Zeke Wilson’s Second Day of School

It’s another day, Tuesday to be exact. Zeke is getting ready for school. His breakfast today consists of just some leftover cake from his birthday. That’s because Mom and Dad haven’t gotten up yet, plus they’re not exactly doing so well.

Zoe has been very pensive, or rather, troubled. Every day you can see her sitting in silence, like she has too much to process.

Allan tries to focus on his new job as a music producer, but most of the time he looks bored, even desperate at times; it seems he misses his acting career… among other things.

Music, and especially the piano, keeps him entertained to some extent, but he generally seems melancholic.

And Zoe, too. Maybe it’s because they’re both going through a difficult divorce. They had already divorced once, before Zeke was born. At that time, they had only their daughter, Anika. At that time, the divorce proceeded quickly, Zoe was granted custody of Anika, then she adopted Kennedy, but shortly after, she reconciled with Allan and remarried him.

Then Lukas and Zeke were born, and everything remained more or less stable. Until now. Zeke knows this story from his siblings. From eavesdropping on them behind closed doors, that is, because as a child, no one ever wanted to tell him anything, probably so as not to ruin his childhood. But Zeke is smart, a genius in fact; he understands perfectly all that has happened.

He knows that, after a lot of problems, mostly due to her father’s constant infidelities and drinking-related issues, Zoe decided to file for divorce again. Though it’s obvious that neither of them wants to separate.

It’s also obvious that they still love each other, deeply. But this time it’s inevitable, because Allan has become unstable again, and if there’s one thing Zoe needs right now, it’s stability to support Zeke as he goes through adolescence. So Allan will be moving out soon and Zoe will stay in the penthouse alone with Zeke until his siblings arrive from Del Sol Valley. Allan will still be able to visit his children whenever he wants, he’ll even be able to stay over sometimes if he needs to. And he and Zoe won’t officially sign the divorce papers until Zeke graduates from high school.

No matter how hard Zoe has tried to keep Zeke out of his father’s affairs, he always ends up finding out through social media, newspapers, or even the prying questions of his classmates. It’s hard to be the child of a celebrity, especially one like the controversial Allan Wilson.

Anyway, it’s another day at school. At least there, Zeke can get away from all the drama surrounding his family.

It’s early, so he has a little free time before classes start.

What better way to make the most of that time than checking his appearance in the mirror? We don’t want his hairstyle to get messed up or look out of place.

It can’t hurt to practice his speech a little, either. There’s no doubt about it, Zeke is his father’s worthy son!

As he leaves the bathroom, already dressed in his school clothes, he runs into the first girl of the day: Liz Holder. Judging by her last name, she must be related to the Social Studies teacher, which makes Zeke feel a little awkward. He doesn’t want any trouble with the teachers, so…
Zeke: Uh, nice to meet you, Liz, now if you excuse me, I have to get to class.
Liz: Oh, sure, nice to meet you too, Zeke.
Zeke made a quick getaway before she could start asking about his father.

At least today in the cafeteria there were no teachers sitting at the table with the students, but Junu keeps asking everyone about their collection logs. What a nerd!

Once in the classroom, Zeke worked up the courage to talk to Gladys, the girl he has a crush on. She was a little shy, but at least she answered him.

That was enough for now. He wanted to ask for her contact info, but that might be too much, so he decided to take it slow.

Gladys, for her part, seemed upset because Liz had taken her seat.

Now she’ll have to go sit somewhere else. Bummer. Zeke would’ve loved to have her sitting across from him, that way he could’ve chatted with her more. Oh well, there’ll be time for that later. They have the whole week ahead of them.

Zeke decides to focus on his schoolwork.

Although, at times, being the social butterfly that he is, he needs to take a few seconds at least to check his social media. God forbid he ever miss the latest messages from his followers on Bubbly.

