School started back again and as much as Addison wanted to enjoy the new semester she couldn't. She had fewer classes which meant more time with Zed between them, and true to her word she had gotten the job at the coffee shop. But unfortunately, everyone now knew of her relationship with Zed. People couldn't assume they were just friends anymore.

Her parents had told some relatives and it got back to Bucky, who quickly kicked her off the cheer team day one.

"It's gross. It's wrong. It's immoral. And it's just not something a true mighty shrimp would do." He had said talking down to her. "I'm gonna have to let you go. Unless you decide to ditch those freaks in which case I might let you come back and grovel for a spot at the bottom." He walked away with his minions snatching away her Pom Poms away and flicking their long ponytails in her face.

It really bummed her out. Prior to meeting Zed that's all she had dreamed of. Being in the college cheer squad and competing in the championship at the end of the year. But it could be worse. She could have no cheer and no Zed. And she still had Bree, who had immediately called his phone to talk to her the moment she got back into the dorms.

They would remain friends so long as Bucky didn't find out, then they would be good. There was no point for them both to get cut from the team. She started her new job the second week of school. It really didn't take her long to get down the art of the latte either. She was whipping up cappuccinos and frappes like nobody's business.

The zombies liked to use the cafe as a new hang out of sorts. She had been playing around with latte art and found a way to make the foam look like a brain, which she thought was cute. The manager did not.

Addison got herself into a nice routine. She would wake up next to Zed, get ready with Zed, have breakfast with Zed and go to school with Zed. There they would go their separate ways for a few hours until they both had breaks and could meet for lunch. Later she would go to work until the coffee shop closed at 9 and then Zed would walk her home. Her paychecks weren't much and they paled in comparison to what she was getting from her parents but it was enough that she didn't feel as if she were taking advantage of Zed anymore. She had enough to buy herself toiletries and other girly things she hated to ask Zed for.

Most Zombies received government assistance. As long as they were in college they would get a small stipend to live off of until they got a job. Before they were allowed to attend college, the only jobs available to them were those that didn't pay much and the ones that no one from Seabrook wanted to do themselves. Janitors, trash pick up, sewage treatment and the like were the best they could do. Now so long as they had the proper training and degree, they would be able to have jobs that paid substantially more.

It was almost nine when she was just finishing up some dishes for the night. It usually quieted down around eight as most of Seabrook's human students didn't tend to stay out at all hours of the night. Maybe the occasional party after a game but not on a school night, and the zombie students still had a curfew to uphold. Most nights she had everything cleaned and put up for the next day before they even closed. This particular night had been very slow and she was surprised to hear the chime on the door. She assumed it was Zed, but hollered that she would be right out just in case.

Rounding the corner with a clean rag to finished wiping down the machines she was stopped short when she noticed it was a very unwanted face and head of dreadlocks standing by the counter. "Can I help you?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of Zarah's motive for coming into the Café. She didn't even go to Seabrook University and had no reason as far as Addison knew to be there. "Are you even supposed to be on campus if you're not enrolled here?"

"Oh no honey, I am enrolled here; started at the beginning of the semester in fact." She answered with a fake smile and tilt of her head. Hopefully Zed was going to be there soon. He had said that he might be ten minutes late and she was praying that wouldn't be the case.

"I just wanted to come and see how things were and possibly give you a little advice, from one girlfriend to another."

Addison crossed her arms defensively, scanning over Zarah's shoulders out the windows for any sign that Zed would walk in soon. "Make it quick, I have a lot of things to clean in the back." A lie, but she hoped that letting Zarah talk would get her to leave quicker.

"Well I'm sure Zed just had so much to say about me and you should know, that none of its true. He broke up with me."

"Why should I believe you, I literally don't know you and I have no reason to trust you."

"Your right, but you should trust that I have known Zed for a lot longer than you and believe me when I say that pretty soon, you just won't be enough for him. He's going to leave you for someone else, just like he did to me." She even had the nerve to look a little sad thought Addison.

"So your telling me, you didn't run off to a different state with a different zombie? That you didn't leave him?"

"Oh yeah, I did, after I caught Zed cheating on me with the one and only Eliza. There's a reason they're best friends and I promise they are definitely fucking behind your back. Where is he by the way?" She stopped and looked around the empty café for emphasis. "Doesn't he have to walk you home after your shifts?"

"How would you know anything?" Addison was starting to get worried now. Had Zarah been spying on them this whole time? See glanced at the clock and realized she should have locked the doors five minutes ago. What did Zed say he had to do again? No, she was being paranoid. All Zarah was trying to do was throw her for a loop and it was working, it was time for her to go now.

