Disclaimer - I don't own ZOMBIES or any of the characters involved. Copyright to Walt Disney Studios. Names of BG zombies are mine, characters themselves aren't. Off My Mind is an original song by me.

Act 3 begins...!

Chapter 8 theme songs: Back To December by Taylor Swift, Play My Music from Camp Rock, Couple Of Days by Bowling For Soup and Lonely Love Song from Spectacular!


~ The love was gone, I tried to convince myself but I hear that song, and I'm not doing too well ~

Chapter 8

So now he was alone with Alonzo, following him as he led the way to a quieter spot, with no idea where it would go. Had talking to Zach worked? Had Trisha been telling the truth? Al looked nervous as Zephyr followed him away from the stage. Was that a good sign? Or was Zephyr making him nervous? Every question possible passed through his mind in a matter of seconds.

"OK..." the sound of Al's voice stirred him from his thoughts and he stopped, looking up to see Al had turned to face him. They were in the same corner of the park where Trisha had found Zephyr and Roz, and Al was avoiding eye contact as he struggled to find the words to say, "This is harder than I thought it would be..."

"Should I be worried?" Zephyr asked, only half-joking in an attempt to lighten the mood and relax him.

"No," Al shook his head, smiling lightly as he did, "I just really hope I'm making the right choice here."

What choice? he wanted to ask, Taking me back? but he kept his mouth shut.

"I know you didn't mean what you said before I left. It hurt, a lot, but you made it really obvious you regret it."

Zephyr nodded emphatically, "I really, really do."

"I don't know if I can just... forgive and forget, y'know, but... I don't want this to end like that. I don't want it to come between us. And," he hesitated, "And I did actually kinda miss just hanging out together..."

That sounded promising, but Zephyr needed something more certain.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Alonzo said plainly, "I mean, c'mon, I'm not gonna forget the good times 'cause of one stupid mistake," Zephyr's eyes scanned his face and he couldn't help but feel hopeful when Al softened and looked back at him, "I don't hate you, Zeph. You hurt me but... I know it hurt you, too. I was so mad at you after I left, I didn't want to listen to Zach and you were right, I probably wouldn't have talked to you if you tried to call then. I needed some time to myself, you know? But once I got settled in here, I..." he paused and by now, Zephyr was all too eager to hear what he would say next, "... Yeah, I did start to miss you."

Zephyr felt a single heartbeat as Al met his eyes and he found himself leaning closer.

"I missed you, too."

Just as he was about to close his eyes, though, Al backed away.

"Whoa...!" he smiled awkwardly and Zephyr got the feeling he had done something wrong, "That's not what I meant."

While Zephyr was internally kicking himself for listening to Trisha, Alonzo was trying to push the thought of kissing him out of his mind. This was for the best.

Zephyr stepped back, "I... I-I'm sorry... Al, I just wan-"

"Zeph," Al interrupted him, "I know what you're gonna say and... don't. We're cool, alright? But," he sighed and shrugged, "That's it. That's all we are."

He at least wanted him to know.

"Al, I still-"

"Well, I don't," it sounded so harsh that Zephyr flinched and Al winced at his own words, "Sorry. I don't mean it like that, I just mean... Look, we spent, like, what, ten years completely inseparable. We were best friends. We were boyfriends. We thought we needed each other, but we survived being apart all this time."

"I don't know if you could call it 'surviving'..."

"Zephyr, look at us! You used to be so scared if we broke up, we'd never be friends again and we'd lose all of that-"

He stopped when he heard Zephyr muttering softly, "And it happened. I broke that promise..."

"And I'm fixing it.

Zephyr squinted in confusion, "What?"

"We are friends. I want to be friends again. I want to start over. We can forget the breakup. You don't have to keep apologising and defending yourself. I know you didn't mean what you said, but..." he took a breath and thought for a moment. Zephyr waited, "Maybe you were right. Maybe long-distance just isn't for us. I mean, I thought I needed you. Like, I couldn't do anything without you. I relied on you way too much. But then I left Seabrook and I had to make some changes. And I was fine. I made a life for myself, and I can live it without you."

