SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

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Supergirl3684: I figured it was about time he did.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC. I only own characters you don't recognize. I don't know how long cheerleading practices usually last, so I'm making it up.

After a while, Kelly pulled back slightly.

"Kelly?" Zack asked frantically. Was she gonna leave him?

"Zack, I need to ask you something, and…I'm hoping you won't get mad, but I need to know," Kelly stated.

"What?" Zack asked, trying to calm his beating heart. She wasn't leaving, she just had questions. That was normal.

"Did you call the We're Here To Help Hotline the other night?" Kelly queried.

"Yes, that was me," Zack admitted. "I didn't---I didn't know you had started working there. And when I heard your voice…I got scared," he continued.

"Why?" Kelly wondered.

"I didn't know how you'd react," Zack confessed. "Kell, I just---I'm not sure what to do," he continued.

"Zack, you have to tell somebody," Kelly urged.

"I can't! It'll kill my mother," Zack protested.

"Zack, look at what it's doing to you. It's like---you're giving up. You haven't even tried to pull a fast one on Mr. Belding in the last two days," Kelly pointed out.

"Dad hates it when I scam," Zack stated. Kelly took his hand and held it between hers.

"Zack, you can't continue like this. It's killing you," she told him.

"Kell, you don't understand. I can't---" his sentence was cut off by the warning bell. "We better go," he said softly. Then, they went into their class. As the teacher droned on, Zack found his mind wandering. What was he going to do? Kelly was right: he had to tell. But what would happen to his mother? This would destroy her. How could he do that to her? Lisa looked at Zack in concern. What was wrong with him? The boy looked really wound. About fifty minutes later, the bell rang. Then, they went to their lockers.

"Yo, Zacky!" Rhonda Robistelli called. Zack tensed as he switched out his books. The door to his room opened.

"Zacky?" his father questioned.

"Yo, Zacky!" Rhonda called again, breaking into his thoughts.

"Not now, Rhonda," Zack said harshly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rhonda questioned.

"Nothin'! Just leave me alone, all right?" Zack angrily tossed back.

"Fine, be that way," Rhonda said in a hurt tone and walked off in a huff. Zack blew out a breath.

"Come on, Zack. Get it together," he coached himself. Then, he went to class. Kelly looked at Zack sympathetically. Keeping his secret had to be killing him. Zack twirled his pencil between his fingers. He couldn't believe he had just told Kelly! But things had gotten so messed up. He had had to tell someone! But if his father ever found out…Zack shuddered. He could just imagine how well that would go over. Man, he wished his mom had come home. Things weren't so bad when she was around. He slumped his shoulders and sunk into his seat. He just---he wanted everything to stop. He was sick of it all.

"Mr. Morris." Zack jumped as Mr. Brooks brought down his ruler on the desk. "Would please summarize for the class what I just spoke about?" the man requested. Zack stammered out a lame explanation. Truth be told, he had no clue what the man had been saying. He had been too busy wondering what he was going to do about his father. Kelly watched as Mr. Brooks continued to badger Zack. Man, what a jerk, she thought to herself.

"Humph. Well, what was I expecting from a mess-up like you?" he finally sneered. Zack's face twisted into a pained expression, as if the comment had hit close to home, which Kelly suspected it had. When Mr. Brooks was done with Zack, he moved on. Kelly glared at the man. He was such a jerk. After school, the group of friends met at their lockers.

"Does anyone have any plans? I feel like hanging at the Max," Lisa said as Zack put his things away.

"Wrestling practice," Slater said.

"Cheerleading," Kelly answered.

"And then the hotline," Jessie added.

"I'm free," Screech enthusiastically told her.

"Be still my heart," Lisa responded sarcastically. Then, "Zack?"

"I can't. I'm grounded," Zack answered.

"Grounded?" the others echoed.

"Hey, Preppie, what'd you do now?" Slater wondered.

"My dad and I got into a fight and I mouthed off," Zack lied. Then, he grabbed his stuff and walked out.

"What's up with him?" Slater wondered. Once he was home, Zack went straight to his room. There was no need to anger his father even more. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of his dad's car engine coming up the drive and tensed. He didn't want to have to deal with this right now. He paced in his room nervously. Maybe the man would just go into his study and forget about him. It wasn't likely, but he could hope. He heard the front door open and he grew even tenser. Please. Please not today, he begged silently. He just couldn't handle it today.

"Zacky?" his father asked. Zack closed his eyes and gulped nervously. He hated when he called him that. "Zacky?" Mr. Morris asked again, his voice getting an edge.

