The Touch - Rewrite

School the following Monday felt almost exactly the same as it always did, which was strange in its own way. After everything that had changed at home, I had expected something here to feel different too. But it didn’t. The halls were still loud, lockers still slammed shut in uneven rhythms, and the low hum of voices carried through the building like nothing had shifted at all.

I stopped at my locker first, slipping my phone inside and double-checking that everything I needed was in my bag before heading to homeroom. By the time I got there, Deedra and Sheldon were already in their seats.

Sheldon had his notebook open and was hunched over it, his pencil moving quickly as he tried to finish something he had clearly put off over the weekend. His brow was scrunched in concentration, and his tongue stuck slightly out of the side of his mouth without him even realizing it.

Deedra, on the other hand, was turned halfway around in her seat, talking to the girl in front of her like the conversation had started the second she walked in and hadn’t stopped since.

“Hey, Zach!” she called the moment she noticed me, her face lighting up as I walked over. “Did you have a good weekend?”

I dropped into my seat behind her, setting my bag down beside my desk. “It was okay,” I said with a small shrug. “What about you?”

That was all she needed.

Deedra turned fully in her seat, already smiling wider as she launched into her answer. She told me about how her parents had taken her to one of the bigger malls out in the city, her hands moving as she talked, describing stores and clothes and everything she had seen like she was trying to fit the entire trip into a few minutes.

“They finally cut me off,” she said with a laugh. “Five thousand dollars. That was my limit.”

I blinked.

“Five thousand?”

“Yeah,” she said, completely unfazed. “If I would’ve known he was going to stop me there, I would’ve bought more of what I actually needed.”

She giggled at that like it made perfect sense.

I couldn’t help the small smile that came with it, even if I didn’t really understand how someone could spend that much in a single day. My attention drifted past her after a moment, pulled back toward Sheldon.

He was still working.

Still focused.

His pencil paused for a second, then moved again as he erased something quickly and rewrote it. His tongue was still sticking out slightly, and the more I looked at it, the harder it was not to laugh.

A quiet giggle slipped out before I could stop it.

Sheldon glanced up immediately, his concentration breaking as he looked over at me with a confused smile. “What?”

I shook my head, still trying not to laugh. “Nothing. You just… you look funny when you do that.”

“When I do what?”

“That,” I said, motioning vaguely toward his face.

Deedra didn’t even need clarification.

“It’s how he concentrates, Zach,” she said, grinning.

The girl sitting in front of her turned around at that, catching the end of it, and burst out laughing.

“Hey!” Sheldon protested, sitting up a little straighter as his hand moved to his mouth. “That’s not fair.”

“You do it every time,” Deedra added, clearly enjoying herself.

“I do not.”

“You do.”

“I don’t.”

I laughed again, quieter this time, as Sheldon shook his head and went back to his work, though his ears had turned slightly red.

“Good morning, everyone!”

Mrs. Coster’s voice cut cleanly through the room, pulling attention back to the front as she stepped inside. The low conversations faded almost immediately as she moved to her desk, setting her things down before glancing up at us.

“Let’s go ahead and get started with roll call.”

Deedra turned back around in her seat, though she glanced over her shoulder at me one more time before facing forward. Sheldon finally put his pencil down, flipping his notebook closed just as Mrs. Coster began calling names.

When she reached mine, I answered automatically, my voice quiet but steady.

After that, the room settled.

The usual rhythm took over—attendance, announcements, the start of the day moving forward like it always did.

I had already finished my homework the night before, so once everything was out of the way, I reached into my bag and pulled out the sketchpad Greg had gotten me. The weight of it felt familiar in my hands now, something I didn’t have to think about as I flipped it open to a blank page.

My pencil moved almost immediately.

At first, it was nothing specific—just lines, shapes, small details forming without much thought behind them. But after a few minutes, those shapes started to settle into something more recognizable.

A face.

Then another.

I didn’t realize what I was doing until I paused for a second, my pencil hovering just above the page.

