A/N Hello! Back at it again with another chapter, thankfully. This was somewhat of a filler chapter, although it does move things along a little bit. I have a hazy idea of the ending and what else is going to happen, but I'm not quite done with all the details. Anyways, dear readers, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(Also, I'm very sorry that my update schedule is inconsistent and hectic... Thankfully, school ends for me on the 22nd so by then I'll hopefully have a more fluid routine.)

Smiles180: Thank you! I love writing it too.

zachgoodet: Yeah, it is a little heart-breaking to see our fave characters go through some crap. :( They'll pull through eventually, though!

Ineedaname: I sometimes just squeal at cute Zammie moments like YIPPEE, so I totally get it!

It'sHardIKnow: I hope it did :)

Gallagher girl 58: Zach might have seemed a little cold in the last chapter, but you'll get to learn more of his backstory as the story goes on. I promise he isn't mean like that for no reason :)

covert rebel: Thanks! I really appreciate it because it takes me a while to figure out where to put the flashbacks :D

Aliviababe5: Aww love you for reading this!

Dreamer0704: That's exactly what I'm trying to do, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!

Now... Onwards!

Cammie

Tuesday morning, Zach picked me up again for a ride to school. We had settled into somewhat of a routine, me meeting him outside my house at eight, going to grab some Starbucks together, then heading to school. The first few times, we attracted some curious stares, and Macey teased me about it for a bit, but eventually everyone got used to seeing us together. "A group package," they would call it, although I never personally agreed.

"Are you okay?" Zach asked abruptly, interrupting my thoughts. We had just gotten our drinks from Starbucks and were heading back to his car. I furrowed my brow.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. He looked at me intensely, as if trying to decode a complex lock. I shivered, and not from the cooling breeze.

"After the other day I sent you home, you seemed distant. A little sad." He said, and my insides churned as I tried to hold back a wince. It felt like having a healing wound be ripped open again, and have some salt sprinkled in. I plastered on a smile.

"A-okay. Was just some family stuff, no worries," I replied, and avoided his gaze. I could tell he wasn't completely satisfied with my answer, but thankfully, he let it drop.

I glanced over at his cup, and quickly changed the subject before he brought up anything else.

"Hot chocolate? You're a hot chocolate type of guy?" I asked. He laughed.

"I'm not that big of a fan of coffee, to be honest. And..." He said, and peered at my cup. "You're a vanilla latte kind of gal?"

I shrugged. "Yep. Just plain old boring vanilla, which matches me perfectly." I said and stared into my cup. Zach cocked his head to the side, and I couldn't help noticing his ressemblance to a wide-eyed puppy.

"What do you mean?" he asked. At this point, we were both seated in the car, but Zach made no move to start up the engine. I sighed.

"Well, I'm just Cammie. Average hair, average height, average weight, average eyes... Everything about me is just normal. Not too pretty or ugly. Boring. Just like vanilla." Zach shook his head at my words.

"See, but vanilla is a classic. Everyone around the world has heard about vanilla. Do you really want to be one of those odd ice creams that are trendy for a while, but die just as soon as they came? Or would you rather be yourself, a classic, someone everyone loves and could never get sick of, home base." He countered.

"And who said you weren't pretty? Haven't you ever noticed all the guys looking at you as you stroll the halls, wishing you could be theirs but never having the guts to ask you out? Or the girls eyeing you, jealous of your natural beauty that isn't caked with layers of makeup?" He continued.

"You are beautiful, Cammie, and I know that you're too stubborn to believe me, but you are. Nothing about you is boring, or average. You're like a little spark of fire, refusing to be put out that burns, brighter than all the stars with your passion and your love. Anyone lucky enough to know you is blessed, getting to see you, the bright light, laughing and smiling through the darkness." Zach said. I was stunned into silence as I searched his glittering eyes for any hints of teasing, or a joke. There wasn't any. I swallowed hard.

There was a long pause. Then, finally, Zach started up the car and slowly pulled out of the Starbucks parking lot, and drove to school. We were both silent the rest of the way.

Finally, as Zach slowed his car to a stop in front of the school, I glanced at him fleetingly. In a second, his eyes were on mine as I met his again, and I couldn't bring myself to look away. I was lost, drowning in his dark pools of lush green eyes that beckoned me to come closer. He inched his face closer to mine and my heart beat a little faster.

"Just so you know, my favourite ice cream flavour is vanilla," Zach said softly.


When I walked into school that morning, I saw Macey slumped against her locker with Liz rubbing circles on her back and Bex frowning at the ground. Immediately, I rushed over to her."Macey, what's wrong?" I asked worriedly.

"Just had a rough couple of days, you know. My dad's been gone for a while and my mom, while, you guys know how she is," Macey said quietly. Her usual cool and calm demeanor had vanished, replaced instead with a quiet and lost teenage girl.

"You can stay with any of us if you need it, right girls?" Bex suggested and Liz and I nodded with agreement. Macey's dad was the senator, of course, and he usually went for weeks, sometimes months without visiting Macey and her mom. In those lapses of time, Macey's mom, the gorgeous Cynthia McHenry, usually became distant, almost non-existent.

"And on top of that, Nick still is using me as a hookup, and I really... Just can't." Macey said and sighed. I saw her shields go up, her tired face resume her neutral expression, her posture straightening. She was no longer Macey, no, she was becoming Macey McHenry, the one who did numerous photoshoots, was stunning from her hair to her toes, and conquered the world. My heart hurt a little for her, she had to constantly keep up this façade of a perfect daughter in front of the flashes of cameras, instead of being Macey, the teenage girl who didn't do very well in biology, hated tomatoes and just missed her parents. Both of them.