"In my room, Dad," Zack quickly called. There were footsteps and the door soon opened to reveal his father.

"Why didn't you answer me?" he demanded.

"I didn't hear you the first time," Zack answered. Before he even knew what was happening, Mr. Morris had stridden into the room and slapped Zack across the face.

"What have I told you about liars in this house?" he snarled.

"Careful, Dad. You don't want Mom coming home and asking why I have a bruise across my face," the boy shot back. The man shoved his son back, causing him to stumble and fall across the bed.

"I'm gettin' real sick of your attitude, boy," he said harshly.

"And I'm gettin' sick of bein' treated like a toy. I'm your son…in case you've forgotten," Zack shot back. The boy wasn't sure where exactly he was getting the courage to behave like this, but he did know that what he told his father was true. He was sick of how he was being treated. He just wanted the man back to normal. Derek walked towards Zack angrily and the boy scooted up his bed. He had gone too far, he could see it in his father's eyes. Derek leaned over and grabbed Zack's ankle. Then, with a swift tug, he pulled him down the bed.

"You think you can get away with acting like a brat? Guess I'm gonna have to teach you to be good," Derek stated, straddling him. Zack's eyes widened fearfully.

"No! No, Dad!" he shouted, as he began to struggle.

"Jeans," Derek commanded, pinning him down.

"Dad, no. Please. Not again," Zack begged.

"Jeans," Derek emphasized. Zack slumped his shoulders and nodded in defeat. Derek released his son long enough for the boy to do what he commanded. Then, he re-pinned his son to his bed. Zack closed his eyes and heard the sound of another zipper opening. Think of Kelly, think of Kelly, think of Kelly, think of Kelly, he coached himself frantically. However, this time, the continuous jolts of pain were too much.

"Please. Please," he moaned.

"Shut up," his father snarled. Zack's body wracked in pain and silent tears began to fall. Please. Please, just stop, he begged to himself. Man, why had he given in?

"Come on, Zacky. Don't be this way." Zack froze at the change in his father's tone. No longer angry, it now sounded loving. Man, he was gonna mess with his head again. The tears continued to fall. "Zacky, don't. You know I hate it when you cry," the man continued. Zack's body remained frozen as he felt his father's hand brush away his tears. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Zack's mind screamed. This was always worse. When he acted like he actually cared during the abuse. Zack tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He tried to struggle, but the man's grip was too tight.

"Please. Please…no more," he whimpered.

"Sssssshhhhh, ssssshhhhh, sssssshhhhh," his father soothed. His weight shifted, and Zack took the chance to break free.

"I said 'Stop'," Zack emphasized emotionally, pushing the man off of him. "You're not doing this to me anymore. I won't let you," he continued, sitting up.

"Zack," Mr. Morris said in surprise. Zack zipped up his jeans.

"It's over. What you're doing to me: it's ending now," he stated as he grabbed his cell phone and car keys, and walked towards the door.

"Zack, you can't! It'll kill your mother!" Mr. Morris said frantically.

"NO! Don't you dare! Don't you dare pull that trash on me again!" Zack shouted, his voice breaking. "I kept this a secret for years. I kept silent because I was so afraid Mom would find out. But you know, so what? So what if she finds out? So what if my friends think I'm dirty ant tainted? So what? Kelly knows, and she can still look at me…still touch me. And that's all I need," he finished.

"Zack, there was two of us. They're gonna wonder why you didn't say no," Derek warned.

"I'm saying 'no' now," Zack shot back.

"They'll take you away," Derek said.

"You really think I care…Daddy?" Zack questioned, his voice breaking again. Then, he quickly walked out of the house, got into his car, and drove away. As he did so, he pressed the speed-dial on his phone.

"We're Here To Help Hotline," a voice announced.

"It's me," he announced.

"Z?" the man asked

"Yeah, um…can…can I meet with you?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course. Where do you want to meet?" the man questioned.

"You mind if I, uh---come there?" Zack queried.

"You know the way?" the man questioned.

"I've scouted the place before," Zack admitted. He had just never had the guts to go in. "I'll see you in a few," he said, then hung up. After several minutes, he finally arrived at the place. He parked, cut the engine, and then walked up to the entrance and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal an older Caucasian man with a gray t-shirt and green jeans. His black hair was mussed and lay haphazardly on his head, as if he had raked his fingers through his locks.

"Z?" he questioned.

"Zack Morris," Zack replied.

"Jake Sommers," the man introduced himself.

"I've got a lot to tell you," Zack confessed.

"Come in," Jake said, making room through the front door. Zack walked in.

"Well, it all started when…"