Taking the Fall


Chapter Three: Repercussions


I wonder if you'll notice, If they lock me up and throw away the key

Try to be open minded, You've got a lot to learn in the ways of me, You always got to say something,

I'm none of your concern but you won't listen at all, You know I'd rather say nothing,

And just be proud of myself for tearing down these walls

When you fall I'll be the only one who looks away, When you call I'll be the first to tell you I can't stay

It's all over, I found a better way to help keep you from me

I'm better off this way

-A Day to Remember

(Better Off This Way)


When Zach stepped through the threshold of the hospital doors he sensed a wave of unfamiliarity as it ran through him. It felt foreign; alien in a place with nothing but florescent lights, clincially pale coats, and endless white walls. Insane-asylum white. He'd only been to the hospital once before. And it was when he was seven and Matt had pushed him off of the monkey bars, and he'd fractured his arm. He barely remembered it. And when he was kid, the hospital hadn't seemed like a scary place. All the doctors and nurses were smiley and gave him lollipops and Capri Suns.

Zach thought this hospital felt like death. He knew he was probably imagining it but he couldn't help it. He was on edge, and his head was clouded in negatvitiy, despite the promise to himself consider the brightside. Worse still, he swore the doctors were sending him glares and creepy smiles. Like they thought he was a murder. He felt like he was a pig in a slaughter house. And he didn't like that feeling at all.

"Excuse me," Zach said, talking to the receptionist. His voice sounded unstable, even to his own ears. He attemped to steady himself. "Do you know what room Grant Morgan is in?" he asked. His voice was polite, attempting to sound as though he was part of the family, or at least a friend of the family.

The receptionist regarded him for a moment before looking down at the computer screen. "Hold on a second," she said, typing and clicking on the computer. "I'm sorry. He's in the ICU."

"ICU?" Zach asked. He'd heard that on TV shows before. It was never good. "What does that mean?"

"Intensive Care Unit; he just got out of surgery and he's not stable. If you want to see him you'll have to come back later."

Instensive Care Unit. Surgery. Not stable.

Zach felt clammy and faint. "Ok," he managed. "Thank you." The receptionist nodded before redirecing her attention to the person that had come up behind him, no doubt fearful for a loved one in the hostpial.

Zach pushed away from the cold counter and found an armchair to slouch in while he thought about the information he'd just received. He covered his face with his hands, desperately wondering, again, how his life had come to this.

He'd only sat down for a minute when he heard a voice; someone trying to talk to him.

"You're looking for Grant?"

Zach pulled his head out of his hands. Standing in front of him was girl, her face impassive, though slightly curious. She was very pretty... and familiar. Though, she looked like one of those people you could see anywhere. Blonder hair, blue eyes, heartshaped face. Maybe she just had one of those faces.

Then he noticed the Riverside crest on her uniform and his memory placed her. It was the girl who had been telling Grant's little sister the news.

"Yes," he said. "But he's in ICU. No visitors." He didn't know why he was saying it. He knew she knew; she'd been entrusted to tell Grant's sibling of the news after all.

The girl blinked her blue eyes at him without saying anything. He felt waves of nausea roll over him. She knew Grant. Obviously she cared about him, she wouldn't be here otherwise. She was probably blaming him for everything that happened to him, just like everyone else.

It took a moment to realize that her expresison was not impassive. In fact, it was not happy at all. He hadn't expected her to be pleased but she looked seriously pissed off.

"And I wonder how he got there," she said then, sarcasm coating every word. Her eyes had shifted, no longe curiosity but rage, hungry for revenge. She knew exactly what had happened. Or at leas the story that had been circulating. What he'd told the police.

He couldn't look at her face, in her eyes. It didn't matter if he didn't know what she meant to Grant. She meant something to him, and that was all the mattered. Freah guilt and nausea course through him. His face fell back into his hands as he fought the urge to scream in frustration. He felt like he was suffocating under all his lies. Or rather, Vince's lies. Though Zach was complicit.

