Chapter 3: Old friends, old memories

"I'll order the cold cut trio please, a foot long cut in half with some provolone cheese . . ."

Zack was ordering Shyana's food along with his, when Shyana spotted a group of kids her age staring at her and whispering to one another.

". . . with jalapenos and some vinegar oil. Is that it Shy?"

He decided to call her that. It was short, yet not the exact description of Shyana, even though she was sometimes hesitant.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure, that's great."

Zack smiled and looked around to see what Shyana had been staring at. He almost dropped the food.

It was his old gang, including his old best friend, with one other person he thought he would never see again. The one person that had softened his heart then broke it.

"Hey Zack, do you know them?" Shyana asked.

"From a while back . . . I didn't expect to see them, for a long time."

Zack didn't want to see them, but he had no choice. He had to face them.

"Look, they're coming over Zack, maybe you can introduce me to them."

Shyana was ecstatic about meeting some of Zack's friends. She could tell Tricia all about it after she came out of her coma, if she ever did, Shyana was planning to let her come and spend some time of the summer in Florida with her.

The group casually walked over. Zack was eyeing the one pretty blonde girl in the middle and the boy walking next to her.

"Hey, what's up Zack? Long time man, a year?" said one of the boys.

"Yeah oh um, this is my new . . . uh friend umm. . . Shyana, she just moved here." Zack didn't seem too happy about Shyana meeting his friends.

"Zack . . ." the blonde girl walked up to him.

"Janis . . . it's been such a long time." Zack looked in to her eyes. Shyana watched, her heart started to break, she hoped it wasn't what she thought it was and it wasn't who she thought it was.

The group quieted down, everyone watching Zack and Janis.

"Yeah. . . I've missed you so much, there hasn't been a minute since that blissful day that I haven't thought about you, and what . . . could have been." Tears streamed down Janis's cheeks and Zack held her close to him.

"No Janis, don't cry . . . I'm here . . . I'm here now."

Janis lifted her head and kissed Zack. Zack opened his eyes just in time to see Shyana run out of the building.

* * *

"He has a girlfriend you idiot! How could you not have seen it?! If he's such a perfect guy how could he not have been taken?" Shyana yelled at herself about it all the way until she reached her house.

"Hi sweetie how was you're . . ." Shyana ran up to her room and cut her mother off with the slam of her door. . .

"Ok then . . ." And her mother went back to cooking.

Shyana lay on her bed cried. She knew she was being a real baby crying over some guy she only knew for three days. Yet she had been so relieved that she had found someone new after Connor that it felt so bad to be lost again. She opened her bedside drawer and took out a picture of Connor.

"Why did you have to leave me? Can you see what I have to go through now? I thought we were supposed to be together forever!"

She held the picture close, her tears falling to her bed. She cried until she was all cried out, wishing her pain would end.

"Together forever . . ." as her voice faded and her eyes closed, she gazed out her window at the pier where two figures of Zack and Janis stood, hand in hand talking. And Shyana fell asleep, the car crash scene replaying in her mind, but not letting her awake. She was stuck inside the worse moment of her life until the sun set.

* * *

"Zack . . . It's been so long, and I can't believe your still here."

Janis looked at Zack deeply.

"I've missed you and having Landon instead wasn't the same. It was never the same after you were gone, Zack . . . never."

Zack didn't know what to do, there was Shyana and then there was Janis. Who would he choose?

"Janis, it has been long and . . . and things have changed."

Zack's father hadn't changed but his love life had, he had to tell Janis about Shyana.

"Your father has stopped hurting you? That's great news Zack!"

Janis smiled. Sincerely happy that she had Zack back, and that everything would be alright, she had no idea he was talking about something else.

"This is great! Now we can live happily!"

Before Zack could say something Janis took him and kissed him, as the sun set.

"I have to go now, I love you Zack. I'll see you later ok?"

"But . . . but . . ."

Janis walked away and Zack was left on the pier. He looked at Shyana's room window. It was dark, and Zack didn't feel like knocking at her door.

"You only knew her for three days man. She won't care, or she'll get over it." Zack told himself. But he couldn't help but think that even if she might not care, he might care more.