You're the emptyness the whole world sings at night.

Hello, Brooklyn
Hey, LA
Take the streets all night
'Cause we sleep all day
When the world comes crashing down
Who's ready to party?

Summer is no time to sit around and waste away! Wanna sleep in? Who cares?! Do it! We have all night to party, hang out with friends, live it up! We've got our friends, we've got time, we've got entire cities to just let go of our troubles for a while. These are out best years. :] Anywhere I go, I wanna shake things up.

Hello, Brooklyn
Hey, LA
Coast to coast,
I'll take you down in flames
Let the good times roll
We can let go
Everybody knows there's a party at the end of the world

 Even if summer is ending soon--even if you gotta go back to school, to work--hell if the world is ending, don't spend your time just waiting. Live it up! Laugh, live, love as much as possible. Go places. Make new friends. I spent my summer meeting new people and visit places. If tommorow was gonna be the end of the world, at least I know I lived it up!

Don't worry
I fight dirty
Tonight's like a right-hook
Knock you off your feet

Every night should be so great it knocks you off your feet, so get to it! There's still some summer left. Nothing like a good upbeat song to kick me into overdrive and revv me up for a good time. This song makes me wanna roll down the windows, air guitar in public and just have fun.

Many topics come and pass us by each day, but one I think that has long stuck with our society--especially this current generation is censorship.

To many people today,  censorship is an everyday, natural to occur, principle. A lot of people grew up with it at home. We were all in at a point where we were told what we could and could not say. What we could not watch or listen to. Its not something unnatural. We've all experienced it. Everyone has had a point in their life and more likely, childhood when they were clearly told that no, they could not watch that show, see that movie, listen to that song, say that word, hang out with that person, wear that clothes or do what they wanted. Someone had to set that line, those rules, right? As children we only know what we hear, what we're taught and if we're able to just pick up any book and absorb its contents then the outcomes are unknown. We build our morals and opinions not only by what we learn, but by what we see when no one else is looking. Those things impact us just as much, if not more because one, no matter else is explaining them to us, and two there are no set boundaries to how much of it we see or what is shown to us. There are so many things out there. Ideas, thoughts, opinions, actions and all of these things spark those same things within a person when taken in. Some things are involuntary and some aren't. My point is, there are a lot things out there and some are good while others are bad. We know it because we see it--and sometimes we don't. Parents do what they can to dictate what their children see and hear everyday because those things contribute to the everyday mind and opinion and ultimately what kind a person they will become/have become. A lot of people think there's a certain amount of censorship needed when it comes to children but when that child crosses into adulthood, how far can we go?

Where do we draw the line and who gets to draw it?

At a certain point in our lives, are we not rightfully allowed to know what is out there? One man's art, opinion or ideas may not fit so well with another's but isn't that the entire idea of the first amendment? Every person in the grand country of ours has the right to think what they want, how they want it. We are all allowed to look at what we want and listen to what we please but when someone steps in to "protect" us, is it too much? Obscenity is not a set view. Obscenity is objective and varies from person to person. What's obscene or wrong to you may be perfectly okay with your neighbor and for that reason we are allowed freedom of speech yet everyday we find all kinds of media being censored. Music is bleeped out, scenes are cut from tv shows and movies or modified. Books are banned and taken away. How does this conflict with our right to freedom of speech and is it okay? Just how far is the government, or another person for that matter, allowed to dictate what we see and hear? What we read or say?

Who decides and what makes it wrong or right?

Government censorship of the media exists everywhere. For reasons related to politics, national security, or morality, among others. It poses a serious dilemma for journalists, who are prevented from conveying a story or situation accurately. It is also a stumbling block for artists, writers, and musicians, who feel restricted from freely expressing themselves as well as people who feel like their rights are being stepped on. (The World Bank Group.)

�

I'm not stating my opinion, I'm simply stating other people's and asking: is censorship a problem? Is it necessary? Can it/has it gone too far? Who gets to decided what is and is not censored and why?

I never said it was a black and white problem. So where on the spectrum do you stand?

 

Main Entry: cen·sor·ship
Function: noun
: the institution, system, or practice of censoring

-noun
1. an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio and television programs, letters, cablegrams, etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds

censor

 2. any person who supervises the manners or morality of others.

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"Cheers." she threw back her hand and her shot met her lips. The alcohol burned her throat but the chased mixed in instantly soothed it. Just above the glass, she watched her date shoot his own and she licked her lips. One shot wasn't going to do much. She wasn't a lightweight. William picked up the other drink, and tugged on her hand. "Come sit with me," and she followed. Instead of taking the spot next to him, she casual set herself on his lap and he sat up to hook one arm around her. "You," she smiled at him ever so innocently. "Should give me a sip of your drink." If she was going to get toasty, she was going to need more than one measely shot.

"No way," William made a way and took a sip. "Get your own."

"Aww, Share, Bilvy. "

"No," he pouted and she poked his side. "Pleeease?" To this, he let out a long fake sigh and handed her a drink. "Gosh, you're persuasive."

"You should see me when I'm trying." She tipped the drink to her lips and sipped happily, the music blasting behind them but her attention focused on him. He was so....polite. So eloquent, and smart and nervous. It was adorable because she of all people should have been the nervous one but she felt completely as ease. They're roles should have been reversed. She should have been chasing him but so far, it was the other way around. The thought made her heart rate speed up. Why was he so keen on getting to know her?

He pulled her close and let her rest again his chest; the warmth radiating from her to his own skin. "Can I have a sip?" he put his lips together in the most adorable pout and she put the cup right up to his mouth for him but he didn't drink. He was a bit too preoccupied with how the light was shining right behind her, casting the most beautiful glow against her skin. He absently took the almost empty cup from her hand and set it down. One million, four hundred and sixty seven thoughts ran through his head just then. No lie. Each one pulled at him to do something, anything because he couldn't just sit there and stare at her and he couldn't just sit there and have him stare back because oh my god, she was sending chills up his spine and making him want to gasp for air. His eyes flickered to her lips and he sucked in a breath even though it still felt like he couldn't breathe. Do it, do it, he head seemed to scream. His hand wrapped around hers, warm and smooth and he leaned into her and to his surprise, she leaned away from him and blinked.

Whoa. Red light.

William stared; unsure of how to feel. In his head, all four hundred and sixty seven thoughts ran again and this time, he saw how maybe they weren't so great. "I'm sorry." It was hard to hide the hurt on his face; he honestly hadn't expected that at all. With an expression like that was just so hard to not instant feel remorse for pushing it away but what could she have done? She wasn't into making out with guys she hardly knew. At least not when she was sober and could help it. I mean, yeah, hell, who wouldn't want to make out with William Beckett? Still, doing so, so quickly made her feel like she wasn't putting up much of a game. Like there was nothing to her when there was so, so much.

"Willi--" He shook his head as if to cut her off and turned his head; concentrating hard or anything but her. "Its okay, I'm sorry."

"No, don't be!" She blinked and swayed a little. "I'm not trying to be a bitch," She pouted and opened her mouth but nothing came out. Not looking at her for next few minutes was going to be his goal. How much more embarrassing could it get? There it was, plain and simple. Rejected, in person, straight up.

And who was she, of all people to reject him? Wasn't this the moment every fan waited for? She admired him, adored him, hung onto every word he ever sang and now she was given the chance to kiss him; to hold him and turn this situation into something and at that moment, she pushed him away. What was the problem here? The only barrier she saw was in her mind; the problem of letting herself be vulnerable. It scared her, yes, so what was she to do? How did fate expect her to get through this when all she could do was wonder if she was just another groupie; another fuck to pass the time?

"William, William" she turned in his lap but distracted himself with reaching over to grab a cup of who knows what; anything to not have to look at her face and see rejection. "Will you please, just--stop?"

A sigh escaped his lips and she stared at him, the best she could when she felt so bad for making him feel however he was feeling. How could she explain this and still make sense? She bit her lip and met his eyes. "Its not like I don't like you. Hell. who doesn't? But you're...you. And I'm me. And it would never work. And we barely know each other." It would never work? What the fuck? Where they in some soap opera or something? Already she wanted to smack herself. Why was she trying so hard to push away what she wanted?

"I wasn't trying to sleep with you." He rolled his eyes. One kiss. That was all he wanted. Right now, anyway. "If that's what you think."

"I know," She closed her eyes for a second. "What I mean is, I barely know you to jump into this; even if it is what I wanted. You think I could kiss you once be done with it?" She grinned. "Hell no." It was hard for him not to grin too.

"I don't car---"

"--I care," She shook her head as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and smiled. "I really care." It was her turn to blush red; the color filling up her cheeks in the dark lights of the club. "I--" Her voice was cut short by the ringing of her cell phone. The sound was muted by the loud beat of the dance music in the air and the vibrations were the only thing letting her know someone was calling. "Crap, who's calling me..." she muttered and fished her phone out of her pocket. Cue the small groan that indicated she didn't want to be getting a phone call from this person right now. She went to shove her phone back in her pockets and William caught her hand with a small grin. "What? Who is it?"

"No one," She shook her head but he grinned; the look on her face amusing; and took the cell phone. "Jason is calling you," He half teased. "You should answer it." It was true, he secretly wanted to know why this Jason person made her irritable and if it was he who was in the way of him getting to Zaydee. There had to be more than just 'You're famous, it would never work.'

"I would but I hate him, so I won't."

"Oh, come on," He waved the phone in the air. "He can't be that bad. Just answer it."

"No," she made a face. If only he knew just how much she hated Jason. Like, with a burning passion. The kind of hate where she didn't even like to be around him. At all.

"Can I?" He grinned devilishly and at first she didn't undestand.

"Can you what?"

"Can I talk to him?" William put his thumb over the call button and grinned. She stared at him in horror, "NO! Why would you want even want to? Why would why I---" A smiled spread her lips, slowly, her face lighting up. There was a hint of slyness in her eyes and he knew something was up. "I mean," She cleared her throat. "Of course you can talk to him." She pressed his thumb over the call button and the phone lit up. Suddenly he wasn't so sure if he wanted to talk to this guy and it seemed he had no choice. Whenever a girl smiled like that, nothing good ever came from it. "Hello?" William pressed the cell phone to his ear and eyed her in curiosity; a deep voice on the other line greeting him in confusion. "Zaydee?"

"No?"

"Who is this?"

"William," The boy told him uncertainly and looked to Zaydee for help. She wasn't going to help him, however. She was just going to sit back and watch, instead because William had wanted to answer the phone and now he had to talk on it. She wasn't going to tell him that Jason just so happened to be her ex boyfriend. She had a feeling that would only up the notch on the awkward scale.

"William," the boy on the other line had a bit of a snarky tone. "Do me a favor and put Zaydee on the phone, cause I called her and I was hoping she would answer the phone. You know. Since it's hers."

"Uh...She's busy." She couldn't hear what Jason was saying on the other line but she was enjoying this anyway, because William looked like he wasn't sure whether to be confused or be an asshole. His whole body tensed up in the fraction of a second that it took for her to blink.

"What the fuck does it matter?" William snapped. "She's busy. With me." And this, well, this put a smile the size of Texas on her face and made her lean into William to get better hearing of the conversation. "How about," William was getting a little defensive. "You just not call her anymore? I imagine she'll be a little busy from now on."

She perked up. This was so much better than she had expected. "Who knows?" William smiled into the phone with the bitchyness of a girl on an episode of 'My super sweet sixteen.' "I really don't know," he went on. "Maybe she'll be brushing her hair. Maybe she'll she'll be at a party." He pretended to gasp. "We may be fucking. Either way, I'd appreciate you not getting snippy with me." It alarmed how this had suddenly turned hostile. Why was William so defensive? She had a feeling the alcohol had something to do with it. Her eyes were wide in astonishment. She wasn't going to make a big deal about what he had just said because she knew it was all part of making Jason pissed, but still.

"Yeah. And you can go fuck yourself with the end of beer bottle." William smashed the end call button and glared at the dance floor. She stared; unsure of what to say or do and after a few seconds she fingered a lock of his hair. It was still relatively short since he had cut it, but it was growing longer already. "You okay?" She twirled the brown strand of hair and raised an eyebrow when he clenched his teeth. Finally, he sighed, and nodded. "Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?"

Her jaw dropped intravenously and if she had moved her lips to speak, it would have hit the floor. "Excuse me?" How was she supposed to react to something like that? And since when did she have a boyfriend. These things would be great, if she knew about that. She almost smacked him; trust me, the urge was strong, but instead she stared at him. "I never said I have a boyfriend..."

"That's not what he said."

"Are you serious?" She stared at him icreduously.

"I don't know," He snapped. "Is it true?"

"NO!" What the fuck? She didn't even know what to say. When in doubt, Jason always ruined things.

"Well that guy was pretty pissed because I was 'answering his girlfriend's cellphone.' William made a voice and glared more, despite the fact he knew she was telling the truth. Once again, she wanted to smack him. "What the fuck! William, that guy was pissed because I dumped him and decided to hang out with someone better."

He bore a spot in the space in front of him before finally sighing. There was no doubt in his mind that she was telling the truth, yet she didn't seem to see just how afraid he was too. She wasn't the only one making herself vulnerable. He had to surpress every feeling he had about being used for fame. For all he knew, Sisky was right. "I'm sorry. I just--" He shook his head. Enough humiliation for one night. "Never mind."

"No, what? Tell me." She needed to know. The expression on his face was too much to let go. What was it that he needed to say? What was he feeling?

"It doesn't matter." He refused to let his heart get broken again. "You wanna dance?"

"You can't just change the subject!" A frown creased her lips; a pang of guilt poking her side like a child bullying her. She really hated making him feel bad.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"No--" She pushed him back down to his seat and shook her head. "Tell me. I need to know what bothers you."

"Nothing bothers me."

Cue stare.

"Really. I just, damnit. I get scared, too." William ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Its just as hard for me. I barely know you but I think about you all the time and part of me wants to kick myself because you may be just like every other girl I've ever dated and the other part of wants to kick myself because I know you aren't. Shit like that scares me and makes me wonder. I don't want some random guy calling you and calling you his girlfriend if we're dating. Which, we're not, but we could be--if you wanted to, because I like you, I just don't know if you like me--" He was rambling. Again. How many shots had he had? She couldn't think back to it to save her life. No, she wasn't drunk, but on the inside, she was like semi hyperventalating or something and trying to process all of his words at once, which wasn't working out too well. I like you. We could be dating.  If you wanted to. Was he speaking to the right person of was he that drunk? She didn't even know how to react.

She continued to stare until finally his voice trailed off in understanding and he cringed. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just. I ramble when I drink."

"You ramble when you're sober."

"Shut up!" He grinned.

Too be continued....<3
-Zay.

This is a MADINA LAKE one shot.  I hope you like it. There is no dialouge. I just got got inspired by the song "Here I stand."
Comment and Buzz!
XO'KEEFE.

Hands shaking; breath caught in his throat, Nathan stared up at her though she couldn't see him. His heart raced at an abnormal speed, clouding any clear thinking process and begged him to just lie on the floor and let himself die because here he was. He was standing on the base of cold metal stairs, eyes fixated on the love of his life--thought perhaps he wasn't allowed to use that title anymore, since she had clearly told him she didn't love him back. In one hand a drooping daisy was being squished under his clenched fingers and his other hand was balled up as if he might actually do something besides stand there, which God knew would never happened because there was too much pain residing in him. There was a physical pain in his chest and despite his usual tough exterior, tears were threatening to break free of his eyes and cascade down his cheeks like shameful exposures of his emotions. How to put this clearly so you understand...he was having trouble breathing. He was having trouble breathing. He was having trouble living because he was stuck on the fact that instead of being with him, his girlfriend---well, now ex, was at the top of the stairs, arms around someone else; someone that wasn't him.

The urge to do something, anything was there but how could he when she had warned him. She had told him with time that there was nothing left between them and she had warned him purposefully that if he back to her apartment she might see something he didn't like. There was no easy way to just leave him. She had loved him at some point but something never last and what was she supposed to do? Stay with him simply because he had grown attached. There was nothing there anymore. She had realized that and accepted it unlike he, who insisted that they were meant to be. The only way to get her point across was to make things very clear, very bluntly and now it had come to this. She didn't know he was down there, but it didn't matter. She might as well have been in this situation on purpose because it hurt all the same. That was supposed to be him. It was supposed to be him holding her that way, gazing into her eyes, loving her and instead someone else had replaced him and there was nothing he could do. How was he to live a life when she was his air? A life without her just wasn't a life worth living and she didn't seem to understand that. He absolutely hated himself for all of these emotions. If he could have bundled them up and tossed them to the ground to be forever forgotten, he would have, but things weren't that easy. Every muscle in his body was tense with anger, with pain, with confusion. He didn't even know what to do from this point. He had an inclination that leaving would be a good start  but his feet were rooted to the ground and his eyes only had one destination and that was his love kissing him. As if he actually deserved her.

Things were fixable, in his eyes. Didn't she see that? It took effort. Things just didn't come easily. She couldn't just expect every problem to disappear, every conflict to resolve itself. He was putting in the effort, why not her? His eyes grew wider by the inch. They followed the person he both hated and loved right now into her apartment and once the door was shut, he forced his feet to move but they went the wrong direction.

There was no stopping himself; he climbed the stairs and before he knew what was happening, he was kneeling by the front window and peering through the slit in the window curtain that just so happened to be in alignment with her. Wit her touching him. Everywhere. It made his skin crawl. It made his chest hurt. It made his mouth dry with anxiety. From her hips to her arms, the stranger's hands traveled and touched her. Touched the person he loved. This wasn't right at all. Other people weren't allowed to just touch her like that. HE touched her like that, because he loved her. Like a small gasp, Nathan sucked in a deep breath but no air filled his lungs. He licked his dry lips and blinked back tears that burned his eyelids with an intensity that matched the stinging in his heart. Anyplace than this place was better so why couldn't he move himself? Why was he sitting here, torturing himself; watching them? The envy inside of him was enveloping him, filling him, promising to take over until something very bad happened. It had gotten so far to this point where he couldn't even understand what had happened; how they gotten to this point. Things had started out well and now they were trash.

Nathan shifted in his crouching positions, the pressure coming off one foot to the other and leaned against the window without any regard to what might happen if he was seen. He didn't care. His life was nothing but a joke. Lying to everyone around him, pretending to be alright. Attempting to fool himself when it was obvious to everyone except him that it wasn't over. Nothing was okay. It was all a bunch of smoke and mirrors and he was stupid enough to think that pushing away the pain would make it go away. The only fact that seemed to make any sense anymore was that he was past the point of sanity. If he could be anyone else in the world, he would have taken the offer in a heartbeat. It was the only thing he was sure of anymore. The boy was falling apart on the inside to the beat of her clothes, falling to the ground. Whether he could handle seeing them was questionable. On the outside, he was silent, calm but the disguise did nothing for the emotions train wrecking inside of him. Her shirt slid off the couch to the floor, unheard of and unimportant. Each movement she made was like a cue for his heart to break a little further, sting a little longer, taking away the oxygen he had in his lungs.

Please no, he gasped for air and finally tore his gaze away from the window before he saw anything else. Nothing was left anymore. A hollow space was taking over the place where rationality should have been. The boy tugged off the necklace around his pale neck, struggling for a second, fumbling before finding the clasp and breaking it free. He hung the silver chain around the knob of the apartment door and without a second though turned to the stairs and bounded down them; his steps echoing off loudly and filling his ears. He ran. There was nowhere to go. No one to speak to. No one he wanted anyway. So he just ran and ran, one foot in front of the other, pounding pavement in the darkness; driving him through the cold breeze that whipped at his face and commanded him to return home; safe, where he could be alone but he wasn't thinking anymore, let alone caring. Several cars passed him, but none stopped nor cared for the lonely boy running along the road; eyes wild and face tear streaked. He stopped when he could longer breath for most of his oxygen had disintegrated just from the heartache and leaned against the railing that overlook the river.

