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So, on to the story. Eeep! Some zammieness at the end ;)


After tutoring, Zach said he had to leave. Mom invited him to stay for dinner, but he said though he wanted to, his mom was expecting him at home.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow Goode."

"Yeah, see you."

He walked away, but before getting in his car, he turned around.

"One day Gallagher girl, you'll see. You'll admit that you love me!" He said confidently with a smirk.

"When pigs fly Goode, when pigs fly!"

Me? Falling in love with Zach? Yeah right…

…..

CPOV

Mr. Picard assigned us partners for this activity in History. I ended up with Darren. At first we were actually focused and doing the work, but then we got bored and moved on to…less serious conversations. We talked about all sorts of random things: from leprechaun-loving unicorns all the way to talking toilets. As the old saying goes, everything but the kitchen sink.

Actually, we've talked about too.

"So Cammie, what is better: chocolate or vanilla."

"Vanilla, of course," I responded quickly, not even having to think about it. "It's really creamy, not too sweet, and is very versatile."

"No way! Chocolate is obviously better. I mean, it just bursts with flavor." He argued.

"But with vanilla, you can be more creative. Add toppings and syrup, anything tastes nice with it."

"Chocolates more fun though."

"Darren, are you calling vanilla…boring?" I said with a playful glare.

"Not really, but it's not as great as chocolate."

"Really? You know, coke floats and ice cream sandwiches usually use vanilla ice cream."

"Well a lot of other ice cream flavors are chocolate inspired…like rocky road and chocolate fudge." He retaliated.

"But chocolate ice cream too sweet and unhealthy."

"So is vanilla ice cream. It's still ice cream, so it's still unhealthy. Even if it's not as sweet as chocolate."

"Yeah, well…vanilla ice cream is white. And white goes with anything."

"Well chocolate ice cream is…brown." He said unsure.

"So poop color?"

"No, it's a richer brown."

"So mud?"

"Stop making chocolate sound disgusting!"

"You started it…"

"But its color is more vibrant then mud." Darren insisted.

"So it's like…Bex's moldy cookies that she accidently left outside overnight?"

"Ewww…that's disgusting Cammie." He said with a funny look on his face.

"Like I said Darren, you started it." I said with a chuckle.

Darren started laughing along too.

"Wait a sec Cammie, I'm just gonna hand in our work to Mr. Picard." Darren said, standing up.

"Ok." He walked to the front desk and started talking to Mr. Picard for a bit.

"Hey Gallagher girl."

Zach.

I turned around annoyed.

"What do you want Goode?"

There he was, the bane of my existence, with his annoying, cute smirk.

Did I just say cute? I mean totally not cute. Pshhh…

He plopped himself onto Darren's chair, not caring who's seat it was.

"Well you see, Tina's my partner, but you probably already know that since you're always staring at me…" He started.

"I do not –"

"She's really getting on my nerves. She's so annoying and clingy." He continued, completely ignoring me, "so I came here to get away from her."

"Besides, annoying you is always fun." He added, giving me a playful smile.

"Shouldn't you be happy that you're partnered with Tina? She is your girlfriend."

"Are you kidding Gallagher girl?" He said, giving me a serious look, "It's Tina! How are you suppose to be happy being partners with her."

"Why are you even with her if you dislike her so much?" I asked, honestly dumbfounded. I mean, a lot of people don't like Tina, so that's not surprising. But why is Zach dating her if he dislikes her too?

"I-I don't – "

"Uhmmm..Hi Zach." Darren was back and probably wondering why Zach was in his chair.

"Oh hey Dave! I hope you don't mind, but I need to talk to Cammie about some tutor stuff." Zach said cheerfully.

Lie. You just wanted to escape Tina.

"Oh sure, no problem. Class is ending soon anyway. I'll just sit over there. Uhmm..it's Darren by the way." Darren said kindly. He's so nice.

"Thanks Derek." Zach said not even giving him a second glance. He's so rude.

"It's Darren…" Darren mumbled walking away. He gave me one more smile and left.

"Why are you so rude? His name is Darren and you know it." I asked annoyed.

"Listen Gallagher girl, I don't have time to remember people's name. You should know that, right Gallagher girl?" He said smirking at me.

"You don't even need to talk to me do you? Because you just interrupted us when we were working." I huffed.

"You mean flirting?" He said smirking at me.

"Darren and I were not flirting! We were…working." I said, hiding a small blush that made its way to my cheeks.

"Right…" He said playfully.

"Whatever Goode." I replied rolling my eyes.

"Hey Gallagher girl, are you going to Josh's par –" Zach was about to ask me something when Tina walked over to us, obviously jealous.

