"There's something you need to know." Addison said nervously.
"Now we're getting somewhere" said Missy.
"Now we're getting somewhere" repeated Dale.
"He's…" Addison started with a grimace on her face. This is going to go so bad, no it will be fine, whatever happens we'll deal with this together.
Ring went the doorbell. "He's here." Missy said, fixing her hair as her and Dale walked to the door.
"Woah, you do not want to open that." Addison said trying to slow down her parents.
"Where are your manners?" Missy asked, waving her off.
"Don't be ridiculous." Dale said.
"OK fine open it," Addison shouted, "Yes my date to the homecoming game is…"
"Ahh! Who are you, what are you doing here?" Missy shouted shocked by what she saw outside the door.
"I'm going to need an answer quickly Zombie, I don't want any problems or a need for the Z-Patrol." Dale said in a stern voice.
Addison tried to look between them and smiled in spite of herself, there on her front porch was her zombie, dressed in a smart pink suit with a matching tie, and holding a bouquet of pink tulips in his hand. His green head combed back without a hair out of place. His eyes were shining with a combination of nervousness and excitement that mirrored hers when they met her own, just for a moment before taking a breath to calm his nerves.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Wells, I'm Zed, and I'm here to take Addison to the homecoming game." Zed answered with a friendly smile on his face and reaching out his hand to shake Dale's.
"What!" Missy jumped back holding her arm in front of Addison, while Dale pulled out his Z-Tazer and shooting Zed.
Zed dropped the flowers on the ground and fell on his knees to the porch, barely able to catch himself before he hit his head on anything. He let out an involuntary snarl of pain.
"Zed!" Addison shouted, pushing past her parents and kneeling down grabbed on to Zed's arm to try to steady him. "No, Zed are you OK? Why did you do that?" she yelled at her parents, now terrified at how this will turn out.
"Addison get away, it's not safe." Dale shouted in a stern voice, "He's obviously a rogue zombie, his Z-band must be offline and making him delusional."
"No, he isn't, he's not rogue or offline or delusional or anything. He's the boy I went out with last night. His name is Zed, and he's my boyfriend." Addison declared, surprised at herself for her bluntness.
"Boyfriend! You can't be serious, what's really going on here Addison? You can't be dating a Zombie. Their hideous terrifying monsters. Remember what happened to your grandfather?" Missy said.
"Yes, I am serious Mom, we are dating. Zed is not hideous at all, he is not a monster." Addison said.
Groaning a little, Zed began to stand up with Addison's help, he tried to put his charming smile back on, but now it was stuck in a grimace of fear. Addison kept her tight hold on him. "Mr. and Mrs. Wells, I can assure you that everything Addison said is true and I do care about her, a lot in fact."
"Zombies are too unpredictable even with Z-bands, Addison if you make one wrong move, or give him an inch, he'll bite your face off. Now back away from him, so I can take him to containment." Dale ordered.
"No," said Addison, "I know Zed could never hurt me, in fact, he already saved my life once."
"What are you talking about? What did you do to her Zombie?" Missy asked threateningly glaring at Zed.
"At the Cheer Pep Rally the first week of school, Addison was being tossed in a stunt, but spirit sticks caused a disturbance that scared the other cheerleaders away, I saw that she was going to fall to the ground, so I ran from the bleachers to catch her, thankfully I did, and she was safe and sound." Zed answered, leaving out the part that Bonzo's fear of fire was part of the reason he had to catch Addison.
"Please, we know Bucky runs a tight cheer squad, the Mighty Shrimp are the best of the best so I don't believe cheerleaders could be scared by spirit sticks." Missy said.
"It is true Mom, I would have gotten seriously hurt if Zed hadn't caught me." Addison said.
"How was he at the pep rally in the first place, Zombies in the school are supposed to stay in the basement." Dale asked, "Were you sneaking around like wherever you were last night?"
"No Dad, I invited him and the other Zombies to the pep rally because they are a part of our school and deserved to be there just like everyone else." Addison answered, "Last night he brought me to a Zombie Mash because we can't be together during school or else Bucky will see us."
"That's why you were in Zombietown? Addison that place is unsafe for people." Dale said.
"How did this even happen, I don't understand, Addison do you even know how many things can go wrong?" Missy asked.