The metal was cold and wet against his hands and he stood there, heart hammering against his ribcage; mouth slightly open in temptation; eye furiously blinking back tears so he could see his feet clearly step onto the railing and hoist himself up. He wiped a hand against his hoodie, then the other and careful pulled himself to stand; carefully balancing himself on the ledge to overlook the mass of black water before him. The moon above him cast a glow against him and made his pale white hair shine in the darkness. Arms spread, he threw his head back, enjoying the danger, the rush, the exact feeling he felt when he was in her arms. If this was only way to harbor that feeling for just a few more seconds then he would go all out. Nathan gulped, but he was not afraid. His smile laugh rang out in the darkness and cut through the silence, but it did not erase his pain. It didn't make the tears go away. His blurry eyes fell to rushing water beneath him. The only way to get rid of these tears were to cover them up. And river water would do just nicely. He took one breath, and smiled one last smile. A life without her was a life not worth living. One day she would realize that. One day, she would understand that he had given it all up for her. Just her. Exhale. He put one foot out and stepped over the edge.

 

 

 

Her hair flew one direction as she turned then did a complete 360 and reached for something else. She was flipping out here, trying to look casual but great and find her stupid socks she had lost within the last ten seconds and when that was done she could go on another exploration and find her other shoe and why the hell was everything always missing? God she needed to learn to be organized because she was never going to learn to survive in the real world if she kept living like this. This so stupid because she should have been ready like thirty minutes ago and instead she had spent the time wondering about what to wear and checking her email and all that crap so she hadn't been paying attention when William had texted her and asked her if she wanted them to pick her up and she'd replied with yes because stupid her thought she was replying to her friend's question.

Smart.

"Please, please don't walk to come in and look around," she moaned to herself. He'd just texted her to say he was entering campus and she'd have to give him directions to her dorm. She was going to dramatically moan again but the ringing of her phone cut her off and her heart sped up. "Hello?" She answered her phone in the most casual manner she could muster.

"Hey!" William winced at himself. He sounded too forced. "Uhh, we just entered the campus, I think I may be being followed and I need to know how to get you--I mean, where you are."

"Hi," she smiled into the phone. "Okay, which entrance did you take?"

"The first one by the stoplight."

"Okay, go alll the way into the back where you can see the gym with see through windows at the top, pass the motel looking dorms and there will be four giant apartment style building and go around them to the other side to Jefferson-Haynes. And I'm on the second floor, apartment d-233."

Lots of rustling filled the phone, muttering and she heard someone in the backround. "I think I see the Gym. Did you get all of that? I think. I was trying to listening but the phone was a bit static-y..."

She must have been on speakerphone. And they must have found her because she saw a really nice Jetta pulling into the parking out as she peered out of her living room window through the blinds. A jetta? He drove a Jetta? Sorry to be so superficial but she honestly had expected William to drive something more...flashy. Not that this was bad or anything. It didn't change how she saw him--it was actually appealing--it had just come as a surprise. She had really pegged him for a mustang or something.

 

"Zaydee?" A tiny William Beckett voice came from her phone and she pressed it to her ear. "Yeah, sorry, I'll be down in just a se--"

"--Are we invited up?!" She heard another holler excitedly. Her faced dropped in horror. Invited up? Here? To her room with her weird roommate and unorganization?"

"Shut up, Butcher!"

"You shut up!"

"Uhm, well..." She licked her lips in indecision.

"I wanna see her apartment!" Andy's voice came through the phone and she caved. "Sure, Why not?" This could not turn out good. At all. It was going to turn into a giant mess, she was sure of it. She let go of the blinds and made a face. Guys were so pushy. And easily amused. (not that she wasn't.) Two sets of thuds were booming up the metal stairs and through her dorm frame. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. She hang up her cell and stared at the door. The knock she heard was suddenly magnified by then fold and her eyes widened. Was she really going to let him come in and see her lame college dorm?

Another knock. Yes, she supposed she was. "Hey, guys," she opened the door to reveal her new friend and The Butcher, whom she had yet to meet in person. Andy pushed past Bill and put his hand. She shook politely and stepped inside. "This is cool," He didn't bother to wait for William. He immediately started looking around.

'Er...forgive him," William said lamely. "He's not house trained yet."

"Fuck you, Beckett."

She shook her head and smiled. "Hehe. So yeah...this is my apartment. Its not much, just...yeah."

"I like it," William smiled by her side and nudge her playfully. "Its full of you."

"and my roommate," she reminded him and went to close the door to her room. William interjected and pushed open the door, "No wait, is this you?"

"Yeah, but its messy in there so you don't wanna g--"

"Sure, I do. I bet its great."

"No, really, you don't," she insisted and put her hands on his chest to lead him back. "Let's go, we'll be late."

"We're in no rush," Andy pointed out and she shot him a 'shut up' look. "But...we should go anyway," He nodded and William Pouted. "Why won't you let me see?"

"Cause its messy."

"It can't be that bad."

She tugged on his hand and smiled hopefully. "Are we going or what?" And well, how was William supposed to say no to that face? He couldn't. So he sighed in defeat and followed her back to the front door and rushed to get it for her. "Ladies first."

Andy slapped him on the back, "That's why we're waiting on you, Beckett." Oh, things were going to be interesting tonight.

They descended the stairs and in turn, earned stairs from a couple of people sitting down at the bottom on some benches. People She knew. She waved and was replied with cat calls. "Where you going. Oh, baby, you got two guys? Find out if he has a brother!"

"Keep walking," She muttered quietly to William and Andy who looked like they wanted to come back with a witty reply. Zaydee moved them ahead and waited until the last moment to turn around and grin up at her friends. "Oh, yeah," she mouthed devilishly to them.

*

"Oh, look at the time," The had just arrived at one of the newest and more expensive clubs when Andy threw his arm up and pretended to look at his watch. He wasn't even wearing one. "I've got some stuff to take of, so I guess you two are on your own---"

"--Whoa, whoa, what?" William grabbed Andy by the arms and reeled him in close. "What are you doing? You said you would help me out." He glanced quickly at Zaydee who was a few feet away, waiting patiently. "You can't just leave me."

"Sure, I can. Watch." Andy took a purposeful step forward but he was grabbed back again. "What if I say something stupid?"

The other boy shrugged. "You usually do."

"ANDY!"

"Shut up, dude. She can hear you." Her popped open the car door. "Just call me when you want me to pick you guys up." The look on William's face betrayed the calmness he was trying to portray. "chill out. She's nice. Go have fun. Its only a date."

"Oh, no, it's a date!?" William hissed.

 

"Cha. Go make her swoon, bilvy." He pushed the tall brunette towards Zaydee and got back in the car.

Oh, God, he hoped her didn't screw this up. "Alone at last," He joked and laughed with as least nervousness as possible. For the first time since they had picked her up he was finally looking at the rest of her and not just his face. He Hadn't even noticed what she wearing. (which was a good thing.) He hated to admit it, but he was so caught up with her and he barely knew her. Pete would have a field day with him if he ever told him. So would Gabe. Her shy smile made his heart flutter. Cheesy but true. There really was no explanation why they were standing in a parking lot, checking each other out but all William could think was, DAMN, She looks good. (only he wasn't drunk.)

His eyes trailed up from her brown cowboy boots (Texas was definitely one of his favorite states) to her tan legs and his cheeks burned because he was so blatantly doing so and she was just letting him, past her blue jean skirt (Man, she really was from the south) to her tee whoch surprisingly said BLINK 182 on it. She no longer had purple hair, he realized before settle his eyes on hers. It was funny, but he had pegged her for a a punk rock, sceneish girl. Not that he had a problem with this, he found it quiet refreshing she could wear one thing one day and something different the next.

"I don't dress according to labels," she said softly, reading his mind.

"I like it."

"Nice jeans." She couldn't help it. She would forever love skinny jeans. He stepped to her; it seemed like they had been standing there for hours when in reality it had been about three minutes and looked her over one more time. "You look really nice," He smiled and picked up her hand. He squeezed it softly before motioning with his head to go inside.

The lights seemed to glow so much brighter the instant he grabbed her hand. It was like being under a hundred warm lights at a play and forgetting your lines. She could even say a word when they got to the door and thank God, she didn't have to because evidently William had already paid or because he was famous they them in. Sharp, loud music got to her before they were even all the way inside and once the door behind them closed, she was flooded with strobes lights, neon lasers and dance music. Pretty waitresses in mini skirts and practically see through button up shirts walked around with a notepad in one hand and a tray of alcohol in the other. She instantly felt inadequate compared to them. She wasn't normally self conscious but hell, you would feel awkward too seeing all these hot, big chested waitresses in mini skirts walking around with alcohol.

"Uhm, do you want anything to drink? Or we could dance?"

She turned her eyes up to William, the strobe lights behind him making his pale skin flash every other second. "why not both?" She half yelled over the music and gave him a sly grin. She pulled his hands and tugged him forward to whisper in his ear. It was so much easier than yelling. "A round of shots on me?"

A chill went up William's spine then had the nerve to crawl back up. "What's your poison?"

"I'm not very picky," She struggled to not yell in his ear and still be loud enough for him to hear. "But I like Vodka."

"I'll match you, drink for drink," He challenged and without giving her warning, wrapped his arms around her waist. "But only if you dance with me first. This time we have music." His hands sent electroshock waves through her skin. "I quite liked your singing." He couldn't hear her, but she said it anyway and turned in his hold so her back was facing him. What could she say? She liked to dance.

Three songs later, they were already sweating but it didn't make the fun any less memorable. He was having a really hard time not grabbing her and kissing her with the way she was shaking her hips and he had a feeling she knew it. The way she kept grinning...it was evil! It was like she was teasing him with her fully clothed body. Like she knew he wanted her and she was testing him or something. Or perhaps it was all in his head since technically, she hadn't done anything remotely slutty. William pulled her against his chest lightly and wrapped his arms around her; his lips resting near her ear. "How about those shots?"

Her hands sat on his. "Coming right up, hon." Once free of his hold, she left to find herself a waitress or lounge. She was walking around when her hopes fell. Crap. She returned back to William empty handed and smiled sheepishly. "I'll pay, but uhm, you may have to do the buying..."

He cocked an eyebrow at her words before bursting into laughter. She gave him a tiny glare and put her hands on her lips. "What?"

"Sorry, I just really thought you'd try first. You look twenty one." She pouted and he smiled innocently. "I mean that as a compliment. I really thought they wouldn't ID you."

"Well, I didn't try."

He found this amusing, apparent and took her hand; using the other to signal a waitress. "Can I have two shots of Vodka and....a kamakazi?" Zaydee reached for her money in her pocket and he shook his head. "Don't worry about, its on me."

"Yeah, but they were on me first."

"But I want to pay."

"Well, maybe I wanted to pay." She was fighting back another grin as he studied her; a crooked smile on his lips; his eyes furrowed as if trying to figure her out. She felt his eyes on her, but they were checking her out. They were fixated on her own eyes as if trying to pin point just who she was or what she was thinking. It both made her happy and uneasy. "What?" She moved closer to him and looked up to his face. He stared at her for a second before he blinked and finally came back to reality. "I don't know. You're just..."

"Weird?" She offered.

"Very much so. In an amazing way." Cue the eye rolling. She wasn't used to being smooth talked by rock stars. As nice as he had been all night, she wasn't going to just let him think she was easy or that she was some game. "No," William took notice to her reaction and shook his head. "I'm not trying to sweet talk you." She stood back on her tippy toes to respond. "I didn't say you were."

He pressed a hand to the small of her back and she leaned it. "Don't think I'm like them all," he breathed the words in her ear. "Cause you'll be wrong." She wanted to say something challenging like 'prove it' or 'oh, really?' but their drinks arrived and their conversation was cut short. "Thanks," she heard William say and he set the larger mixed drink on the table behind them and handed her a shot.

"Cheers."

 

A/N: Hope you enjoy. I'm iffy about what I want to happen next.
:/ Suggestions! Buzzes! Reviews! PLEASE!
--You're loving writer, Zaydee.

 

 

 

 

 

Sleeping was troublesome for her. She was wide awake when the Cab dropped her off at the campus; dead to the world and quiet. She took her time crossing the parking lot and climbing the stairs to the second floor. Her hand dug in the warm fabric of her pocket for her keys and fished them out; trying her best not to be loud when she opened the door. Her roommate could be such a bitch sometimes so it was a better idea not to wake her. The room was washed in dark shadows and the few rays of streetlamp light that successfully gotten through the blinds. She was going to have to trust that not have her trip because turning on the light was a no-go unless she was a pissy roommate who also wanted to know where she'd been.

She carefuuly shut the door behind her with a soft click and tiptoed across the room to her bedroom door. "Ow!" She half whispered, half yelled this as her foot collided with the side of the lamp table. "Motherfucker..." She used her hip to push open her door and once she was safe in her room, with the door closed, she was able to turn on light and move around without the fear of getting hurt. Letting herself fall on the blankets, she sighed and curled up. There was no way she could sleep now. Not after all of that. It felt like it had last all day and it had only been a few hours, plus the concert. Her hair fanned out beneath her, across the red blankets like black and purple rays. She stared up at the ceiling above her; discolored and white; worn away from the years since it had been constructed. How had any of this happened? It was all so surreal. She wasn't quite sure how to feel at the moment. Gosh, it was incredibly warm in her room that night. Usually, she was freezing her ass off because the persons she lived with 'got soooo hot' really fast. Hmm. Perhaps it was because she was wearing this great hoodie.

Her eyes went wide at the thought. Oh, no! "Crap," She muttered and grinned up at the ceiling with a sigh. She honestly and truly hadn't meant to take his hoodie. She picked up cell phone, unsure about whether to text him and let him know and decided against it. He probably already knew.

It was going to take some effort, but was going to have to fall asleep soon if she wanted to wake up in time for class tomorrow without the bitchy attitude. (She wasn't much of a morning person.) With a lay groan, she got up and walked across the room to shut off her lights. Once they were off, it was a lot easier to lay down and feel more sleepy. In no time, unconsciousness had taken over her and her eyes drifted shut.

Waking up the next morning was her first issue of the day. It involved actually waking up. If she hadn't had a chemistry test in the next hour, she would have hit the snooze button without hesitation. But alas, she could do that and fail her test. The fail Chemistry. Then fail at college. Then fail at life and it would all just turn into a big ugly downward spiral of failure that she couldn't deal with. Not today, anyway. So she got up and forced herself into the shower and out in ten minutes. Dried up, put some clothes on, dried and combed her hair, freaked out for an entire seven minutes because her chemistry notes were gone, found them, grabbed a poptart and ran to her Chem. 1403.

It took all the effort and emotion stamina she had at the moment to get through that test. Don't get me wrong, she was bright and all, but chemistry and math just weren't her strong points. Her day never got better until those classes were over and she was in photography. Her day was uneventful and filled with her recollection the night before. It was still too much to believe and if she hadn't picked up his hoodie this morning, she would have been sure it was fake.

 

*

"Dude, just text her already." The Butcher threw an impatient look at his friend and waiting until he paced slow enough to throw his empty coke bottle at him. It got William square in the head; perfect aim; perfect hit. "OW!" He glared at Andy and kicked the bottle in his direction before going back to his nerve racking fear of texting his new friend. "Stop or I'll happily throw it at you again."

"Throw it and I'll punch you."

The two boys seized up and stared each other down for exactly ten seconds before William broke away and went back to pouting. "I mean, God, what if she's decided it'd be too weird. Or that I'M weird?"

"You are weird."

"Not helping."

"Bill, come on, stop it. From what you told me about last night, she seems really nice and like you two got along well." As it had been put, they'd had a great time until Adam had shown up with his attitude.

""It was great, but it's just too easy. I mean, I feel like I've known her for longer than a day."

"Technincally," And pulled at the strings on William's couch pillow. "you're known her for like what? A week? Longer? You met her in Texas then met her here like fifty bajillion times and hung out with her. That counts."

"You never know. She could think I'm lik some super crazy stalker. Oh, man, maybe that's why she hasn't texted me!" A horrified look crossed his face.

"Well...uh...did you give her the right number?"

William face palmed. "No..."

"...Did you give her your number at all?" andy grinned ever so girlishly. He loved seeing Bilvy this way, it was just so damn funny.

"No."

"Moron."

"Shut up."

"Text her. Tell her to like, come chill with us. We can go out or some shit, have some drinks."

"Who all would come?"

"If you're worried about Adam, he's working on some songs at home. Look, you and I will go, and she can come along. It's really not a big deal."

"Yes, it is," William frowned. "She may be busy. She's in college."

"So? If she is, invite her another day."

"Yeah, but--"

"Do it."

"She'll say n--"

"DO IT!" Andy pointed a finger at William and commanded in a booming voice.

Willaim snatched his phone out of his pocket. "Okay, okay..." He typed a few words. Erased them. Typed some more. Erased them. A frown took over his pretty little features. "I don't know what to say..."

"Okay, just type what I say."

"Okay," William got ready.

"Hey, babe. How about you and I go get some dranks and party it up?" William made a face. A very displeasing face, in Andy's opinion. "I'm not sending that to her!"

"Yes, you are."

"I can't she'll think I'm a---" Andy grabbed his friends phone and ran away, leaping over the long leather couch to press send. William's eyes were wide and terrified. "No! What did you do?!" He punched his friend in the shoulder, eased enough to do no long term harm and Andy yelped. "You were never going to do it!"

"BECAUSE ITS STUPID!"

"But its funny."

"Fucker." The taller boy collapsed on the couch, worried and unhappy of what was to come. It only took a few moments before his phone rang and he jumped in surprise, the phone slipping to the ground.

"Ooh, ohh, what did she say?!" Andy shrieked and it was at this time that William wondered if he was secretly a girl and had been hiding it from everyone. "It says....Who is this?"

 

"Well tell her!" Complying to the demand, William typed out the message and sent it only to be replied with "Who???"

"Oh great," William threw his phone at the couch in frustration. "She's pretending she doesn't know me! See what you did?!"

All Andy could do was roll his eyes. "Lemme see that." He took the phone and checked the message, mouthing each word with enthusiasm much to William's annoyance and finally just looked up to stare at William like he was the dumbest person in the world. There was that kind of silence you just can't stand because you know you did something stupid.

"What?"

Andy stared.

"What?" He repeated with more emphasis.

"You moron," Andy threw the phone at him. "You sent it to the wrong number!"

He was replied with a look of disbelief. "I did not!"

"Check it." Andy pointed to the paper where Zaydee had written her number on the table. And as much as William did not want to, he did and it took a lot of courage to fnally sigh. "Oh, thank you, God." Sometimes, it was a wonder how these two boys got through a day in the real world.

Butcher just shook his head as William retyped the number and looked up at him. "This time, I'm sending something that doesn't make me sound like I tried to turn into Lil Wayne and failed."

And he did. And this time, the right person got it.

She was halfway across campus, headed back to her room when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her eyes lit up at the message and before you knew it, she was no longer walking to her room. She was running.

*

"You don't think she'll bail, right?"

"She won't, Bill."

"Are you sure?"

"Prett damn sure."

"How sure?"

"Sure enough that if you ask my one more time, I'll kick you i the balls."

"Okay, geez........You're sure?"

"Would you like me to slap you?"

"You're not gay, are you?"

 A/N: Yeahaaaa. how do you like that for an update? I already have twelve more pages written :] Buzz&Review!
P.S What do you think of my banner? Thumbs up or thumbs down?

How did one explain the type of feeling when that arose in you when you literally felt someone's heart beating through their chest? Coats pressed against each other; breaths just a little short. The moon light was slowly fading away behind a cluster of clouds, making his eyes just a little darker when she glanced up at his face. A tiny smile danced along his lips to this and he held her just a little tighter. Too many emotions were jumbled in his head. Was this right because it felt so, or wrong because he hardly knew her? He didn't feel like pondering these questions as they took away from the moment. He was much content just swaying in their spot on the side of the street.