"... I don't know how to take that..." Zephyr admitted, "Al, I love you. I never stopped loving you. "

"... Listen. I couldn't admit this to myself for a while so it's kinda hard to admit it to you now... I still love you but it's just not the way I did before. I still want you around but I don't... need you anymore," he wasn't sure how else he could put it but Zephyr was still trying to hide how much hearing that hurt, "It's like when we were kids. We're friends. Didn't you want us to be able to stay friends if we broke up?"

"... Yeah... Yeah, I did," Zephyr finally nodded and looked at him. And smiled.

"So, can we start over? As friends?"

"... Alright. Whatever keeps you around," he agreed. Alonzo grinned and pulled him into a hug, Zephyr hugging him back tightly, "You're really OK with that? Knowing I still have feelings for you?"

Al let go and shrugged casually, putting his hands in his pockets, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I mean, you told Zach you didn't want anything to do with me."

"That was so long ago! I needed to give myself time. And I was still mad at you."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow, though he was smiling back now, "You were still mad at me yesterday."

"I hadn't seen you in months! There was a lot I needed to get out," Al leaned back against the fence. After a moment's thought, he frowned and tilted his head, "... Is that what it's like? Not talking about your feelings?"

Zephyr chuckled a little cynically, "Yeah, pretty much."

So it wasn't what he hoped for, but at least they were on good terms again.

– SINCE WE BROKE UP –

Alonzo had only written so many songs in what time had passed since he wrote Don't Tell Me, and Trisha had learned, or at least heard, most of them. He had to choose something that he didn't feel had been tainted, which meant picking from the secret songs. And showing Zephyr things he wrote about him. Of course, Zephyr didn't have to know he had inspired them. Al could only hope he didn't guess that he did. And it seemed like the best option to avoid it was to teach them the music without the lyrics.

He chose one song to perform after a selection of BFS songs. It was one of those that Zach had read so at least he would know. Al had a clear enough idea of the bassline and drumbeat to explain to him and Roz what they would be doing, and as for Zeph, he could play through the lead guitar part himself to guide him.

Throughout the entire rehearsal, which was taking place in one of the campus practice rooms, Al was painfully aware of every little thing Zephyr did, and even more aware of what he didn't do. He was clearly making an effort to act more like he used to, before they dated. The more casual way he talked to him, the close-but-not-too-close distance he put between them, the purely platonic signs of affection. Nudging Al with an elbow or shoulder. Friendly jokes. Light-hearted insults. Focusing on what they were doing instead of quietly wrapping their arms around each other or stealing kisses.

Al stood staring as Zephyr played through the song in full for the first time, with Roz keeping time on the drums. He probably should have been paying more attention to how it sounded, but he was distracted by something about Zeph's expression. There was a sad look in his eyes that Al couldn't ignore, like he wished it didn't have to be like this, but he would accept it.

"You alright, Al?"

Zach's voice jolted Alonzo back to reality. He blinked away his confusion, shooting one last quick glance at Zephyr before turning to face him.

"Yeah," he said vaguely, "I-I'm fine. Why?"

"You look a little down is all," the way he said it told Al that he knew exactly why.

"It's nothing," he muttered, "Just..."

A tiny smile was tugging at Zach's lips and he leaned closer, "... Zephyr?"

Al bit his lip and dropped his gaze to the floor, then slowly looked back over to Zephyr. He was quiet for a few seconds. When he finally spoke, he still wasn't looking at Zach.

"He's backing off," he breathed, like he couldn't believe it.

"You asked him to."

"I know."

"He listened."

He finally tore his eyes away and looked down, thinking, "... Yeah..."

"You got what you wanted," with a knowing smirk that Al didn't see, Zach put a hand on his shoulder, "Congratulations." He left Al to continue staring and made his way over to Roz.

