About a week after the cheer championship, Zed got called into the principal's office. He knew it was coming, knew they were determining what to do with him. He walked solemnly down the hallway, fearing the worst. Zombie-ing out wasn't his fault, but getting them into that situation sure was.
Bucky and the Acey's already got their punishment the day following, only a slap on the wrist really. They had Saturday school for the next month, but they got to keep their positions on the cheer squad. Bonzo didn't get any punishment, and Eliza got detention for a week. He supposed he may get the worse punishment out of all of them.
As the zombie approached the office, he could see many people crowded in the room. Principal Lee was sitting at her desk, with Chief Dale and Coach leaning against it. Mayor Missy, School Board President Karen Plummer, and his father were sitting in the plush chairs around the room. There were two school security guards leaning against the back wall as well. Basically, everyone who was anyone was in the room, and that made Zed extremely nervous.
He wasn't getting expelled was he? God, he hoped not.
The room was somber as he quietly opened the door. No one was talking, but they all looked extremely tired. He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, and smiled awkwardly.
"Ah good," a snobby voice came from President Plummer, "Mr. Necrodopolis, you finally decided to grace us with your presence."
Zevin sat upright in his chair. "Don't talk to my son like that!"
Mrs. Plummer curled her lip and glared at the older zombie, "You don't get to speak to me zombie, you're nothing but filth."
Missy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Karen, we've been over this."
"This is beneath me, zombies shouldn't even be allowed in Seabrook!" Mrs. Plummer snarled.
Principal Lee cleared her throat. "Ok! Let's bring it back. Zed, come here."
Zed, who had all but disappeared into the background, gulped and took a deep breath. He may have been scared to death, but he couldn't show it, he had an image to uphold. The zombie puffed out his chest and went to stand in front of the principal's desk.
"Principal Lee, I realize what I did was wrong, and I fully accept any punishment you see fit." The boy said confidently. "But please, if I may request. Don't take it out on the zombies, my friends, none of this was their fault. They just wanted to be accepted, I did this for them, but they had no idea. Please don't force them back into Zombietown. We truly like it here, at Seabrook."
Mrs. Plummer started to speak up, but was cut off. "Bu-bu-bup! Karen, this is not where you come in. We've already decided what Zed's punishment will be." Mayor Missy glared at the other woman.
Principal Lee pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily. "Again, let's bring it back. Mr. Necrodopolis, what you did put, not only you, but all of your peers in jeopardy." She took a deep breath. "Therefore, you will be put on suspension for all of next week, and will be benched from Football. You may still participate in practices, but no games."
The news floored Zed. He knew he would get a bad punishment, but this? He didn't think he could handle this.
"Now before you say anything Zed, you can work your way back onto the team! You just have to keep your grades up and have a perfect record from here on out, ok? I can't lose my star player that easy!" Coach said from his place by the desk.
A flood of relief washed over Zed, only for it to be immediately replaced with humility when Mrs. Plummer interrupted to scold him. "But you'll be watched like a hawk, and if you so much as bat your eye the wrong way, I will crush you like the bug you are, and send you right back to Zombie High. Do I make myself clear?" He ducked his head and nodded.
If looks could kill, Mrs. Plummer would be dead at Mayor Missy's feet. No one messes with her favorite zombie, not that she would tell anyone that. Turning back to Zed, the Mayor smiled softly. "Since today is Friday, we'll let you finish school. Your teachers have been informed, and they should have coursework ready for you to pick up."
The boy smiled graciously at his girlfriend's mom as everyone was dismissed. Zevon gave his son a look, and Zed gulped. He was in for a talking to, for sure. The boy sighed, and followed his father out of the office.
The two zombies stepped into a quiet hallway. Before his father could start, Zed spoke up. "Dad, I know I messed up, we already talked about this. I should be grounded for all eternity, heck, I should be expelled! But, look at the bright side! One whole week where I can clean the house! Do all the chores I always seem to be putting off!"
Zevon just chuckled and shook his head. "Zed, I wasn't going to berate you. I already said what I wanted to say. I just wanted to make sure you were ok, how're you handling this son?"
Zed's posture relaxed at his father's words, and he smiled. "I'm gonna be ok, pops. I'll still be allowed on the football team, after a while. And hey! I've basically got a free week!" At his father's frown, the zombie laughed. "Just kidding pops. I'll be sure to be on my best behavior this week."
Zevon pat his son on the shoulder, and the two parted ways. Zed made sure to get a note from Principal Lee before heading off.
Classes had changed while he was in the meeting, the zombie made his way to his second period, English. Zed tried to walk into the room silently, but the hinges of the door squealed into the space. Everyone was staring now, making Zed cringe inwardly.
"Ah, the hero of the zombies has made an appearance." Mr. Adams exclaimed sarcastically. "To whom do we owe the pleasure of you arriving 20 minutes late?"
Zed chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm, I was talking to Principal Lee. I have a note." He said, holding said note up.
Mr. Adams chuckled darkly. "Oh right. Talking about your suspension, I'm sure."