"Look," she didn't even give her a chance to respond, "It's time for me lock up. You said what you wanted, now it's time for you to leave before I have to get campus security here, and they won't be happy about a complaint against a zombie."

Zarah held her hands up in surrender. "Ok I'll leave, I just didn't want you to be completely blindsided when you're the one who walks in to see him fucking someone else. Trust me, not a sight I would wish on anyone." She turned to head for the door with Addison following to lock the door but stopped before she opened the door. "You won't be enough for him." She said with her head hung low, speaking softly, almost sad. "No one was ever enough for him." With that said she left out without another look in Addison's direction.

Addison quickly locked the door behind her and turned to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over. Why, she didn't know. She had no reason to not trust Zed but… where was he.

She made her way back into the kitchen to finish the few things she had left while she continued to wait. When 9:30 rolled around, she knew something had to be wrong, Zed still hadn't come for her and she was getting concerned. She was just about to call him from the shops phone when she heard a tapping on the door. It was a tall frame with green hair.

Finally he had come to walk her home. She opened the door to let him in and before she could fully close the door all the way she was squeezing him in a hug.

"Hey to you too." he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her embrace. "Did you have a hard day or something?"

"You could say that." She hugged him even tighter for a second before she let him go to look up at him, but staying in his embrace, she took in his appearance. He was a little sweatier than usual and his hair was a mess from its usual neat style. Maybe he felt bad for having to be late and ran the whole way. But doesn't his hair always look like that after they have sex? "What took so long?" She asked, hoping she didn't sound as pathetic as she felt. Zarah shouldn't be affecting her this much, but here she was, wondering why.

"Oh yeah, um…Bonz just needed some help moving some music equipment into the old factory. They're letting him run a rave in a few weeks." He took her hand after she locked the door and led her in the direction of home. I guess that made sense. Some of the equipment in there was large and heavy and he could have run his own hands through his hair if he was sweaty enough. She shrugged off her thoughts of doubt and trusted Zed. She had no reason not to.

Now that she knew that Zarah had enrolled at Seabrook University, she seemed to see the zombie everywhere. She hadn't come back into the coffee shop, but Addison caught glimpses of her almost every day and it always dulled her mood for a couple hours afterward. Zarah's voice would ring in her head, 'Soon you won't be enough.' She knew in her mind that Zarah was just trying to throw her off and it was working.

Addison had started to notice little things she hadn't ever seen before; little moments between Zed and Eliza that she hadn't realized before. Soft whispers in a corner between the two with shifty eyes in her direction and time spent together when she was working. She was going crazy with thoughts. Things were fine, they were perfect in fact until Zarah had come to throw stones.

Months she spent worrying over the words that Zarah had spoken to her. 'Won't be enough…..never enough…someone else…one and only Eliza….' She hated the way it was making her feel. Zed didn't seem to notice what she was going through, which in a way she was thankful for. She knew she was being paranoid and crazy, but at the same time, shouldn't he notice she didn't smile at him as much anymore? Shouldn't he know that her eyes didn't light up quite as much as they used too? It was getting harder to be around Eliza as well. She didn't seem to notice either and if she did, she didn't say anything about it. She had known since their game at Christmas they had slept with each other. Claiming it was when they were much younger and inexperienced but could that be a ruse?

Damn Zarah. She had to find a way to get these stupid thoughts out of her head. She would be mature about it. She would sit down with Zed and Eliza and talk to them about it. She would be open and honest and tell them what Zarah had said to her. She wouldn't accuse them of anything and would only ask that they give her some real explanations as to where they seemed to be every night she was working late. And she would ask them Friday night, after the end of the year Zom Bash at the factory.

With the end of the year came Seabrook's Cheer Championship and Bucky was ready for the gold. Every year Seabrook won and he had no doubt in his mind that this year would be no different. So he had to cut a couple…or four..or more people from the team for conspiring with the ghouls they had let into his school. That didn't matter to him. They would still win the giant trophy he was currently staring up at. He had pushed his team relentlessly for the past couple of months. Forcing them to push off all other responsibilities until he was certain they knew the routines they need.

He raised his hand to grasp his golden whistle he always wore around his neck, closed his eyes and smiled. He had one thing on his mind ...victory. "Nothing's going to get in my way?" He chanted. "You're number one!" He continued chanting, stroking his own ego more and more.

"Um, Bucky…" came a voice behind him. He opened his eyes and whipped around to stare right into the eyes of the Acey's. His ever loyal minions, they would do anything for him but how dare they interrupt him in the middle of this ritual pep talk. "What is it?" he snapped.