Deedra.

Sheldon.

The way he leaned forward when he worked. The way her expression shifted when she talked.

I hadn’t meant to draw them.

It had just… happened.

I stared at it for a second longer before adding a few more lines, refining the details without really thinking about it. The classroom noise faded into the background, the low hum of voices and movement blending together as I focused on the page in front of me.

The rest of the morning passed quietly after that.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened. No interruptions. No tension. Just classes, notes, and the steady movement of time until the bell finally rang.

The sound snapped through the room, louder than everything else had been.

I blinked, pulling myself out of it as students immediately started moving, chairs scraping lightly against the floor as everyone packed up.

I closed my sketchpad and slid it back into my bag before standing, the routine already settling back into place.

Lunchtime.

I couldn’t help the small smile that came with that thought as I stepped out into the hallway, moving toward my locker to grab my phone and the lunch Natalie had packed for me.

Deedra and Sheldon had the middle lunch period, so I ended up on my own again when the bell rang. I didn’t mind it as much as I used to. It gave me time to think, to settle, and lately, it didn’t feel as isolating as it had before.

I grabbed my lunch from my bag and made my way to one of the tables near the corner of the cafeteria. It was far enough away from most of the noise that I could sit without feeling surrounded, but still close enough that I didn’t stand out for being alone. I sat down, set my bag beside me, and carefully unwrapped the sandwich Natalie had packed. Bologna. Simple, familiar. I took a small bite, letting the noise of the cafeteria fade into the background.

“Hey, you’re Zachary, right?”

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts immediately. I looked up to see the dark-haired girl from my homeroom standing near the edge of the table, a shy but steady smile on her face. I recognized her, but I hadn’t expected her to come over.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m Ava,” she said, sliding into the seat across from me like the decision had already been made. “Ava Daniels.”

I shifted slightly, setting my sandwich down as she extended her hand. I hesitated for just a second before shaking it, my grip light. Before I could say anything else, more movement surrounded the table. A group gathered quickly, filling in the open seats until there were several people sitting around me, voices overlapping just enough that I couldn’t catch everything at once. By the time it settled, there were seven other people at the table, and I felt my chest tighten slightly—not panic, just awareness of how quickly everything had changed.

“That’s Chad,” Ava said, motioning to the boy dropping into the seat beside me. “He’s in choir with you. Also drama club, so be careful what you say.”

“Hey,” Chad protested immediately, though he was already grinning. He bumped his shoulder lightly against mine like we’d known each other longer than we had. “We do have a few open spots if you’re interested, Zach.”

“Uh—no thanks,” I said quickly, shaking my head before I could overthink it.

That got a laugh out of a few of them.

“Your loss,” Chad said, still smiling. “I’ve heard you sing, man. You’ve got a great voice.”

I felt heat rise to my face immediately.

“He’s not wrong,” a blonde girl added from across the table. “I’m Heather.” She gave a small wave before continuing like we were already in the middle of a conversation. “I was telling Chad yesterday that I’m surprised you didn’t try out for anything. You could actually compete with him.” She tilted her head slightly toward the boy sitting next to her.

He had dusty brown hair and green eyes that were already fixed on me, studying me in a way that made my shoulders tense just slightly.

“Don’t mind Paul,” Heather added with a small laugh. “He follows me around like a lost puppy.”

“I do not,” Paul said, though it came out weaker than it probably should have.

“Yes, you do,” several of them said at once.

I laughed before I could stop myself, the sound slipping out easier than I expected. Paul sank slightly into his seat, muttering something under his breath while the others ignored him.

“Over here,” Ava continued, clearly enjoying herself, “this is Samantha.” The redhead sitting to my right gave a small nod, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp. “And that’s Hunter,” Ava added, pointing across the table.

The blonde boy leaned forward immediately. “So if you’re in choir, does that mean you can read music or do you just kind of—”

“Hunter,” Samantha cut in smoothly.

