Deep Love

Chapter 1- Easier to run

15-year-old Zack Martin was doing his usual jog on Saturday morning in the summer. Sweat was dripping down his neck and off the blonde locks of his hair. He was jogging down the busy streets of Boston, miles away from his home in the Tipton Hotel. He lived in the hotel with his single mother, Carey, and his twin brother, and best friend, Cody Martin. He truthfully loved his life, but couldn't help but feel alone.

Zack was the coolest kid in school, with plenty of friends and girls surrounding him. He was down to earth, and laid back. Hardly anything bothered him. He was known for being a great prankster, pulling jokes on the staff of the hotel and the students at school. He was on the hockey team, and the basketball team. Life seemed perfect on the outside. But inside of him, something was wrong. Nobody really understood him. He was expected to be this prankster and bad boy who needed to be perfect when really, he had feelings, too. He had a sensitive side. Nobody truly cared about that side. He was being pressured to be this sporty stunt who pretended that he didn't care about what people felt.

Zack knew his coaches, and his mother were all pressuring him to be sporty and amazing. Zack began looking at himself as someone who was fat and was soon unhappy with himself. He soon stopped eating meals. Cody noticed these huge changes and looked at Zack more concerned. Zack truly had a muscular body that was perfectly fine, and attractive, in Cody's eyes. After a month, Zack soon lost weight and looked frail. Cody became more concerned, but never said anything. Cody could easily see that his twin was in pain. But still didn't say anything.

Zack had memories of his mother and father that he wished he didn't have. He remembered Kurt hitting Carey, and beating her. Eventually, he saw them grow apart. Zack, at the time, took it as his fault. He remembered him seeing Kurt shove him on the bed and saying that he wouldn't say a word to Carey about what he was doing to Zack. Zack said he wouldn't say anything. Every night, Zack was molested. Zack was living in fear. He couldn't tell Cody, couldn't tell Carey.

Then, their parents divorced. Part of Zack was relieved that Kurt was gone. A huge part of him was confused. What would happen, and could he tell his mother and brother about the molestation? Why did this happen? He was confused, but covered it up with lies, saying that he didn't care. When the sensitive side kicked in, he cried every night, praying to god that nothing would ever bring Kurt back.

He didn't know what was worth fighting for. He didn't know what was right. He didn't know why he said things he didn't mean. He didn't know why he was this way. He just figured that it was easier to run. It was so much simpler than change. He thought that running from everything would meet everyone's expectations. Really, though, it was knawing at him deep inside. He knew that things were wrong with him inside. He didn't want to be the one that was not good enough for other people.

Cody knew that there was something wrong with Zack. He just didn't know what was wrong, because Zack seemed so happy on the outside. He didn't understand that there was sadness in his eyes. There were secrets behind those eyes, hidden by barriers. Cody wanted more than anything to see Zack happy. But that vibe that Zack had about him seemed to always be there. Cody could tell that Zack was hiding something. But still, Cody didn't say anything.

Zack's troubles seemed to be getting harder. He would always remember what his father had done to him. He always ran from it, though. He never wanted things to upset other people. He knew that things were getting depressing for him. He didn't think he could help it. So he excepted his depression.

He hid from Cody's looks of concern, playing basketball and hockey and pulling pranks like nothing had been wrong. He truly loved to pull pranks, but he couldn't find that joy or happiness for a long time. Things were hard and depressing for Zack, especially in his teenage years. Nobody could understand.

That brought him to jogging. Still unhappy with himself, he decided to lose weight that way, and to escape his life for only an hour at the very least. That was his simple happiness for a brief moment. It was easier to run from everything. Always easier.

Other than that, Zack looked happy on the outside. Plenty of friends, fresh air, girls all over him, and a broken family. On the outside, things couldn't seem happier for Zack. But on the inside, it was always a different story. Nobody bothered to get to know his inside, including himself.