Zephyr lifted his head and Al immediately turned away.

– SINCE WE BROKE UP –

Sunday came, the last day of the music festival and the evening of Alonzo's set when BFZ would be reforming. For one night only. That made them sound like they'd had way more success in the past, and making a comeback like this was a much bigger deal than it was. Either way, Al was excited.

Zephyr, on the other hand, didn't know what to think. He knew that song was coming, and he was so sure it meant something, but Al was keeping up the whole 'friends' thing.

Maybe he was reading too far into things. Trisha had to be wrong. Or lying. She could have misread the signs, and Al had always wanted to be friends again. Maybe it was all just wishful thinking. He glanced over at Alonzo again and again until he gave up hope that he'd ever meet his eyes.

If he had only looked for a second or two longer, he would have.

Alonzo couldn't stop the rush of memories that came over him when he saw Zephyr playing beside him. The last time was months ago. It felt like years. It felt like days. It felt like... everything. It was everything he remembered loving about performing. Being onstage, with Zephyr. Punk Rock 101, I Gotchoo and Critically Disdained were all easy enough to get through and probably not give too much away, but then came the real challenge.

"I'm taking a vacation from the way she brings me down..." as he scanned the crowd, he spotted Trisha there. Their eyes met and she froze as he stared her down, "A thousand beer-soaked love songs scattered on the ground..." he closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was looking away from her, "In little stacks of disappointment and little piles of hope. I decided to think positive and this is what I wrote...!"

He let himself smile.

"I wanna take you with me across the biggest ocean to a sunny place where no-one ever goes. We can dance and sing your favourite songs from memory. There won't be electricity but maybe we can stay, together there forever or at least for a couple of days."

Then he realised it was Zephyr he was smiling at. He cursed in his head and thanked Z that Zephyr was too focused on the guitar riff to notice.

He cursed again at the second realisation that he was too focused on Zephyr's guitar riff himself. He nearly missed his cue.

"We'll have to build a shelter but I'll do at least half the work. You can make us breakfast wearing nothing but my shirt."

Why'd I even pick this song...?

He knew exactly why he picked it. The first verse reminded him all too much of Trisha, then he decided to pretend the rest of it didn't remind him of someone else.

"And when it rains we can run naked and no-one else will see all the stuff I plan to do to you and what I hope you do to me."

Don't think about it.

"And by stuff I mean having sex and stuff..."

He refused to even glance towards that side of the stage.

"I'm pretty sure you knew that..."

Do. Not. Think. About. It.

He spent the rest of the song fighting with himself over what exactly he was feeling. It wasn't Zephyr he was singing about. It couldn't be. He had chosen the song himself, and he definitely wasn't thinking about Zephyr when he did. Not at all. This was just how it felt to perform for a crowd; the rush and the thrill. The heartbeat...

... He had felt this way when they were friends, hadn't he? When they first formed Bowling For Zoup, before he and Zephyr had even gotten together. It felt this way back then, didn't it?

He chose to ignore the fact that his feelings for Zephyr had changed long before they got together, long before he even knew they had changed, and that he may already have fallen in love with him by the time they started the band. He was glad they were friends again, that was what he'd wanted, after all. Right now, he was enjoying this time with his friends.

It was hard to look away. And it was hard to admit that to himself. He bit his lip and forced himself to turn back to his audience. Behind him, Zach and Roz shared a knowing smile.

"We can dance and sing our favourite songs from memory. There won't be electricity but maybe we can stay, we'll do it in the ocean like we did St Patrick's Day, together there forever or at least for a couple of days...!"

He took a moment to just bask in the roar of the crowd and temporarily forget about Zephyr, then he took my microphone from its stand.