"It's okay, really, guys." Macey said and put on a brave smile. "Let's head to class."

A few hours later, it was nearing the end of the day. Unfortunately, I had Mr. Solomon. Which meant working with Zach. Heat flooded my cheeks as this morning's events came back to me. I briskly shook my head, as if that would remove all thoughts about a certain green-eyed someone.

"Class, pull out your biography or autobiography questions. I want to make sure everyone completed them." I saw Zach pull out his and saw that he hadn't even touched his. "Come see me after class," I heard Solomon mutter. Quickly, I looked away as he almost caught me staring at them. My curiosity spiked.

"Now, pair up with your partners and show me your list of questions. I am hoping you have all answered each other's questions correctly, because this is essential to writing the biography." I pulled out my sheet of paper as Zach scooted his chair closer to mine, bumping my desk. It reminded me of the night he came over to my house, and I blushed.

"Miss Morgan, Mr. Goode, may I see your progress?" Mr. Solomon said as he circulated around the class. I brought my paper closer to him. "Very well done, Miss Morgan, I see that you have put a lot of time and effort into this project. You, Mr. Goode, on the other hand, seemed to have fallen into the 'mundane facts' trap. For example: I do not really need to know that Miss Morgan's favourite Starbucks drink is a vanilla latte, or that her favourite colour is green, or that she prefers pancakes to waffles. Try again, Mr. Goode. See me after class, please." Mr. Solomon said and moved on. I took Zach's paper out of his hands and saw, indeed, these facts about me along with other little bits of information: Likes looking at stars and naming constellations. Loyal friend.

"What? But I never told you these things," I said, confused. Zach smiled at me cheekily and my heart thudded.

"You haven't but I notice things. You've been getting a vanilla latte consecutively every time we go to Starbucks. When we were little, you told me that you loved the colour green because it reminded you of spring grass and trees." And your eyes, I added to myself. "You always picked pancakes over waffles when given the choice. The other night, before you fell asleep while watching the movie with me, your eyes were on the window, at the stars, as you muttered their names under your breath. The Big Dipper. Orion's belt. And others. Finally, it's not hard to tell that you care for your friends very much." Zach said, and shrugged at my shocked expression. He cracked a smirk. "Didn't you notice these sorts of things about me?" He said and nudged me playfully.

I laughed, but inside, my heart pounded and my brain was buzzing. He noticed? Zach noticed these little things that not even Grant or my mom see? For some reason, my heart leaped a little at the thought.

After class, I deliberately packed my things up slowly, in hope of catching a word of what Solomon would say to Zach. But with one of his hard glares directed my way, I was out of the class. Instead, I lingered beside the doorway, trying to listen to their conversation.

"What's wrong, Zach?" I heard a deep voice, Mr. Solomon, say. My eyebrows raised at the informal name instead of his usual 'Mr. Goode'.

"Catherine's just been worse than usual. I don't know what to do, Joe," Zach said. My eyes widened. This was definitely not school-related. But why was Zach talking to Solomon, calling him Joe, and telling him about his personal life? The thoughts whirled in my head as I held my breath, waiting.

"It's okay, kid. She'll come around eventually. If you need it, I'm right here." Solomon said. "Go on." A loud clap sort of sound followed, and I assumed Solomon just clapped him on the back.

In my midst of trying to keep quiet, Zach ran into me as he left the classroom. My books crashed to the floor and I squatted down, embarrassed. Zach looked at me suspiciously.

"Were you just-"

"No! I was just leaving, haha. You have football, right? Grant does too so I guess I'll just wait for you two." I said and hurried away toward the football field.

Taking a seat in the bleachers, I started working on my homework as I waited for Grant and Zach to finish up their practice. I never really understood football, unlike Bex, who was all about it.

Just as I shut my math textbook two hours later, Grant came running towards me, sweat dripping down his forehead. I wrinkled my nose.

"Gross, Grant. Go shower and then I can consider seeing you within a one mile radius," I said and shooed him away. He laughed and sat down next to me.

"You need a ride?" He asked. I shook my head.

"It's okay, Grant. Zach's taking me. He always does." I said and his expression hardened.

"I swear, if that kid tries anything, I mean anything on you-" I punched his shoulder.

"Really, Grant? I'm the older one here, I can take care of myself," I said.

"Only by a minute," he countered. I laughed.

"Nuh-uh. Six minutes, actually, Grant dearest." I said. Grant smiled a little wistfully.

"I never could remember. You and... and dad always corrected me, just like that," he said quietly. My shoulders slumped and I looked down.

The thing was, Grant was starting to look so much like dad that it chilled me to the bone sometimes. He'd come home one day and I'd see his back, and I'd do a double-take because I thought I saw our father. They had the same muscular build and height, the same way of walking, the same weight of each footstep. Grant's hair was just a smidgen lighter, more honey-blond than dad's hair and mine. It was the only thing I was proud of. I had dad's exact hair colour, and it pained me but also warmed me to see it in the mirror every day.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"I wish he was here." Grant said. After a couple seconds, he stood up and proclaimed that he was going to shower before I got mad and slapped him or something, but I could tell that he had lost some of that spark to his humour and jokes.

"I do too," I said to his retreating figure.