"We met on the first day of school, Mrs. Wells, I wanted to try out for the football team, so I left the basement, then someone saw me, panicked and pulled the Z-Alarm, so then I panicked and entered the first door I saw." Zed explained.
Addison picked up the story, "Then I entered the Zombie Safe Room, and saw Zed running to hide in the shadows in the back." We talked about joining our teams and introduced each other, then the lights turned on and I saw he was a Zombie and reflexively punched Zed in the face. Then I apologized, then Bucky came and dragged me away."
"Good for Bucky sounds like he had the right idea, maybe you two should step away from each other." Dale warned.
Zed almost pulled away, but Addison grabbed his hand. "No, we are together and staying together." Addison said. They both squeezed the other's hand in silent support.
"Almost everything Bucky does when it comes to Zombies is wrong." Addison said, "after tryouts, he took Bree and I to Zombietown to egg their houses, then Zed saw me, and I couldn't bear the look on his face and just went home. Then the next day, I invited him and the other Zombies to the pep rally. It was Bucky who decided to use the spirit sticks to scare the Zombies, and then Zed caught me. Later I tried to talk to him in the cafeteria but the Aceys interrupted, and Bucky had told them there was something different about me and I shouldn't talk to Zombies, so I left the cafeteria."
"I can't believe that Bucky would do any of that intentionally, and Addison, of course, there is nothing different about you." Missy said giving her a pointed look.
"He knows Mom, I told him about my hair." Addison said.
"I think she's perfect and even more beautiful because of it," Zed said honestly, smiling at Addison. "I followed her out of the cafeteria to give her back the flower Bonzo made her and we both wished we could be ourselves out in the open. We hid in the saferoom again and promised each other we could walk in the broad daylight someday. We agreed that for now we just won't let Bucky see us. So that's how we started dating." Zed still had a smile from all the memories running in his head, Addison had an identical smile right next to him.
"You showed him your hair, Addison you need to keep it hidden, if word gets out everyone will judge you for being different. How can you trust a Zombie?" Missy asked, shocked.
"No, she won't, I would never share a secret if she didn't want me to, and her differences make her even more beautiful." Zed defended her.
"He hasn't seen it, I just told him about it, because I understand how hard it is to fit in in this town." Addison said, "He has to do the same thing every day I do, he has to work to fit in just because of who he is."
So, have you two done anything else together, besides meeting in the saferoom, and this Zombie Mash. Dale asked, glaring at Zed while typing on his phone.
Addison answered, "No, we've had to keep ourselves hidden from Bucky, After the first game where I cheered for Zed, he got mad at me and said I had to choose between cheerleading and Zombies or I would be off the squad, so we've had to keep ourselves secret. The only date we've gone on is the Zombie Mash and it was fun, much more fun than anything at Seabrook. In fact, I even met his sister Zoey, and she is literally the cutest thing ever." Addison thought it would be best to leave out her hugging Zed at the game and their almost kiss, her parents were angry enough as it is.
"Anything else?" Dale asked again.
"No, seriously we haven't done anything except talk to each other when we can or leaving notes for each other." Zed repeated. "I don't want to mess things up for Addison."
"Then what is this?" Dale asked showing something on his phone to Missy, who gasped in shock before showing the couple. It was a picture of Zed and Addison hugging after the first football game. "I asked Bucky if he knew anything about you and he sent me this."
Addison blushed a bit, and Zed would have if he could. "So, I hugged him after he won the game even after the team let him get tackled a hundred times the first half. He's my boyfriend I think I'm allowed to do that even if I couldn't after Bucky threatened me. That's literally the last time I was able to be seen with him in public."
"I think Bucky is right, hugging a Zombie, that's disgusting, and Addison people will judge you for it, in fact you should be off the squad if this is going to continue." Missy said, "Now come back inside so we can finish this conversation."
"You are wrong, disgusting is the last thing Zed could ever be, but fine let's go inside." Addison said, pulling Zed up the steps with her.
"A zombie is not coming into my house." Missy said.
"Well, I am not going anywhere without Zed, if he can't come in, I won't go in." Addison said with equal determination in her voice.
"Addison you give this up right now or no more cheerleading." Missy threatened.