"Do you always randomly ask people to dance?" She meant the question as a joke but his answer held a sense of importance. "No," he whispered, a small laugh escaping him before he pressed his face into her cheek. "Only very lovely people." He spoke the words very softly against her skin and little chills raced up her spine.

"You must meet a lot of lovely people, no?"

"Sure," His hands teetered on the spot above her waist and below it like they couldn't make up their minds. "But you're only one I've asked to dance." Now, was he trying to sound cliché? Not at all but he probably did anyway. "I promise," he chuckled, "that was not supposed to come out all cliché sounding." He had a feeling she didn't mind either way, she just grinned and playfully slapped his back. "Oh, please."

"Whaaat?" He whined. "I was being foreal."

"Forreal forreal?"

"Very."

'Mhmm...okay."

He pretending to groan, a playful gesture of his delight and smiled. At some point that had stopped swaying and he'd proceeded to just hold her in that position, unbeknownst that to the fact that it had happened but content when the realization came. He absently let his fingers stroke the spot behind her ear, contemplating on what was going to happen next. Had it been logical, he would have gladly stayed in this spot all night but the human body wasn't too keen on that idea so his next two options were to take her home or take her to his. The latter of options was tempting but you must know exactly what kind of light that puts a person in, Especially William, being a guy. It was better if he just didn't go down that path yet. Not tonight. He was trying to win over her affection not drive it into the ground.

"I should probably get you home." he mumbled unwillingly. Trust me, he did not want her to go anytime soon. The words caught of guard for a second and blinked. "Oh, of course. I'm sure you're incredibly tire--"

"That is, if you want to go home," he cut in. "I'm not trying to get rid of you...Really, I want you to stay. I just thought, maybe you were bored...or hungry? Or maybe tired. We can go somewhere else if you like? I'm not trying to take you anywhere--" he rambled on and on and it never occurred to him just how nervous this girl was making him. He hadn't rambled so stupidly in a very long time. "--its not like that at all, I just think you're a nice--" His head dropped for a second and he covered his face with his hand. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"...yeah," she smiled, suppressing a chuckle. "But I don't mind."

"I do that sometimes..." he hadn't done that in so long it only made him feel more stupid. All he could do was stand there awkwardly.

"It's not a big deal, really," she insisted. "Sometimes when I get nervous, I stutter." She was trying to make him better. It was true. Jack her nerve up to ten and she was a stuttering mess. It happened when she got drunk too, but it was probably better if she didn't tell him that. Now, the question was of the game was 'what was going to happen next?' Going home was the last thing she wanted to do. She wasn't very tired at all but she didn't want to keep him out all night either. "Its up to you," she shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

Was this a simple question or a test? Damn his obsession to over analyze everything. "Uh...how about a movie?" Yeah, movies were nice. He wasn't quite ready for the night to end just yet so just about everything sounded good, as long as she didn't get bored. "Okay, where are we going?"

She had a feeling that question more awkward than she wanted it to be and she was right because now they had to decide where they were going. She honestly was a little afraid to go back to either of their places for more than one reason. The first being obvious. Hello, she'd only known him for a couple of hours. She couldn't just take him home or go to his. He was a rockstar, for Christ's sakes! Sure it was judgemental, but what did most rockstars want with ordinary girls? Sex. Yes. S-E-X. 99% of them for sure. How was she supposed to believe that this guy, of all guys, wanted such an ordinary girl to himself? Sure, he could flirt all he wanted but it still wouldn't make sense. Don't get me wrong. She wasn't horribly low on self esteem. She didn't find herself ugly and she didn't complain about her looks every five seconds but come on. William Beckett? Seriously. Someone tap her on the shoulder and wake her up. Was she really supposed to believe that he only wanted to watch a movie? A part of her wanted to believe it. He seemed innocent enough but that small voice in the back of her head kept warning her how humiliating it might be if she gave in and got used.

William pondered this question as well. They seemed to share the same track of mind at that moment. Everything she was thinking, he was worrying about too. He didn't want her thinking he was just trying to get her back to his house so they could screw. "The...the bus!" He smiled at the brilliant idea. How bad could things go if he called Sisky up and had him come watch movie with them. Then it'd be less awkward and there was no way something bad could happen.

"The bus?" She shared in question.

"Yeah, we can watch movies on the bus with Sisky!"

"Seriously?" Pardon her fan girl-ness it, it did exist. And it was excited. "Aw, that would be so cool! He seems like he would be so fun to hang out with!"

"Yeah, he's definitely a trip."

"Let's go!" She tugged on his arm. "Call him and tell him so we can go up there!" Her excitement was more than amusing. He'd never seen a girl so excited to watch a movie. Sure, they were famous. He wasn't bragging, they were. She genuinely seemed happy just to hang out. She was going on and on about movies and board games. He Hadn't played a board game in so long. Did they even have any of those? Hell, he was willing to stop and buy some if he had to do. "Okay, okay, I'm calling," he chuckled. "Don't pee on yourself."

"I might."

His arm looped through hers once more and he waited for the sound of Sisky picking up his cell.

"Yes, well. As long as no one is around, we won't get fined."

*

The sound of her cell phone ringing broke their chatter. Though she would never admit it, she was secretly damning her phone's existence because answering it meant having to let go of William's light hold on her hand. "Argh...who's texting me?" She mumbled and dug in pocket. One new text from Jason. Those words flashed across the screen and her eyes flashed in unison. If there was ever a crappy moment to text someone it was now and she knew that ignoring him would only make things worse. She had a feeling that not replying meant getting more than one phone call later and that just the thing she needed to ruin whatever fun she might be having with William later. Next to her, William was taking intent notice of her reactions. It was hard not to, since she'd pretty much stopped walking. She was too engrossed in whatever the message said to even notice but it was obvious that she wasn't delighted.

Really? Now? Jason had to start this now? She really wasn't in the mood to explain to him why they weren't together anymore. Wasn't the fact that he was a jerk enough? 'Not now', she sent him. This just wasn't the time or the place. "Sorry," she mumbled and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. "My friend was having a crisis."

"Oh," William shoved his hands into his pockets and scuffed his shoes. "Do you need to go with her?" He was praying it was a her anyway. She was quick to shake her head, "Nah...she's a big girl. She can handle it." It wasn't even a big deal but the fact that she was already lying to him made her feel horrible. One night into meeting him and already a lie that probably wasn't needed had wormed its way out of her. Not that she had meant to, but was she supposed to tell him her ex boyfriend was an obsessive jerk who was trying to get back with her? Things like that didn't exactly make for the best conversation with the guy you liked.

"Okay." He didn't really know what to say all of a sudden. The tension had snaked its way between them.

In face, the tension stayed there until the first sight of the bus bloomed around the corner, behind the building. The fact that there was someone else in the picture, made her feel a little less awkward. They had just walked a good fifteen to twenty minutes to get here and the conversation had been minimal. Not good at all.

"Sisky, unlock the door," Williams voice broke her thoughts and he snapped his phone shut lightly before he gently pushed her towards their giant tour bus. Now really, this felt too...cliché....too surreal for Zaydee. This was the scene she read in fan fiction. This was what happened in someone's dream but in real life? No.

"Uhm, actually, you know what?" She mumbled, the tension rising again. "I actually, uhm, I feel a bit tired. I think I should head home." She had to force the last few words out of her mouth and the fact that she had just said that to him, of all people, made her want to slap herself. Why on earth would anyone decide to go home when a boy like he was inviting her in? Because. It was just too good for it to not screw up. It was a dream that someone was getting to ready to wake her from and things would only get worse if she let herself go in there.

"...oh."

Oh. That was all he'd managed to respond with, 'oh.' That was the one response she hadn't wanted. Why was she even doing this. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I jus--"

"No, no, no," He cut her short. "Its alright."

"No, really. I do want to hang out again, I had a lot of fun; I'm just tired." Liar. Liar, liar, liar. Hey, what else was she supposed to do? It just didn't feel right, you know? It felt to fake. Like she was watching this instead of it actually happening. "Maybe when you're free we can watch a movie or something..."

"Yeah." He nodded very slightly and pressed his lips together. "Sure." Now she felt like an asshole. He'd been really nice this whole time and he she was turning him down like she was even in her right mind.

Uhuh, sure. He understood. This girl thought he was trash or something. She probably thought he was a whore or something and slept around with groupies after every show. "Uh, well---"

"Bill?" A very tired looking Sisky stuck his head out of the tour bus and glared at William. Yes, he very unhappy. William has just made him drive back to the bus from where he had been sleeping in his home to watch movies with some fan he'd gotten arrested. What the hell?

"Hey, Sisky--"

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Sisky's tone implied his mood.

"Oh. Sure..." William frowned and turned to Zaydee. "Just one second." she just nodded and awkwardly looked around but it was impossible not to head them. It was like they hadn't even closed the door.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Huh?"

"You don't even know this girl. You missed the meet and greet just to find her. And now you want to watch movies like you're old buddies?"

"Whoa, whoa, its not even a big deal, I'm sorry. I just wanted to meet her." That line put a small smile on her face but Sisky's tore it off.

"You don't have to meet her, she's just like every other fan girl that's ever been obsessed with you. You think she's here because she wants to watch movies?"

"I don't believe this." William muttered the words and rubbed his temple. "Why are you so worried. She's just someone I met."

She really didn't want to hear the rest of this conversation. It was really awkward and she felt like she was eavesdropping. "Uhm, Willi--"

"If you need a fuck that bad why don't you call Amanda?" The question caught her by her ears and made her stop. So she was just a fuck opportunity? She was pondered the idea of staying a bit longer and seeing if this resolved. William seemed like a pretty nice guy and maybe Sisky was wrong. But no, she shook her head and sighed. She didn't have time for this, she had class tomorrow. Zaydee turned around and made her way back to the street where they had come from. She could take a hint. Sisky obviously felt like she was just a fan who wanted to screw William and she didn't have time to deal with this. Her image of his was ruined already and they hadn't even met. She always thought he come off as really nice and super friendly and she evidently was wrong. She didn't bother to say bye to either of them and deep down she knew that was rude but she felt stupid enough without speaking again.

"Goddamnit, Adam, why do you have to be like that. Just because you've never met someone nice doesn't mean every girl in the whole fucking world is gonna be a bitch." William glared at his best friend and shook his head. This was ridiculous. Ever since Adam and is girlfriend had broken up he was so sure that woman were downright bad. "Ha." Adam laughed. "Go ahead, William. I won't stop you. But when she fucks you over and gets a few pictures don't start writing songs about it."

"My god, you're fucking stupid sometimes."

"Sure. Go tell your new friend--oh, wait." Adam smiled a very bitchy smile. "She's gone." William pushed past his friend and let the bus door fly open to find an empty parking lot. "Fucking A." His muttered and stepped outside. Now he felt like a complete jerk. Arguing about a girl right in front of her. No wonder she left. She probably thought he was immature now. "Thanks," William muttered sarcastically before taking off in the direction they had came. He spotted her by a steetlamp, looking both ways for any sight of a taxi cab but to his enjoyment,, the street was deserted.

"Hey! Hey, wait! I'm sorry, that was really and I didn't mean for that happen."

"Okay."

He sighed. "Please don't be mad. Sisky's a good guy, he's just not very trustworthy of women. His last relationship kind fucked him over."

She didn't bother to reply this time. The chill of the evening air hummed its way through the trees and rest on their ears to form silence. "Don't be mad...I--I know it sounded bad but I wasn't trying to play you or anything, really." Words like his weren't knew to her. If she had a dime for every time her ex boyfriend had said that to her. How many times had she taken him back and completely disregarded how he made her feel? Too many times, she could argue. It just wasn't worth it. She didn't have time to be in a relationship right now. She was just starting at the university and she had a job. She had too much to think about without bringing a guy into the picture. "Zaydee?"

She opened her mouth then closed it again before shaking her head. "I don't know. I just--I'm starting school and my job..." How did she point out nicely that Sisky had pissed her off and she just didn't want to have to deal with drama? "You know, this is just really...sudden," She said lamely. "I mean, you're William Beckett. You had security take me out of a show so you could meet me, and now we're talking like we've known each other forever. Its just...weird."

"So because I'm famous I can't have friends?"

"No, that's not what I meant, I just--"

"--think I'm trying to fuck you, right?" William glared at the ground and shook his head.

"I didn't say that."

"Do you believe it?"

She gave herself a moment and the question over. "No."

"Then what's the problem?" He was confused now as to why she couldn't make this work.

"The problem is Adam and how he thinks I'm just another fan who wants to get in your pants." There. The truth. She wasn't down with being treated like a whore when she had only had sex once. And instead of something serious as she expected him to say, he burst into laughter.

"That's it? You don't want to be friend because you think Adam hates you?"

"Well he does."

"He does not!" He chucked some more. "Adam is like that with all girls. Except when he's in meet N Greets cause he likes to be nic...." His voiced trailed off with his ramblings again. "Yeah, Anyway. He's a really nice guy, he just needs to get to know you." He gave her his most hopeful look. "What do you say?"

"I say...Maybe." Finally, as if perfectly on cue, a orange-yellow taxi made its way down their street and she waved it down, her eyes trained on William.

"Maybe?" The taxi slowed in front of her and she knocked on the cab's window. "Do you have a pen I could borrow?" Beneath a dirty a cap, the man gave her a weird look and impatiently dug around his console for a pen. He handed it to her and rolled his eyes. Zaydee ignored his gesture and quickly stuffed her hand into her pocket and pulled out her concert ticket to scribble her cell phone number on it. "Okay. Call me?" The driver tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and William took the paper from her.

"I'll think about it," he joked and pulled out his wallet. She was too busy getting into the back of the car to notice until he was too late. "Smile," William handed the driver a fifty dollar bill. "Its nice out."

 

A/N: Once, again, I'm really sorry guys. I won't even give you an excuse, I'll just start writing the next chapter; :]
Buzz and review, plz?

I need ya'lls help!
You see, I've been asked to write a script revolving around drug abuse.
But I've got nothing! I keep drawing s blank. So you guys should help me out.
Throw some ideas my way when you get a chance and the person with the best idea, I'll a one shot
for them or, update a chapter of their fan fic of choosing. Pleaase? :) I just need something to bounce ideas off of.

Yes? Yes.

XO'Keefe

So, I was laying here...and suddenly, I was just...struck. I opened microsoft word and my fingers started moving on their own and words began to form. I didn't know what the hell I was writing or who it was about or anything, it just came out. I'm rather proud of myself, I wrote and I only stopped once to use the bathroom in less than an hour. What you will find is that there are no names in this and more importantly, there is no dialouge. Just a simple one shot that formed within me. Let me know what you honestly think and if you like it enough, mention it to others.
XO, Zaydee.

****

 

This was the most difficult for me out of the three of us.

We each took our corners in the room and we all, shared the same fate though it would visit us in different variations. My hand was warm against the cold metal. Every so often, my thumb would twitch like a impatient signal. I couldn’t meet his eyes. Or rather, I did not want to. Not yet. The silence was a gold mine for awkward stares and it occurred to me that no one ever felt themselves normal enough to possibly find themselves in such an absurd situation. What made people think it couldn’t happen to them? It happened to me. This was harder than it looked.

As long as we were going to stand here--and we were going to stand here--because no one dared to move and I, out of the three of us, refused to make a choice then we could at least make the wait interesting. My body stood in place, but deep within the depths of my being, I was rewinding three days back to the point where my over expensive dress was just falling off of my skin the very same way, the light was fading from the bulb overhead: slowly. My fingertips had barely brushed the back clips of my bra when he pulled me forward; a dominant tug on my hand and met my lips with his. They were cool against mine with each kiss he proceeded to place among them. It was wonderful, irrational, sensation bliss and I took no thoughts with me as I let myself melt into him. Our skin matched in heat where they touched; two candles igniting in explosions of unexplainable fire. I was the matchstick and he was the kerosene. There was no doubt that I indeed was aware of this thought those few moments that had just passed but perhaps that was why I was enjoying this so much. He, like I, felt this too. It was an obvious predicament that we both seemed to spill from our cups when our eyes met. Rarely so, but it happened. Each time, it was a tidal wave of emotions, riding on the fears that the other actually cared. Both train of thoughts were subjective to each movement of a hand, a fingertip, a blink of an eye. Time kept slowing down in assurance to the mess we were making and as expected we clumsily tried to push it forward to escape the guilt that might try to crawl into us. Each turn of a second explained to me a different reason of why we should turn back, avoid the chaos but like the stubborn child who refused to follow the rules we plowed on and into the darkness; for the moon and gracefully hidden behind a band of clouds and flooded the room with darkness. It too knew the kinds of thoughts we carried within us and if anyone cared at that moment, it was only the man on the moon, trying to save the last little bit of grace we owned.

A careless whisper passed by ear, the warmth of his breath making my toes curl. I enjoyed having him this close to me, but more than that, I enjoying knowing that he was giving just as much as I was. I was match, emotion for emotion as he hungrily stole kisses from me and placed them upon my jaw and my neck. I felt the tickle of his fingertips as drew his hand over my body and made an art exhibit of the person I was. Perhaps this wasn’t so bad. It was the most passion I had seen in his eyes since the day we had met. Each inch me sparked a visible interest in his eyes. Oh, the joy I took in knowing that for the hour or so, he was mine and he would answer to every notion I made.

It wasn’t so much the sexual appeal that I wanted from him, though I knew that he could give just what I wanted. This was the first time I’d been with anyone and for it to be him of all people made it a great deal more significant. I’d never wanted to be touched more in my life. I never wanted more to hurt someone with words. And never more had my lips been so frozen from the shock of being with another person. He pushed into me like a massive force, reputing tears from my eyes and it was at that point that I lost my train of thought. I couldn’t remember if I hated him more or cared for him like no other. Instead of pondering the question, I just went with it. And for the next hour and a half, I only breathed when he exhaled.

Compared to what his face had held that night, there wasn’t much to find in his composure now. The light obviously didn’t appreciate his pale skin tone in this room and the barest wisp of emotion was hidden. I could not see it, only felt it as he stared me hard. I couldn’t bring myself to look back. Nor could I find the courage to look person behind me. My courage was locked beneath my judgment and until I managed to understand what it was that I needed to do, in this spot we would remain. There was no point in looking up, I could feel his eyes burning into me. It was the same glare he had worn five days ago.

I couldn't tell you what he had said to me in all honesty. I couldn’t remember half of his words even if I tried. Perhaps for some people, fights happened in slow motion. For me, they passed rather quickly. In the moment, they dragged out perhaps a second over but once something was said and done, it was gone and the next few words were being shouted. His eyes kept widening. It was a wonder that he didn’t look like a cartoon at that point. I, being the bitch I am when we got into always went a little further, never backed down. I would wait for the anger in his demeanor. Watch steadily for his nostrils to flare and his shoulders to square up like he wanted to hit me, but he never got that far. The desire was there, I’m sure. I did a pretty good job when it came to comebacks and bitchy remarks. At least I could hold a verbal argument. I wasn’t much though, when he hands would claps my shoulders and pin me to the wall, he mouth suddenly close to mine, making his points all too clear. I suppose he thought the close we were, the deeper his words would etch themselves into my mind. I won’t put the complete blame on him; no, he couldn’t possible deserve all the credit for I had my moments were I looked for a fight. Sometimes I would watch him come in and just seeing the drunken smile on his face, the sweat dripping off his nose, the glaze in his eyes got me so fired up that he’d only gotten two steps into my room and already, a book had flown past him and smashed into the wall right next to him. I knew it was coming and I would wait for and once again, we were towering over each other (him over me more than anything) and we were filling the room with words my grandmother would turn over in her grave hearing. If anything, I felt that ninety five percent of my arguments were justified. And because this was so, I did not mind it so much when she grabbed me and shook me in my spot, yelling drunken words at me and hoping to bring some kind of tear to my eye. It was only when he was sober that it hurt the most. I suppose then he had no excuse for his actions. No reason to look at me the way he did; and what hurt the most was when I would let him walk past me. Silence always followed him through the door and when he was just passing me, his eyes would glance at mine and he knew he’d fucked up and I knew that there was nothing I could or had the strength to do. Perhaps that explained why were in this dusty shed, clear across town; staring at the space just past our heads in hopes of intimidation. The echo of angered growl still rung in my ears from the last time we had duked it out.

