Bill sat hunched over his workspace, feverishly scribbling down the words filling his mind.
"Zoom into me…zoom into me…when the world cuts your soul into pieces and you start to bleed…when you can't breathe, I will be there…zoom into me…"
"Whatcha doin?" Georg poked his head in the doorframe with a smile and startled Bill.
"What?" Bill nearly jumped out of his seat. "Oh, Georg, don't scare me like that…"
Chuckling to himself, Georg crossed into Bill's guest room and sat next to him. "Sorry. I just heard you talking to yourself again, so I thought I'd…"
"I was NOT talking to myself!" objected Bill as he gave his friend a slight shove. "And even if I was, so what? YOU'RE the one who has to brush his hair exactly seventy-two times every morning." He rolled his eyes. "Even I'm not that crazy about my hair! That's why I got it dreaded!"
"Oh, mmhmm. Sure." Georg cracked a smile. "Whatever you say, former palm tree." He quickly dodged a smack and laughed. "So what are you really doing?"
Bill smiled and picked up the paper he had been scribbling on. "Do you thing Jost would let us squeeze in one more song on the album? Or is it too late?"
Georg cocked an eyebrow. "Anything's possible!"
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Quickly pulling on a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans, Leah contemplated how, or even IF she was ever going to tell Stevie and Tom about the cutting. They lived with her, for goodness sake; they were bound to find out sooner or later. She didn't want them to find out the way Bill had, but maybe if she didn't say anything and was really careful, they wouldn't find out. Her step-father never found out. Her mother never found out.
Mother.
A flood of memories swept through Leah's mind; there was the time she had fallen out of her tree house and mother had given her hugs and kisses until she felt better, the Fourth of July picnics they went on every year, mother's body in a pool of blood next to Jim's .45 caliber…
Leah had to stop herself before she completely broke down. Now was neither the time nor the place to be revisiting those memories. She'd deal with them later.
After splashing cold water on her face in the bathroom (yet another horribly memorable place), Leah walked into the living room to find Stevie and Tom on the couch, watching TV.
"…and up next, singers Leah McAllister and Bill Kaulitz are splittsville? Plus, Colden Mitchell, Leah's former friend turned attacker is on the run from the police. What are the authorities doing to make sure he'll be caught and locked up for good? Find out, coming up on…"
"Turn that trash off, please," Leah whispered as a single tear escaped from her eye.
Tom quickly turned off the TV and shot her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Leah. People need to learn to mind their own damn business." He got up and made his way over to her, engulfing her in a huge Tomi-bear-hug. "It's hard enough going through this by yourself, let alone when everyone and their freaking mother are hanging onto every last detail." Giving her a friendly kiss on the forehead, he gave her a little squeeze. "We love you, Leah."
"And don't you forget it!" Stevie chimed in and went over to join in their hug fest.
"Thanks, guys," smiled Leah. "I know I've told you this a million times before, but I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."
"Well," smirked Tom, pulling away and giving her a mischievous look. "Obviously you'd be a wreck."
Leah rolled her eyes and laughed, making sure to pull her sleeves down over the palms of her hands. "Only obviously."
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Georg sat in silence at the foot of the bed as Bill belted out with as much emotion as he could muster the song he had just written for Leah. He'd never seen Bill so emotionally invested in a song before. The pain in his voice made every word pierce Georg's very soul; it was so raw, so genuine. He let the words sink in as Bill's last note slowly faded.
"So, what to you think, G?"
Georg looked into his friend's eyes. "You really care about this girl, don't you?"
Bill bit his lip and turned his eyes from Georg's. "I love her more than my own life. I'd do anything for her. It kills me knowing how much she's going through." With a sigh, he plopped back down onto the bed beside his friend. "I just need to give her time. But I want her to know that I'll always be here for her."
Georg nodded. "I think this song is exactly what she needs to hear. And Jost should definitely consider letting us squeeze it in on the album. It's great, Bill."
"Thanks, man." Bill gave Georg a weak smile and stood up. "But before we even talk to him about it, I want to sing it to Leah. It is about her, after all."
"Good idea," agreed Georg as he stood to leave. "Just let me know when you're ready to run with it."
"Kay." As the door shut, Bill slunk over to the window and shut the blinds. With a heavy sigh, he glanced at the paper on the bed with the lyrics he had just pounded out; Zoom Into Me. It wasn't easy for him to let out all of his anger, and frustration, and hurt, and love, and sympathy, and sorrow in a constructive manor as of late. By writing this song, he hoped that he would finally get Leah to see how much she meant to him; how much he loved her. He slowly lay down and buried his face in his pillow.
"Just open your jaded eyes, love. I'll always be right here, loving you. We'll be together soon."
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