Efron vs Buttler
Two men and a funeral.
Dressed in a simple black suit with a white dress shirt, skinny black tie, and shiny black dress shoes, Zac walked into the funeral home. Taking off his sunglasses, he saw that flowers lined the doorway inside, and heard symphony music fill the air. To his right, he saw open doors to a large viewing room, and entered. The room was fairly packed with some familiar faces and some strange ones. Up front he spotted the Hudgens family by the casket. On one end stood Gina who was dressed in a long flowy black skirt with a cardigan/blouse combo. She was clutching onto a handkerchief as Stella stood next to her in a knee length short sleeved black dress, soothingly rubbing her mom's back. Vanessa stood on the other end. A stoic expression on her face as she bit her bottom lip, and twisted the fabric of her dress with her fingers. She wore a floor length black dress, and had a cardigan over it. Next to her stood Austin, nice dress pants, and a black dress shirt and tie. Austin spotted Zac first, and his expression changed from shocked to territorial. He felt a surge of protectiveness flood him and he could feel his temper rise as Zac walked towards them.
Vanessa looked up as she felt Austin's grip on her hand tighten and sucked in a breath as she saw Zac quickly approaching.
His long strides reached her within steps and before anyone could comprehend what was happening, his hands reached out to cup her face, pulling her into him as he smashed his lips onto hers. Vanessa tensed up at first, but relaxed into Zac and soon her arm hesitantly left Austin's and went to wrap around Zac.
His tongue swept across her bottom lip, asking for entrance to deepen their kiss as she allowed him access. Their tongues battled and explored as they got reacquainted with each other. The familiarity of it all giving them both a great sense of nostalgia and sending them back years in time.
Austin was fuming in his spot, Gina was stunned beyond belief and Stella stood with a wicked grin on her face.
When the need for oxygen became too great, they pulled away slightly. Both their hearts racing, leaving them breathless as their foreheads rested against one another's, noses slightly nuzzling. Zac was grinning from ear to ear while Vanessa's face was written in shock.
She touched her lips at the thought of their kiss and ran her tongue over her bottom lip before biting it slightly.
Austin stormed over to both of them and pulled Vanessa away from him. Pushing her behind him, he stalked off to face Zac.
"Who the hell do you think you are? This is a private event for family and friends, and that's my girlfriend! You can't just show up here like you own the place and kiss her like that!" He shouted as he threw a punch towards Zac. A few gasps were heard from the crowd that had gathered when the yelling had started.
Vanessa gasped when she heard Austin's fist connect with Zac's cheek. She tried to rush over to Zac, but Stella had appeared beside her, holding her back.
"Austin!" Vanessa yelled, but he didn't turn around.
The blow hit Zac dead on his upper left cheek. He stumbled back a few steps, but quickly regained his balance. He seemed calm though, as if he hadn't been affected by Austin blow at all. He cupped the reddened side of his face and walked back towards Austin. With one hand still holding onto his cheek, he used his other to poke Austin in the chest.
"I am family. They are my family. I didn't just kiss her, we kissed. And your girlfriend can speak for herself." Zac told him sternly as he looked Austin in the eye. Austin smacked Zac's finger away from his chest, shoving him a bit in the process. The two men locked in a death stare.
Austin looked away for a second to speak to Vanessa. "Vanessa tell him to get out! Tell him he's way out of line and that you want him to leave!" Austin yelled. When she didn't respond, he tried again louder.
"Vanessa!" Austin exclaimed. "Tell him he doesn't have the right to be here! Tell him to leave!" Zac became irate by Austin's aggressive behavior and shoved him back.
"I said she can speak for herself." He emphasized again.
"If anyone is able to speak for her it's me! I'm her boyfriend. It's more my right than anyone else's." Austin replied.
That drove Zac mad as he lunged forward and tackled Austin to the ground. Punching him a few times in the face before Austin got a grip on the situation and flung Zac off and onto his back. He threw a few punches back at Zac before both men were sprawled out on the floor, rolling around and beating each other. A crowd had surrounded the brawl in a circle now, and a few were recording on their smart phones.
Seeing how the situation had progressed so quickly, Vanessa broke away from Stella and started running towards them yelling.
"Stop! Stop! Stop this now! You guys get off each other." She shouted.
