Yeah, I am so sorry I don't update sooner! I started writing the chapter after I posted the first one but I just wasn't feeling it.

But then today, BAM! I started writing and couldn't stop. It's probably going to be like that from now on. There isn't really a date but whenever inspiration hits me! Anyway, on the story!

Disclaimer : I don't own Gallagher Girls or I Am Number Four plot. All rights reserved.


"Hey, it's Daniel right?" A voice giggled.

Zach didn't even bother to turn around. He's been hearing that line all day and all he wanted was to get outside and see where Cammie was.

"Hey, I'm talking to you," someone grabbed his arm and he sighed, slowly turning around to be face to face with a tall blonde girl that was almost his height (which saying is really tall).

He forced a smile. "Hey, sorry. Didn't hear you. It's pretty crowded here."

She smiled back. Zach noticed she had a very beautiful smile. Most of the girl's here did.

But then he looked away, an uncomfortable feeling forming in his felt like he shouldn't be thinking about other girl's smiles, like he was deceiving Cammie in some way, which was ludicrous because he just met the girl and for all he knew she was just talking to him for the sake of politeness.

"Yeah, I bet it's pretty scarce in Virginia isn't it?"

He brought his attention back to her and smirked, not bothering to tell her that sentence didn't really make any sense but understood what she was trying to say. "Yeah, something like that."

"I bet your liking Angeles better aren't you?" She asked with a fond smile. "I mean who wouldn't? This is like everyone's dream destination. I'm Liz by the way."

"Nice to meet you Liz."

She grinned. "Hey, listen so there's going to be a cookout at the beach tonight. With a bonfire and all that. Just the seniors. You know how it is, gotta live it up before we hit the real world right?"

"Totally," Zach agreed.

"So what do you say? You game?"

"Sure I'll be there," Zach agreed again, craning his neck to get a glimpse of a blonde-headed girl only to find that she had a mousy face.

Liz giggled again. "I mean with me, silly. Do you want to be my date?"

"Wait, what?" Zach snapped his attention back to her. Liz had an amused smile on her lips. "Be my date for the cookout?" She asked raising a perfect eyebrow.

Zach wondered if Cammie had a date. But then again, why wouldn't she? She was absolutely beautiful. Come to think of it, she probably had a boyfriend instead.

"Uh sure." He cleared his throat. For some weird reason she had the weirdest effect on him. But not in a good way, like Cammie does. It was…creepy in a sense. Zach couldn't really pinpoint what it was. He'd ask Joe later. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Liz smiled her epic smile again. It was starting to intoxicate him. "I'd like that too." She grabbed his arm, scrawling something with a pink gel pen. When Zach looked again he saw it was seven numbers, glittering pink prominent against his creamy skin.

"Call me sometime," She winked before gliding towards the doors.

People watched him as he also joined the crowd. That was normal, being the new kid and all and he hadn't realized the real reason was until the boy beside him clapped his back saying, "Congrats man. First with Macey McHenry and now Liz Sutton. You're on a roll."

Zach frowned at him. "What?"

He pointed to his arm. "Getting the cheerleader captain's number? Guys would give an arm and leg for that."

"Oh," Zach glanced down. "And Macey?"

The boy shrugged. "She's a smoking babe, but a total slut. She just wants a good time. But Liz Sutton…" he trailed off shaking his head with amazement.

Zach walked outside in a daze. So this Liz Sutton was a real something. Not good.

He couldn't believe himself. He had no idea why he just agreed to that. Joe had warned him not to attract attention which he's usually pretty good at but coming to Los Angeles had totally changed his morals of life for some bizarre reason. Now he's doing the complete opposite of what he was supposed to be doing.

Zach sighed, scanning the vivid green yard for Liz, to tell her he had to cancel plans.

But instead, a certain angelic beauty caught his eye. He grinned against his will and started heading over to where she was leaned against a tree, listening to music and sketching something in a notepad.

Zach was surprised she was all alone. He had thought a girl like her would be surrounded by admirers. Although some people waved or said hi, nobody stopped for a much longer chat.

He was almost there when another figure intercepted him and he was met by vibrant blue eyes practically crackling with electricity.
"Macey, hey," Zach managed before she threw her hands up and started screaming at him.

"You bastard! I can't fucking believe this! After all we've done together, after how much we've connected, you-you…ugh you're such an asshole!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa Macey. Calm down. What's going on?" He asked catching her by the shoulders.

Macey gave a glare so cold, it could freeze hell over. "You know. Going to the cookout with Elizabeth Sutton," she said her name like poison.