“What?”

“Breathe.”

“I am breathing.”

“You’re talking.”

“That’s how breathing works.”

She stared at him for a second before smiling, and it wasn’t a nice smile.

“Say one more thing,” she said sweetly, “and I’ll show you exactly how fast I can make you stop.”

Hunter leaned back immediately. “Okay, that was aggressive.”

“It worked,” she said.

Chad didn’t even react. “Welcome to lunch,” he muttered to me.

I glanced past them, my attention catching on the last person at the table. He hadn’t said anything. Dark hair, hazel eyes, quiet. He just watched everything, following the conversation without trying to control it, his expression calm in a way that felt familiar.

“Simon,” Ava said, nodding toward him. “He doesn’t talk much.”

Simon gave a small smile and a slight nod, and I nodded back, my gaze lingering for just a moment before I looked down at my food again, suddenly aware of how many people were around me.

“What do you have next?” Ava asked, pulling my attention back up.

“English,” I said.

She frowned slightly. “That’s weird. Sixth graders usually have health around that time.”

“I have biology after that,” I added.

That got a reaction.

“How did you get out of geology?” Simon asked quietly, speaking for the first time. His voice was softer than I expected, but clear.

“I tested out of it,” I said, a little more carefully now that the attention had shifted again. “They gave me the option to take another study hall or a different science class. I picked biology.”

“That’s actually kind of smart,” Ava said.

“I always wondered why you were in my class,” Chad added with a small laugh. “I could’ve just asked you.”

I shrugged slightly, not really sure what to say to that. The conversation moved on quickly after that, bouncing between topics without staying in one place for long. I didn’t try to keep up with everything. I just listened, answering when something was directed at me, letting the noise settle around me instead of pushing against it. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, between the talking and the laughter and the way no one made a big deal out of me being there, I realized I wasn’t sitting alone anymore, and for once, it didn’t feel like something I had to brace against.

The bell rang, and I felt a small sense of disappointment as everyone started gathering their things. Lunch had gone by faster than I expected, and before I could really settle into it, it was already over. I said my goodbyes quietly, following the others as we cleared the table and threw away what was left of our food before heading out into the hallway.

The noise picked back up immediately, lockers opening and closing, voices overlapping as everyone moved toward their next classes. I made my way to my locker, slipping my books inside and grabbing what I needed for English. My phone lit up as I opened the door, and I paused when I saw Natalie’s name on the screen.

Natalie: I have a meeting with Toby’s new principal at two. I might be a little late. Can you hang out in the Choir room like last time?

I read it twice before typing out a response.

Me: Yes, ma’am.

I made sure the message sent before turning the phone off and placing it back in my locker. Once everything was set, I closed the door and headed down the hall toward Mrs. Coster’s classroom.

She was already standing in the doorway when I arrived, greeting students as they entered like she always did. I gave her a small smile as I slipped past and took my usual seat near the window. The room filled quickly, and within a few minutes, the bell rang and the class settled into place.

English passed quietly. Mrs. Coster moved through the lesson at her usual pace, asking questions, calling on students, keeping things structured and predictable. I followed along, answering when I needed to, but mostly keeping to myself. It was easy to stay focused, easier than it had been before everything changed.

When the bell rang again, I packed up and made my way across the building to Biology. The room was already half full when I walked in, and I moved toward the back where I usually sat. Chad was there a few seconds later, dropping into the seat beside me like it had already been decided.

“Guess we’re stuck together,” he said with a grin.

I shrugged slightly. “I don’t mind.”

Mr. Jackson started class not long after, and it didn’t take long before he assigned us a small project. We were supposed to draw a plant cell and label the different parts, something simple on paper but more detailed than it sounded.

I pulled out my sketchpad almost automatically, flipping through until I found a blank page. As I did, Chad leaned slightly closer, his attention catching on something before I could turn the page.

“Whoa,” he said, his voice dropping just enough to keep it between us. “Did you draw that?”

