NEVER LETS NOBODY SEE HIM CRY
DISCLAIMER
Another Zack/Jessie friendship fic inspired by Taylor's Swift's "I'd Lie" and somewhat inspired by "Rent-A-Pop". It was obvious from the ep that Zack was bothered by the fact that his dad didn't seem to have time for him, so I thought I'd write something about it. Takes place before the ep mentioned and before Jessie became a cheerleader. Belongs to Miller-Boyett. I just get the ideas.
The basketball game was in full swing and Zack was on top of the world. He passed the ball to Slater who took the shot. Then, he glanced at the stands to see Jessie and his mother, Melanie. He looked at them questioningly and they shrugged. Come on, Dad. Where are you? You promised, Zack thought to himself. However, he was soon immersed in the game once more. He made basket after basket and the crowd cheered wildly.
"T-i-g-e-r-s! T-i-g-e-r-s! Go Bayside!" the cheerleaders chanted and then led the crowd into a rousing chant. After a few more minutes, Zack glanced back at the crowd.
"Come on, Dad. Where are you?" he muttered. Then, he saw someone coming in through the gym's side door. His face lit up. His dad was here! He was late, but at least he was here. Then, his face fell when he saw that it wasn't his father at all, but one of his colleagues carrying a video camera. I can't believe he did this to me! He promised! He thought to himself, watching as the man made his way over to where his mother was sitting. The woman's face darkened and Zack knew was she was mad. However, she merely pointed and the man trained the camera in Zack's direction. With a heavy heart, Zack ran across the court.
"You all right, Preppie?"
"I'm fine." When no one was looking, he quickly swiped at his eyes. Get it together, Zack. It's not the first time he's broken a promise or missed one of your games. You should be used to it, he chided himself. Then, he forced himself to focus on the game. A couple of hours later, it was done. As everyone surged around the players, Zack merely headed for the halls. Without even thinking about it, Jessie immediately followed him. In the halls, Zack finally let the tears fall. I can't believe this! how could he do this? He knew how important this game was! he sniffled.
"Zack?" Jessie questioned. With a gasp, Zack swiped his eyes and turned around. "Zack, I'm so sorry," she continued.
"What for? It's not like he's never broken a promise or missed a game before," he pointed. "Who cares if we just made the semi-finals? He probably had a big important deal that was too good to risk letting it slip away. I know his work is important to him." Though to anyone else, Zack's voice would've sounded normal, Jessie recognized the thick layer of emotion underneath his words and her heart broke. She could kill Mr. Morris for doing this. All Zack wanted was for the man to come to a game-just one game. Was it really so much to ask? His throat muscles constricted, and once more, his eyes glistened. Without a word, Jessie drew Zack into a hug and held him as he began to sob.