As soon as the class ends, he rushes after Gladys and catches up to her in the hallway.
Zeke: Hey… Gladys, right?
Gladys: Y-yes?
Zeke: Sorry, I know you probably wanna get home, but I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m…

Gladys: Zeke Wilson. I know.
Zeke: Seriously? You know who I am?
Gladys: Of course, you’re the son of that famous actor, Allan Wilson. Everyone here knows.
Zeke: I see. Well, I hope you don’t believe all the rumors going around about my dad or my family because… most of them are true, okay?

Gladys: Oh, don’t worry, I don’t read gossip magazines, and I don’t know much about old actors, you know? Oh. Sorry, I didn’t mean to say your dad is old, I just…
Zeke: It’s okay. My dad is old anyway. Ok, not that old, but…
Gladys: Seriously, I’m sorry, Zeke.
Zeke: No, it’s fine, I totally know what you meant.

Gladys: Anyway, my parents say he’s a really good actor; they’ve seen all his movies.
Zeke: Really? Well, thanks.
Gladys: There’s no need to thank me. Now, I have to go home. I gotta be there for dinner.
Zeke: Sure. See you around here tomorrow, I hope.
Gladys: Yeah, talk to you tomorrow.
Zeke: (Internally) Yes!

Gladys’ reaction after talking to Zeke XD He sure wanted to continue the conversation, but for now he’s content with this.
Note: They’re wearing different clothes here because as soon as school ends, they change out of their school clothes back into their everyday outfits.

Arriving home and checking his social media, as usual.

Already in the lobby of the Lumiere, where his parents’ penthouse is located. Or rather, his mother’s, since his father will be moving out soon. Zeke adores Allan and is very close to him; as a child, his father was his hero, and in a way, he still is. Of all the siblings, Zeke is the one who most resembles him in personality, so they’re sure to miss each other after he moves out.

Watching a little TV before dinner.

A bit of a fiction drama is always a better option than having to sit through yet another argument between his parents this week.

Zoe: You were in the papers again. How long is this going to go on, Al?
Allan: I’m sorry, but the paparazzi just follow me everywhere.
Zoe: You’re not new to this, you should know better. This isn’t Del Sol Valley, people here care about these things, Allan.
Allan: I know, I’ll be more cautious, I promise.

The discussion continues, but Zeke’s had enough, so he’ll just wait until dinner in his room and, while he’s at it, start his homework, which is quite a lot, by the way.

Zoe: I figured you’d be hungry, so I made your favorite: mac and cheese.
Zeke: Yeah! Thanks, Mom.
Zoe: You’re welcome, honey. Enjoy.

Apparently, there was no mac and cheese for Allan. Zoe is still mad and didn’t serve him a plate, so he’ll have to fend for himself, which, as always, makes Zeke feel a little guilty.

Zoe: Do you need anything else, dear?
Zeke: No, thanks, Mom. I have to hurry anyway, I have a ton of homework.
Zoe: I have a lot of work too, so I’ll have to leave you.
Zeke: It’s fine, thanks again, Mom.

Zeke misses the family dinners they used to have when he was a kid. Just, why can’t his parents quit fighting and live in peace again? There must be a reason for that, but apparently, no one in this will talk with him about it because he’s underage. As if it weren’t all over social media already! Anyway, it’s almost midnight, and he hasn’t finished his homework.

Zoe did finish her work, but apparently, she isn’t sleepy. Or she doesn’t want to go to sleep for some reason?
The reason is undoubtedly that Allan is out.

Zeke wonders what it is that worries her so much. His father can take care of himself; he’s a grown-up, isn’t he?

Zoi waited the rest of the night, but Allan never showed up.
Zoe: Damn it, Al, I don’t mind you having some fun from time to time, but the deal was that you’d come home to sleep.

Not that Zoe cares whether he comes over to sleep or not; they don’t even share the same bedroom anymore, but a deal is a deal. Until he officially moves out, he has to sleep at home.

Zeke needs his parents together, at least while he’s still a minor. Though honestly, Zoe doesn’t know which is worse.
Zoe: Seriously, Al, I can’t take this anymore. But you’ll hear me out when you come back tomorrow.

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