"Thank you!" he looked out at the humans watching, "Now, I wasn't planning on having my old band up here with me tonight but things just kinda worked out that way, so you got a little more Bowling For Soup than you were meant to. You're welcome, by the way. But I was actually going to be performing a few of my own original songs, and there is still one I'd like you to here," he took a breath, "This is Off My Mind."

He gave Roz a nod and she counted them in.

"I thought I'd let you go. I thought I could leave it all behind. But I should've known you'd left your mark. Why can't I get you off my mind?"

He threw Zephyr a look of unease but he didn't seem to react, which was a welcome relief.

"I don't want to miss you, but everything gets stuck on rewind. Everything we went through. I've gotta get you off my mind!"

He closed his eyes.

"I tried to forget, but you found your way back every time. I know you're gone, it's me who buried you, but I'll never get you off my mind!"

– SINCE WE BROKE UP –

Alonzo was quick to leave the stage. Zephyr watched him go and decided to give him some space, heading off in the opposite direction with Roz close behind.

"Hey, where are you going?"

He stopped to let her catch up, "What do you mean?"

"You know he was singing about you, right?"

Zephyr sighed, "I know. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that. He said he wanted to be friends. I don't even know when he wrote that. He could have changed his mind since then."

"You can ask him."

"What if it's not about me? Or if it is just old venting or whatever. It'd make things awkward."

Roz rolled her eyes, "You can handle awkward," she gave him a gentle shove, "Go on. Go find him."

– SINCE WE BROKE UP –

Slipping the guitar strap off his shoulder, Al stood there for a while, lost in thought. He hadn't realised he'd zoned out until he heard Zach behind him.

"I saw you looking at him."

Al spun round, "What? Who?" he asked, way too quickly.

"Zephyr. Who else?" he tried to look him in the eye but Al was avoiding his gaze, "Is staring at your ex-boyfriend, who you're totally over, and totally just friends with, while you sing about being in love just something you do now?"

"It was just a song."

Zach had to laugh, amazed that he was still trying to deny it, "I'm pretty sure it was two songs. One of which you wrote. About him."

"... I'm..." he had no answer to that. Well, he did, but he wasn't about to give Zach the satisfaction of hearing that he was right. He didn't need to hear it, though. He knew.

"'Not in love with him anymore', huh?"

Alonzo couldn't even stand to look at the smug grin on Zach's face.

"I'm not!"

Zach raised an eyebrow, "You know, he was watching you, too."

Al's head snapped up, "He was?"

"Ha!"

He slapped the finger Zach was pointing at him away with a scowl, "Knock it off," he turned away for a second or two, then quietly, and shyly, asked, "... Does he know I was looking at him?"

"No," Zach shook his head and Al sighed, "He was too busy making sure you didn't see him. It was kinda weird. You used to have the whole 'romantic eye contact across a stage' thing in the bag. You've lost your touch."

"... What are you even talking about?"

"Every time you looked away, Zephyr was looking at you. You're out of sync."

Out of sync. Even though they were apparently back to being friends, they were still out of sync. That wasn't right. They were always in sync. Perfectly.

Zach broke him out of his thoughts, "You sure you just wanna be friends with him...?"

He mulled it over for maybe a second or two then met Zach's eyes. He was already walking backwards.

"No."

Without another word, Alonzo turned and disappeared almost instantly, leaving Zach with a smug grin on his face.

When he had said 'no' to Trisha, she tried again. Sure, she gave up after that, even apologised, but she still hadn't listened to his first rejection. When he said it to Zephyr, however, Zephyr accepted it. He didn't try to convince him or win him over again. He was willing to make a friendship work again, no matter how much he wanted them to be together.

He rounded a corner and came face-to-face with the very zombie he was looking for.

For a brief second, he stared at Alonzo, unable to read his expression, but he didn't get the chance to say anything because Al, after glancing around and confirming no-one else was there to see them, had grabbed his shirt and pulled him further out of sight.

Zephyr didn't know how it happened. Or why. Or even when. His mind had gone blank.

Because Alonzo Morgan was kissing him.