't you dare run away like a coward."

     As I slowly turn to look at him, I see him looking straight towards me. I gulp and say nothing. He then yells out, "Answer me!"

     Out of instinct, I say, "S-sorry Father."

     My dad then starts walking to me. I stay frozen in place. He is about 3 inches taller than me, so I look up at him as he gets right in front of me. He then slaps me across the face, hard. (>:0 How dare you slap the cute muffin?!) I want to hold my cheek with my hand from the pain, but I don't move. My dad then says, "What have I told you? Don't call me that! You only refer to me as sir. (Bruh- it's fine, you don't deserve to be referred as someone's parent anyway.)"

     "Sorry- sir."

     My dad sighs and says, "Why are you even here in the first place?"

     "I- I was thirsty." I mumbled.

     My dad groans and says, "Get your stupid water and get out of my sight."

     I did exactly that. I got my cup of water and fled to my room before my dad changed his mind in letting me go so easily. I closed my door and left my full cup of water at my nightstand, too disturbed to drink it. I sit in my bed and try to calm myself down. Once I do, I finally drink my cup of water in peace. After that, I go to my bathroom to look at myself in the mirror.

     Once I see my reflection, I sigh. As I expected, my dad left a bruise of the slap on my cheek. My dad is so strong that even a simple slap is enough to leave an ugly bruise. I put my hand on my cheek as I examine the bruise closely. I don't think the bruise is too bad. It should probably be healed by the morning, right? I don't think I'll need to use any makeup to cover the bruise. I then go back to bed and go to sleep.

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     In the morning, I don't even bother checking my bruise and I just put on my favorite hoodie, and pull up the hood over my face so that if the bruise is still there, it wouldn't be noticeable. At least it doesn't hurt anymore. Throughout the day, nobody seems to notice anything, which is good. The day carries on like normal, and now it's lunchtime. Today, me and Zak decide to sit alone together on a table. We simply chat and enjoy our food. We finish the food quite fast so we have time to just sit down and talk to each other. After a bit, I notice that Zak seems a bit bothered by something. I then ask, "Are you okay, Zak? Something seems to bother you."

     I look at him a bit concerned, and he just looks nervous that I brought up that statement. He says, "It's just that I- um... how do I explain it?"

     He just looks over at me but seems to be looking at something specific. Then, for some reason, he seems to blush, probably from embarrassment. He then finally lets out a groan from frustration and pulls down the hood from my head. He then seems like he had a mood swing because now he looks calm and relaxed while smiling. He then grins and says, "That's better, now I can really stare at and admire all your beauty. The hood didn't let me completely see your face. It was bothering me."

     I then start to blush like crazy from his statement and how something silly as that was the reason why he was bothered. I put my arm over my mouth to cover my blush from embarrassment. I then say, "Oh my goodness... you can't be serious."

     Zak laughs and says, "I'm serious. I couldn't see all your face features from your hood. I just can't help myself from wanting to see your pretty face all the time. Now stop covering your face with your arm and let me see your beauty!"

     Zak giggles as he pulls my arm away from my face, still blushing. I turn to look at him to see him with a smile that shows how in love he is as he looks over my face features. I finally relax and smile from the way he looks at me and how happy he looks.

     His lovely smile then fades away and is replaced with a surprised and concerned look on his face. I get confused by his sudden reaction and say, "What's wrong, Zak?"

     At first, he doesn't respond as he cups my face in his hands. He then rubs his thumb over my cheek and slightly presses onto it, which makes flinch and wince a bit from pain. Zak then quickly says, "Sorry, love."

     I slightly blush from the name, but it quickly fades away from the current situation. Zak has his vision concentrated on something on my cheek, and then a realization hits me. Wait- did he... Zak then says a bit sternly, "Darryl, why do you have a bruise on your cheek?"

     I tense up from the question. Oh no, he saw it. I guess I really shouldn't underestimate a bruise caused by my dad and how long it can last. I don't respond for a moment, trying to think of an excuse. Zak then says, "Did... someone slap you?"

     As the last few words slip out of his tongue, I can hear the anger growing from the sound of his voice. I then say in a panic, "N-no! Nobody slapped me! I just- I think it's because I wasn't careful where I was looking, and I slammed my face into a wall. I didn't know it caused a bruise. I was a bit surprised that you said such a thing, sorry if I made you worried."

     Zak calms down a bit from my words, but I can tell that he is still tense. He then says, "Oh, I see... Sorry if I seemed a bit overdramatic."

     "It's fine! Completely understandable. Thanks for caring about me."

     I give him a warm smile, and he returns one as well. He then says, "No problem, it's my job as your boyfriend to care about you."

     He then looked back at the bruise on my cheek. He leaned over and placed a gentle kiss where the bruise is. I blush from the action. He looks at me and says, "Please be more careful, Darryl... I hate seeing you hurt."

     I giggle and say, "Don't worry, I will."