Vanessa quickly got in between them as Stella sprinted over to help. She pulled Austin off of Zac and dragged him several feet backwards as Stella did the same to Zac.
Zac's face was red and he had what was sure to be a black eye forming. Austin was worse for wear, his right eye almost already swollen shut, and the other following in suit. In Vanessa's grip, he used his sleeve to wipe away at his bloody nose.
Vanessa, while keeping a firm hold on Austin, walked towards Zac and Stella. Standing in between the two men, she spoke.
"This is a funeral. A funeral." She said pointing around them and to the crowd, who was now trying to look as if they hadn't been paying attention this whole time. "It's a solemn event. It's for people to grieve and to pay their last respects. You guys are being so unbelievably disrespectful. And if you can't behave, I'm going to ask you to leave. "She said looking at the two of them.
Austin and Zac both stood there stunned, not expecting her response.
Annoyed from their lack of response, she raised her voice even louder and tried again. "You heard me! Behave or get out. Don't just stand there!"
Zac held up his hands in surrender as he walked to the back of the room and took a seat. Austin moved to take a seat in one of the front rows that had been reserved for immediate family.
Vanessa let out a sigh of relief as she saw both men move and the crowd dispersed. She went back to her spot, next to Greg's casket, when she saw that Austin had taken a seat up front while Zac had taken a seat way in the back. This ticked her off a bit, seeing that it was Austin whom had started the fight, and that to her Zac was family. Is family.
She took in a deep breath hoping to settle her nerves and the butterflies in her stomach. She didn't want to yell, but she didn't know what else to do. She was relieved that they had both done as she asked. She really didn't want to kick either of them out. If they wanted to be here and pay their respects, then they should be able to.
Stella moved to the back of the room, greeting guests along the way until she made her way next to Zac.
"You've got guts." She said as took a seat next him, extending her hand into a first bump gesture. Zac remained silent as he silently and sort of lamely reciprocated the gesture.
"What took you so damn long? She asked cheekily.
"It was time." He said as he turned to face her, a soft thoughtful smile on his face.
The service has been lovely. The whole family, friends and coworkers of Greg had taken turns sharing stories and reliving memories. Gina had shared memories from their over 30 year marriage. She spoke of when they first met, to of when they got married. Stella had told stories from her dads heroic past as a firefighter and of the time when he ran back into a burning building to save a child's stuffed bear. Vanessa's speech had moved him the most. She talked of how at first she had taken his diagnosis lightly, never thinking even for a second that she would lose her dad. But she did. She told everyone what she would miss; hearing her dads laugh, seeing him at the breakfast table with a newspaper in hand, and how he made the best milkshakes. She finished by encouraging everyone to live their lives to the fullest, because nothing is ever guaranteed.
After the speeches, they had all moved outside where a priest had given a sermon and spoke some last words before the casket was lowered and flowers and dirt were laid atop of it.
When it was over, everyone slowly started to leave; the reception wasn't set to start for several hours. Instead of a wake, the girls and Gina had decided a reception afterwards was what suited Greg the most. The day's events had been heart wrenching so far, and they didn't want it to end that way. After remembering and honoring his life, they wanted to celebrate it.
Zac took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. 'This is such a weird feeling.' He thought. It was strange to feel so nervous standing outside somewhere he used to feel so comfortable. His weight shifted from his heels to his toes as he waited for someone to answer the door. A few moments later, the door opened and Austin appeared behind it, holding an ice pack pressed to the side of his face.
"Ugh. Seriously Efron. What are you doing here? One black eye isn't enough? After what you pulled earlier..."
"Is Ness around?" Zac interrupted him.
"She's not here." Austin said as he went to close the door. But Zac shoved his foot between the door and its frame, creating just enough space for him to push his way in.
"Ness?" He called while looking around.
"Nessa?"
"I told you she's not here." Austin said following Zac around.
"Where is she then?" He asked turning to face Austin. Austin shrugged his shoulders.
"How do you not know where she is? I thought she was your girlfriend." Zac said throwing his own words back at him. The words tasting like battery acid on his tongue.
"She is. And because she's my girlfriend, I know when she needs space." Austin responded. Sensing Zac wasn't going to leave without answers, he gave in.