"Zachy poo!" She squealed.

I snorted.

Zachy poo.

"What do you want Tina." Zach asked rolling his eyes.

Tina glared at me, and then looked at Zach sweetly.

"Why'd you leave me hun?" She complained, pouting at him. She probably thought it was cute, but Zach clearly wasn't buying it.

"I need to talk to Cammie ok? So why don't you go back to your seat. Stop being so clingy." Zach said brushing her of.

"B-but…you rather talk to that b**ch than me?" She huffed angrily.

My jaw dropped.

How dare she!

"Excuse me! I'm not a b -"

"Tina, just leave us alone. And Cammie's not a b**ch. In fact, she's kind enough to tutor me. So leave her alone." He said with a glare.

Wow, Zach defended me.

Tina glared at me one more time, and then she stomped away.

What was up with that chick?

I was pretty angry about the whole b**ch thing. Why did I have to be caught in the middle of their drama? It's not like I'm trying to steal her boyfriend, so why was she so mad at me.

I walked away from Zach as soon as the bell rang.

"Cammie!" He tried to call after me, but I ignored him.

Hopefully, staying away from him means less Tina.

But I can't really ignore him, can I…

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

It was time for Advanced Chem. I was sitting in my seat when I felt movement next to me.

Zach.

"Listen Cammie, I'm sorry about Tina earlier, she was being really mean to you and –"

"Look Zach, don't be sorry. It's not your fault your girlfriend's…a terrible excuse for a person. I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't get mad at you for something Tina did. It's unfair."

"No problem Gallagher girl." Zach said, giving me a sweet smile.

"So, what were you asking me earlier in History?"

"Oh that…I was just wondering if you were going to Josh's party?" He asked giving an awkward chuckle.

"Oh, yeah I am. I'm going with Darren." I said smiling.

Zach started coughing.

"You and Darren…together?"

"Yes…" I said giving him an incredulous look.

What was wrong with that?

"Oh, cool."

Awkward silence.

"So…you going with Tina." I asked him trying to break the silence.

"Oh, no, she's not coming. She thinks the party is for losers, but I bet Josh doesn't want her there anyway…" he said rolling his eyes.

"Oh, cool." I mentally slapped myself.

Oh, cool? Is that really the only thing I can think of?

For the rest of the class, we were silent.

It was strange. I did not like it.

I'm not sure why, but ever since the conversation about the party, Zach's been acting weird. We only talked when we had to, like when we had to solve a problem together. But that was it. We were so quiet, even Liz noticed.

She turned around and gave me a weird look saying: What's up with you guys?

I gave her a confused look.

I honestly don't know Liz…I really don't.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After school, I was waiting for Zach next to his car. I was getting pretty bored waiting for him, so I decided to contemplate on Zach's strange behavior.

So it started in Advanced Chem when we were talking about Josh's party. And then he ignored me in free block…but does it really count as ignoring if you didn't even see the person? Maybe not…ughh, why was he acting so weird –

"Hey Gallagher girl!" Zach finally arrived and he was acting…normal.

"Hey Goode." I said a bit unsure.

"So…let's go?"

"Sure."

We hoped into his car and sped off.

"So, where were you in free block? Were you…uhmm…ignoring me?" I asked mumbling the last part.

"What? Gallagher girl, I was just at the track. I had to practice for football, since I'm pretty sure I can get that B." He said arrogantly, chuckling a bit.

"Oh ok." I said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it Gallagher girl." He said smiling at me reassuringly.

He's right Cammie. Right now you should worry about tutoring him. He needs to get that B.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So, adventurer A needs to get down a cliff by setting up a zip line down. Adventurer B is on ground level. Each end of the zip line has to be set up 2.5 m of the ground. If 45 degrees is the recommended angle of elevation, and the cliff is 200m tall, how long is the zip line cord?"

Zach seemed to be concentrating on the question.

"I would just jump if I were him…" He said matter-of-factly.

"Are you kidding me Zach? You'd die you know?"

"No I won't, I'll use a parachute." He said smugly.

"If this was a real-life situation, you won't be high enough to use a parachute anyway. It won't slow you down enough before your fall!" I said annoyed

"But it'll help, right?"

"No, Goode, it won't. If anything, it might make the situation worse. The adventurer might get tangled in it or blown away by wind or something."

"But –"

"Zach! I know you don't really like Math, but can you please just try. It's been two weeks already. We have really got to work on it if you want to get that B." I started raising my voice. It was so frustrating. I try my best to help him, but he just won't try. He needs to put effort in this too!

"It just doesn't help with important questions, ok." He snapped back.

"Like what?" I asked glaring at him. I thought we were over this…he said he'd give it a chance.