Now as we shared the dingy room, silence overtook that growl so that it was clear to all of us that only person was going to win this game. My toes curled into my shoes and I dug the tip of them into the dirt that caked the carpet on the floor. Time was weakening and so was the sunlight glaring through the window. When the light fully disappeared from the cabin, the was to be made and I somehow had ended up being the one to make it.

Fleeting glances was always an interesting thing to think about. The things it lead to, the situations it brought. If I had known that letting the stranger next to me at the part have the last wine cooler meant ending up in an abandoned shed with him and stranger one month later, then I think I may have chosen to wake up in my own vomit the next more, wine cooler in hand. Maybe. I can’t really say one hundred percent sure. Perhaps it would have ended the same way anyway, who knows.

Images scrolled through my vacillating mind of wonders. Images and words. Hi. Smile. Hello. Handshake. Shivers. Smirking. Laughter. Grinning. Shyness. Lust. Desire. Delight. Streetlamps. Coffee. Car rides. Movies. Twenty questions. Accusations. Yelling. Anger. Clutching. Shaking. Snarling. Hatred. Detestation. Tears. Regret. Sorrow. Cold. Hot. Skin. Sheets. Vulnerability. Kisses. Grasping. Holding. Sleep. Waking. Cries. Confusion. Harm. Wounds. Defiance. Cruelty. Shock. Silence. Acceptance.

There were things in this world we would always remark on, but how could a person choose to accept this without feeling any pang of regret in their body? The answer was simple. It couldn’t be done. No matter how many times you forced yourself to meet his eyes, no matter how many times I forced myself to meet his pale green eyes and I watched him mouth the words ‘Do it, please’ it would never be enough and I would never have what it took to bring myself to erase all of the memories; to dilute the all of the past anger; to freeze frame all the first times we had shared. It was the most impossible of impossible things and with that acceptance, I shook my head, so softly that I wasn’t sure it had moved and met his eyes for more than a fleeting glance. Enough to share what might have been another moment, or our last one. Enough for him to understand that that this was me saying no. My hands let the cold metal of the gun slip past my fingers and blow the dust up and it hit the ground. I pulled my feet from their from invisible locks and marched across the room, one step at a time and took his hand. It was warm, unlike the gun. He didn’t say a word but I could feel everything he was thinking as he squeezed my hand. It occurred to me then, to us both really, as we clasped each others hands that our time had not been wasted. Every second was a moment to grow, to learn from another, to bear the sorrows and the happiness. It was difficult and eye opening. It was tear streaked and wrapped in laughter. It was ours alone because we had chose to take the good with the bad and the same way we have promised to love each other through the worst of times, we were going to going to out the same way.

The rustling of noise across the room was not unexpected. We did not shiver in impatience. We did not fear the future as he joined us from his side of the room; gracefully picked up the gun I had dropped only moments ago. The light faded from the room and to the right of me, his face became paler with the darkness. Sun down had approached us and we both stood tall and waited.

It had never occurred to me that the gun wasn’t loaded.

It had never occurred to me that life was a test.

That this was a test.

Our company drew a single bullet from his pocket and with a click, enclosed it inside the weapon I had been holding. The three of shared a looked and I understood then, that the purpose of all of this had not been for me to make a decision and kill my lover or sacrifice myself. It had been a test to stand through what I had to protect the one person who’d do the same for me.

He aimed the gun and our clasped hands tightened.

My eyes met with a strangers and he wordlessly bowed to me, acknowledging what he’d never had the courage to do. His eyes were not filled with sorrow, but rather they harbored respect for the decision that was made.

A single shot rang through the room and he and I walked out into the dusk, hand in hand.

 

Before you read on, can I rant?
I'm not in the best of moods. You see, I will not be seeing Versaemerge today. (wednesday, march 18, 2009) Does anyone want to know why? Because my brother is an ass. He's like a girl who PMS's. He just so happened to tell me he'd take me and then two days before, JUST LIKE ALWAYS he had to be an ass and we got into an arguement and guess what? NO RIDE. Why, you may ask, did we get into an argument? Because, I didn't agree to wake up at EIGHT AM and WORKOUT during my SPRING BREAK. Excuse me if I want a break from waking up super early for college that I want to RELAX during my time off. Not only that, but then he went and told my other brother not to take me and guess what? HE'S NOT. Because my ass of a brother told him not to. Well, FUCKMYLIFE. I am mad. Goddamnit, this is the FOURTH concert I've missed because of him being an ass and convincing everyone not to take me because of a petty argument. Did I mention I'm eighteen and in college and my parents still wont let me drive to a fucking concert because 'they're bad and people get hurt there'? Oh, But make Zaydee drive when you don't want to pick your ass up and drive to the grocery store yourself! Excuse me while I go give everyone the silent treatment for the rest of spring break. I don't care if I sound like a whiny child. I want to have fun for once and I never can.
For you however, is the next chapter of my fic.
Enjoy. At least one of us got what we wanted.

****

How did one explain the type of feeling when that arose in you when you literally felt someone’s heart beating through their chest? Coats pressed against each other; breaths just a little short. The moon light was slowly fading away behind a cluster of clouds, making his eyes just a little darker when she glanced up at his face. A tiny smile danced along his lips to this and he held her just a little tighter. Too many emotions were jumbled in his head. Was this right because it felt so, or wrong because he hardly knew her? He didn’t feel like pondering these questions as they took away from the moment. He was much content just swaying in their spot on the side of the street.

“Do you always randomly ask people to dance?” She meant the question as a joke but his answer held a sense of importance. “No,” he whispered, a small laugh escaping him before he pressed his face into her cheek. “Only very lovely people.” He spoke the words very softly against her skin and little chills raced up her spine.

“You must meet a lot of lovely people, no?”

“Sure,” His hands teetered on the spot above her waist and below it like they couldn’t make up their minds. “But you’re only one I’ve asked to dance.” Now, was he trying to sound cliché? Not at all but he probably did anyway. “I promise,” he chuckled, “that was not supposed to come out all cliché sounding.” He had a feeling she didn’t mind either way, she just grinned and playfully slapped his back. “Oh, please.”

“Whaaat?” He whined. “I was being foreal.”

“Forreal forreal?”

“Very.”

‘Mhmm…okay.”

He pretending to groan, a playful gesture of his delight and smiled. At some point that had stopped swaying and he’d proceeded to just hold her in that position, unbeknownst that to the fact that it had happened but content when the realization came. He absently let his fingers stroke the spot behind her ear, contemplating on what was going to happen next. Had it been logical, he would have gladly stayed in this spot all night but the human body wasn’t too keen on that idea so his next two options were to take her home or take her to his. The latter of options was tempting but you must know exactly what kind of light that puts a person in, Especially William, being a guy. It was better if he just didn’t go down that path yet. Not tonight. He was trying to win over her affection not drive it into the ground.

“I should probably get you home.” he mumbled unwillingly. Trust me, he did not want her to go anytime soon. The words caught of guard for a second and blinked. “Oh, of course. I’m sure you’re incredibly tire--”

“That is, if you want to go home,” he cut in. “I’m not trying to get rid of you…Really, I want you to stay. I just thought, maybe you were bored…or hungry? Or maybe tired. We can go somewhere else if you like? I’m not trying to take you anywhere--” he rambled on and on and it never occurred to him just how nervous this girl was making him. He hadn’t rambled so stupidly in a very long time. “--its not like that at all, I just think you’re a nice--” His head dropped for a second and he covered his face with his hand. “I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“…yeah,” she smiled, suppressing a chuckle. “But I don’t mind.”

“I do that sometimes…” he hadn’t done that in so long it only made him feel more stupid. All he could do was stand there awkwardly.

“It’s not a big deal, really,” she insisted. “Sometimes when I get nervous, I stutter.” She was trying to make him better. It was true. Jack her nerve let up to ten and she was a stuttering mess. It happened when she got drunk too, but it was probably better if she didn’t tell him that. Now, the question was of the game was ‘what was going to happen next?’ Going home was the last thing she wanted to do. She wasn’t very tired at all but she didn’t want to keep him out all night either. “Its up to you,” she shrugged. “What do you want to do?”

Was this a simple question or a test? Damn his obsession to over analyze everything. “Uh…how about a movie?” Yeah, movies were nice. He wasn’t quite ready for the night to end just yet so just about everything sounded good, as long as she didn’t get bored. “Okay, where are we going?”

She had a feeling that question more awkward than she wanted it to be and she was right because now they had to decide where they were going. She honestly was a little afraid to go back to either of their places for more than one reason. The first being obvious. Hello, she’d only known him for a couple of hours. She couldn’t just take him home or go to his. He was a rockstar, for Christ’s sakes! Sure it was judgemental, but what did most tricksters want with ordinary girls? Sex. Yes. S-E-X. 99% of them for sure. How was she supposed to believe that this guy, of all guys, wanted such an ordinary girl to himself? Sure, he could flirt all he wanted but it still wouldn’t make sense. Don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t horribly low on self esteem. She didn’t find herself ugly and she didn’t complain about her looks every five seconds but come on. William Beckett? Seriously. Someone tap her on the shoulder and wake her up. Was she really supposed to believe that he only wanted to watch a movie? A part of her wanted to believe it. He seemed innocent enough but that small voice in the back of her head kept warning her how humiliating it might be if she gave in and got used.

William pondered this question as well. They seemed to share the same track of mind at that moment. Everything she was thinking, he was worrying about too. He didn’t want her thinking he was just trying to get her back to his house so they could screw. “The…the bus!” He smiled at the brilliant idea. How bad could things go if he called Sisky up and had him come watch movie with them. Then it’d be less awkward and there was no way something bad could happen.

“The bus?” She shared in question.

“Yeah, we can watch movies on the bus with Sisky!”

“Seriously?” Pardon her fan girl-ness it, it did exist. And it was excited. “Aw, that would be so cool! He seems like he would be so fun to hang out with!”

“Yeah, he’s definitely a trip.”

“Let’s go!” She tugged on his arm. “Call him and tell him so we can go up there!” Her excitement was more than amusing. He’d never seen a girl so excited to watch a movie. Sure, they were famous. He wasn’t bragging, they were. Both she genuinely seemed just to hang out. She was going on and on about movies and board games. He Hadn’t played a board game in so long. Did they even have any of those? Hell, he was willing to stop and buy some if he had to do. “Okay, okay, I’m calling,” he chuckled. “Don’t pee on yourself.”

“I might.”

His arm looped through hers once more and he waited for the sound of Sisky picking up his cell.

“Yes, well. As long as no one is around, we won’t get fined.”

****

 

A/N:

Hope you like it, blah blah, all that stupid crap I say.
Make me feel better? Bleh, fuck it.

“Okay, seriously,” His laughter was soft and playful as they walked, his head turned slightly so that he wouldn’t miss a thing she said, or a face she made, or anything. The only faces she was making however, were from the cold. The cement sidewalk was like some kind of slate that let the cold bounce off it directly at her--or that‘s how it felt anyway. He mustered up a little courage and slowed his pace. “You have to tell, why’d you keep running away?” There was a look of expectance and she rolled her eyes before laughing too. Running away? From him? “I wasn’t trying to! I don’t even know how you found me in another state.”

Okay, so that was a little creepy. I mean, how did he find her in another state? Still, it was not enough to make William weird because well, it was William. He stopped only for a second to grin sheepishly. “How was I supposed to know you’d be coming to Illinois? I lived here first.”

“Yeah, well…” She pretended to glare at him and grinned. “I don’t have a come back. But I promise I really wasn’t running away from you. I mean, the first time I left because I admit, I was a bit scared to say something stupid and it was getting late…but that day at the diner, I had to get to my next job before I got fired.” Okay, she needed to stop rambling. “Plus, you scare me,” she mumbled.

He scared her? No, no, no. SHE scared him! William stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at her, a little more than necessary. He even looked cute when his hair was messy and he had a funny face on. “What?” She turned red and stop to turn to him. “Don’t look at me like that, I feel like I said something stupid.” At this, William dropped his gaze and grinned. “I scare you?” This was new. True, he was used to fans being afraid to talk to him and all, but this was different. He had a feeling it wasn’t his popularity that scared her. He ducked his head a little to search her face and smiled. “Well,” she began nervously. “I mean, you don’t scare me scare me but you do…a little…cause I never know what to say to you…I mean, every time we meet, its always in a really awkward situation.” she shrugged, averting her eyes in case he was going to give her a weird look. His hand twitched in a need to grab her hand at that moment but he kept it by his side because it wouldn’t be too good if he came on too strong this quick. “I really think…that’s cute,” he grinned and she looked up in half surprise. Maybe she was imagining things but it sounded like he had just said she was cute. Kinda. Okay, so he was talking about her being scared and not her features, but it counted, okay?

“I’d be lying if I said that you don’t scare me,” William nudged her gently with his shoulder hoping she would smile. He waited and blinked in the most hopeful manner and score! There was that smile he’d dreamed about. “Really now…I’m not that scary…” He growled playfully, circling her as she stood there.

Sure, now he wasn’t but he didn’t know just how intimidating she found him. Actually, most people intimidated her at first meeting but shhh. Her eyes followed him as he moved around her. The entire time she was fighting the urge to not giggle and then he was speeding up, running around her, dodging her so fast that when she turned around, he was already gone. “Hey,” She pouted and at that moment he came up behind her, so much closer than she expected that her chills ran up and down her spine and left her breathless. Zaydee’s cheeks went pink at their proximity.

“Yes?” William breathed, his voice low, a little excited. From what? She wondered. Her? Or was it the cold making him shiver that way? The latter was more believable in her eyes.

“Uhm…” Well, damn, now she had forgotten what she was going to say. See what you do, William Beckett?!

“…Do I really scare you?” His voice crept along her skin in ways that it probably shouldn’t have. At least not yet, she didn’t know him well enough.

“A-a little.” she squeaked, her feet rooted into place; frozen by his breath warm on her ear. “I mean, not scared-scared…but…” Great, now she was rambling.

“I promise, I’m not scary…” His lips were close enough to tell her any secrets he had but her mind wasn’t functioning enough to understand anything else at the moment. She gulped. It was times like this when she wished she had enough wit, enough confidence to come up with a decent answer to his words, to hold his attention just a little longer so she didn’t just have to stand there. “You’d be surprised,” was all she managed to get out. Don’t get me wrong, she quite liked being this close to mister Beckett but there was no explaining how he made her nervous. A tidal wave of angry butterflies were swarming in her stomach.

At least this was new to him too. She and William were on the same page of emotions for different reasons. Sure, he was an outgoing guy. And we all know he’s confident but there’s a difference between being confident and acting like it. And he didn’t know which one he was doing anymore. Now it he was stuck between controlling his own actions and gravity, fate; whatever it was making him do what he was doing. Whatever this was, it was happening on its own accord. Their proximity, the way he had to calm himself and not put his hands on her at all was difficult. It was ridiculous. Anyone in their right state of mind would clearly label her as a stranger but there was nothing strange about her in his opinion. He knew her already. He’d already memorized the way she laughed but he wasn’t going to admit it. There were frozen that way for a long time. Neither one of them uttered a word, they just let the little space between them whisper nonsense in their ears and finally, when the breeze picked up and shoved past them, a small shiver shifted through her body and moved. Awkwardly, I might add, but it was either that or stay frozen forever.

“I’m sorry,” He muttered as her cheeks instantly took on another shade of pink. “That wasn’t---I shouldn’t--I mean--” He stepped away from her; her heart dropping as he did so and only when she shook her head did he fall silent and even then neither of them had something to say. It was a moment before she coughed lightly.

“Hey, let’s go get some coffee or something…” Okay, so besides it being stupidly random it was better than nothing.

“Good idea,” He mumbled quickly and pulled her along. Her arm hooked with his and they made their way down the lonely sidewalk. Every five or so seconds, their skin would light up, the streetlights above serving as spotlights. Every time the light would shower them, her eyes averted to the ground. It suddenly felt like she was looking at him too much or something.

“I don’t think anything near here is actually open this late.” He didn’t want to admit it because then she’d maybe want to leave but it was true. To get coffee they were going to have to go somewhere else. “I wasn’t really in the mood for coffee anyway,” she lied. “Just a bit cold.” Which she instantly regretted because there was no hesitation within him as he slipped off his navy pea coat and draped it around her shoulder. How cliché, she thought to herself. You shouldn’t have said that! He probably thinks you did it on purpose! She didn’t even have time to tell him that it was fine, he didn’t have to. “I don’t want you to freeze,” she told him, glancing over his thin frame. He’d probably feel the cold worse than she would.

“I won’t,” He assured her. Now she felt bad for taking his jacket. It only took one moment that looked like a shiver and she shook her head. “No, here. I’ll be fine,” She started to take off the coat. “You’re freezing and I’m wearing a hoodie--”

“--which is thin,” he reminded her as he pulled the jacket back onto her frame. “Honestly, I’d be hurt if you didn’t take it.” He wasn’t being serious, but he knew it was a good enough excuse that she would keep it on. Something silly in him enjoyed the sight of her wearing his jacket. She shot him one of those looks that meant “Fine. But I still feel bad” and rolled her eyes. Was he flirting with her? That was an honest question with her. She was in no way, shape or form good at flirting and didn’t know the first thing about it, let alone how to tell if a guy was doing it. Rather than think about she hopped a few steps and turned around to walk backwards, eyes bright. It was better not to think about it.

“You’re going to fall,” he warned her and she responded with a smile. “Uhhhh, no. My ninja reflexes will catch me if anything happens.”

“Ninja reflexes?” he mused.

“Yes.”

“I see…and when did you acquire these ninja reflexes?”

“Oh, they came with ninjaness I got when I was born. it’s a lifestyle, really.”

He snorted. “Oh? So what’ll happen if I jump you right now?”

“…Define jump,”

“Uh…Attack you.”

She thought it over, glancing behind her as far as she could at the corner of her eye. “Uh…then I’d probably respond with an ancient karate move and hurt you. And I like you, so let’s not cause that to happen.” She nodded to him matter-of-factly.

“What…if…I jumped you…as in romantically?” Now things were getting interesting. A sneaky grin took over his lips and he eagerly awaited her answer which he was making hard to answer because he was too adorable. She paused, unable to decipher what his motives were. “Uhm, well…why are you attacking me?” She took a few more steps back, doing her best not to look behind her. He was going to answer when something else distracted him. “Uhm, Zayd--”

“I mean, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t have to attack me…”

“Zaydee--”

“Hmm?” She smiled up at him and the next thing she knew, the ground was a lot closer than it should have been, the sky was getting farther away and her ass was saying hi to the pavement. William winced and hurried to her side. “Are you okay?” His voice was a little higher than necessary as he continued. “I tried to tell you, I mean, I was going to stop you, are--are you okay?” She stared up at him with this look that he was so sure she was going to start crying then she burst into laughter that he didn’t understand. She was greeted with a stare.

“I was waiting for that!”

“…What?”

“To fall,” She grinned. “I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I’m so clumsy, its ridiculous. Usually, I manage to fall on flat surfaces so at least this time I have the excuse of tripping over a…” she glance to what she had fallen over and fought the urge to smack herself. “The curb.” No matter how embarrassing this truly was, and let me tell you, it should have been but she found no humiliation in it whatsoever. It happened, oh well. “Well, since we’re down here we may as well sit and chat.”

Zaydee tugged on his sleeve and made a whining noise. “Alright, now, don’t cry,” He teased her as he eased himself to sit next to her.

“I’ll try not to.”

“I’m sure you’re having a such a hard time.” He expression was wry and dry.