I glanced down and realized he was looking at the sketch from earlier—Sheldon, mid-focus, tongue slightly out, every detail captured without me really thinking about it.

“Yeah,” I said quietly.

“That’s insane,” Chad muttered, still looking at it. “You’re really good, man.”

Heat crept into my face again, and I flipped to a blank page a little quicker than I meant to. “Thanks.”

We got to work after that. Chad handled the written part, listing out each section of the cell in clean, organized handwriting, while I focused on the drawing itself. I didn’t need to look at the book. The structure came together naturally, each part falling into place as I sketched it out, adding detail without really thinking about how much I was putting in.

I finished before he did, so I leaned slightly toward his paper, using his notes to guide the labeling. I drew clean lines from each part of the cell into the margins, carefully writing each label where it belonged. Once that was done, I went back over the drawing, adding smaller details, refining the lines, making it clearer.

“Holy—” Chad caught himself, lowering his voice again. “Dude.”

I jumped slightly at the sudden tone, my pencil pressing harder into the page than I meant it to. He grabbed my arm instinctively, steadying me before I could shift too far.

“Sorry,” he said quickly. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Just—look at this.”

I looked down at the page again, then back at him.

“It’s just a drawing,” I said.

“No, it’s not,” he replied, already reaching for his textbook. He flipped through it quickly until he found the page he wanted and set it down beside my work, comparing the two side by side. “This is better than the book.”

I didn’t respond right away. I just looked at it, noticing things I hadn’t really thought about while drawing.

Chad leaned back slightly, shaking his head. “You didn’t even use the book, did you?”

I shook my head.

He grinned. “Yeah, I figured.”

Mr. Jackson’s shadow fell across the desk a second later. I tensed slightly out of habit, but when I looked up, his expression wasn’t critical.

“Very nice, gentlemen,” he said with a short nod. “This is exactly what I was looking for.”

That caught me off guard.

We handed the paper over, both of us writing our names at the top before passing it up.

“Go ahead and consider yourselves partners for the rest of the year,” he added. “You can keep those seats.”

Chad didn’t even try to hide his reaction. “Yes, sir,” he said, clearly pleased.

I didn’t say anything, but I didn’t mind it either. The seat had always been empty before.

The rest of class passed without much trouble. We talked quietly here and there, nothing important, just enough to fill the space. When the bell rang, I packed up and headed out with everyone else, the rhythm of the day already settling back into place.

Study Hall came next, and I used the time to finish everything I had left. By the time the period ended, I didn’t have anything else to worry about. I returned my books to my locker, making sure everything was in order before turning my phone off and slipping it into my bag with my sketchpad.

The hallway was quieter now as I made my way toward the choir room. When I stepped inside, Deedra was already there, talking as soon as she saw me, her energy picking right back up like it hadn’t stopped earlier.

I listened, nodding when I needed to, but my attention shifted as Mrs. Grant moved to the front of the room. Deedra took the cue immediately, heading back to her seat without complaint.

I glanced behind me just as Chad walked in, dropping into his seat and giving me a quick nod.

I returned it before turning back toward the front, settling into place as the room quieted and the last class of the day began.

Choir had quickly become my favorite class, even though I didn’t talk much during it. There was something about it that made everything else fade out. It didn’t matter how the rest of the day had gone—whether I had slept well, whether something had been bothering me, or whether my thoughts felt too loud. Once the music started, it all seemed to settle into something quieter.

That day was no different.

Mrs. Grant guided us through warmups and practice like she always did, her voice steady, her energy calm but controlled. The class followed her easily, voices blending together in a way that felt natural, like everyone already knew where they were supposed to fit.

I stayed in my place, doing what I was supposed to do, nothing more.

By the time the final bell rang, I felt lighter than I had at any other point in the day.

Students began filing out almost immediately, conversations picking back up as chairs shifted and backpacks were gathered. I moved more slowly, letting the rush pass me by before making my way toward the front of the room. Mrs. Grant was organizing a few papers at her podium when she noticed me approaching, and her expression brightened instantly.