"She said she had a few things to take care of before the reception and then she left. I have no clue where she went." He admitted.
With that Zac rolled his eyes and bolted out the door. He got into his car and threw it into reverse as he pulled out of her driveway and onto the street. He had an idea of where she could be.
He entered the cemetery and turned off the radio, leaving him driving in silence, but somehow it felt better this way. He turned the same turns he had taken earlier with the precession and the hearse, as he came back to a familiar sight.
The signs had been taken down. The chairs and the makeshift stage were gone. All that remained was a plot of land, loose fresh dirt around it, and flowers upon flowers upon flowers lay on top. Beside it was a girl, clutching a framed picture to her chest.
He parked his car along the side by the grass and got out, slowly walking towards her. She didn't seem to notice his presence as she seemed lost in her thoughts, eyes staring off into the distance.
"Ness?" He said softly. She glanced up at him for a moment before she started to get up, but he stopped her.
"It's ok." He said sitting down next to her in the grass.
They both sat there in the silence for a few moments. Her continuing to stare off into the distance and him watching her do so.
"That's a good picture of him." He said, looking towards the framed photo she was still clutching onto that showed a younger Greg in his firefighting uniform.
"It's one of my favorites." She said softly, slowly tracing her fingers over the picture.
"What are you doing here? It's getting late, and it's cold." He said noticing that she was barefoot and that her cardigan from earlier was off and currently being used as a makeshift blanket. He took off his jacket and paced it on her shoulders. She quietly thanked him, taking in a moment to close her eyes and breathe in his scent again. It smelled like comfort. Like home. Like all the mornings she had spent in his bed, wrapped in his arms. Like his sweatshirt that she secretly kept in the back of her closet. She tugged the jacket closer to her.
"How'd you know I was here?" She asked, turning to face him fully for the first time.
"Well, I stopped by your house" he started to explain "and Buttler answered and said you weren't there."
"Austin actually let you in?" She asked with raised eyebrows
"Not exactly." He said sheepishly.
"Well. You look relatively unscathed." She joked and he chuckled.
"How's your eye?" She asked, reaching out to touch his face. He flinched at her initial touch.
"That bad huh? I'm sorry." She said, quickly removing her hand.
"It's ok. It's worth it." He said smiling at her.
They both sat in silence for a bit, before he spoke again.
"I answered your question. Now you answer mine. What are you doing out here Ness?" he said, giving her a gentle nudge with his shoulder.
"I can't leave." She said looking away from him.
"What? Of course you can. I can find your shoes..." He said searching around them ….and we can get in my car and I'll take you…" she cut him off before he could finish.
"No, I can't leave." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked her over, checking to see if he had missed any physical signs as to why she couldn't leave.
"Did you hurt your ankle again?" he asked voice full of concern. "I can carry you to the car." He said as he put an arm under her knee and another around her neck to lift her.
"No, Zac, you don't understand. I can't leave." She said, quieter this time as tears started to glisten in her eyes. Seeing this, he put her back down onto the grass.
"Explain it to me then Ness." He said, lifting his chin up with his fingers so his clear blue eyes could search hers. She closed her eyes, as a few slow tears trailed down. He wiped them away with his thumbs.
"I can't leave because if I go, he'll be alone. And I can't leave him." She said sniffling. And with that, Zac finally understood.
"Oh, Ness." He said wrapping his arms around her. She clung onto him and sniffled as more tears ran down her face.
"He's not alone. He's up in heaven. And I know he's watching over you, and Stellz, and Mama G." Zac wasn't a deeply religious man, but he knew that Vanessa found her faith comforting.
"He's always gonna be with you. In your head, in your heart. All you have to do is close your eyes."
"It's just not fair. Why'd he have to go? I miss him." she said crying.
"I know. I know it's not fair." He whispered into her hair as he rubbed circles on her back. "Cancer isn't fair. But, at least now, he's not suffering anymore. He would be here with you if he could." Zac said.
"He would be here with you if he could. He didn't want to leave you guys. He loves you." Minutes passed by as they stayed in this state. Zac whispering reassuring words to her, comforting and soothing her, as Vanessa's tears dwindled.