“Oh, you have no idea,” she grinned. It occurred to her that once again, they were sitting on a curb, talking. It was like meeting him all over again. She paused before glancing sideways, taking him in as he was and not as he should be. Just the person he was: William, witty, outgoing, fun. Not William Beckett, singer of a famous band. Just the random guy she had met on the side of the road.

“it’s a good movie,” he said softly, leaning his weight toward her.

“What?”

“Donnie Darko. it’s a good movie.”

“It is,” she agreed softly, her hands shyly playing with the belt to his coat. She liked the way it smelled; clean, and slightly like cologne.

“We should watch it sometime.” The words were a bit mumbled but she was pretty sure she had heard him right otherwise her stomach leaped for no reason. “I could come over…maybe? I’d bring popcorn,” he added with a grin and nudged hopefully.

Him? Come to her dorm? Somehow, she couldn’t see that being a good idea at all. For various reasons that she didn’t want to think about. And there was also the idea of him wanting to come over . Like, actually wanting to. “Uh…” She hadn’t mean to say the words so jerkish sounding but that’s the way they came out.

His face immediately dropped and he dropped his shoulder, “I’m sorry. That was too forward. I shouldn’t have--”

“No, no,” She quickly cut him off. “Its not like that at all, I like you--” Her eyes went wide. “I mean, you’re fun to hang out with…it just wouldn’t be a good idea…with my roommate and all…”

“Oh.” There were two options in his head and he was trying hard not to lean toward the one that said she was just trying to get out of it. He wasn’t cocky by any means but really, this wasn’t what he had expected.

“Really,” she assured him, guilt washing over her. “I do want to hang out with you some more. Even if you are scary…” she smiled up at him and he grinned, grateful that he wasn’t loosing so soon in the battle.

“I am not scary!”

“You are,” she chuckled. Relief came back now that the conversation was starting up again. She hadn’t meant to sound like she didn’t like him because honestly, look at him. He was charming, he was sweet, he was funny. How could she not like him? How could anyone not like him? Including her roommate who just happened to be the girl half the guys on campus had their eye on. Surely bringing him over was a disappointment waiting to happen. One look at her roommate and she’d be invisible.

“I am not! I’ll prove it to you!” William jumped up from his spot on the ground and pulled her up gently, his face eager but innocent. “Let’s dance,” He whispered the words in her ear leaving chills down her neck before he twirled her around.

“Dance…?” she repeated shyly.

“Yes, dance,” He nodded and grabbed her other hand; softly humming a tune she couldn’t identify. It was pretty, whatever it was.

“Right here?” she looked around but the street was empty with the exception of them and William’s humming. She had no problem dancing, it was just too cute to seem real. She felt like Rachel McAdams from The Notebook. “Yup.” He moved them into a waltz and pulled her close. One hand cupping the small of her back as they danced in the breeze. Time stopped then. Her body was moving, completely in sync with his; heart beating at an unnatural pace. For once she wasn’t shaking. His eyes were half shut and a content smile rested on his lips. Time stopped and all she could hear was his humming. And it was beautiful.

 

 

A/N: Sorry its been so long, guys! My theater director asked me to write a play and I focused on that for a while. :) I'm pretty stoked. We're going to perform it next fall and take it to a national festival. I called it "Commit this to memory." Inspired by MCS of course. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.
-Zayyy

“Are you with us?” Someone boomed loudly and William jumped at a hand clapping his back. He turned to look at the guitar, Jeff, who was laughing at the unexpected look on William’s face. “Looks like sweetie pie didn’t sleep much last night.”

“You have no idea,” he muttered to himself and shuffled to the stage for sound check.

*

Deep in the large of angst teens pushing aginst each other, she found herself pushing back, trying to stay alive and enjoy the concert at the exact same time. That was no easy feat, you know. You can’t enjoy William Beckett’s voice is some just elbowed you in the ear and left you slightly deaf. You just can’t. She was all for mosh pits and shit but tonight was about seeing William. Not seeing-seeing, just like, watching? Basically, she was there to enjoy the show and where I’m getting at is that the big sweaty dude who was pressed into her right side was dripping on her--so not cool--and the tall, whorish looking girl to girl right was making out with a different guy then who she had been five minutes earlier. And she couldn’t see who was behind her, but someone was there too. Obviously.

It had been a while since her last concert and while the memory of being surrounded by a lot of people was pretty clear, the pain of being pushed like putty, she had forgotten. And now she was really starting to hate it because William was nearing her side of the pit and she felt like taking pictures.

The girl pushed away the big sweaty dude who probably didn’t even feel her and stood on her tip toes. Aiming the camera in William’s direction, she fixed her settings and prayed to God she either got some good pics or that at least her camera would not fall and break. Someone pushed into her and she growled. This was not going to be easy. ‘Stop moving, Bill!’ She muttered and snapped at picture. “Arggh!” She looked at the blurry picture and pouted before trying again. She was never going to get a good picture if he didn’t stop moving. And to her surprise, as if he’d heard her, he stopped right in front of her line of sight, only ten feet away and bent low to sing to the fans. Instantly, the dark stage was lit brightly with flashes and William grinned for his fans and he continued to sing Neighbors. She grinned in excitement and snapped away her own pictures, delighted they were coming out great and sang along. Her smiled widened as they entered the bridge of the song, Bill’s voice low and soft. He grinned out into the crowed, studying his fans and it was at that moment that he saw her.

Right there. She was right there in front of him. He continued to sing, his eyes on her and when the tempo picked up again, he moved away quickly, gears churning. There was no way in hell that all of these instances were coincidences. How did two people meet in the place so many times by accident? No, this he would not accept. Not. At. All.

His band mates closed the song with their last note and Beckett ran to the side of the stage, “Five minutes, guys? I have some business to take of.” He pointed at the crowd and winked mysterious before disspearing back stage and turning off the mike. “Guys? Secur--” Jack stepped in front of him. “Bill, you can’t stop the show for no reason---”

“--Can I get security?”

“Whoa, what’s the problem, Bill?”

William glanced around, one hand on his hip, the other wiping the sweat from his forehead. “I’m fine, Jack, I just needed to speak to one of the security guards, that’s all.”

Jack gave him one of those ‘okay?’ looks and stared at him. “There’s no problem but you need security?”

“….yep.”

There was nothing he could do and Jack new better than to question William when he looked this serious so he pulled his shirt up, speaking into the tiny microphone clipped onto it and spoke. “This is Jack, can we get a security personal backstage real quick?”

They barely had to wait, someone walked up less than fifteen seconds later and William’s eyes widened to the tall, hefty security staring back at him. He was a little scary, I won’t lie.

“Alright, now what’s this about?” Jack started and William shook his head. “I just need to speak with him for a second, Jack.” And with those words, Jack retreated and William hesitantly took a closer to the guard. “Could you, uh, do me a small favor? There’s a girl, um…short, Hispanic, I think, at the front of the pit...just off the center, towards the left, purple in her hair. I’m gonna need you to take her into the backroom.”

“Is she causing a ruckus?”

“Well, uhm…kinda..I mean, no, but, look just do it, please?”

“We can’t just hold her for no reason.”

“There is a reason, I just can’t tell you what yet.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

William bit hit lip and thought quick. “She has something of mine. Now please hold her so I can get it.”

With another word, he turned and sprinted back to the stage, sweeping the microphone out of Jack’s hands on the way back. He flicked it back on and emerged from the side of the stage to an uproar. “Sorry about that guys…I think had one too many monsters before the show…Haha. Anyway, we have a little problem…in fact, we have a mess! A big BIG MESS!” He threw his hands up in the air and the arena was filled with the opening notes of “We got a big big mess on our hands.” He could only hope, so instead of worrying about it and fucking up the show, he sang, only allowing himself to glance in her direction a few times. Ha. Yeah, like that would work. He caught himself just as he was walking back in her direction and it was during the second run through the chorus that his security guard buddy parted through the crowd and tapped her on the shoulder. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but she did not look happy. In fact, she looked downright confused.

“Excuse me?” she stepped away from the guard and ended up pressed against someone who just pushed her back. “What did I do?”

“Miss, you’re going to have to come with me.” He clamped a hand on her shoulder.

“--Wait, what did I do?” She repeated and shrugged out of his hold. She didn’t want some guard pulling her out of the show for nothing, hell, what if he wasn’t even a real security guard?

“Miss, please cooperate.” That’s all he would say. She wasn’t getting any answers from but gruff versions of ‘please cooperate’ or ‘I need you to come with me.”

“Oh, no. Uh-uh, I didn’t even do anything--stop, I didn’t do anything!”

He had a pretty hold of her arm by now and she had a feeling she wasn’t going anywhere in his death grip and not only pissed her off, but it scared her. As far as she could tell, she hadn’t done anything wrong so she didn’t understand why some rent a cop was pulling her through the crowd and literally dragging her, because jackass didn’t care enough to let her keep her balance. The only thing keeping her halfway up was the mass of teenagers around her. It didn’t matter what she yelled because no one understand her words as anything but cheering so she settled for tugging and pulling against officer brownie. After making no progess, she just went semi limp and let herself be dragged out of the arena into the main lobby where people stared at her in curiosity.

Guard-man casually continued to pull her and past another set of double doors of the lobby to security. The door read security and she had a feeling she was going to be locked up for whatever reason this bozo had snatched her up. If she was locked up then she missed the rest of the concert. And she had not saved up sixty bucks just to get thrown in concert jail for absolutely no reason. “What the hell, let me go!” she let out a growl and glared at her captivator, who in turn, yanked her arm and pushed her into the plain white room where they hold people. She went stumbling through the door and instantly turned back around. “No, no, wait! Hold on, wait, is this about my camer---”

The door shut in her face with a loud bang and her mouth dropped.

*

“FUCKING HELL!” She slammed her hands against the door and tried the doorknob just to try. Nothing. Of course. “This is bullshit!” she yelled through the door and gave it a good kick before turning on her hell to size up the room. The result of saving up tips from work and wanting to have a good time; see the guy she knew she’d never have a chance with and just take a break? This. She got to sit in a boring, plain ass, white room with a shitty blue couch on one side and foldable chairs lined up on the other. A brown table sat in the corner and the only thing good about it was there was a coffee pot and some Styrofoam cups to go with it. She wasn’t much in the mood for drinking coffee though, she was a bit pissed that she missing concert.

Was it better or worse that she could still faintly hear William singing?

She flopped herself on the blue fake leather couch and moaned dramatically. This just made her entire evening. “Fucking woo.” She stared up at the ceiling and starting counting ceiling tiles.

“One…twoooo….tha-reee…four…five…six...seeeveenn…eight….nine…fuck this…eleven…twelve…I should bust outta here…fourteen…stupid guard, doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing…She totally lost what number she was on then and sighed. This was gonna be fun.

The clock on the wall ticked mockingly and she stared at it. Either she would go insane by the end of the night of she would take it and jump on it but one of them was going to be in pieces when that door opened.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TI--

She moved so her feet were in the air and let her head hang off the edge of the couch. The goal here: to let all the blood rush to her head and kill her. Haha, yeah, she only lasted two minutes.

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

She sang along with Bilvy as loud as possible. “--serious? I don’t know what to think. Is it all a lie? Well one thing is for sure I'm taken back to the glory days When we were kids without a brash or bitter thing to say. Now my life is one big make it, or break it. Hold your head high heavy heart Save your strength for the morning after. So take a chance and make it big, Cause it’s the last you’ll ever get. If we don’t take it, when will we make it?”

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

And now, an original play performed for your enjoyment with a complete script and shadow puppets.

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

Presenting the one, the only! You’ve see her, you love her! She’s the daredevil of the century and now she’ll be leaping from the couch, over the coffee table and onto the foldable chair!

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

“Hiiiiiiya!” “Hooooah! Konichiwaaaa, bitch!” *Does a flying side kick*

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

“This blows! I didn’t do anything!”

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.

The clock read 11:27.

TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK. TICK. TO---

“ARGGGH!” This was it. The final showdown. I told you that clock wasn’t going to last and now it had ticked until her last nerve couldn’t take it and the knew thing she knew, she was leaping off the clock and position the foldable chair against the wall so she could reach up and snatch the clock. And when she finally it in her fingers, she ‘accidently’ dropped it and smiled before hopping off the chair and landing on it. But this is her so you should know that when her feet landed on it, she ultimately slipped and her ass made friends with the floor.

And now that clock was going down.

She had it in her hands and she was wearing to tear it apart until there was nothing left. “Die!” she yelled loudly and slammed the clock into the floor with both hands which probably wasn’t a good idea because the doorknob turned then and she noticed the music was no longer playing. Oh, shit, what if they fined her for the clock? What if they kept her here all night for vandalization. The girl looked down to clock in her hands and stared in horror. Now they actually had something to pin on her.

“Uhm…what are you doing?” His voice broke her thoughts and she stared up at William who was pushing a key into his pocket and closing the door behind him quietly. A look of confusion played about his about his face; one eyebrow raised at the scene of his mystery girl on the floor, hair messy, a clock on both hands and a semi crazed look on her face. She blinked up at him and his confusion faded to amusement. As though he was trying reeeally hard to fight the urge to say something. Like he was super excited or whatever. Her face, however, it kind of froze and she stared up at him, absently clutching the clock to her chest. He’s here. He’s here. He’s here. He’s in here and he’s staring at me. Don’t say anything stupid, I swea--oh, damn he looks good. He’s covered in sweat. Damn that’s sexy. Wo-- “Hi,” she squeaked out and to this, he broke out into a grin. The most wonderful of grins. It made it hard not to smile back but the oddity of the situation did it for her.

The brightness in his eyes softened just a little bit as he stepped out of the direct beam of light and took anther step toward her; cautios but slightly eager. “..Y-y--” He inhaled a mouthful of air and licked his lips before he glancing up at her. “You’re haunting my dreams,” he mumbled so low it came out as a series of incomprehensible sounds.

What? She blinked a couple of time trying to make sense of what she had and let the clock have some space between her and her chest; it was starting to hurt. “What?” her eyebrows crinkled and she stood up rather clumsily, setting the clock on the floor. There was no real way to get out of that one unless he changed the subject fast enough. “Nothing,” He quipped and stopped in front of her. "Did it steal your money?" His hands went on his hips and she could only assume he was making fun of her and the clock and this made her cheeks fade into a light shade of pink.

“...Uhm…Heh…No.“ She patted the clock like it was a puppy and pushed it to the side.

The two stared at each other for a small moment, perhaps lost for words or maybe they were just trying to remember something about this moment. Both stared hard, momentarily dissociated from the fact that they were still total strangers and they would have stayed that way if he had hadn’t coughed a small cough and brought his hands up to scratch the back of his head. “Sorry about the excessive force to keep you here but, uh, every time we meet you seem to run away from me…”

It was at this moment that her jaw dropped and she couldn’t help the small stream of anger flooding through her. What kind of person had you hauled out of the arena, in front of everyone, and got you locked in a tiny room just so you wouldn’t leave? When they didn’t even know you! Her natural instinct was to glare.

“This was YOUR fault? Ticket's aren't cheap, you know?” Her own hands copied his earlier and went on her hips and immediately after she felt bad because who could yell at William Beckett for locking you in a room so you wouldn’t leave?

The boy opened and closed his mouth a few times in a loss for words, his lips curving into that smile that kind of leaves you breathless when you catch it; his eyes sparkled a little brighter as he searched for his words. “Sorry? I couldn't help it!” He grin broke wider. “I was afraid I'd turn around and you'd be gone.”

Now, she is not a completely dense person but in all honestly, she totally did not catch on at that moment. “Why? Hey, look, I'm sorry about your shirt, okay? I left you money to get it cleaned...Was…it more?“

She should have know. His shirt was probably from some designer brand or whatever. It probably cost a fortune to get it cleaned. She dug her hand in her pocket for more money and nearly died when he stepped forward to put a hand on hers, his head shaking, his face red and embarrassed. “No! I don't need your money!” The words weren’t mean in a I’m-better-than-you-way, they were more of a you-shouldn’t-have-to-give-me-money. It should have been a causal moment except his hand was on hers and that made it a little hard to breathe. She didn’t stop because she was no longer getting out money, she stopped because his hand was there. (And we all know she wanted to keep it there.)

“Okay...What can I do for you then?” She smiled shyly and look down at her their hands where he clearly got the message and moved his hand a little too fast. “Sorry,” he coughed and straightened up. She gazed up at him, quite calmly but yes, she was excited on the inside as she waited. This had to be good. Why in the world would William Beckett keep her locked up in a room? She was waiting on something really embarrassing or really obvious but she hadn’t been expecting his words.

“Tell me your name?"

“My name?” She repeated confused.

“Yes, your name,” The boy gave a small laugh. “I don't know your name. And its been driving me crazy.”

How exactly did one respond to that? The only thing she could do was grin because honestly, it was funny. This whole time he’d been trying to meet her just so he could know her name? That was so silly. “My name? I thought you knew my name already..”

“I swear, I don’t!” He shot her an infectious grin and she caught it.

“Well, I'm sorry for driving you crazy?” The blush in her cheeks went darker. “Zaydee.”

“…What?”

“My name is Zaydee.” she spoke the words so softly they were almost a whisper.

A breath of air escaped his lungs. “I did not…” He mumbled, his words soft as his eyes traveled over her face and finally locked with hers. “Zaydee…” he tried it out and smiled. “You have a really nice name.”

He was really pushing it with the whole nice thing. If he was any nicer, she was going to turn so red she looked like she‘d been dipped in paint and she had a feeling she didn‘t need to look any stupid; she had already tried to kill a clock. “Thanks. Uh…so…Good job...tonight. It was a good show...the part that I saw...anyway.”

He was going to have to give her tickets or something. She was right, they weren’t cheap. And he felt it was the least he could do for keeping her in this room all night. “Thanks…So...what now?”

What now? What did he mean what now? Her eyebrows furrowed and she stared at him because she didn’t understand. “What now?” She repeated back.

"Yes, what now? Would you like to get some coffee with me or something?"

She literally fought the urge to turn and look behind her, I kid you not. “Like…go with...you…to get...coffee..?” Oh, yes, Zaydee, brilliant answer. That could not have come out any better.

“Uh…haha…that's the plan...unless you want to go with someone else, I mean…” If she said no, he was going to feel like a complete dumbass for doing all of this. And by his standards, he made enough of a fool of himself for her lately. A simple outing and some conversation was what he wanted. Please don’t say no. Please don’t say no. Okay, if she says no, just smile, say thanks and give her free tickets or something. It’s not a big deal. Shit, I shouldn’t have done this. Who the hell locks a girl he wants to meet in a room? You moron. He was ready to just be rejected and turn around and normally, William wasn’t the guy to let things like that get to him at all but this, her, right now, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get it off his mind if she said no.

“No, no, I want to!” Okay, so that was possibly too eager. She cleared her throat and looked down. “I mean--I'd like that…” She bit her lip, “ but I don't have a ride home…”

He let out a breath and fought the cheesy grin on her face. “I'm sure I can get you there.”

“Well, I don't want you have to go out of your way--“

“--Don't be ridiculous,” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on.”

Ha! Like she was going to think about it twice. “Okay,” Zaydee beamed up at him, “Oh, wait..” She sprinted back to the couch she‘d been leaping off earlier and grabbed her camera.

He stopped to look back and wait and she caught up with him a few seconds later.

“I kept thinking the reason I was in here was because of this thing,” she told him as they made their way down the hall. When she told him this he burst into laughter and took her camera. “Oh, really?” Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled her close; his cheek pressed against hers. “Well, you can take pictures, so I think we should take advantage of that.” He finger pressed against the shutter button and they grinned.

A/N: Hmm...does her name sound familiar to anyone? 
So I'm finally getting back to that point where my posts are long! Yay! It used to be I couldn't post a chapter without it being fifteen pages long. Haha. We'll see how this fic goes. Anyway, I felt like toward the end this was cliche or something. I didn't like end at all. Then again, I have a problem with criticizing my own work. What did you think? Post opinons below please. :) P.S I have so much fun writing her while she was bored. Actually, I took alot out just cause I didn't want it to drag on. xD

-Zayyy.