"Like…falling for someone. Can you solve this with Math Gallagher girl: I like this girl, and every day that I spend time with her, I like her twice as much as the day before. How long will it take for me to fall in love with her?" He looked me in the eye, as if challenging me."

"Uhmm..I-I.." I said stunned. I couldn't think of what to say about Zach's outburst.

"Exactly Cammie, you can't." He sighed.

There was tension in the air, so thick, that you can slice it with a knife. He sat down on the bed, while I stood there looking at the ground. All of a sudden, my shoes were the most interesting thing in the room. There was silence. An awkward silence. I couldn't look him in the eye.

What was that about? Was he implying – no, that's impossible. He has a girlfriend, and he clearly doesn't see me that way. Have you seen the amount of times we've argued?

Zach cleared his throat. I think he's about to say something.

I hope he does! This silence is unbearable.

"That was just an example by the way…" He said, followed with an awkward chuckle.

"Yeah, 'cause you already have a girlfriend right…it's not like you like another girl." I said forcing a laugh.

More uncomfortable silence.

Awkward.

"Dinner's ready!" Mom shouted from downstairs, breaking the tension.

We hurried downstairs, avoiding each other's eyes.

Thank you mom!

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

We ate dinner with a few casual chit chats. Mom was telling Zach more stories, and he was laughing at them, sharing a few childhood stories of his own. Some of them made me laugh, like when he was 4 and he was trying to impress a girl, but then he peed his pants in front of her. It was hilarious. It got rid of all that awkwardness earlier, and I was thankful for that.

After dinner, Zach got ready to leave.

"As much as I hate to leave Ms. Morgan, I have to go." I can tell from his eyes that he was being sincere. He really didn't want to leave.

"Yes. It's getting late. Your mom might get worried about you." Mom said concerned.

"Actually," Zach said, "She's not at home. She has another business trip, so, it's just me again at home." He smiled sadly.

"Are you usually alone at home?" Mom said softly. I noticed, that in the short time mom has known Zach, she seems to have grown to care for him a lot, like a son.

"Yeah." Zach said with genuine sadness in his eyes.

I felt kind of sad for him.

"Why don't you stay for the night?" Mom offered.

"What?! Where would he sleep..?" I asked quickly. Mom was giving the 'be nice' look. I mean, I feel sorry for Zach, sure. He was obviously lonely at his house. But this was still the Zach that irked me so much.

"I can sleep on the couch." Zach piped in.

"See Cammie, no problem." Mom said, shooting me a warning look.

"B-but, but…" I tried to complain.

"It's ok Ms. Morgan, I don't want to intrude in Cammie's home." He said giving me a soft smile.

He started to walk away.

Maybe it was the evident sadness in his eyes when he smiled at me. Maybe it was the way his eyes brightened when my mom offered him to stay over for the night earlier. Maybe it was the funny feeling at the pit of my stomach as he walked away. I don't know what it was, but it changed my mind.

"Zach wait!"

He turned around and I gave him a small smile.

"You can stay if you want to."

He smiled back, one of the brightest smiles I've seen on him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I was outside, lying on a blanket and staring at the stars. They were beautiful. I didn't get to see much of this at San Francisco, since it was a big city. But here is small town Roseville, they were so bright at night.

Breathtaking.

Just then, I felt movement next to me. I turned and saw Zach. He held out a wooly blanket at me.

"Thought you might've been cold." He said smiling at me.

He sure was being sweet.

"Thanks, that's awfully sweet of you." I said playfully.

He laughed.

"Well you know me, I'm quite the gentleman." He said in a British accent.

"Yes, Mr. Goode. You sure are." I copied the accent.

"Mind if I join you madam?"

"Why, of course not. You may certainly join me."

We both laughed at our accents.

He lied down next to me, and looked up at the stars too.

"The stars are really pretty here." Zach said sighing.

"Yeah they are."

We lied there in comfortable silence, such a contrast to earlier. We started pointing at constellations and laughing around with random stories. I got to know more and more about Zach. He talked about this awesome childhood friend he had who used to live here. I talked about my life back in San Francisco too.

I noticed, however, that he never mentioned his dad.

"So Zach, where's your dad?" It was usually a simple, harmless question. Well, it wasn't for me. And turns out, it wasn't for Zach either.

He sighed. He didn't talk at first, unsure of whether to tell me. Then, he turned onto his side so he was resting his head on his hand, and faced me.

"I honestly don't know Gallagher girl. I never met him. Mom doesn't talk about him either. Apparently, he just left us when I was a baby. There was no sign of him, ever." He stared of into the distance, a sad look on his face.

