Hello!
So I wrote this little two-part fic right after the big fight between Zig and the MC in Book 3 of The Freshman. It brought up so many negative feelings for me and I had to get them out somehow. I also didn't love some of the choices I was forced to make during the fight so I felt like this little fic helped me resolve some of that frustration. Hope you like it!

The concert had ended worse than she could've imagined. Zig had started a huge fight and she and her friends were barely able to escape. Before disengaging from the fray and slipping out the back door, she'd spotted Kaitlyn disappear with that band backstage. At least she didn't have to worry about her estranged roommate tonight.

Amazingly, she'd managed to grab Zig and get him to stop wailing on a random guy long enough to follow them out of the venue. She had yelled herself hoarse trying to get his attention and finally dodged a flailing arm to grasp and claw into his bicep. The pain had gotten his attention and she'd grimaced when she saw how disheveled he looked, but at least he wasn't badly hurt. Once outside, she'd checked to make sure everyone else was okay. Zack and Tyler were shaken up but unharmed. Abbie was still hopped up on adrenaline from her own battle but also uninjured.

Zig had offered to give everyone a ride back to the dorms but her friends took one look at her face and politely declined. Somehow they knew she needed to be alone with Zig. Zack made up an excuse about wanting to make a stop on the way home and said they'd grab a taxi. Then he shot her a meaningful look and she nodded gratefully before they took off. Thank God for such amazing, intuitive friends.

As soon as they disappeared, she gripped Zig's hand roughly and stomped toward the parking lot, almost dragging him to his car. She had never been more angry with him than she was in that moment.

She found herself thinking back to when he blew up at Chris and Arjun in the cafe. It had irritated her a little…mostly because he refused to listen to her when she'd tried to talk to him outside. She still regretted resorting to something as petty as snatching his cigarette away to get his attention but it had worked. Eventually they'd both calmed down enough to talk and somehow she'd convinced him to help out. That day, she had almost no problem accepting his anger.

But this…this was the last straw.

"Could you please slow down?! This is ridiculous!" Zig nearly shouted. He was fuming…she could tell without looking. And she didn't care.

"No! And you're the one being ridiculous. Now, get in!" she spat out.

They'd finally reached his car and she narrowed her eyes at him, motioning for him to get in the driver's seat. He glared back at her stubbornly and for a moment she swore he was going to challenge her to the staring contest of all staring contests. But after a matter of seconds, he begrudgingly unlocked the doors and fell into his seat with a huff. The doors slammed shut, the automatic locks clicked, and then she wheeled around on him.

"What the hell, Zig?! Dammit…what were you thinking?!"

His eyes narrowed to angry slits. "I still don't get it! What are you mad at me for?!"

"Do you seriously even need to ask that question?!" She motioned to his face where his lip had been cut. She lifted his hand to show the raw, swollen knuckles that were already bruising. He recoiled, snatching his hand away, and stared straight in front of him.

"I did what I had to do," he muttered.

"No, you didn't! You did what you wanted to do. There was no reason for any of this to happen!"

He shifted in the driver seat so he was facing her again, his hand gripping the steering wheel. "So, I'm just supposed to stand by and let some piece of shit douchebag shove you to the ground?!"

"It was an accident!

"The hell it was! I saw the whole thing. That asshole pushed you on purpose!"

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "He stumbled out of the mosh pit and fell into me!"

"How do you know?!" he shot back. "Your back was to him! You turned to tell me how fun the pit looked and I glanced up just in time to see him shove you. I couldn't react fast enough to catch you but I was more than ready to rearrange his face."

A dark look clouded his eyes and she sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. Clearly we both saw it differently. The bottom line is that you are out of control. This constant anger and fighting needs to stop!"

He bristled. "Constant? So I'm angry all the time? Is that it?!"

"It's starting to feel that way!"

He sighed in exasperation. "So when we went to the bar together and played pool…and the day I helped you babysit Rico…and when I picked you up and we talked after you hung out with James before he left…I was angry all those times?"

"Well, no…"

"Okay, then!"

"Fine, maybe I was overgeneralizing. But what you're doing is still dangerous, Zig. Not only could you end up in jail, but you could end up hurt. You're not invincible. And tonight I could've gotten hurt in that brawl. You get that, right?"

He nodded, frowning. "Yeah, I get it."

She eyed him hopefully. "So, you'll stop all of this…physical aggression?"

"Hell no!"

She growled angrily. "Are you serious right now?!"

"Yes! I will never stop doing whatever it takes to protect you! Tonight got out of hand but it won't happen that way next time."

"Next time?! No. No next time, Zig."

He shook his head. "I thought you understood. This is what I believe needs to be done. This is how I get justice."

"I understand very well. But it doesn't mean I'm on board with it. And you know what else? You're not helping any causes by doing this. What happens when you get arrested? Go to jail? How will you protect me then?!"

"I won't let that happen. I'll be more careful but I will not just stand by like a coward and do nothing when I see you being hurt." He shot her a glance. "And I never said I was a vigilante trying to help a cause. I have to protect the people I care about. And this is the best way I know how. No matter what, I'll always do what needs to be done."

She felt her eyelids sting as the realization hit her. She slowly nodded, her chest constricting with dread. This was the life he was choosing and there was nothing she could do about it. He valued himself so little that he didn't seem to care about any consequence to his behavior…as long as he honored his own code, that's all that mattered. Now she understood the gravity of the situation…and there was absolutely no way she could be a part of it.

"Then I have to do what needs to be done, too. And that means we shouldn't see each other anymore."

Her voice nearly broke at the end of her statement but she set her jaw firmly. The look on his face was a mixture of hurt and disbelief and seeing it caused an ache to settle within her.

"You really mean that?" He sounded eerily calm and she nodded.

"Yeah, I do. You've given me no choice. I won't stand by and watch you ruin your life. I won't put myself in danger either."

He blinked as if he'd been slapped. "You really think I'd hurt you? That I'd let you get hurt?" He sounded wounded and she swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"No, not on purpose. But the fact that you choose to resolve issues this way, regardless of the situation, means it will always be a possibility. It's too much for me, Zig. I'm sorry."

He was completely stunned and she stared blankly out the window, wiping away tears. They weren't even officially together, so why did this hurt so much? Why did it feel like they were breaking up?

After a moment, the car engine roared to life.

"Fine." He sounded resigned and broken and her eyes welled up. This empty feeling was going to get far worse before it got better…she could see that now.

They drove back to her dorm in silence, save her hushed sniffles. It was taking all of her strength to hold back the sobs that wanted to break through. But she wouldn't let herself completely break down in front of him.

When they finally pulled into the parking lot, she quickly unfastened her seatbelt and reached for the door handle. Almost instantly, she was stilled by Zig's warm hand hesitantly touching her arm. She paused long enough to glance at him and the sadness and devastation in his expression was beyond what she could handle. Her vision blurred and she looked away as tears trailed down her cheeks. As if deciding not to speak after all, he released her and shifted his gaze forward again, crossing his arms against his chest.

She released a choked sigh as she nearly jumped up and out of the passenger seat. It was as if she couldn't get away from him fast enough. She shut the car door behind her and the finality of it made her shudder. This was it…he wasn't going to be a part of her life anymore. She could no longer hold back the tears as she walked blindly toward her dorm, willing herself not to look back. She knew he'd be watching to make sure she made it in safely so she had to be strong and keep moving. This was for her own good…right?

Hours later, as she lay awake in bed anxiously waiting for sleep to overtake her, she found herself asking that same question over and over again.