“Hey, Zachary,” she said warmly. “You did very well today. Are you sure you don’t want to audition for the musical? There’s still time.”

I smiled slightly and shook my head. “No, thank you.”

“That’s a shame,” she said, though there was no pressure in her tone. “You’d do very well.”

I hesitated for just a moment before speaking again. “Mrs. Harris is going to be a little late picking me up. Do you mind if I stay in here?”

“Of course not,” she said immediately. “You’re more than welcome to stay.”

I glanced toward the piano, then back at her. “Can I play?”

Her smile widened. “It’s all yours until varsity gets here.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly.

I moved across the room slowly, the space already feeling different now that it was mostly empty. The piano sat near the front, untouched, waiting. I lowered myself onto the bench carefully, my hands hovering just above the keys for a moment before I let them settle.

It had been a while.

Long enough that I wasn’t sure how it would feel.

I pressed a few notes lightly, then ran through a scale, the sound filling the room in a way that felt bigger than it should have. It echoed just enough to make it feel like I wasn’t alone, even though I was.

My shoulders loosened slightly.

I glanced down at the sheet music already sitting on the stand. It was handwritten, not printed, the title scrawled neatly across the top.

Move On.

Beneath it, smaller letters read Varsity Choir.

I studied it for a moment, following the lines, tracing the structure of it in my head. It wasn’t simple. Multiple parts, layered voices, something meant to build.

I focused on the top male line.

It looked manageable.

I adjusted my hands on the keys and started slowly, letting the melody form under my fingers before adding my voice to it.

“Here I thought this moment would last forever… I guess I was wrong… I used to think I was meant for nothing… but I had to stay strong…”

Something shifted as I kept going. The hesitation faded, replaced by something more natural, something that didn’t require as much thought.

“How could I move on… after all that I have been through… I feel so lost and abused… completely confused… how do I carry on… I have to find a way… to stay strong…”

The music began to build, rising slowly, pulling everything with it.

“This is my chance, this is my moment… I can’t let it pass me by… I have to take control of my life… at least I’ll know I tried… and I’ll finally be able to move on…”

By the time the music softened again, I wasn’t thinking about anything else. My focus stayed on the keys, on the rhythm, on the next line forming before I reached it.

“How do I let go of the past…”

A second voice joined.

It was faint at first.

Then another.

I froze.

My hands faltered on the keys as I looked up, my breath catching in my throat. Chad stood a few rows back, along with several members of the varsity choir, all watching, all smiling, their voices blending quietly with the song I had been playing. More of them stepped forward slowly, filling the space between the seats.

I missed a note. Then another. Heat rushed to my face as the sound broke apart under my hands.

“Wait—hold on,” Chad said quickly, raising a hand as he moved toward me. I stopped completely, my fingers hovering just above the keys as the last note faded into silence.

He sat down beside me on the bench, close enough that I could hear him clearly even when he lowered his voice.

“Don’t shut down on me now,” he said quietly. “You were doing it perfectly. Don’t change it just because we’re here. You’ve got a voice people would kill for, man. Nobody in this room is going to judge you. We’re all here because we love this. Same as you.”

I swallowed, then nodded.

“Good,” he said, already shifting slightly. “Start the second verse again.”

I hesitated for half a second before moving my hands back into place, then I started again.

“How do I let go of the past… when the future is coming up so fast…”

This time, I didn’t stop. The others followed, softer at first, then stronger as they found their places within the music.

“When it comes to yesterday… what am I supposed to say… to make the pain all go away…”

My voice steadied again.

“It doesn’t matter anymore… I have to keep moving forward…”

The sound grew, voices layering together, rising and falling in time with the music. I could feel it this time—not just hear it. It carried through me, through the keys, through every note.

“I have to keep my head up toward the sky… let my spirit soar on high… I have to stay strong… so that I can move on…”

They surrounded the piano now, standing close, forming something solid around the sound.