I reached out for his other hand, and laid mine on top of his,

"Do you miss him?" I asked him softly.

"Not really. I mean, it's probably because I never knew him. Not because I'm heartless or anything. Sometimes though, I just…I wish I at least met him." He said with a distant look.

I gave his hand a squeeze.

"I know how you feel though Zach…not having a dad. Mine died two years ago, because of cancer." I shared.

He gave my hand a soft squeeze, signaling me to continue.

"I-I miss him so much. He was always there for me. We were really close, and he would always take me too soccer games, because I loved soccer. And we would bond over doughnuts and hot chocolate during winter, singing Christmas songs, and laughing at the stories I share to him about school. I-I-I love him. I wish he was still h-here…" I said choking a bit. Tears were streaming down my face, and before I knew it, I was sobbing hard.

I barely registered Zach pulling me into his chest, whispering words of comfort. I tried to pull away, embarrassed that I was soaking his shirt with my tears, but he only strengthened his grip. He was smoothing my hair, and it gave me a sense of protection. I was happy Zach was here. He hugged me close, and I was glad he was there for me. In any other circumstance, I would've never cried in front of him. But this was different. Everyone deserved a moment to allow weakness to show through.

Besides, he smelled really nice.

"Just let it out Gallagher girl, I'm here for you."

I cried and cried, and he kept me in his arms, as we slowly fell asleep under the stars.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I woke up to the bright shine of the sun. I looked around and realized it was already morning and I fell asleep outside. I quickly looked at my watch, and sighed in relief when I noticed I woke up just in time.

Thank goodness! I thought I was gonna be late for school.

Then, I felt movement next to me. I stiffened.

What was that?! Don't panic Cammie, don't panic.

I slowly turned around, and saw Zach next to me, with one of his arms still around me.

First I was confused, but then all that happened yesterday came back to me. I smiled.

Zach was really sweet last night.

I was worried at first that he might make fun of me for crying, but I knew Zach wouldn't do that. He was better than that.

I looked down at Zach.

He looked so peaceful. In fact, dare I say it, he looked almost like an angel.

I was not aware that I started staring at his face.

He looked so tranquil and relaxed. I really don't wanna wake him up. But I'm going to have to, otherwise he'll be late.

"Oh Goode…wake up." I said softly, shaking him a bit.

"Five more minutes." He mumbled.

I laughed.

"Come on Goode. If you don't wake up, you're gonna be late for school. You still have to go home and get changed."

"W-what?" He asked, lifting his head up, clearly confused.

He looked around and at me skeptically. Then, he seemed to remember what happened last night and he smiled at me.

"Morning Gallagher girl. Like what you see?" He said teasingly, winking at me.

I playfully punched his shoulder.

"Get up Goode. We don't wanna be late for school." I started pulling him up.

"Ok, ok. You're the boss Gallagher girl. I'm getting up." He whined.

I laughed and pushed him to the door.

When we got there, he turned around and smiled at me.

"Need a ride?"

"Nah, thanks for the offer though, but Macey's picking me up with the girls."

"Ok, I guess I'll see you at school."

"Oh yes you will." I said, stealing his line.

He laughed and shook his head.

"Careful Gallagher girl. You're slowly turning into me." He said with a smirk.

"Whatever Goode." I said rolling my eyes.

"That's my Gallagher girl." He said with a smile, as he got into his car.

Did he just call me…his Gallagher girl?


What did you guys think?

Did you like it?

Did you like the cute zammie moment at the end? Lol :D

So now for the interviews. They seem to be getting pretty popular huh...Lol :P

Me: Hey Bex!

B: Hi! (looks at sofa)

Me: Is there a problem?

B: Why is it green?

Me: Great! You have a problem with the sofa too!

B: No, no...it's just, I thought it was orange. That's what Grant said.

Me: Oh, well, Tina had to get it to go with her dress (eye roll)

B: (eye roll) She's such a diva.

Me: I know right! But enough about her. Let's talk about you and Grant.

B: There is no me and Grant.

Me: Oh really? Coz I think you're starting to like him (wink)

B: Wre you not here when I kneed him in the stomach?

Me: Yeah, I was there. Must've been painful.

B: I wish it gave him so much pain. (grins evilly)

Me: I bet no one would want to get in your way.

B: Exactly, so you better stop insisting that me and Grant like each other (shudder).

Me: But you -

B: (glare)

Me: Hehe...I'm just kidding...but you two look kind of cute together.

B: (cracks knuckles) I warned you!

Me: Mommy!

Lol...poor me ;) You guys better review! Or I'll get Bex to attack you. Trust me, you wouldn't want that. LOL :D

Ana xx