"Are you okay?" For a second, Zach thought the angry girl had left and the receptionist had replaced her. But he looked up and the angry blue eyes showed a surprising amouth of empathy. Zach felt incredibly confused. Wasn't she pissed off at him fifteen seconds ago?

Zach waved her concern away, unsure of why it was there in the first place. It made him feel more weird than the anger. "Yeah," he said, his voice tried and aged. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He knew she didn't believe him but it didn't matter. She wouldn't call him on it.

"You're Zach. . . right?"

"What gave me away?"

"I don't know anyone besides family that would visit."

Zach met her eyes, noting what pretty color blue they were. "Are you Grant's girlfriend or something?"

The girl looked like she either wanted to laugh or get angry.

"No," she answered finally, her voice flat. "I'm his sister."

Grant had a sister? Well, he knew that; but another sister?

"Oh," he said. "He never said anything about you."

She shrugged. "I'm his little sister. He wouldn't really say anything."

"He's talked about Emma before," he muttered.

"Emily. Her name is Emily."

"Right," Zach said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."

"That's what you're apologizing for?" she asked and Zach could hear the anger and annoyance creeping back into her voice.

He shook his head. "Look. I am really sorry. It was stupid and I don't think you understand how guilty and awful I feel. I just wanted to make sure he was doing okay."

"He just had surgery."

"So I've heard."

"You came here so you could feel better."

Zach blinked. "What?"

"If you saw he was okay, you wouldn't feel as guilty would you?"

Zach just shook his head. He wanted to be alone in his uncomfortable armchair; left alone in the alien hospital so he could suffer.

"But now you know he's not doing very well and you feel worse. Karma is a bitch, isn't she?"

Zach thought about Vince. If Karma was a bitch she had big plans for his friend. The thought almost made him feel better.

"Yes. And congratulations: You've made me feel even worse." He always got sarcastic when he felt vulnerable, though that wasn't something he knew yet.

"Good," she snapped, her eyes narrowed. "You deserve it."

Zach knew he didn't really, but hearing the conviction behind her words made him feel like his did. Zach sensed even more insensitive sarcasitc comments threatening to leave the tip of his tongue. He bit it and stood up.

"Right. I'm going to leave now. Tell Grant I give him my best." He meant that, sincerely.

The girl cut her eyes to his and he had no opportunity to look away. He felt paralyzed by her angry blue eyes, frozen in place though he wanted to leave desperately.

"If he wakes up."

"When he wakes up," Zach corrected, more for his benefit than hers. "Don't be so negative."

Zach noticed her eyes were glassy and he knew she was thinking about what happened if Grant didn't wake up. Another torrent of guilt flooded through him, a feeling he was unwillingly adjusting to.

"I am really sorry," he said, doing his best to sound genuine because he knew sarcasm often dripped off his words. "I really do hope he's okay."

She nodded and looked away from him.

"Bye—" he stopped, realizing she hadn't ever given him her name.

She seemed to realize it too. "Cammie," she said, almost as a reflex.

"Bye Cammie," he said softly and offered her a small smile and started walking out of the bleak hospital. That was one place he didn't ever want to find himself again.


Zach drove to the river. There was a spot where the trees parted on the opposite bank where you could watch the sun go down. Zach had always though it was mesmerizing to watch, because though there were so many trees where they lived, the sunset almost made him feel like he was at the beach, watching the sunset just over the water. He missed the beach, a lot. They had a summer home in South Carolina, and there Zach didn't have to worry about school, or popularity, or any of the other drama Oakley came with.

The place at the river could be a really romantic place to take a girl. He'd sometimes considered taking Adelaide, but he never did, knowing he'd much rather keep it to himself. He always knew Adelaide wasn't really anything special, and anything but permanent. She was clingy and could act dumb, though she wasn't, to a severe degree of agitation. He knew if he wanted, he could do better. But she was sweet and loyal to him, so he kept her around. Sure, he liked hot girls, like Addy, but he knew when it came down to it he'd want a girl with a great personality, someone he could connect with. He just wasn't at that place in his life yet, it was more of a 'someday.'