“Yes, it’s time to move on… it’s time to let go of the past… the future is coming up fast… I have to stay strong… I’m going to move on…”

The sound began to fall away slowly, one voice at a time, leaving just the melody behind.

I played the final notes carefully, letting them stretch out just long enough before finishing softly.

“Yes… it’s time for me to move on…”

Silence followed.

Then it broke.

Applause filled the room, louder than I expected, snapping me out of it completely. Chad pulled me into a quick hug before I could react, laughing slightly as he did.

“That was insane,” he said.

I barely processed it.

My attention shifted toward the doorway as more noise carried in from that direction. People had gathered—students, a few teachers—and standing just beyond them were Natalie and Toby.

Toby didn’t hesitate. He let go of Natalie’s hand and ran toward me, weaving through the small crowd before stopping just in front of me. He reached out immediately, grabbing onto my hand tightly as he looked up at me, his whole face lit up in a way that made my chest tighten.

I squeezed his hand gently, grounding myself as the noise around us continued.

Heather’s voice cut through the moment. “Okay, seriously, who is this?”

I glanced over slightly, still holding onto Toby. “My little brother.”

That got a reaction.

“Of course it is,” Samantha said with a grin as she sat down nearby. “Anything else you want to surprise us with?”

I shook my head slightly, still trying to settle.

Mrs. Grant stepped forward then, Natalie just behind her, both of them watching me in a way that made my chest tighten for a different reason.

“Well,” Mrs. Grant said, smiling, “I certainly wasn’t expecting a performance when you asked to play.”

A few people laughed quietly.

“But I’m very glad I got one,” she continued. “That was exceptional, Zachary.”

I glanced at Natalie instinctively.

She smiled.

“If it’s alright with your mother,” Mrs. Grant added, “I’d like to offer you the open position in varsity choir.”

The room quieted again.

I didn’t answer right away.

I looked down at Toby, who was still holding onto my hand, his fingers curled tightly around mine. He nodded once, small but certain.

I glanced back up.

Then I nodded.

The reaction was immediate—voices, laughter, excitement filling the room all at once.

Later, as we walked out toward the car, Toby stayed close at my side, his small hand still holding onto mine. Natalie carried my bag over her shoulder as we stepped out into the cooler air, the noise from inside the school fading behind us. The quiet felt different now, heavier in a way I didn’t fully understand.

“I’m proud of you,” Natalie said softly.

I glanced over at her, unsure how to respond right away.

“I really am,” she added.

I looked down slightly, adjusting my grip on Toby’s hand as he shifted beside me. My face felt warm, and I wasn’t sure what to do with that feeling, so I focused on the ground for a moment instead.

“They kind of forced me into it,” I admitted quietly.

Natalie smiled faintly as she reached the car. “Sounds like they saw something worth forcing.”

I didn’t argue with that. I just stayed close as we reached the car, Toby’s hand still in mine, the moment settling somewhere deeper than I knew how to explain.

Greg was already home when we got there, and I could hear him talking before I even stepped fully inside. His voice carried easily from the kitchen, steady and animated in a way that told me he was in a good mood.

“I’m telling you, Nat, it finally went through,” he was saying as I slipped off my shoes near the door. “We closed the deal this afternoon. Everything’s signed.”

“That’s amazing!” Natalie replied, her voice bright as she followed us in. “There’s good news all around, then.”

“What do you mean?” Greg asked, curiosity cutting through his excitement.

I didn’t stay long enough to hear the answer. I headed upstairs to change out of my school clothes, my mind still catching up to everything that had happened. The quiet of my room helped, even if only a little. I changed quickly, folded my clothes without really thinking about it, and stood there for a moment before heading back downstairs.

When I returned to the kitchen, Greg was sitting at the counter with Toby settled comfortably on his lap, the little boy turned slightly so he could see everything going on. Natalie stood across from them, holding out her phone as Greg reached for it.

