Prompted by the episodes where Zay just doesn't show up (more often than not he does in school episodes, but still) and most importantly, him not being around for rules, here is the story, Sick days

Chapter 1- Friendship/friendless

Zay rarely got sick. He hadn't had a stomach bug or a cold in years. His mother did not know that. That's because Zay faked like the best of them. He hated school and always faked whenever possible. He'd thought it would get easier when he went to school with Lucas again. The year without had been empty and depressing. He'd gotten picked on with no one to bail him out. He'd been lonely and sat alone in the cafeteria. Lucas had never been the sit alone in the cafeteria kind of kid, but Zay had never been the make friends kind of kid. His mouth what was got him in trouble the most. It was really just easier to stay home and pretend to be sick. It should have been easier back in school with Lucas.

But it wasn't. There they were same school. Same grade. Same Classroom. And he didn't even mind that Old Lucas had turned into good Lucas. Good Lucas was fine. But... They'd been best friends. How could all of that just be thrown away in a year? How could Lucas find a new best friend that fast when Zay hadn't even thought to look? Why was that Farkle kid better than him?

So he stayed home from school. He lay in bed and moped around. He sighed and thought and wished and wondered if life had been better in Texas without Lucas than here with Lucas hardly even there. Lucas had new friends and a new life and he practically already had a girlfriend. There wouldn't really be a reason to want him around. There wasn't a reason at all actually. Why would Lucas, new straight and narrow Lucas, want to hang around a guy who would only get him in trouble? Lucas wasn't really his best friend anymore. That hurt. It was easy to pretend you're sick when you're pulling from the hurt of losing your best friend. Its simply easier to stay home than face that hurt.

It got boring though. He'd spend hours throwing a tennis ball that he'd found in the house when they moved at the wall. Sometimes he did angrily, mad at Lucas for replacing him without even an email or text his way. Other times he'd just be bored, wishing he was in school but not able to drag himself there and face his utter depressing lack of friends. Lucas' friends were nice, but Zay never felt he fit. He'd sit around and doodle boredly and wish that Lucas was around.

One day he kind of got that wish. School had finished for the day and he was just lying around throwing the ball up and down. Someone knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Zay asked, trying to sound sick in case it was his mom or their neighbor.

"Can I come in? Its Lucas."

"Of course its Lucas who else sounds like you? Yeah you can come in." Lucas Friar attempted to open the door.

"Zay its locked." Oh yeah... He'd locked it. He'd do that sometimes when he didn't want to be interrupted by anyone. Zay got up and put on his I'm sick face. He unlocked the door.

"What brings you to my humble abode?" Zay asked sarcastically.

"Homework."

"Great." He sighed.

"Are you okay Zay? You've been missing a lot of days. Is something going on? Are you bad sick or something? Because you know you can tell me."

"No no, I'm fine. I think I'm just uh, adjusting to the new environment. Texas is a lot different."

"Believe me, I know." Lucas studied Zay for a few moments.

"Are you faking it again? You used to do it all the time... Please tell me you're not pretending to be sick. There's no reason to. John Quincy Adams is a good school."

"I know. I like it." He lied.

"If you're faking it... Don't. There's nothing to be afraid of. And I think you'll make a lot more friends here." Zay wanted to laugh. He didn't make friends ANYWHERE. He'd barely forced himself into Lucas' life in the first place. Had they ever even really been friends? That was enough to be afraid of.

"I should be well enough to come tomorrow."

"Good. We're almost in high school. Shame if you had to miss out because you were stuck in eighth grade for taking too many sick days." Lucas left. Zay sat down at his desk and tried to do his homework, distracted by his thoughts of whether or not he really ever had had friends.

For those of you who read Farkle Thoughts, tell me if you think this could be potentially as good.