A/N: Hey! Hope you like my first fanfiction! It's probably really bad... so reviews are appreciated! :) I just thought it would be interesting to pair Zack with an OC (original character - I hate it when people add abbreviations that first time readers don't understand) with Social Anxiety Disorder... nobody seems to write stories about that, but I know someone who has it and really struggles with it. This is for you!

I enrolled in Seven Seas High School on the S.S. Tipton, no matter how cliché it might sound, to get a fresh start. To get away from the people who knew me, knew my embarrassing stories, away from the people whom I had made enemies with over the years and were set against me. So far, things had been… better. Not great, but better than they were. It was two quarters into the school year. I had gotten closer to my classmates, and school work was good. Last night, I had stayed up really late working on an assignment. I walked up to the juice bar and dropped my head down on the counter.

"Late night?" Zack Martin asked. I moved my head in what would be a nod.

"Ms. Tutweiller's the worst. I know what will perk you up," Zack said, turning to make me a smoothie. I raised my head as he finished blending the ingredients.

"You like blackberries, right?" I perked up immediately, and nodded adamantly. He smiled, and slid the smoothie toward me. I laughed and drank the smoothie eagerly. Zack was so nice. I finished the smoothie, and helped him clean up.

"Oh you don't need to do that," he told me.

"Hey, you gave me a free smoothie," I answered him.

"Oh. It wasn't free." I whacked him and handed him my school credit card. I sighed. My parents weren't going to be happy with my spending this semester. He handed the card back to me, and proceeded to swipe his own card instead.

"You can't do that!" I told him, already feeling guilty but touched.

'It's okay, it's Cody's card." I cracked up, and found Zack laughing along with me. It shocked me, and I found myself thinking of fight or flight.

"I've…. got to go," I stuttered, slowly backing away. I went to my dorm, where I was rooming with Madison, another new girl in my class.

"You look…. frazzled, I suppose," Madison remarked.

"No – No I don't!" I responded, my face turning red. I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach and felt self-conscious. What was she thinking right now? I bet she was thinking I was extremely weird. Madison didn't know. Luckily, Madison was leaving the boat soon. Soon, I would have no trouble with hiding. I sat down at one of the two desks, and opened my laptop, about to start the assignment due next week so I wouldn't have another late-nighter. I checked the time at the corner of the screen and jumped out of my seat, grabbing my stuff.

"Sorry Madison, I gotta go!" I yelled, dashing out the door. As I was running down the corridor, I bumped into Zack.

"Oh hey, Anna, where are you going?"

"Sorry, can't talk now, I'm late!" I answered, about to continue down the hall.

"Late for what? It's only four thirty, and dinner starts at six," he questioned.

"Oh, yeah, I…Mr. Moseby wanted to talk to me," I lied hurriedly. "Well, got to go! Don't want to keep him waiting!" I rushed all the way to Mr. Blanket's room.

"Hey-huff-Mr.-huff-Blanket!" I told him.

"Well, that's the first time I've ever seen someone run into this room that didn't hide or immediately run out again. You're late, Anna," he responded.

"How's your rabbit sniffing problem?" I asked him.

"Better," he told me, lifting a rabbit with his left hand and sniffing it, before placing it back in its box. "So, have you encountered any trouble today?"

"Yeah, I almost had an incident at the juice bar… but it was better than before. I only felt ¾ of the panic!" I answered.

"It's tough having social anxiety disorder, Anna, but eventually you'll get better."

"I hope so; it's been a real pain." At that moment, Bailey Picket came to the door. I was pretty close with Bailey (she knew about my… issues) but sometimes, especially when she was being perfect or when she was being mushy with Cody, I found her really annoying. "Anna, red alert. Zack's talking to Mr. Moseby," Bailey said hurriedly.

"How do you know about that?" I asked her, already out the door and following her lead.

"You were talking to Zack right outside my dorm room, duh," she reminded me. Luckily, Zack and Mr. Moseby were not far from the counseling room.

"…I didn't have to speak to Anna, she was probably on her way to –"

"Hey, Mr. Moseby!" Bailey said cheerfully. A knot started to form in my stomach. I gulped and began to lie through my teeth, a cold sweat forming on my skin from the three sets of eyes on me now: two confused and questioning, one supportive. All expecting something from me. Two expecting answers, one expecting me to give a good show of covering up my issues. I could feel their eyes, burning into mine, the pressure building. I swallowed again, and ignored my fears. I stared Mr. Moseby in the eye, and said,

"Sorry I'm late, I ran into Bailey on the way here. What did you want to talk to me about?" Drat. My leg was beginning to shake. I tried very hard to try to keep it still, but luck wasn't in my favor. I considered fleeing, but figured I could stand the discomfort a little longer. Thank goodness, Mr. Moseby understood my stare.

"Oh, you meant that Anna?" Mr. Moseby asked, turning to Zack. "I thought you meant the other Anna, the employee on this boat. I don't know why you would know that employee's name, seeing as you can't even remember to turn in one assignment on time, but I've been knee deep in papers all day."

"Wouldn't be hard, considering the short distance from your knees to the ground," Zack responded. Mr. Moseby shot him a glare-and-growl, before turning back to me.

"Oh yes, I needed to discuss something with you, he said, taking my arm and leading me away. "What was that all about?" he questioned me.

"I came to this boat for a fresh start. I don't want people to know about my… issues unless it's absolutely necessary or I choose to tell them." I answered.

"I understand. But I really believe it would be fine if they knew the truth," Mr. Moseby told me in a caring tone. "You're a great girl, Anna, and I can assure you that people here won't be like your high school back home. You've got to remember, that high school was a special case. That's not how everyone acts."

"I know, I know… I just.." Tears began to well up in my eyes. "I have a hard time remembering that, and a hard time trusting people," I said, quickly wiping away my tears.

"I now that you're late for Mr. Blanket, but one last thing. You're allowed to cry, you know, Anna. You don't have to hide your tears anymore. You're not in your old high school." Mr. Moseby told me.

"I know, I'm sorry," and with that I dashed away.

Third Person POV

"What was that about?" Zack asked Bailey. "That felt... weird." He said, in a suspicious tone.

"I can't tell you," said Bailey. "But I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," and she added with a mutter "'Cause basically everybody else knows."

A/N: So what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Be kind! Review! :)