Twenty two hours later The Academy is was piled back into a bus after a very long flight back to Chicago. William spent the entire flight pouting and after fifteen minutes, everyone gave up on trying to cheer him up. If he was going to be a little bitch about it then let him do so. He ignored everyone and everyone ignored him. It was a long and quiet trip for William. You know those times when you’re pissed as hell but you’re not really pissed off at your friends they’re just being so nice so you bitch them out and then they stop talking to you so you end up feeling like an asshole? Yeah, that sums up how it went.

And now it was nearing six o clock, the band was stopped near a small park because they had just a finished a small concert and Roger, the driver wanted a break before he drove everyone home. Their touring was over for now and it seemed everyone could use a good rest. Well, everyone but Bilvy.

“You might wanna slow down on the candy--”

“--I’ll eat whatever the fuck I please,” William snapped back at Sisky, who was sitting across from him in the tiny booth their bus held. Across the table, next to Beckett sat The Butcher who was busy scrunching up his face and looking back and forth between his cards and Sisky. He studied the cards. Then Sisky. Then the cards. The Sisky. Then th---

“Come on, dude, hurry up!”

“Wait, Bitch!”

“I’ve been waiting for like, a fucking hour!”

“Yeah, right! Two minutes!”

“I don’t care. Go! And you!” Sisky turned his attention to William again who was now stuffing a cookie into his mouth, literally. “Stop being a pig!”

“Ahm hungry,” was William’s angry but un-intimidating reply. He glared at Adam, swallowed the remains of his cookie, and leaned into The Butcher. “Ask him if he has any seven’s…”

“HEY! Don’t tell him my cards!”

“The don’t yell at me.”

Andy just placed down his cards. “Got any Sevens?”

“Fuck you,” Adam muttered and chucked his seven at Andy and pouted. “See if I share my ice cream with you next time you’re hungry, fatty.” With a dignified glare, he stuck his tongue out at William who opened his mouth to retaliate.

“He doesn’t need any ice cream,” Michael chimed in. “He’s too busy stuffing his face with that pack of gummy worms we bought the other day.”

“Awwuh, Willy’s eating his feelings!”

William pitched a gummy worm at Mike, then at Chizzie. “I’m right here, you fuckers! I can hear you!”

“And now he’s learning to share!” Chizzie popped the worm into his mouth.

With a glare and a pout, William pushed himself up and did his best to smile evily (cause we all know that‘s hard for him). “Okay,“ He nodded and pulled out his cell phone, the bag of worms still in his other hand. “Order, and pay for your own pizza bitches, I’m the one with the freebies!” He gave a smug smile at the look of horror on their faces. Yeah! What now, jerks? His hands went on his hips. (William, your hips don’t lie, bby.)

A large groan could be heard from outside the bus as the rest of the band broke out into whines. William was the ONLY one Georgo from Giordanos gave free pizza too and it was the best in town, no competition.

“We were just playin…”

“Don’t be a bitch…”

“Shut up, don’t call him a bitch!”

“You’re don’t tell me what to do, bitch!”

“You were totally kidding, right Bilvy?”

“Don’t call me a bitch, bitch!”

“Does anyone got any sevens?”

“Right?”

“Bitch.”

“You’re face is a bitch.”

“You’re bitch is a bitch.”

“You’re all a bunch of bitches.”

“…Hey…Where’d William go?”

Four pairs of eyes turned to the empty spot William had occupied eight seconds ago.

Michael looked up. “…Does this mean we gotta buy our own pizza?”

Four gummy words were aimed and fired and he ducked. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

*

Each step was counted. Every break on the sidewalk was counted. And every time William saw a purple shirt go by he was so caught off guard he would glance up wildly. He was bored, and he was hungry. He was frustrated and lonely. Once you were reduced to counting things on the sidewalk for amusement, you knew it was bad. And all that talk about pizza had gotten his stomach stirring. To eat or not to eat was the question…and we all know the answer.

The bell above his head rang lightly as he stepped in and the strong smell of and Pizza sauce filled his nostrils. Two seconds in and his mouth was already watering for Pizza. Pepperoni sounded great…with extra cheese…yeahhh…William glanced down at his phone for the time and stepped up to the counter quickly and it was at the moment--6:37 to be exact--that someone else collided into him, and pizza decorated his lovely brown and blue pearl snap button up shirt. It did not happen in slow motion. Actually, it happened rather quickly that it took him a second to realize what was happening. “Whoa,” he stumbled back and ended up on the floor. See, this was not partially not his fault. This was ENTIRELY his fault.

Had he been paying attention instead muttering darkly at his sidekick then he wouldn’t have stopped two inches away from the person who was at the counter paying. Then when she turned around, because suddenly an alarming text had been sent to her, she wouldn’t have been face to face with him, closer than two strangers should have been, and freaked out. Then she wouldn’t have jumped and the yummy pizza she had just bought wouldn’t have gone to waste on him. Duh.

It all happened like this: William glances down, she gets a text, he steps forwards and she turns around, they collide and he lands on the floor. (:

He hit the floor with a rather…hard thud. “Mannn,” He sat up and with a disgusted look, and peeled off a slice of pizza from his chest. There was a dark red stain in the shape of a pizza on his shirt and sauce dripped from it. Now he was going to smell like pizza until he changed. Great. He let the slice drop on top of the fallen box.

“I’m really sorry!” The person bit her lip and stared down at him horrified. This was not good at all. In fact, it was downright embarrassing.

“I’ll--I’ll pay to have your shirt cleaned,” she told him quickly and dug in her pocket. Yes, she would give him the money and get out of there.

“It’s fine,” he started to say and glanced up at her only to have a tiny heart attack.

“It--Its fine, don’t worry about it, he said quickly and scrambled to his feet eagerly. She stepped back from simultaneously. “I’m really sorry but I have to go!” She pushed a twenty dollar in his direction and fled as he stood there in complete incomprehension and that lasted about two seconds before he jumped back into reality and ran after her. This time she wasn’t going anywhere. This had to be some kind of sign. Three times! Three times they had run into each, this was no coincidence, it just couldn’t be. How could you stick a casual label on this like it was nothing. People didn’t continually run into each other. Especially when one of them was avoiding the other like a plague. At least that’s how it seemed to him.

“Wait! Please don’t leave!” He half yelled the words so loudly the rest of the people around him turned to stare. He pushed past the doors and out onto the sidewalk, the pizza incident long forgotten. The only thing that mattered was to stop her. Name, name, name. Silence. Emptiness. Nothing but his words echoed on the empty street. Nothing but his frustration accompanied him. He was alone where he stood and only the wind rustled around him. And she…she was gone. As if she had never been there. Was he possibly going mad? Maybe she didn’t even exist. Maybe, he was totally out of his ever loving mind.

As much as he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs just then, he did not.

He would not.

He refused to keep thinking about her. Screw this. She was just a stranger; some girl. He didn’t even know her. I will not let her get to me. She’s nobody. Turning on his heel, he shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked the sidewalk before heading back in the direction he came. She’s nobody.

Ha. Sure. Another thing he wanted to believe but, he could not. Because lately, she had been everything. Lately, she had been the only person that took up space in his mind. Standing there hopeless, his arms at his sides, he sighed. This was strike three, wasn’t it?

*

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered and snuck back onto the bus. His goal was to get to the shower as quietly as possible, but well, it was like what, eight o clock? There was no way any of his bandmates were asleep. However, the lights were off….he prayed anyway. The door creaked as he slipped past it.

“Is it?” Someone asked darkly and the lights came on. Four pairs of eyes glared up at him from the couch. Well, technically three, because Chizzie was pouting more than anything. Everyone had their hands clasped together and was wearing their hoods up. And that’s not all. They were all wearing identical sunglasses. Really. William interally kicked himself and stopped in front of the small crowd, hands on his hips. “What are you losers doing?”

“Did you at least bring us some food?” Mike demanded.

“N-No?”

“We’re starving, you know.”

“Yeah, bu--”

“Why is there a stain in the shape of a pizza on your shirt?”

“Oh, I ran into--”

“He had pizza without us!”

“No, I didn’t!”

“We haven’t eaten all day.”

“--Bu I sa--”

“How selfish.”

“I’m sorr---HEY.” His eyes flickered downward on something familiar. He kicked the empty pizza box sticking out from under the couch and glared back. “Ohoho, what do we have here boys?”

Eight hands went to shove the white and red pizza hut box back under the couch and William put his foot down on it. Several excuses filled the air.

“That’s fake.”

“That’s not really there.”

“What’s what?”

“Nothing--something to look at because we were so hungry.”

“Oh?” William narrowed his eyes and kicked the box so it opened. “…That cheese looks fresh! You liars! You ordered pizza and you think you could make me feel bad, you little bitches!”

“We love you?”

“Shuddup,” he muttered at Adam and dramatically collapsed on him so that Sisky had to catch him. Sisky huffed as William fell on him and shoved the boy. “Those are my ribs, you fucker.”

William ignored him. “I saw her. Again. Tell me that’s not a sign.” With a quick breath he blew his bangs out of his eyes and then they fell back over them. “There’s no way that was a coincidence.”

“Okay, you caught me,” Sisky bowed his head, “The truth is, I’m God and I’ve playing with both of your emotions.”

“Jerk.”

“Eye-ell-why?

“No.”

“I agree with Billiam. There’s no way it’s a coincidence.” The Butcher nodded quickly.

“Oh, please!” Michael drawled out. “They just happened to keep running in each other. And she‘s obviously not interested.”

“No way, everything happens for a reason.”

“Bullshit.”

“I gotta find her,” William whispered and adjusted him so that his feet were on Mike. “I don’t care if she keeps avoiding me. I’m going to talk to her.”

“Dude, just let her go.” Adam sighed. “If she doesn’t wanna talk to you then there’s no reason to keep bothering her.”

“Well, maybe she does want to.” William gave a defiant nod. “Maybe she just has places to be.”

“Uhuh..”

“Well, today, She was all ‘I gotta go’ and ran off.”

“Did she say where?”

“Well, no…”

“I bet she’s lying.”

“Why would she lie?”

“Yeah,” Andy sat up straighter and scratched his head. “Bilvy’s a great guy. There’s like a million chicks who want him. I seriously doubt she doesn’t like him.”

“He’s William, not a God.”

“Guys, still here.” William raised his hand but was ignored.

“Well, I think he should go find her.”

Mike shook his head. “And I think he should let her go.”

“William,” Adam muttered.

“Go find her,” Andy pointed at William. “If you like her that much.”

“William…”

Between Mike and Andy no one would ever win. “No, Bill, just let her go.”

Chizzie pouted. “I want more pizza…”

“William…”

William didn’t even know what the hell to do anymore. Not even his bandmates were of any help to him. And if they couldn’t help him, who could? What did a guy do in this situation? He was so used to know where to go next, what to say, and now he didn‘t even know what was happening. “I don’t know,” he bit his lip. “What if she thinks I’m weird?”

“You are weird.”

“You know what I mean…”

“William…”

“I just…I have to talk to her.”

“Then find her,” Andy said firmly as Sisky’s hand collided with the side of William’s head roughly.

“WILLIAM, YOU WANKER, THOSE ARE MY GODDAMN RIBS.”

*

 

A/N: I love writing Sisky. He's so much fun! And I love you all. :] So tell me what you think and leave me a hug, too? Oh, and what do you think. Should he let her go?

It was just past the mark of pathetic all week after that day at the diner. If William wasn’t walking around with a pout on his little lips, he was busy rambling on his bandmates about why this girl would be so mean to him that she couldn’t even talk to him. By now, William was bordering on annoyance and if he started up again, Sisky was going to beat his head in with his bass because he was so tired of hearing about this mystery girl.

He had just finished loading his instrument onto the bus and gathering his things for the ride home when William neared him. “I swear to God, you better not start,” the boy told Bilvy sharply.

“I didn‘t even say anything!”

“Dude, this is ME! I know what you‘re going to say!”

“Oh, sure. Maybe I was going to ask if I borrow a t-shirt.”

Sisky gave him a dull stare from his bunk and William opened his mouth.

“--Seriously,“ Adam warned him again. A whole minute passed and despite the fact that William was defending himself, Sisky knew it was coming. Hello? They’re best friends. Adam can practically read his mind. William was standing there with this look on his face like he was trying to hold back--and he was. It was so obvious he was trying hard to think of another subject to save himself. Still, we all knew it wouldn’t work. Adam gave it another seven seconds and William collapsed next to him. “--I can’t help it! This is driving me crazy!”

“Dude, if you shut the fuck up, I promise to drive to the goddamn diner myself and you will see her, okay?”

“What if she leaves again?” Now he was bordering desperate and Adam shook his head all the while fighting the urge to slap his friend and bring him back to reality. Get a hold of yourself! He wanted to yell. This was ridiculous!

“Dude, she is not gonna leave, okay? Chill out.”

The taller boy let out a defeated sigh. “Okay.”

*

It was a safe bet to say that he was practically counting seconds the whole as he waited for time to pass. All day, he kept staring at whatever clock he saw first. He asked everyone what time it was so many times the rest of the band was ready to either turn off all the clocks or chuck them out the window. This was horribly pathetic. William was not normally an obsessive guy and all this for a girl he’d seen twice? He was losing it. They weren’t used to seeing him act this way. Despite his weight, he wasn’t one to turn down food and now he wasn’t even eating because he was too busy waiting for the day to end. By 9 p.m Mike had grabbed a handful of snacks from the cabinet and marched to William where he sat in his bunk. Can you guess what he was doing? Yes, he was checking the time. “Eat them. Now.” Carden instructed as he dumped the mass of candy bars, Twinkies and pop tarts on his friend.

He got a funny look in response. “..No thanks?”

“Bill, this is ridiculous. You don’t even know her! And do you know how many times you’ve described her to me today?”

William opened his mouth and Mike shook his head. “Don’t answer that. Just eat some food. You’ll see her tomorrow. Stop monitoring the clocks before I turn them off, okay?”

Cue Bilvy’s eyes rolling. “Fine.” He looked up at his friend expectantly as if waiting for him to leave.

“No, seriously. I’m not leaving until you devour that ding dong.”

*

Half an hour, four ding dongs, two poptars and three snicker bars later, William groaned as he turned on his side so he wouldn’t have to hold his stomach. If he so much as moved an inch, he was going to puke and he prayed to whatever God existed that Mike was around when it happened so he could throw up all over him.

“I HATE YOU CARDEN!” He threw his hands up to cover his mouth as soon as he said that because even just speaking made him feel like all of that candy was going to come up with his words.

Someone laughed back in the living followed by: “You’ll thank me one day, you anorexic freak!”

If William could have yelled back he would have. But he was saving his puke for Carden.

I won’t tell you whether Mike ever got to see William’s puke up close. Perhaps he did, perhaps he didn’t. However, due to all the puke that followed the candy feast there was little to no time to watch clocks and think of random girls so I suppose Mike knew what he was doing. Everyone else totally hated him for it though, because despite the fact that William has long legs, they weren’t long enough to get him to the bathroom quick enough. Let’s just that The Butcher was not happy (and had to sleep on the couch) and everyone else had to hop that one spot on the floor if they needed to piss.

*

“Okay…okay…Okay.” Each step threatened to rut a whole in the tour bus’s floor if William didn’t stop pacing. He muttered the word to himself, determined to get a whole sentence out, some kind of plan but he couldn’t get past ‘Okay.’

“Okay…” He pushed his pale hands through his hair. “I’ll just…okay...I’ll…I’ll…I’ll walk in, and just ask for her…and…and…and Oh, God, I’m talking to myself.”

Now he was losing it. Not only was he talking to him, he was acknowledging it. But what was worse, ignoring the voice in his head or having a conversation with it? Either way it was still there. Maybe it was better to not even think about it. Yes, that sounded good…in fact, fuck waiting. He would rather do this alone that wait for Sisky. Without a second though the boy grabbed his scarf lying next to the bag of cheetos, wrapped it around his neck and headed out of the bus. He had at least fifteen minutes before everyone returned from their coffee run. Those fifteen minutes later, he was rounding the corner to a bus stop and shoving his hands into his pocket in hopes that he’d be lucky and one would stop by soon. I supposed he was lucky, since ten minutes later it came by. And a whole ten minutes later after that he was dropped off a block away from his destination and he phone was vibrating. He knew before he even looked at it that it was Adam.

“Yeah?” He answered his phone, walking briskly.

“What the hell? Why’d you leave?”

“Cause I need to do this alone.”

“One, you could have told me. Two, you moron, you left our bus unlocked and alone. We could have been jacked!”

“Sorry.” He couldn’t see it, but Adam was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Well, where are you?”

“The Diner. TalktoyoulaterBye!” He snapped the phone shut with his last word and shoved it in his pocket to square up the diner. She had to be working. She had to be. And if she wasn’t…someone was bound to know where she lived right? Someone has to know something.

Screw the fact that she was still a complete stranger. Screw the fact that he didn’t know anything about here, like her name or age or anything. Really, why did she have to fuck with him? That had to be the only explanation. She knew how much she got to him and she was sick and enjoyed messing with his head. What else could explain how they had met twice now and both times she failed to stay. Right? …Right? Well, it was not alright and he was going to talk to her, damnit. He was going to properly meet her. Right now. He pushed the doors open and strolled in with confidence to find an empty diner and one woman wiping tables.

That confidence of his deflated a little. “Uhh--e-excuse me..” He started, shuffling towards this lady he didn’t know. If she wasn’t working today, he was going to be disappointed.

“We’re closeded Dahrleeng’. I’m sohrry.”

He ignored her weird Russian accent and took another step in her direction. “I’m just looking for someone…a girl. Uhh, purple hair? ‘Bout this tall?” He threw his hand up in the air as an example and looked up at her rather hopefully.

“Ahh, yesh. Chee iz not heeere. Chee iz gone.”

He fought the urge to kick the ground like a five year old. “Can you tell me where she lives? Or what time she comes in tomorrow? Or whenever it is she comes in…” The waitress shook her head and waved a dismissive hand in the air.

“Oh, darhleeng, chee iz gone. Cheez going to University to study.”

“What…?”

The lady cocked an eyebrow. Did he just no understand her accent or what that a rhetorical question?

“University,” she repeated. “Her las day was lahst week.”

“She’s gone?!”

His cry made her jump. “Yes?”

“Thanks,” He muttered glumly. What now? She was gone. How was even supposed to know if she was still in the state? Hell, what if she had to gone to school in France or something? Then what? She paid him no attention as she continued to wipe the tables down like it was her formal duty to the world and he trudged out, slamming the door without a care. Pulling the phone from the depths of his pocket, he let out a seep sigh then dialed the number he knew so well and waited.

“…Sisky?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come get me? I think I need another ding dong.”

 

A/N: Ttly didn't proof read this one. xD Anyway, enjoy! P.S Who thinks William ended up throwing up on Carden?

“Can I get you some more coffee?” She smiled down at two men conversation; one of them forking a piece of omelet into their mouth and nodding. “Thank you.” he told her gruffly and adjusted his trucker hat. After she refilled his cup of coffee she poured some more tea into the other man’s drink as well and removed the plates that needed clearing. The other one went on about his driving schedule and the two’s conversation faded behind her and she checked her other table then headed to the kitchen to drop of dishes.

The sound of a bell ringing signaled that it was no time to start a conversation with the chef, not that she would, the chef was a jerk anyway, and she snatched up her little notepad to go get their order.

She saw him before he saw her and it was her turn to stop in her tracks for a quick moment and do a double take. Not him, it couldn’t be. Not twice in a lifetime. There was a small panic in her chest. I mean, she was just a girl. Having them here made her nervous. Yeah, it wasn’t just him, it was them. All of them. She was halfway ready to turn around and ask the other lady working to take their table but in the end she pulled out a little courage and made her way over, casual as could be. “Afternoon, boys. What can I get you guys to drink?” He didn’t noticed her as quickly. He was busy laughing at something Chislette had said. She scrawled down drink orders, going around the table and the whole time her heart was smacking against her ribcage at hyper speed and she was trying hard not to memorize the sound of his laughter.