"We're last this year!" shrieked three Aceys with Lacey repeating 'Last this year' after. He was silent for a moment, thinking of what this meant. They were always first. Seabrook would go and they would be so spectacular that anyone who went after would feel so threatened they would drop out or be so nervous they messed up their routine.

"Well we will just have to pull out all stops then. Call the team into an emergency meeting. We're going to have to go into Emergency Plan B for Bucky." He stood with confidence as he said this. The other three weren't quite certain.

Standing in the cheer circle Bucky took a deep breath before trying to Rally his team to victory. "Ok team. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we're going to have to go with Plan B for Bucky." The team gave a collective gasp.

"I know I know." He said using his hands to make a calming gesture. "But rest assured that I will carry this team to victory and yeah, I could do it alone. But the crowd expects a show. So let's get out there and rally the spirit of the cheer gods and spring forward into the winners circle. I'll be there, waiting for you all." Still his team of cheerers looked at him hesitantly. "Ok if you don't tell me what's going on right now I'm gonna scream." They looked at each other nervously before Stacy nudged Bree forward to speak.

"Bucky it's just that Addison was the only one who knew how to pull off Plan B."

"Excuse me." he said with a tilt of his head.

"I mean Plan B for Bucky."

"No!" he hollered, "Do you mean to tell me that no one here can do the Cajun Chicken Roundabout?" Still his team looked around anxiously without speaking. He turned his attention back to Bree.

"Well Bree, it sounds like your gonna have to master it in the next five minutes." She shook her head nervously and left with her teammates, leaving the Acys behind with Bucky.

"I'm not so sure about this." Said one of them, he didn't care.

"I can feel it rumbling deep within my gut." He said seriously.

"That doesn't sound good."

"Nonsense. I want it all and I will have it all."

But Bucky didn't get it all. He didn't even get a little bit. His team sucked so hard that the judges had to stop them in the middle of the routine because they just couldn't bear to watch it anymore but however badly they had performed, the other teams had performed even worse. The judges decided that they would give every team the chance to redeem themselves and in two months' time they would reconvene for a do over.

Bucky couldn't even stand to look at his team for a minute longer. He dismissed them to go back to the school and wait for him to follow with further instruction. He waited until most of the crowd had dispersed and made his way to where the giant gold trophy was located and got down onto his knees in front of it. Clasping his hands in front of him and closing his eyes he prayed to the cheer gods.

"Rah Rah, Sis boom bah." He said calmly. "Where would you have me go? What would you have me do?" he paused before shouting hysterically. "Why didn't you give me the trophy?" he paused again to regain his calm demeanor and sat in silence wondering where they went wrong before it hit him. "What was that cheer god? Bring back Addison. But she betrayed us for those freaks. Ok ok. I understand. I will try everything within my power to regain control of the situation and win the cheer championship."

He stood and turned to make his way to the cheer van to meet his team at the school but was stopped short by a shorter figure standing behind him. He shrieked and flung himself-back as he brought his hands to the side out of habit to wait for his hand sanitizer, but when it never came he realized he was alone, with a zombie.

"What the hell is wrong with you." sneered the zombie. She was standing with her hands on her hips waiting for him to speak with her nose ring and long green dreadlocks. Quickly he righted himself and once again composed himself.

"Nothing, you can move now." he threw back with just as much attitude. When she didn't move or answer him, he looked around ready to shout for help, but quickly realized he was very much alone with her. "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" he asked.

"It's not off limits for zombies dumbass, I walked through the front door. As for what I'm doing…I had come to sabotage your team and make poor little Addison lose her championship but I see that you did a good job of doing that all on your own."

"Yeah well, she's not even on this team anymore thanks to your lot."

"And that's where I can help you." she said matter of factly.

Bucky snorted a laugh, "What could you, a lowly life form, possibly do to help me, a mere God."

"I heard you talking to yourself like a loser. You need her back on the team, and I need her gone from my life. That's where I can help you."

Bucky stood with his fingers steepled in front of him as he looked her over and thought of what it might mean to get help from a zombie. "First of all…ew. Normally I would never accept help from your kind, but alas. What have you got?"

He stood listening as she regaled her tale of love and lust and jealousy and anger. At least he thought that's what it was about. All he heard was blah blah blah Zed and Addison and blah blah blah revenge. That was enough for him. He interjected his own idea but before he left he finished with, "You know, if you weren't so…you. I could see us being friends. But since you're ...you, let's just remain reluctant allies." He almost reached his hand to shake hers but remembered he didn't have Tracey on standby with hand sanitizer and felt a thumbs up would have to suffice.