Zach almost laughed out loud. This is what it was all about?

"Look Macey, it's just a cookout. Nothing big is happening. And anyway, it's not like we're dating or anything that I can't go out with other girls." He was a little confused. Wasn't she the slut? Why is she even caring?

Macey looked disgusted. "She wants to hook up with you, idiot! That's what Skanky-Beth Sutton does!"
She took a deep breath. "I thought we really meant something to each other. Yesterday, and today we were- I thought we really connected. I thought you would go to the cookout with me and hook up with me."

Zach swallowed, torn between remorse and amusement.
How could he ever connect with a mere mortal? Joe said that his race only truly and fully loved an Eloric. Not that there were many Eloric women to choose from, so Zach just had to wait.
These mortals were just…well time pass no matter how vain that sounds. Because Zach was a teenager, and like everything else about his body, he also had a lot more testosterone than an average guy.

"Macey, I thought you understood this. That it was really, a one-time thing," Zach said in a low voice.
In fact, he specifically picked a girl as seductive and coquettish as her because he knew girls like that wouldn't attach any strings. Apparently, he was wrong.

The stunning girl in front of him mouth dropped open. "YOU ASSHOLE!" She screamed punching his gut before storming away.

Zach just stood there, dumfounded. It wasn't as though she had hurt him, he was quite literally made-of-steel but he didn't know what the hell was going on and how the hell this had happened in the first place.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing and watched the whole exchange, even after Macey had tromped off. So much for trying to blend in.

Zach turned his gaze back on the girl under the tree just a few yards away. She was watching too obviously, and when they're eyes connected Zach swore he felt a jolt of electric pass between them.
To his surprise, she patted the grass next to her, inviting him to come sit, her kaleidoscopic eyes never breaking away from his.

He crossed the distance between them without hesitation, settling beside her.

"Well that was interesting," Cammie said after a moment of silence.

"That's one word for it," Zach agreed.
She turned her head to look at him and Zach was again, struck by how beautiful she was. Sure, a lot of girls had blonde hair, tanned skin and hazel eyes but not like Cammie's.
What she had was a very different kind of beauty, unlike Macey's or Liz's or anyone's in the school.
He couldn't really explain it. All he knew that it was a very unique, exotic and one-of-a-kind type of splendor.

"Was it really a one-time thing for you? Or did you just say that so Macey wouldn't know your true feelings for her?"

Zach's eyebrows raised until they were hidden under his floppy hair. "What makes you think that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. You honestly don't look like the type to actually stay with one girl so I'm not actually surprised. You look like Macey's type," Cammie observed.

"From what I heard, Macey doesn't have a type," Zach said ignoring her previous ludicrous comment. Pft, not staying with one girl? He's never even had a girl!

"I heard she's a slut who just likes to have fun."

"Not true!" Cammie exclaimed, sitting up to defend her friend. "You don't even know her; you have no right to say that!"

Zach didn't like it when Cammie was angry. Although she looked uber cute while at it, he wouldn't be able to handle it if she walked away screaming 'asshole'.

"Yeah, your right I'm sorry," Zach quickly apologized. He wasn't actually that good with talking to people resulting to saying the wrong things like such.

Cammie sank back to her seat warily. "Me too," she said with a soft smile. "I didn't mean to snap." Zach just smiled back.

"So you're really going to the cookout with Elizabeth Sutton?" She hadn't said it in a mean way like Macey had, but there was still hidden hostility in her voice. Zach wondered what Liz had done to make the girls so angry.

"Yeah. Did something happen between you guys?"

"We have history," Cammie admitted.

"But she seems nice. She was really nice," Zach remembered.

"Oh yeah she can be the sweetheart,"Cammie replied a little bitterly.

Zach was surprised to hear that sharp edge in her normally soft voice. "Are you mad at me for going with her?" He wondered worriedly.

Her face broke into an amused smile. "No. Why would I be? It's your choice."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course," he replied faintly, feeling stupid for asking that. Sure he was hoping she would be jealous but that's absurd. He was pretty sure she didn't like him the same way he did.
Hell, it was his first day here and he was already madly in love.

Yeah you read right, love.
Zach blamed stupid Eloric emotions that were much stronger than human ones. Humans wouldn't be able to cope with all heaps of sensations and sentiments. It would crush them like the Greek myth of Atlas holding up the sky.

"Who are you going with?" He asked curiously.

