ceu | Skirting: B-side (deleted scene)

This was meant to take place between:

Liam laughs and Zayn says, "Yeah, you better be fuckin' terrified of the matriarchy."

*

This time they're in Niall's car, and Zayn has her on her back, pressed against the backseats.

See where that asterisk is? Yeah. Anyway, I cut this because I didn't feel like it contributed to the fic at all. It was meant to take up time and fluff-space but it was just excessively needless. So, it's here now!

Later that day, before English, Zayn decides to take a smoke break and Louis promises to cover for her. Zayn doesn't know if that entails Louis borrowing some girl who sort of looks like Zayn to sit in class for her, or to attempt to be both himself and Zayn all through the period. He'd attempted both, before.

On her way down the empty hall, Zayn pops out her lighter, twirling it in her hand. She walks downstairs and starts heading toward the gym, until she hears footsteps.

Thinking it's a teacher, she quickly pockets her lighter again. Then she pauses glances behind—it's Niall, actually, who suddenly develops an interest to a wall of awards when Zayn spots her.

"Hi," says Zayn, mildly surprised but—it's Niall. A smile automatically comes up to her face.

Niall looks at her very offhandedly. "Oh, hello," she says. She's wearing skinny jeans and a polo today. Her hair is in messy pigtails and she's got her hands behind her back.

"Following me?" Zayn teases.

Niall scoffs, "Of course not," though her skin matches her freckles for a moment, there.

Zayn tilts her head to the side. "Your hair looks blonder today," she says, and then notices that Niall's roots aren't as dark as they used to be. "You're not a natural blond?"

"Oh, no, I just," Niall tugs at a pigtail. "I like my hair like this, so. Hair's usually brown. If 'usually' was like, four years ago."

"I'd like to see that," says Zayn, and maybe her smile gets a little wider. Maybe Niall looks a little shyer, too.

"'ve wanted to dye my hair blond, too," Zayn adds. "Like the ends or something."

Niall nods. "That'd look really nice," she says, and looks down at where Zayn's long hair is at her waist, near the waistband of her tight dark jeans. Niall diverts her eyes back up.

"Not in class? Where're you headed?" she asks.

"Skipping. Need to go out for a smoke," says Zayn, and flips out her lighter again.

Niall eyes it, but it's not the same way Liam does in that smoking is bad for you and will give you lung cancer and plus, you smell gross way. "I'll join you," she says after a moment, which surprises Zayn.

"Really?" she says. "Liam and Louis can't stand the smell, so you'll—I mean, I'm just smoking."

Niall shrugs. "My uncle once got so drunk and puked on me and it only bothered me for ten minutes," she says. "I think I'll be okay."

"Wow," says Zayn, because she doesn't think she'd be able to handle that. Louis once dragged her to his friend Stan's party because Liam had a nine o'clock curfew, and she ended the night with accompanying both boys to the bathroom where they threw up. Eventually Zayn couldn't take the it anymore and dunked both their heads in the toilet, before leaving.

"Where are you supposed to be, then?" she asks, as they continue walking.

"Oh, I just have." Niall shrugs. "I had to make up a math test because I missed for that bake sale a couple of weeks ago, but I finished really quickly."

"You're good at math?" And then Zayn remembers: "Both you and Harry?"

"Harry doesn't mind math, I'm just not bad at it." Niall sounds modest, staring at the tiled floors.

"Ought to help me and Liam sometime," says Zayn, grinning. "We're absolutely awful."

"I'll see if I have room in my timetable," says Niall. There's something teasing in her eyes, which Zayn thinks is absolutely wonderful.

So they go outside and Zayn smokes and offers one to Niall, who surprisingly takes it, and takes it well. They talk about teachers and music and languages and Niall starts to speak a little bit of French mixed in with Spanish, which she'd constructed herself, before a janitor opens the gym's back door and they high-tail it out of there as fast as they can.

They head back in through a side door and go to the bathroom, and wash their hands five times to get rid of the smoke smell. Niall laughs a lot and Zayn watches and maybe she's laughing as well, and there's no kissing or any touching at all, except for Niall sprinkling some water at a surprised Zayn, who wipes her hand on Niall's jeans as revenge.

They almost get caught again when they come back out, by a teacher turning the corner. Then the bell rings and students start spilling out of their classrooms and Zayn tries to say goodbye to Niall, who's already disappeared. And it's nothing, really, because they're going to sit at lunch again today and still see each other and Zayn realizes that to everyone else, they're just, y'know. Probably friends.

Well, she has Niall's number and has seen her in her bra, so she supposes that makes sense.