Adam threw a Sweet & Low at him, and William snickered one more time before straightening up and turning to her. He had been a split second shy of saying something but whatever it was came out as weird vomit and he stared, the table growing quiet. She stood quietly for a moment then decided to ask him again because he obviously hadn’t heard her the first time. “What can I get you to drink?” She asked it so calmly, so casually, William could have sworn they had never met before. It was a bit disappointing in a way. He had dreamed of her last night. She obviously didn’t know that, but it still didn’t seem like she remembered him. Or if she did, she couldn’t even said Hi. So he would. As soon as he remembered how to speak because he seemed to have forgotten between Chizzie’s joke and her words.

“Hi?” the words came out in a slight mumble and across from him, Adam cocked an eyebrow. “What do you want to drink?”

“Huh…?”

A small blush faded into her cheeks as William averted his eyes to the table.

“She said, what do you want to drink,” Adam clarified impatiently.

“Oh….Oh!” William’s ear went red and he turned back to her. “I’ll have a tea, please.”

“Sweet or unsweet?”

“Sweet.”

The girl smiled and walked off to get their drinks and when she was out of earshot, Adam threw another Sweet & Low at his friend. “What’s wrong with you today? You acted like she was speaking Chinese.”

William threw the packet back and attempted to get back the normalcy he had walked in with. “Nothing, man, I’m straight.”

The rest of his meal was spent exchanging awkward glances whenever she walked by and even more awkward words mumbled so low on both their parts that they were practically having the same conversation twice because if she didn’t have to repeat herself, he did. It wasn’t an actually conversation, that was the disappointing part. It was more of her just checking their table and getting them refills but the whole time he never ceased to hold that look of confusion within his eyes. He couldn’t understand why she hadn’t been a little…nicer? She remembered him, he knew it. There was no way she couldn’t; who wouldn’t remember something that random and interesting? Yet, she just went on like he was another costumer. Don’t get me wrong, William wasn’t look for a fan girl reaction. He could do just fine without girls screaming over him like he someone important, no, it was more of the fact that he felt like she was acting like he was just another person. But he wasn’t. She wasn’t just another person to him, they had spoken, so he refused to just pretend they had never met.

He waited until she was finished brining out the pancakes Adam and The Butcher were sharing and excused himself from the table with a small cough. “Bathroom,” he muttered quickly, and half ran off towards the back. He didn’t even know where the bathroom’s were but he had seen her disappear this way. The kitchen was back here, but he wouldn’t go that far. What was he doing? He really didn’t know. What would he say? He had no clue. He was simply there and when she came out he would say something, it would just come to him. He hoped.

The door creaked open and he grinned, waiting for her to come out with plates or something and instead of a pissed off woman who looked well past her forties stalked out, a rag on her should and a spray bottle in her hand. His brown eyebrows furrowed just a little and turned back around to retreat to his table. He didn’t know why he wanted to talk to her so bad anyway.

“What are you doing back here?” One second she was nowhere to be found and the next he was standing right in from her, just a little too close because of that last step. William grinning an inevitable grin and nervously shoved a hand through his hair, making it messier that it was. “I--uh--you were--I mean…Hi.” He said the greeting with as much confidence as he could muster (because suddenly it was gone) and flashed her a smile.

“Hi,” She grinned back, shoving her pen and pad into her apron as he stared. Whoa. He hadn’t gotten as good a look at her the first time, but she was cute. In a weird sort of way, but she was. She peered up at him and laughed. “Hi?” She repeated and waited.

“You didn’t--” he laughed lightly, “I thought you’d forgotten me or something.”

“Forget William Beckett?” She threw him a smirk. “Impossible.”

Ha. He wanted to say. He was just another person. He didn’t consider himself special. Did she expect him to treat her like she was a fan or something? He was assuming he knew his music, since she knew his name. There was something about the way she said it…it made him blush and he had to look around just to distract her. “Well, you know m--”

A muffled ringtone cut him off and he fished his phone out of his pocket. “What?” Now he was starting to get annoyed. “No, I didn’t fall into the--Wait, where are you going?” He looked up from his phone call at he as she started to turn.

The girl smiled apagogically. “I have tables. I’m not allowed to just converse,” she told him before disappearing through the swing doors behind her. She left his standing there and he glared at his phone before snapping it shut. Stupid Sisky. He walked back to the table trying not to sulk. “Yes, Sisky. I fell into the toilet. Thank you for caring.” Sarcasm dripped heavily from his words and he fought the urge to dig in his glass and throw an ice cube at his friend.

“Its what I’m here for.” Adam smiled a wide smile and leaned across the table to pinch William’s cheek and the taller boy slapped his hand away before picking up the paper by his plate. “When did we get our check?”

“A while ago before you left to take a piss.”

“But who brought it out, I was talking to--”

Adam shrugged. “Some lady.”

“I’m ready to go,” Mike announced and the rest of the table agreed.

“1, 2, 3, not paying!” Chizzie cried.

“Not it!”

“Not it!”

“Not me!”

“Not it!”

“Look’s like Bilvy’s paying,” someone announced and William blinked, completely lost on what was going on. “What?”

“You’re paying, bitch!”

He groaned. He really needed to start paying attention more. He rolled his eyes, “Fine,” and headed for the cash register. “I’ll go to the bus in a minute, I have to talk to someone…”

Hurrying to the counter, he pulled out his wallet and slid out his debit card. “All together,” he mumbled to the cashier and scanned the room for the mysterious girl. She sure was quiet, he noted mentally. Both times they had met, she hadn‘t spoken much.

“Can I get you sign this, please?” The older woman handed him the recite and he absently scrawled his name on it and grabbed the copy. “Thanks,” he told her quickly and headed towards the back of the diner to where they had been earlier. No one. He timidly pushed open the swing door and immediately he was caught. “Hey, you shouldn’t be back here!”

“I’m sorry, I’m just looking for someone,” He put his hands up in defense so the chef wouldn’t kick him out. “Uhhh, she’s a bit short? …She has dark hair…its got purple in it!”

The chef nodded gruffly, “Ah, yes, she already left.”

“She left?”

Another nod. “Yessa. Her shift ended and she took off.”

She took off? She just…left? But…William bit at the inside of his lip. “Yeah, okay, thanks…” he muttered and retreated back to the front of the diner and to the bus. What the hell, she just left? She could have at least say bye, maybe? Was she just trying to fuck with his head? No, that was impossible, right? She barely knew him. But she was acting like she didn’t want to get to know him. Or maybe he was blowing this out of proportion…Anyway, she could have at least finished their table. From an outside perspective it almost seemed like she was trying to get away from him. Only, he hadn’t done anything to her. His forehead crinkled and the bus honked. “I’m coming,” he muttered more to himself than he bus. “Damnit!” The words escaped his mouth as stepped onto the bus and everyone stared at him. He still didn’t know her name.

 “What?” He shot a look of annoyance towards his bandmates before pouting. Strike two. He was almost out.

This was ridiculous, he decided and threw himself atop his bunk; yanking his thin over-blanket around him. Two days in a row! Two days and she knew his name and he couldn’t even get hers! That’s not what even really bothered. No, he didn’t want to admit it, but what really bothered him was the fact that he’d thought about her so much since their first conversation. The fact he had dreamed about last night and she couldn’t even say hi when they saw each other again. The fact that he had thought about her all day and then he saw her and she disappeared five minutes later! What the hell kind of shit was that? Was she purposely avoiding him just then before she left? Had she purposely not told him her name? All of these thoughts were driving him fucking insane. He huffed and grabbed a pen and notebook from under his pillow in an attempt to shove her out of his mind. He would write. Yeah, that would work. Maybe. He put the pen to the paper in hopes of something coming out and instead he was overcome with the urge to describe what she looked like. Okay, no. This would NOT work. “Fuck!” He yelled rather loudly and threw his pen.

“SHUT UP, BILVY, WE’RE TRYING TO WATCH THE LION KING!”

That shut him up.

 

A/N:Can't you just imagine Sisky watching The Lion King? Hahaha. Anyway. There's 2 for ya. What did you think?
Comments/buzz makes me happy.

A/N: So, I was gonna wait until I had more chapters up, but meh, what the hell. (:
This is mah Beckett Story, I hope you enjoy it! Its not complete, so stayed tuned. Reviews/buzz are appreciated and tend to make updates happen faster (imagine that!). SANTI! -Zayyy
***

The day was dull and cloudy with a touch or restlessness. The sun had called in sick again for the fourth day this week and in its place, leaves fell, crumpled and crunchy alone the sidewalk like a reminder of what the air could do. The wind only managed to pick up chills and send them down his back as he walked, in that rather awkward manner he seemed to walk in. It was just him, tall and lanky and he made his way down Rosley’s avenue and stared ahead as if he actually had a real destination instead of just trying to get away from a cramped Tour bus.

“If the sky were to suddenly open up, there would be no law, there would be no rules.”

William stopped short of where he was headed, semi frozen and wheeled back around, brows furrowing as he raised an eyebrow to someone, obviously a girl, sitting on the curb. There she was. Just…speaking to the air before her, her voice light and calm. There was a pause in him, and he questioned his desire to push back his hood and take a seat next to the stranger. Nevermind the fact that she was talking to herself, he was more interested in the fact that he could finish her sentence. He pushed back his hesitation.

“There would only be you and your memories.” His voice was soft and low and he spoke the words and took a seat on the curb next to her. Now we were past something William would ever do but he wasn’t even controlling his actions at this moment, he was just speaking because he felt the need to. It made no sense at all and yet all the sense in the world.

The girl, with a slight jump, turned to face him only to show him wide eyes. She stared at him for a moment before nodding .“Yes,” she smiled up at him and gave a confused but content look. “Fan of Richard Kelly?” she inquired. He studied the look on her face. It was evident she knew something, but he would not ask.

“Fan of the mysterious.” He corrected her as if he’d known her for a lifetime instead of forty seconds. “And talking bunnies.”

“They often seem to have something interesting to say,” she agreed, a smile tugging on her lips. It was difficult not to grin but she managed.

“Do you often talk to yourself as you sit on the ground?”

“Do you often walk up to strangers and finish their sentences?”

“Not often at all,” William said with a smile and held out his hand. “But I couldn’t resist.” The girl stared at his hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it. The two stared out at the empty street for a long moment before she turned back to him. “I wasn’t talking to myself,” She clarified. “I was simply reminding myself.”

“Reminding yourself?” He smirked up at her with a curious smile and it was when she paused to think of how she wanted to word her answer that he finally noticed her. All of her. The tan skin and dark eyes. It was a wonder he hadn’t caught her brightly color hair before because who possibly miss the electric purple she had all over the top? It suited her, though. Almost as if it were natural. Her hair wasn’t too long, just past her shoulders. It hung choppy but straight. She could feel him studying her even though she was gazing at the ground. She had a nice smile he concluded as he watched her almost blank look transform into a small grin. She lifted her eyes to meet his. “What’s important.”

What’s important? …What was important? The question/statement made him pause and stare at her. What was important? Was the fact that he had sat down to talk to a complete stranger important? Or was what really mattered the fact that he was enjoying their peculiar conversation? How about the fact she could have been anyone? Maybe she had a gun on her. Maybe she was psycho. Maybe she thought he was crazy for sitting down. Maybe he was. Maybe he analyzed too much. “Care to share?” He broke away from his thoughts, determined to hear her answer.

“I’m not completely sure,” She answered honestly, her tone quiet but amused. “Maybe you could tell me?”

The answer made the boy chuckle delightfully. He had actually been waiting for her to say something material or overrated. “I was actually hoping you knew the answer,” He replied and turned his attention back to the empty street.

“Now if I knew the answer, I don’t think I’d be sitting here, reminding myself.” There was sarcasm in her voice, though anyone who knew her would have expected it. “I imagine I’d be pursuing the things that fell under its category.”

“Touche.”

“I try.”

“Its been a while. Were you purposely sitting here?”

She raised her hands to play with the end strings of her scarf. “If by purpose you mean waiting for my best friends who forget me, then yes.” Third time this week? Yes, sir. These kinds of scenarios often made her question why she was best friends with her best friend. Oh yeah. Those moments. The funny ones where you laughed so hard you cried. They happened a lot when they were together. It just so happened her friend tried boys like she tried the flavor of the week and people like are often easily distracted.

“Its cold out here. I would be pissed.” It came as an amusing surprise that she didn’t seem more angry.

“Yeah, well. There are more important things in life,” she replied with a small nod. “Having to wait in the cold doesn’t really make a difference.”

The boy gazed at her, his hands clasped together. She was odd. Kinda. Like, she was but she wasn’t? The thought made his head spin. He really didn’t know much info to judge her but that was the impression he got.

“Interesting things happen when you’re alone,” She continued, half to herself, half to him. He sat up a little straighter and raised an eyebrow. “That they do.”

“I should probably start walking home,” was her reply and it was a slight disappointment for him.

“Perhaps you should. There is a thing as too much interest. Some people go overboard in the dark.”

“I think I’ll manage.”

“My name’s William,” He told her as she stood in her spot and tightened her scarf around her neck.

“I know,” she smiled down at him and turned before he make sense of her words and ask. He watched her walk away in an curious silence and she was already twenty feet away and turning the corner when he stood up, rather quickly. “Wai--” He smiled after her, not bothering to finish his call. Her body disappeared around the edge of the building as he stood and lifted his hood back up. But who was she?

She spent a lot of the walk home in a daze. It went mostly like ‘Did I just meet William Beckett?’ on the inside but on the surface, she was calm and collected; her features slightly expressionless as she slowly walked; not very bothered by the prominent cold. She couldn’t help it, she was human, she was a teenager. It just so happened that she had emotions too and like every other person, had people she longed to meet in her lifetime and it just so happened that William was one of them but that was not at all how she had ever imagined it, and trust me, she had thought it over plenty of times. She didn’t know whether to be more surprised because she had met him, or because he had sat down next to her, or because she had been so calm and quiet the entire time. Naturally being shy was one thing but she had honestly expected herself to give in and go fan girl on the boy. And yet, at that moment, when he took his seat and she looked over to (and trust me, she was geeking on the inside) she had had no desire whatsoever to beg for his autograph, or ask stupid questions. This was different for some odd reason. It didn’t seem right to talk about something like touring and being famous because that wasn’t really what she was interested in. She was more fascinated by his random introduction and vague, yet alluring demeanor. He was not the boy she had always expected him to be. Not to say that he was the complete opposite or anything. She quite liked the vibe she had gotten sitting next to him. In those ten minutes, she hadn’t felt like she was meeting William Beckett, famous singer of The Academy is…she had felt like she was meeting William Beckett, human in every way.

Let’s not get hasty though and forget that she too was human. And eighteen. And a fan. So yes, she was still grinning from ear to ear and replaying their encounter to herself. Holyshit. Yeah, that’s more like it. Holyfuckingshit, I just met William Beckett. He just sat down and started talking to me. He looked pretty. Yeah, that’s what a lot of her thought process contained. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t made it a point to tell him her name. Despite his lovely and fascinating attitude, she felt like talking too much, even saying her name would ruined it. “Stupid,” She mumbled to herself and glanced up to make sure she was still on the right track. And what else was stupid? The fact that she hadn’t stayed. Because no way would she ever meet William Beckett again in her life. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” She blew her bangs out of her eyes and huffed. Sometimes, she wanted to smack herself.

William looked around, the wind bustling leaves around the empty street like a colorful tornado. He was just a bit torn between had just happened and why. Now, he was an outgoing boy and all, but it just wasn’t in his nature to go and talk to random people. Why her? She was no one special. She was average. A random girl on the street but such a simple line had caught his ears and for some reason he couldn’t fight the urge to meet her. Though, he didn’t really meet her, did he? She kind of met him. “Damn,” He muttered lowly at the realization. He didn’t even know her name. Not that it mattered. He would never see her again. The boy started back in the direction he had came from and shoved his pale hands into the pocket’s of his hoodies. How was he supposed to know that he would dream of her that night?

He did. First in flashes. Then Over and over again, where he couldn’t see her face; only hear her voice quoting such a simple line that most people he knew would never get. It wasn’t that big a deal. Just a shared interest. But when she said it, it almost seemed like she an epiphany. Like she was truly discovering some secret no one else knew and he every time he heard her voice he wanted to grab her, turn her around and demand to know what she knew and why he didn’t. But he just couldn’t seem to wrap his arms around her. He would reach for her, hands outstretched and they would fall only inches short of her. Like a silly game they were playing, only it frustrated him more than you can imagine. Then slowly, as time went on, he could envisioned her face again. Aw it clearly as if he’d pushed paused. She would smile shyly, her eyes wide, stuck on surprise and she would speak but this time no words would come out. Or maybe they were and he just couldn’t hear them? Her lips moved but someone had turned down the volume. Every second that he stood there, he grew more desperate trying to figure out what she was telling him.


William’s hands curled around the deep blue comforter, tangled around his lanky, half naked body. He tugged hard on it, as if determined to pull something on from the depths of nothing but the only response from the silence was the low, desperate whine that escaped his lips. He kept tossing and turning, every which way but not matter what position he moved to, he could no understand what he was trying to see. Or rather, what he was trying to know.

“Tell me your name,” He begged her, voice low and pitiful.

“Now, now, William. These kinds of things are much too of value to just give away.”

His eyebrows crinkled in confusion as he followed her down the street, his feet hurriedly moving to catch up with her, despite the fact that his legs were longer. “Huh?”

“William, please. Didn’t anyone ever tell you, its rude to just stand back and watch when the sky is about to open up and all the secrets of life ore going to come tumbling down!” She looked serious as she told him this and it puzzled the boy. “Someone has to catch them!” She continued. “Someone has to understand them!”

“But I don’t even know your name…” That was all he wanted. He just wanted to know who she was.
What’s in a name? He laughed at the thought. Why was the purple haired girl’s name such an important issue? “Please,” He suddenly asked again, this time grabbing her arm. “Tell me.”

“If I told you then there would be no more reason.”

“Reason for what?!” His despair grew by the second. She wasn’t making any sense, damnit, all he wanted was to know her name.

“Reason to watch movies, of course.”
Now the boy’s face grew hot as he continued to tumble within his tiny bunk, his mattress groaning beneath him. Shiny beads of sweat formed at his temple and steadily dripped down his face. Across the bus from him, in his own bed, Adam groaned in his sleep and cocked an eye open to half gaze at his best friend. A guy could only sleep so much before his band mate started groaning and whining, and not in a good way.

“My, my, it sure is hot, huh?” He tugged on his collar. For a small moment, he forgot why he was there.

She didn‘t look up, she just kept walking. “On the contrary, its quite cold.” Why wouldn’t she stop walking? Couldn’t she, for just a moment, stop and answer what he needed to know. Couldn’t he at least get to know her? He found himself frantic to know the most random things about her. “Wait, please, just--Just, talk to me! Don’t--uh--don’t, just, why are you leaving?!” He reached out for her again, unable to move his feet. “Come back! ….Come back!”

“William?”

“Come back,” He said again, a little louder. He refused to just let her walk away.
“William? William!” Someone shoved him.

“What?” He cried out, suddenly sitting up his bunk, darkness blanketing his sight and everything else. His heart beat wildly against his chest and she searched for all the air he had lost in his lungs and Adam stared at him; clearly alarmed. “Are you okay?”

His eyes rolled around for minute, incomprehensive of what was going on and why it felt like he couldn’t breathe. “I--I’m good…I mean, I think…What?”

More staring. “You were having a dream…or a nightmare, or something…” Sisky gruffly told the taller boy. “You sounded freaked out and you were moaning in your sleep.”

A dark shade of red crawled over William’s face. “Oh…I’m sorry.”