"Thanks for making me feel better." She said looking into his eyes. "You always knew exactly what to say." She pressed a gentle kiss on his forehead and laid her head on his chest as he laid his good cheek on top of her head. They stayed like this for a while just enjoying the moment when a cold wind suddenly blew through, sending shivers up their spines.
"Uhhh Ness? I think we should get going." He said.
"Ok" she sighed, giving in. It still didn't feel a hundred percent right to leave, but it wasn't as heartbreakingly painful as before. She pressed a kiss onto the picture frame before setting it to stand next to the grave marker. She let her fingers drift over it once more before taking Zac's hand as he helped her up and they walked hand in hand back to his car. When they reached his car, she turned around a blew a kiss back to Greg before getting in. "Goodbye poppa"
As she got into the car, she noticed a bag of hot Cheetos on the passenger seat.
"Hot Cheetos? Since when did you start liking these?" She questioned picking up the bag.
"I uhhhh still don't." He replied sheepishly. And she gave him a questioning look.
"I bought them for you." He said.
It was silly, but she knew he meant well. It meant he knew her and was thinking about her. It reminded her of when they were together and she would pick up Pirates Booty and skittles for him when she was at the grocery store. It was a small gesture to say "Hey, I'm thinking about you." and it showed how much they knew each other.
"I know how much you like them. And that when you're upset, you don't eat. So I figured this was better than nothing.
"Thanks" she said, reaching over the console to hold his hand.
Zac and Vanessa headed back to her place. The reception was over by now, and according to her missed text messages, her absence had been greatly noticed. Apparently Austin had been noticeably missing as well.
After pulling into the driveway and closing the gate behind them, Zac went over to her side and helped her out of the car. Her knees were shaky with nerves and he kept a hand on the small of her back to stabilize her as they walked up the stairs and to the door.
"You ready?" He asked her as they reached the front.
"Yeah. I think so." She said taking in a shaky breathe.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly as she gave him a soft smile. She found her key and unlocked the door. Stepping inside she called out for him.
"Austin?"
She investigated further when no response was given.
"Austin?"
She wandered into the kitchen and found a note on the island.
On the counter was a note.
Vanessa,
I could see it in your eyes when he kissed you. And when he came by later, I just knew it. I guess in my gut, I've known it for a while, but today I couldn't look away anymore. You guys obviously still care about each other, love each other even. I can't stand in the way of that. Especially now. And I don't want to my heart broken either. Thanks for an amazing 4 years. You'll always hold a special place in my heart.
Don't worry about my stuff. I took care of it while you were gone.
Austin
Vanessa felt a wave of sadness wash over her and she felt Zac's hand on her shoulder reading over her.
"Wow" was all he said.
"I know" she said as they both stood there taking it all in.
Sometime later, they were both lying on the couch. Phones long abandoned. Both off in their own little world together and blocking off everyone on the outside. Unsure of what they were and not willing to share something that felt so fragile with the rest of the world quite yet
Vanessa had changed out of her dress. Her hair down in a mess of wave and her heavy makeup off, as she relaxed on Zac in pj shorts and a loose fitting long sleeved shirt. His suit jacket had been hung over a chair, his tie loose around his neck, and his feet clad in ducky socks.
"Can I ask you something?" He said as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Mhmm." As she lazily running her hands on his chest.
"How come you're so ok about all of this? I mean I'm beyond happy. But I expected you would need some time to think things over."
"Don't take this the wrong way when I say it or anything but I've had a lot of time to think about it. I thought about when we were first taking this break. I thought about it when we broke up. I thought about it after. I thought about it all the time. It's not like I was spending all my time waiting or pinning away for you. But I thought about it a lot. And I knew, I just knew that when you came back into my life, we would get back together. Whether that was a month in the future or 10 years, I didn't know. But I knew we would make it back here. And now that you're here..." She paused to look deeply into his eyes, as a lazy smile grazed her lips and she ran a hand through his hair and stroked his head.
"It just feels so right." She said.
"This is right." He said as he leaned down to kiss her.
Authors Note: I hope you guys liked it! I'm thinking that the next chapter will bring our little mini-series here to a close. Fun Fact; Vanessa's actually mentioned that she loves hot Cheetos and there were photos of her picking some up on the day of her father's funeral. Stress eating? Thought this was a fun little tidbit so I tried to incorporate it into the story.