At school he acted the way he did because of, for the most part, his father. The elder Goode had been the class joker, jock, and likeable playboy. And Zach would be damned if he didn't feel the pressure to be like his father practically radiating from his old man. His dad wanted him to succeed, so he pushed him. His dad wanted him to be popular, so he spoiled him. His dad wanted him to mature, so he punished him. Zach always felt small around his father, but he guess that was expected. But Zach knew it could be infinitely worse. He had it good compared to some kids at Riverside.

"Zach," he heard a voice behind him. Zach swore. He felt anger bubble as he rolled his fingers into fists. The only bad place about this place was that he had to share it with Vince. They'd discovered the place as kids and Vince liked it almost as much as Zach did. Though, it hadn't bothered him before now.

Zach didn't say anything, staring straight into the sunset, halfheartedly wondering if it would damage his vision.

"I thought I'd find you here," Vince continued, his voice closer. "Your mom and dad are looking for you."

Zach offered a shrug.

Vince offered a few more comments that he hoped Zach would respond to, but the other boy remained stoic.

When it was clear Zach wasn't going to speak, Vince took it upon himself to apologize. "I'm sorry Zach," he started. "I know I put you in an awkward position—"

"Awkward?" Zach interrupted, his silence disrupted. "Yeah; it is kind of awkward, Vince. I'm taking the fall for something you did. Something that landed a guy in the hostpial wtih extensive damage. Something that I tried to prevent, something I tried to fix. And it's me getting all the dirty looks in the school hallways. Me who everyone is whispering about. Who everyone thinks is heartless or thoughtless killer. No one even remembers you were there! So yes, awkward it the approriate term." Zach's words were bullets, aimed to hit Vince in the core. Zach knew there was palpable anger in him, wanting to tear out and attack Vince. He held it at bay, knowing a physical fight would not solve things.

Vince only nodded. "I know."

Zach glared at him, finding his response more than lacking.

"I don't know what you want me to say Zach," he said. "I know what I did was wrong, I know you don't deserve this but—"

"But what?" Zach asked, venom in his words.

Vince looked to the ground. "I can't—" He started. "I can't take the blame for this."

"Why not?" Zach growled. "It's your fault. You did it. Why can't you take your own punishment?"

"I'll go to jail. I won't graduate—"

"Neither will I!" Zach yelled. "Everything that would happen to you is going to happen to me. And none of it is my fault."

"That's not true," Vince said. "You shouldn't have—"

"Are you seriously trying to blame this on me? Were you going to say if I had tried to talk you down? Say it was stupid? Or right. I DID THAT VINCE. I FUCKING DID ALL THAT!"

Vince flinched at the intensity of Zach's words, fueled by the imperishable anger he was feeling.

"I was going to say," Vince said. "That you shouldn't have stuck around. No one could have been to blame then."

"And let Grant die?"

"He wouldn't have—"

"Yes he would have," Zach snapped. "The police told me. The doctor said if I hadn't been there he wouldn't have made it. He would have died."

Vince's face was pale and white. "I didn't know."

"Well now you do. Now what do think I could have done differently? Told the police it was you?"

Vince shook his head. "I don't understand why you didn't."

Zach's face went from anger to disbelief to anger again. "Are you serious?"

"You could have told them the truth—"

"And gotten you thrown in jail?" Zach said. "Vince you are such an idiot. You're my best friend. I wasn't going throw you under the bus."

Vince didn't look like he had expected that answer.

Zach clenched his teeth. "Are you saying that if the situation was reversed you wouldn't have done the same thing?"

Vince didn't answer. "Fuck you Vince," Zach snarled, and the hate on his face was pure and real, and he had never felt anything so fierce in his life. He felt betrayal and anger like he'd never known. "You are shit. I do all this for you and you don't even have the decency to tell me you'd do the same? You could have fucking lied."

"I never said—"

"You didn't have to. I can tell."

Vince looked to the ground, and shame was written all over his face. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, because that fucking helps."