“Its cool…you okay?”

“Yeah,” William nodded again. “I’m fine…I just…She never told me her name.”

“Huh?” Was the response he got from a sleepy eyed Adam.

“The girl I met today, I don’t know her name,” William clarified.

“Ah…Do you know where she lives?”

“No.”

“Oh. Well, maybe you’ll see her again.” Turning on his side, Adam dragged the blankets back over himself and fluffed his pillow.

“Maybe…” A sigh escaped William’s lips. “I really hope so…” he mumbled the last part to himself before copying his friend and turning the other way.

My entry for the Fob music video contest.
Follow the link to leave me a comment and I will love you forever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0ivEBHILs
Starring my little sister, my cousins and neices.

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That's right, come my pretties. :)

Yes, I know.. "What about your other one?" Well, my current Patrick story is on Hiatus until I get inspiration for it.
Sorry, guys. However, I'm a few others one and I'll let you guys pick which one you want me to post. Here are your choices:

My completed fics

- "My Time will come."  A Patrick Story.

Uncompleted-

-Unloveable. A Patrick Story, in poem form

-The Girl On The Side Of The Road.  A William Beckett Story.

Now if I post these, you guys gotta let me know you think, okay? I hate posting stories and not knowing if people even read them. :) So let me know and I'll get something up, ASAP!

Hey, its been a while. I know, I fail at life, blah, blah, blah, I haven't updated. One day when my life feels like its worth something, I will. How stupid, huh? I managed to break out of depression and once again, its hunting me and I feel like its waiting for me to be weak so it can break me. Loneliness is a cruel thing. It knows me to well. Uses my weaknesses against me. I'm trying to be strong but I won't lie, letting go sounds so good right now. First thing I've written in a long time and I'm kinda proud of it. Does it make sense? Who cares. If you happen to actually like it, take a look at my Myspace. [ Myspace.com/HipHopGrl903 ] If not...tell me to fuck off. Its nothing new.

 

Sweet Dreams For a Fitting Taste:

Hey, kid, you’re gonna get yourself killed and you don’t have a clue,

I’m only trying to point out, you two for two

and if you’re gonna go down and at least do it right, pick up your head and give a little fight.

Phone calls are meant to be missed, what other reason would you have for a kiss?

If you don’t pick up then I’ll drive to your place, good excuse enough for me, Can you please let me in?

__________

I swear, I won’t be too honest.

I swear, I won’t be too real.

I swear, it’ll only be enough for smile like the world is your only appeal.

And then I’ll

Let you wake up, deep sleep, deep dreams and a shallow dive,

Wake up, deep sleep is overrated and you’re running out of time.

____________

Chance three, see here, I’m waiting impatiently,

Can you define, everything you dream and if

You get a chance, let me know how he seems

when he walks through head and makes you swoon at his feet.

____________

I swear, I won’t be too honest.

I swear, I won’t be to real.

I swear, it’ll only be enough for smile like the world is your only appeal.

And then I’ll

Let you wake up, deep sleep, deep dreams and a shallow dive,

I swear, I won’t be too honest.

I swear, I won’t be to real.

I swear, it’ll only be enough for smile like the world is your only appeal.

And then I’ll

Let you wake up, deep sleep, deep dreams and a shallow dive,

This is when you wake up,

This is when you break,

This is when you realize

All you have is fake fortune…

“I promise, its not because you’re white, its because you’re a guy.”

 

For the fourth time in the past five minutes Zaydee was trying to get it through Pete’s thick skull that her brothers didn’t like him because they were white, or rockstars, though she was sure that probably didn’t help, it was because they were guys in general and that was that. Her brothers didn’t like anyone comin around their lil’ sister and when she showed up the house with two of them it didn’t exactly make her look good, you know?

 

“Oh, PSH.” Pete stuck his nose in the air. He crossed his arms in that oh so preppy emo kind of way and made a face, “Lies.” He refused to believe that it was ‘only because he was a guy.’

 

“Here we go,” Patrick muttered as Pete sucked in a breath because he was about to start rambling and that was never good and as he opened his mouth to start his defense, Zaydee three another pillow at him. “Shut up.”

 

“You shut up!”

 

She flipped him off in that sickly sweet, ‘I love you way’ and he stuck his tongue out at her.

 

Back on the bed, Patrick rolled his eyes at the two of them. They didn’t fight like an old married couple; they fought even worse, like brother and sister.

 

“I saw that!” Pete pointed at Patrick with an accusing finger and glared and Patrick huffed. “I’ll live.”

 

“You see!” Pete narrowed his eyes in Patrick’s direction and eyed him. “HE is why your brother doesn’t like us. Him and his attitude.”

 

Zaydee groaned, “Pete, I told you. He doesn’t like you because you’re a guy. You could be black, hell, you could be Mexican and he would still hate you.” She rolled her eyes. She knew there was no getting through to Pete in an argument. “I swear...”

 

“Hey, do we have to sleep, like, near them…?” Pete was referring to Johnny and Marcos because he knew full well just by looking at them that there was more to the eyes that what you saw from them, and he was sure that if they wanted to, they could kick his ass. And oh, boy, did they look like they wanted to.

 

“Well, technically, you’re not near them, you’re in a separate room.”

 

“But they can still walk in and smother us with pillows, can’t they?”

 

Zaydee sighed. She was never going to win. She hoped back on the bed and crawled up next to Patrick who was busy flipping through a magazine. “Hi,” she said, smiling a big cheesy smile.

 

“Hiya,” He smiled down at her and she snuggled up to him where he pulled her close. For a split second his eyes flickered towards the door but he decided that for that moment he didn’t care.

 

 “You, sir,” She told him matter of factly. “,don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.” Hell, Patrick could stay all for all she cared. For him, she would risk getting caught and being disowned. It only made her one step closer to permanently moving in with Patrick.

 

A pillow smacked her in the face and on the other side of the room Pete glared at her, mouth hanging open. “You’ll let them eat me, but you’ll save him?”

 

Patrick snickered. “I’m cuter.”

 

“Are not!”

 

“Are too!”

 

“No! Zaydee, tell him I’m cuter!” Zaydee sighed over at Pete and back at Patrick then over at Pete then back to Patrick. “Tough call.” She told them casually and shrugged to show them she didn’t care. Wrong answer. This time two pillows attacked her and suddenly two boys were on her.

 

Pete took hold of her arms and pinned her upper body down and Patrick was tickling her, his fingers dancing over her skin as she squealed, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. “stop!” She jerked against Pete’s hold and giggled loudly and they laughed at her helplessness. “Muahahaha! That’s what you get!” Patrick cried. He leaned forward and bit her neck, and she let out another high pitched laugh. “You bit me!” She shrieked in between giggles. “Oh, you wait!” This threat didn’t make a difference to Patrick as he tickled her again, knowing she was powerless.

 

“Uhg, Dude, Stop!” She laughed in between words and the creak of the door went unnoticed until Patrick stopped long enough to realize that Johnny was standing in the doorway looking mighty pissed that two guys were holding his sister down and let me tell you, it looked pretty bad from where he was standing.

 

In the next instant, both boys were scrambling away from her to stand at attention as if a general had walked into the room instead of their friend’s brother. Johnny stalked up to Patrick whose nervousness was coming off in waves and stopped when he was right in his face. He looked him up and down and gave him that murderous look that dared him to get any close than ten feet to his sister again and Patrick gulped. He didn’t exactly want to die tonight. Johnny didn’t even have to say anything; the message was clear in silence. Patrick did his best to step back nonchalantly and fixed the hat on his head. Next to him Pete coughed nervously. Zaydee however could have cared less. She watched from her spot on the bed in boredom and waited for her brother to finish playing tough guy. That or for the boys to stop being such wusses.

 

Johnny looked at her through stern eyes. “Its late. Go to sleep.”

 

Zaydee raised an eyebrow at her brother’s command and didn’t move an inch. “I’m not sleepy.”

 

“I didn’t ask you if you were sleepy, did I?”

 

“Good then, because I’m not.”

 

Johnny still wasn’t looking at her; he was busy eyeing Patrick like he was deciding which piece of him to break first.

 

“Ya, Johnny, salte!” The fact that he always had to come around like he was somebody pissed Zaydee off. A normal brother was over protective. Her brother was a fucking army general in city clothes. She could tell he was getting to Patrick because the boy wouldn’t even meet her eyes anymore. No, he was too busy trying to keep eye contact with her brother. Boys.

 

Pete yawned a fake yawn and edge away from the other two boys. “Man, I’m tired; I think I’ll crash…” He was silently praying Patrick would catch on and just join him but his friend wasn’t making the situation easy by trying to stand his ground.

 

Pete cleared his throat again.

 

“You’re friend is talking to you.” Johnny dared Patrick to say anything back to him and waited for him to follow Pete. Several seconds passed and finally Patrick stepped around Johnny and did so. He shot Zaydee a funny look that she really couldn’t interpret and the two boys marched out of the room, followed by General Johnny who showed them their guest room.

 

This was so stupid. Zaydee dug for her sidekick in her bag and immediately went through her contacts to Patrick.

 

Fr: Zay

Sorry about him. He’s a little crazy…

 

Fr: Trick

Yeah, no kidding. He’s kinda…oh, I dunno... PSYCHO.

Fr: Zay

Hey now, that’s my brother you’re calling psycho.

 

Fr: Trick

Just stating a fact.

 

Fr: Zay

I won’t be able to sleep tonight…

 

Fr: Trick

Cause I called him a psycho?

 

Fr: Zay

No, smart one. Because, you won’t be with me. And I’ll get all lonely and stuff.

 

Fr: Trick

Give me one hour.

 

Time seemed to tick by slowly. Slower than it should have at any normal pace but I guess that’s how time works. It’s a bitch to you when you’re in need. Her room was absolutely silent throughout those sixty minutes. Every sound seemed to be magnified in her ears and she swore she could hear the stairs creak everyone and on then. If Johnny was patrolling her door she was going to sock him in the morning.

 

One hour later. One exact hour later, the entire house seemed to come to a still, even the air was deathly silent except for her quiet breath in the darkness. Someone tapped at her door and it creaked open. Patrick’s head poked around the door, peering in before closing it behind him. He tiptoed to her bed in his blue t-shirt and plaid cotton pajamas and stood at her bedside, watching her. His lips curved into a smile at the sight.

 

“No, that’s not creepy at all,” She teased, cocking her head to one side.

 

“Fuck.” Patrick jumped in his skin. “You’re scared the shit outta me, I thought you were asleep.”

 

“Obviously.”  She scooted over to make room for the boy. “Come on,” she patted the empty spot next to her. He was reluctant to the idea. He bhappened like being able to move on his own. “No one is going to randomly check on you, are they? I want to make it back home in one piece…”

 

She thought about this for a moment and that made Patrick go uneasy. Even in the darkness she could see some of the color drain from his face at the thought. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Honestly, he acted like he wasn’t twenty four and capable of defending himself.

 

“Relax, no one is going to come in. Sheesh.”

 

He let out an audible breath and lowered him into the bed, but the truth was, he wasn’t going to get much sleep this close to her. He was wide awake. Not because the room was probably being watched right now but because how the hell could sleep when the excitement of sneaking around just to be with his girlfriend was coursing through him like an electric shock? “You asleep?” He asked, even though he knew the answer and she shook her head.

 

“Nope, not at all…we should go on the roof.”

 

“You can get on the roof?”

 

“Yes. Duh. How do you expect us to put up Christmas lights?”

 

“No, but I mean, in the dark…at 2:00 a.m….without dying?”

 

She chuckled. “Yes, actually. Part of the roof is flat and there’s actually a stairway leading up there…whoever designed the house had a creative mind.” The roof was a nice place to sit and think. Mainly because no one ever went up there but her.

“I want one of those.”

 

“One of what?”

 

“A stairway leading to my roof where we can go up there.”

 

She took his arms and put them around her, trying to get comfortable. He honestly felt the need to keep a conversation going otherwise he was going to fall asleep here with her. And white boy+ Mexican gangster’s sister in the same bed = Disaster.

 

“Really?” She asked. “And what would you do up there?” Already her eyes were drifting shut. His steady breathing and low whispers were like a soft tune that made her want to cuddle into him and just sleep.

 

“Oh, you know…” He smiled into the darkness and kissed her neck. “Have a little party.”

 

Zaydee turned in the darkness to kiss him back and tugged him so that he moved to hover over her. Something about having to keep this a secret, having to sneak around to be Patrick turned her on. “I like parties, who’s all invited?”

 

He didn’t much time to answer that as she leaned up to kiss him. His hands immediately came up to stroke his side and she giggled like a school girl.

 

“No one but you,” He whispered into her lips.

 

“Not even me?”

 

Both Patrick and Zaydee jumped at the sound Pete’s voice and Zaydee had to cover her mouth to keep herself from being loud. “The fuck, Pete! Scare us, why don’t you!”

 

Pete pouted sheepishly. “I got scared. You’re family scares me! Then Patrick left me.” He then glared at them. “Besides you weren’t going to invite me to you secret hideout-place-thingy on the roof.”

 

“Christ, how old are you again?”

 

“Shut up, Stump. Don’t make me make you crippled.”

 

Patrick groaned. “Peeeeete. Go away. I’m trying to sex Zaydee and you’re making it kinda hard.”

 

“I wanna be sexed! Me next?” Pete jumped in his spot as quietly as possible and when he saw that neither one of them was smiling back he pouted and started to slump away. “Fine. Lamo-o’s. Be that way. I don’t need ya’ll anyway, I’m going to sleep.”

 

“Thank. You.” Patrick muttered before reattaching his lips to Zaydee’s neck. He waited for the familiar sound of the door to click shut and kissed her on the lips. “Now where were we, my dear?”

 

“I believe you were about to ‘sex me.’”

 

“Damn straight,” Patrick sucked on her skin and nibbled at her earlobe. The moment was heating up, and Zaydee was starting to get in the mood when the stairs creaked again and suddenly light from outside, flooded the space beneath the door. “Oh, fuck!” She pushed Patrick away.

 

Patrick, in his boxers, hair messy, and shirt messed up, freaked out in the middle of her room.

 

“The closet!” She hissed and her door opened right as soon as her closet door closed.

 

“Zaydee?”

 

She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe. She didn’t dare move an inch, not even to blink. She kept her eyes closed and she froze in place as if she had been asleep for a while now and hoped that whoever was there believed her. This wasn’t out of the ordinary...much. Her mother randomly checking up on her in the middle of the night had been something she had gotten used to. As a child. Now it was just annoying. She hadn’t had to worry about her mother for the past three years and now that Patrick and Pete had come to visit it was obvious why.

 

Finally, after a painfully slow thirty seconds, her door clicked shut and then another minutes later, she decided the coast was clear. She knew her mother well enough to be sure that she wasn’t going to come check up on her again.

 

She threw off then comforter and tiptoed to the closet and just as she went to pull the sliding door open, she spun around and froze. She could have sworn he had heard something…

 

Hands reached out around her waist and if Patrick hadn’t covered her mouth, she might have gasped a little too loudly. He pulled her into the large closet and shoved the doors closed behind him so that they were enclosed in a darkness that suited that slyness. “Now you, you I want.” He told her, pressing her up against the wall, clothes hanging around them.

 

She was still trying to catch her breath and not laugh at him at the same time. “Ugh. Not cool, Stump. Being sneaky is one thing. Scaring the fuck out of me is another. I just saw ‘Prom night’ you can’t do shit like that.”

 

“That movie wasn’t even scary.”

 

“No, but there did happen to be a somewhat realistic scene where the girl was pulled into her closet!”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“You shut up.”

 

“Or what?” He raised his eyebrows, trying to be flirtatious and she cocked her head to one side and grinned. “Or nothing. You get nothing.” She taunted, poking him in the ribs. She couldn’t see his face, but he was pouting as he slapped her hands away. “No, no, no. No touching the fat bits.”

 

“Oh, hush puppy.” She said, pulling him close. Patrick followed her lead and pressed his body close to hers, his leg between hers, making her shiver. His lips glued themselves to hers and she fisted the shirt he had on and tugged hard.

 

“We probably shouldn’t be doing this.” He kissed her cheek and pulled back little. Enough to still go back for a kiss if he changed his mind. The thought didn’t make her happy in the least but at she knew she couldn’t get in trouble in she didn’t do anything. “I guess,” She muttered. If she wasn’t going to get to be close to him then damn it she was still going to make out with him. She hugged him closely again and leaned into his, relishing the fact that he always seemed to smell good despite the fact that he was a guy and that Pete always smelled a little too…

 

“Did you just smell me?” He cracked a smile.

 

“Yes,” She pouted and pinched him hard enough to make him squeal a little. “Shut up.”

 

“Just askin.”

 

“Just answerin,” She retorted with a hint of playfulness.

 

“Can I smell you back?”

 

She gasped in surprise and took a step back. “EW. No. What the hell, Patrick? Why would I let you—“

 

His face dropped and she laughed. “Kidding,” She kissed his lips. “You are the only person I shall ever let smell me. And maybe Ryan.”

 

He groaned good naturedly and sat on the floor, pulling her down to join her in his new spot. “I can’t wait to go home. You’re coming back with me. You don’t have a choice.”

 

“No choice at all?”

 

“None whatsoever.”

 

She shifted in his lap and nodded, “Very well then,” and leaned against his chest. “I’m cold.” She whined in hopes that he would hug her tighter and he did. Score.

 

“Tricky, why did the chicken cross the road?”

 

“Uhhhh,” He thought about the question for a moment as if there might actually be a correct answer to it. “To tell the humans he didn’t really have a reason for crossing it in the first place.”

 

She wrinkled her nose and the answer and shook her head. “Which can first the chicken or the egg?”

 

“Well….I like eggs. So we’ll go with that answer.”

 

“What about the music or the misery?”

 

“Ask Pete.”

 

“Lame.”

 

“I am not lame!”

 

“I didn’t say you were.” She poked him in the ribs and he growled like a puppy in response. “Aw, how cute. I have a puppy.”

 

“If I were a puppy, I’d be cute.”

 

“You already are cute.”

 

He kissed her nose and laughed. “Are you trying to suck up to me? Cause if you are, its working. Whatever you want, its yours.”

 

They shared a giggle before she yawned a yawn that would have unhinged her lips if she has kept it going. “Sleepy.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“I’m not sleeping in my closet.” She got up and helped him up too then slid open the closet. She hopped to her bed and crawled under the sheet with him trailing behind. “Tell me a bedtime story,” she said.

 

“Are you eight or eighteen?”

 

“Who cares?”

 

“I care. Statutory rape of an eight year old isn’t cool.”

 

“I’m sayin,” she agreed, pulling on his sleeve. “Do you promise to take me back to Chicago? Her eyes were fighting just to stay open.

 

“I promise,” He chuckled.

 

“Pinky promise?”

 

“Pinky promise.”

 

“Will you kiss me goodnight?”

 

“Every time.” His lips touched hers in a soft collision and she inhaled happily. “I love you, Patrick.”

 

“I love you, Zaydee.”

 

He started to stand up and through the drowsiness that threatening to take her she reached out and grabbed his arm.

 

“Stay…stay with me.”

 

Patrick gulped. He knew if he did that he would have to stay away and leave when she fell asleep.

 

“Okay,” He kissed the top her head and she slid over to make room for her. He pulled her into his arms and cradled her there. “Goodnight, you silly girl.”

 

“Goodnight, silly…” Her voice trailed off and in the next instant her eyes were worn and she was fast asleep, dreaming of things to come.

 

x

 

I've had this written for like two weeks now, I don't know I haven't posted it. I guess I just haven't been happy with it. Please excuse an typos, I didn't check it and sorry if it wasn't 'brilliant' I just kinda wrote whatever came out and just went with it. Instead of aiming for a crucial point in this chapter I went for a more, happy, normal, funny kinda of thing. So, hope you like it. =] Tell me what you think!

XO'Keefe