Cammie's face flushed. "I don't know. I probably won't go. I mean, there's a massive history test tomorrow…" she duck her head down, her hair covering her red face like a shiny gold curtain.

"Oh." Zach hadn't meant to embarrass her. He just assumed she'd be going. He wondered why a girl so friendly and beautiful wasn't like, a social butterfly. But that was being stereotypical, in a way he guessed.

"Do you draw?" Zach asked, quickly changing the subject. Cammie smiled at him gratefully and his heart flew like a humming bird's wings.

"Yes. I like painting better but I just sketch stuff at school for inspiration and then put it on canvas at home," she replied.

"Can I see some of your sketches?" Zach asked, his eyes sparking with interest. He reached for the worn out, sticker and doodle-covered notepad at her feet.

"No!" Cammie yelled suddenly, snatching it away and tucking it on her other side. "Sorry, it's sort of-private," she explained sheepishly at his baffled expression.

"No, it's alright," Zach amended, his face smoothing out.

There was another beat of silence, but it wasn't awkward. Just heavy in a way, like there was so much words between them that it was weighing the air down.

"When you said I looked like Macey's type," Zach began a little nervously. "What's your type?"

"Hmm," Cammie tilted her head thinking about it. "Someone, sweet I guess. Charming, silly, intelligent. Someone a bit shy when we're alone. I have a thing for blue eyes too."

At this, Cammie wanted to eat her words. She realized she has described Josh perfectly. She realized she's been thinking of his shimmering light blue eyes as soon as Zach had asked that. She realized she really needed to get over him.

Zach shifted uncomfortably, trying not to let his disappointment and sadness to seep through.

He didn't know how to be sweet because he never had a girlfriend.

Was he charming? Probably not.

Silly? Um no. He had more of a cocky humor.

Intelligent? His grades weren't that great if that's what Cammie had meant…

Shy? Yeah, hell to the no.

And blue eyes? Zach had been proud of his rich, vivid green eyes that were as brilliant as emeralds, people had told him, but now he couldn't help but wish for blue orbs instead.
Why hadn't he inherited his father's blue eyes instead of his mother's green ones?

But of course there was no use for the what should've been. All Zach could do was hide his despair in his green eyes and mentally undo the strings he had felt for Cammie.

If she had liked him, she would've said all his characteristics. Maybe he should just try to rekindle with Macey who was apparently "his type."

"Cool," Zach said bluntly. "Uh, I gotta go. See you around Cammie." He got up and left in a flash, leaving a confused and perplexed Cammie in his wake.

Later that day Zach walked home like a black cloud was hovering above him like they do in movies.
He had tried to act cheerful the rest of the day because he was now a popular face in the crowd, thanks to Liz but with all of them gone, his features sagged.

Aforementioned earlier, Elorics feel things stronger. Which sucks because he was feeling the rejection and heartbreak like a hurricane of boulders.

The clouds were circling above him for a while now, the air damp and as expected, rain started to platter slow at first but then getting faster and harder.

Wonderful, Zach thought sarcastically. The effect went with his mood very nicely.

But then he stopped dead in his tracks. The hairs on his neck was standing on end which could've been the cold raindrops seeping through his skin but Zach suspected something else. A sick feeling was brewing in his stomach.

The wind howled and the hood of his coat blew back, his hair immediately soaking through.
Zach whirled around, doing a three sixty and analyzing the environment around him. He looked utterly alone but why did he have that creepy feeling someone was watching him?

Zach.

He turned at the sound of his name. Nothing was there. The rain hid everything around him but no one was around anyway. No one knew his real name as well.

Zachary Jared Goode. The Avenger hmm? Wow, he's pretty hot.

"What?" Zach spat. "Is anyone there?" He called into the howling wind and freezing rain. Was he making all this up? Who was this voice and where is it coming from?

How am I supposed to see him? How can I warn him?

"Warn me about what?" Zach shouted. "Who are you?!"

Then he realized. It was echoed. It reflected off the sound of pitter patters of the rain. It was in his head.
Zach shook his head and rubbed his nose hard. He doubted he was going crazy. Maybe Joe knew what was going on.

Zach pulled his hood up and practically sprinted home. He ran with all his superhuman strength and if someone had been watching they would've thought he appeared out of nowhere.

Thankfully the strange voice disappeared as he ran as well.


Well what do you think? Yes, Liz is very OOC here but I didn't want to do something predictable. Who do you think the voice is and how Zach is hearing it? Can't wait to hear (or read) your reviews!

Love,

Plain Is Prettiest!
(At least to Zach Goode and I)