Vince knew it didn't help. Saying sorry never did anything. It wouldn't change things. It was just Vince's way of trying to have Zach back on his side. He knew saying it would have no effect. But he didn't know what else to say. "Maybe it's not as bad as you think. You weren't trying to kill Grant, you saved his life!"

"Most people don't remember what happened that night, and even if they do it doesn't matter. People think I pushed him off the platform. They think I was trying to kill him. People are so fast to believe the worst. They want to."

"But you weren't—"

"Vince you and I both know no one is going to come forward. The cops know there was drinking and smoking at the party. No one is going to put there ass on the line for me Vince."

"Someone will—"

"How can you say that," Zach cut him off. "When you won't even do it for me Vince? You're supposed to be my best friend. And you can't even tell me you'd do the same, let alone come forward and take responsibility for your own damn mistake."

That left Vince speechless. And Zach could see the guilt in his eyes and it gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"Not everyone is like me," Vince said quietly.

There was self loathing there, that sort of cut into Zach and almost reminded him why he was here in the first place. iInce always had something vulnerable about him, a deep seeded problem with his own self worth that he always needed and tried to prove. He wasn't as strong as Zach, and they both knew it, which is why Zach had always tried to protect him.

"Thank god for that," Zach replied, his anger outweighing his empathy. He laughed humorlessly, and added, "fuck you."

Zach turned away and started to walk down the path to his car. Halfway he stopped and looked back. "I hope you feel guilty Vince. I know you do, because I do, and I didn't even do anything. But I hope the guilt eats you from the inside out. I hope that it destroys you."

Vince looked shocked, and he stood there with his mouth open.

"By the way," Zach said. "In case you haven't guessed, we're not friends anymore Vince. This is the last thing I will ever do for you. Just remember that. Remember that I did this for you, and remember how you didn't do anything for me. Remember it, and feel fucking guilty about it."

Slowly, Vince nodded.

Zach took a deep breath. "Go to hell."

And those were the parting words between the two. Zach turned back to the trail, finishing short walk back to his car. He felt relieved but disheartened, knowing that his best friend was never really his friend after all. That he had protected Vince all these years and it had all been for nothing; for less than nothing: For betrayal. Zach wouldn't say he was a friendship expert, but he knew enough.

Friends didn't make each other take the fall for this kind of shit.


AN: Heeeelllllooooo my lovely readers and reveiwers :)

I do apologize for the wait, but I was on a three week vacation in Europe, and was not allowed to bring my laptop. You're lucky this chapter was pre-written. :)

Zach met Cammie... and yes she is Grant's sister, so good job to all who thought so.

I hope you guys like the chapter. We see how much of a dick Vince is (again) And how Zach is conflicted and flip floppy... and so is Cammie... but i think all teenagers are like that. And to be honest I'm trying extremly hard to make all the characters in the story complex to make you (the reader) to feel conflicted, on whether you like the character or not. Because that's how it is for me in real life :P

Anyways, onto Shoutouts! Thank you to my reviewers!

violets-are-violet: thank you! Yes we will find out what Adelaide is hiding, but not for a while, even thought it's not really hard to guess. I love the name Sawyer and you guessed right about her personality. :) Thanks for reviewing :)

Angel4ever-15: Awww, thanks :) That really does mean a lot.

Don't Forget About Me -I know you review on the first chapter but I'm putting the shout here since I already did chapter two. And yes I am adding more OC's. Lots and lots and lots of them ;D And I know what you mean about the rushing of Zammie, I'm trying to uncliche it a little bit. But I'm sure it will end up fluffy and cliched anyway. And Brant... you will just have to read to find out ;)

Anonymous: Yes. There is going to be Zammie in this story.

katieeblah: Noo don't hate Adelaide!... not yet anyway. And yes she was breaking the news. Virtual cookies for you. I love it when my readers pay attention to detail.

Peppermintrina: Yes! Correcto! Thanks for reviewing :) I think your questions were answered in this chapter.

Love you all :) Please Review :)

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