That had the class shocked. Gasps filled the room, and Zed took a second to look around, gauging his friends' reactions. Eliza was shocked yet reserved, she knew it was coming, and Bonzo was rightfully sad, but it was Addison who shocked him the most.
His girlfriend looked mad, fury covered her gorgeous face.
Zed gave her a small smile, trying to tell her all was ok, but that did little to curb her emotion. He frowned, and turned back to his teacher. "Yes sir, it was about that. But I'm sure we can talk about it after class."
Mr. Adams let out an annoyed hum, and motioned for Zed to take his seat next to Addison. The girl glanced at him questioningly, but the boy shook his head. The cheerleader huffed, and grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and started scribbling away at it.
Thinking Addison was mad at him, Zed sighed and rested his head on his fist, propped up on the desk. The boy started dozing off due to his teacher's monotonous voice, when something tapped him on his side.
He startled into awareness, and glanced around. Turning to his left, he saw Addison trying very hard to cover her giggles, and a paper near his elbow. He gave his girlfriend a small smile, and grabbed the paper.
What happened with Principal Lee? You got suspended? They can't do that! It wasn't your fault, what happened! It was my stupid cousin's fault!
Zed chuckled at the cheerleader's antics, and began scribbling a note back to her.
It may not have been my fault that I went full zombie, but I got myself into the situation. And I did technically put everyone at risk because of it Addie, so everyone thought it would be better to give me a week of suspension rather than expulsion.
He slid the paper back to his girlfriend, and waited a bit for her reply. He heard her let out a little huff, and knew he was in for a talking-to. Or a writing-to. Whatever.
THEY SUSPENDED YOU FOR A WEEK? Zed they can't do that! Bucky only got a slap on the wrist! This isn't fair! And who's everyone? Principal Lee and Coach?
The zombie shook his head, he would have to talk to her after school about everything.
Addie, let's talk about this after school ok? That way I can actually tell you, and not write it out.
Sliding the paper back to his girlfriend, he didn't wait for her reaction. He did hear her sigh, but he now had his full attention on whatever Mr. Adams was spouting out. The zombie did feel a little bad though, so under the table, he grabbed the girl's hand and gave it a light squeeze. He could see a little smile on her face out of the corner of his eye, and he knew all was well.
The rest of the day went relatively normal. He sat through class, got his course work, and went on. Lunch was fine, but everyone tried to ask about his suspension, and that annoyed him. He just shook everything off.
The final bell rang, and Zed could not be happier. He basically had an extra long weekend to himself. But Addison wasn't going to let him off without a full explanation.
"What happened, Zed?" She asked on the walk to her house. He sighed, his nerves about the whole situation still shot, but she did deserve to know.
"You don't have to worry Addie. It seemed like everyone was on my side, for the most part at least." He trailed off at the end. Her brows furrowed.
"You keep saying 'everyone'. Who the heck was in there?" She basically demanded, he could tell the anger that was burning in her eyes from earlier was returning. He really didn't want her to worry or get mad, especially when everything was going to be fine in the end.
"Principal Lee and Coach obviously, my dad was there, some security guards, the school board president. Oh and your parents sat in too." He listed.
"They what?!" Addison exploded.
Zed chuckled nervously. "Well yea Addie, your mom is the mayor, and I basically put all of the town's kids in danger, some adults too. And your dad put me in containment for a full weekend. He's the chief, of course they'd be there!"
Addison huffed, annoyed. "I suppose but I still don't feel like they needed to be there. That's a lot of people for one suspension. I would have expected Principal Lee and Coach, and maybe your dad. But everyone else seems like overkill."
The zombie smiled at his girlfriend and grabbed her hand, stopping her walk. "Addie, I love that you care so much, but everything will be ok. It's only one week, plus, I've got some ideas to make it memorable!"
"Oh, and what does that brain of yours have in mind?" She asked flirtatiously.
The boy gave her his signature smirk, and pulled her forward into him. "That's for me to know, and you to find out."
Addison smiled and ran her hands up Zed's chest, bringing them to wrap around his shoulders. She pulled him down gently, closing the gap between them. His head tilted slightly as she got closer, breath fanning over his lips. She slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him. He sighed contently against her lips, holding her a little tighter as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers tug at the short strands on the back of his head for encouragement.
"Ah hum." Someone cleared their throat dramatically, successfully startling the teens apart. They turned like deer in the headlights to find both Addison's parents standing on their porch.
"Good evening Zed." Mayor Missy greeted a little sourly, but with a smirk on her face. He could see the scowl on her dad's face and gulped nervously, trying to laugh as he scratched the back of his head.
"Um, hi! Good evening! I was just, uh, walking Addie home!" He finally managed. Addison rolled her eyes and stretched up to kiss his cheek.
"Goodnight Zed. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She said with a small smile before heading towards her parents.
"Night Addie. Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Wells!" He called. Her parents sighed and offered a wave goodbye as he headed on his way.
Despite everything that had gone down earlier in the day, the zombie had a pep in his step. He had a lot to plan over the weekend, and he was going to need the help of his best friends to pull it all off.