She spotted me immediately.

“Come here,” she said, motioning me over before I could even think about slipping away.

I hesitated, but only for a second. She guided me onto one of the stools beside Greg, her hand resting lightly on my shoulder like she already knew I might try to escape if she gave me the chance.

“I got lucky,” she said with a small, satisfied smile as Greg started the video. “I made it just before he started playing. The hardest part was keeping Toby quiet.”

Toby giggled softly at that, clearly not bothered by the accusation.

Greg didn’t respond right away. His attention was locked on the screen, his expression shifting as the video played. Every few seconds, his eyes flicked up toward me, then back down again, like he was trying to match what he was seeing with what was sitting next to him.

“This is beautiful, Natalie,” he said quietly.

“You should’ve been there,” Natalie replied, leaning in slightly as she wrapped her arms around me from behind. “It was something else.”

The video continued, the music filling the small space between us. When it reached the point where I had stopped, Greg frowned slightly.

“Why did they stop him there?”

Natalie let out a soft laugh.

“Zachary didn’t realize people had joined in yet,” she explained gently. “He got a little shy when he noticed.”

Heat rushed to my face immediately, and I looked down, focusing on the counter instead of the screen.

“Don’t worry,” she added, her tone softening just slightly. “They pick it right back up. The best part’s coming.”

Greg nodded, his attention returning fully to the video.

By the time it ended, the kitchen had gone quiet again. Greg lowered the phone slowly, his eyes still on the screen for a second longer before he finally looked at me.

There were tears in his eyes.

He didn’t say anything right away. He just reached out and pulled me into a tight hug, one arm wrapping around me while the other steadied Toby against him.

“That was beautiful, Zachary,” he said quietly, his voice low near my ear before he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t try. I just stayed there for a second, letting it settle.

Greg leaned back slightly, clearing his throat as he handed the phone back to Natalie.

“I think pizza is in order tonight,” he said, glancing between all of us. “What do you think?”

“I like pizza,” Toby said immediately, his voice bright.

Greg huffed a quiet laugh. “You like everything.”

“I do not,” Toby argued, though he was already smiling.

I couldn’t help laughing. “You kind of do.”

The tension broke easily after that, the kitchen filling with lighter conversation as Natalie went to grab her phone and Greg shifted Toby more comfortably on his lap. Everything felt… easy. Normal in a way that didn’t feel fragile.

That night, after dinner and everything had settled, I found myself back in my room, already under the covers as I tried to get comfortable. The day still lingered in my head, pieces of it replaying without me meaning for them to.

The door opened softly.

Natalie stepped inside, her expression warm as she moved over to the bed. She pulled the covers up slightly, making sure I was settled before sitting down on the edge.

“I’m really proud of you, Zachary,” she said quietly, brushing my bangs back from my forehead. “I can’t wait to see what you’re truly capable of.”

The words sat there for a second before I responded.

“I love you, Natalie,” I said, the words coming out more uncertain than I meant them to.

She stilled.

Just for a moment.

Then her expression softened even more, something deeper settling behind it as she leaned down and kissed my forehead.

“I love you too, Zachary,” she whispered.

She pulled me into a gentle hug before standing, reaching over to turn off the lamp beside my bed. The room dimmed instantly, leaving only the faint light from the hallway spilling in through the open door.

“I’ll see you in the morning, baby boy,” she added softly before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

I watched the doorway for a moment after she left, the quiet settling in around me. Eventually, I turned onto my side, pulling the blanket up slightly as my eyes began to close.

Sleep came easier than it usually did.

I didn’t notice when Toby slipped into the room.

I only realized he was there when I woke briefly in the middle of the night, something warm stretched across me. I blinked slowly, looking down to find him sprawled half on top of me, his arm thrown across my chest, his breathing steady as he slept.

A quiet laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

I shifted just enough to make him more comfortable, careful not to wake him, then closed my eyes again.

This time, I fell asleep without thinking about anything at all.