YOU KNOW HE’S RIGHT , but how long ? it’s all you want to know , how long until it stops hurting this much and you can move on ? ‘ maybe i should go check in on his folks , see how they’re doing . would you COME WITH ? ’
admittedly, zane wasn’t sure how good of an idea it was. to show up without any notice. ---but he knew it was something his friend needed, so he shook the thoughts from his mind. “yeah, of course,” he replied.
‘ I’M JUST OVER IT , i want to stop , but it’s proving harder than expected . i haven’t had the heart to tell bella why he isn’t around anymore . ’
“i....” zane was about to say how he understood. he was about to say how it was going to all be okay. but he didn’t understand. not enough to ensure her that everything would work out. “you have to take it one step at a time, mia. no one expects you to be perfectly okay. there isn’t a... a timeline for this.”
he couldn’t take it anymore. he had only been back at degrassi for a short period of time after his big la trip, yet he already felt too confined, too stifled. looking over his shoulder as he walked, craig headed for the side door, guitar slung over his shoulder. just as he was pushing the door to leave and head home to focus on what really mattered - his music - he spotted a pair of eyes boring into him. “please,” he said, looking at them and turning around, “you can’t tell anyone i’m leaving,” he requested, “joey will kill me if he finds out.”
zane had been called to the main office during class, which is why he was roaming the halls when they were practically empty. when he noticed craig walking towards the door, getting ready to leave, he didn’t say much of anything. he just watched. when craig noticed him looking and addressed him, zane shook his head. “no, don’t worry. i won’t mention it to anyone,” he said.
IT ISN’T FAIR , and you say this to zane , allowing yourself a minute more of the cool metal on your face flaming . ‘ i kind of have to be , don’t i ? i shouldn’t even miss him , the jerk was going to break up with me . ’
“mia, you don’t have to be okay. it’s okay to hurt,” zane said. “and it’s okay to miss him. no one would think any less of you if you did.”
Jane sighed as she turned down the hallway after an early morning practice. She was exhausted but she couldn’t help the smile on her lips. She always felt reenergized after football. She suddenly felt herself connect with a warm wall as all her stuff dropped to the floor. “Dammit, I’m sorry I have to pay attention to where I’m going,” She said to the person before bending down to get her stuff.
“hey, no, you’re good!” zane said, helping jane to pick up the dropped things. “the hallways are always so crowded in between classes, it’s impossible not to bump into a person or two,” he said with a smile.
STANDING AT HIS LOCKER , just looking , remembering when you’d chat in front of it and almost able to still see jt getting books out . god , it was awful to remember , especially when bella watched re - runs of pj jt . you feel yourself start to tear up , and rest your forehead on the door .
zane noticed his friend standing in front of jt’s old locker. he hesitated before walking up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “hey, mia.. are you okay? i’m here if you need someone..” he said, not knowing what he should say.
“can you believe mrs. kwan wouldn’t give me extra time for my essay, even though i had cheer practice? like, hello, extracurriculars look good on university applications, so why am i being punished?”
“if it makes you feel any better, she doesn’t give anyone extensions,” zane said, trying to avoid saying that there were teachers who denied extensions for much better reasons.
⎿ the level head : harry shum jr , cis male, he/him ⏋ oh look, zane park is back, the sixteen year old grade 11. rumour has it, they tend to be compulsive and impatient, but hopefully we’ll get to see their caring and compassionate side too.⎿ erin, 18, cst, she/her ⏋
if you want to plot with zane, give this a like and i’ll message you so we can plan out the details! all of the information you need is below the cut.
secrets:
he transferred to degrassi ¾ of the way through grade 10 after he was hospitalized when he was jumped in the locker room at his old school - zane was bullied badly at his old school, but he tried to handle it on his own. it all came to the worst when he was beat up badly after a soccer game, resulting in his hospitalization. that caused him to transfer schools, which is how he ended up at degrassi late last year.
him, his mother, his father, and his younger sister all live in his grandparents small house because they can’t afford to buy or rent a new house yet - his family is struggling with money, but they couldn’t stay in a town where zane was in danger. so they moved in with his father’s parents in a small house. there isn’t much room, but his family is thankful.
he sees a therapist weekly at the request of his parents. - after zane was jumped, his parents became worried about how he was handling it. they ended up spending money they didn’t have on a therapist for him, a therapist he doesn’t even want to see.
connections: (i’ll update this as plotting happens!)
Riley Stavros - secret boyfriend. Zane is out at Degrassi, but Riley isn’t. So they keep their relationship a secret.
Owen Milligan - bully. Owen has set out to make Zane’s life hell since he arrived at Degrassi, but it only got worse when he joined the football team.
Mia Jones - friend. Zane and Mia are close friends.
no offense but money would solve literally every single one of my problems. like all of them. i dont have a single problem that money wouldnt immediately solve