"Fine if you can't accept Zed, then I guess I'm not a cheerleader anymore. I don't want to cheer for this stupid town and stupid school anyway. The only one I want to cheer for is Zed." declared Addison.
"Addie, you don't have to do this, I know how important cheer is to you." Zed said to her.
"You are more important to me Zed." Addison said, squeezing his hand. "Now let's go to the game, they obviously don't want you here so that means they don't want me here. Besides, you need to get to the game, and I need to turn in my uniform."
"Addison you are not leaving, we are not done yet." Dale said.
"Yes, we are, you two aren't going to change and I am done changing for others. Let's go Zed." Addison quickly turned around and walked away with her head high bringing Zed with her.
"Addison get back here". Dale hissed out, "If you aren't at the game or back home right after I'm sending the Z-Patrol."
Neither Zed nor Addison turned around. They continued their walk in silence, broken only by Zed after they passed two blocks away. "Addie, I'm sor-"
"No Zed. Saferoom." Addison answered, despite her determined look her voice was trembling.
"Saferoom." Zed agreed and they both unconsciously picked up the pace.
Once they entered the school, both started running until they got to the safe room, when they entered Addison burst into tears and grabbed onto Zed, crying into his shirt. Zed guided them to one of the beds and they sat down side by side, Zed held her just as tight and tried to comfort her.
"Addie, I'm so sorry, I knew this was a bad idea and it's all my fault. I wish I could just mess with my Z-band and turn human. Then we could be together in broad daylight and nothing would go wrong." Zed said.
"No Zed," Addison looked him in the eye. "None of this is your fault, the only thing you did wrong is be yourself. I am so sorry and ashamed of my parents, they had no right to say any of those things about you. None of them are true, they don't know anything about you."
"Maybe they're right, maybe I am a monster, who can only hurt you, I've already messed up your life enough, now you can't cheer, and your parents are mad at you. All because of me." Zed despaired.
"Zed Necrodopolus look at me." Addison said determinedly, "They are wrong, you are not a monster. Every word I said was true. I know you will never hurt me, and what I told my parents is also true, if they can't accept you then I guess I'm not a cheerleader anymore. You are a hundred times more important."
"Addie, you've spent your whole life wanting and working to be a cheerleader I can't take that away from you." Zed said looking away.
"Zed, cheer is nothing compared to you. You are the first person that I ever told about my hair, and you said it's beautiful, not freakish or weird or has to be covered up. I feel like you understand and accept the real me more than anyone, even my parents."
You're from the perfect paradise and I'm living on the darker side, Zed started singing softly.
Oh I've got a feeling if you get to know me, Addison joined in.
Right from the start you caught my eye something inside me came to life
Oh I've got a feeling if you get to know me
Someday this could be this could be ordinary
Someday could we be something extraordinary
You and me side by side under the broad daylight
If they laugh we'll say were gonna be someday
Someday someday
We're gonna be someday.
Both got lost in the song, and when they finished they looked at each other with nothing but love in their eyes. Zed slowly bent his head down and simultaneously Addison was stretching up. They met in the middle with a tender kiss, letting everything they were feeling pass into it, everything that was left unsaid. After a moment they separated and opened their eyes. Both with the looks of absolute adoration, speechless.
Addison spoke first, with a burst of courage she said what had been in her heart and mind the last few weeks. "Gar Gar Gaza."
Zed looked at her in shock, first that she had spoken in Zombie and he actually understood it, then he realized what she said and got the biggest smile on his face. "Yeah, I Gar Gar Gaza you too."
They hugged each other even tighter both calmed down from the afternoon and ready for whatever happened next. Addison checked her watch.
"Zed its almost time for you to get to the locker room, and for me to turn in my uniform." Addison said.
"If you can't cheer I shouldn't get to play." Zed said, "I'll tell Coach I'm quitting the team."
"No Zed, you've come too far to quit now, this is Homecoming and the Championship. Your team needs you to win. Besides, now that I am off the squad, that just means Bucky isn't my captain anymore and I can cheer for you as loud as I want. You'll just have to look for me in the front row of the bleachers instead of the sidelines." Addison said.
"Alright deal, but if I'm looking at you then I'll be too distracted and probably drop the ball Gorgeous." Zed teased her.
"I understand, you can be pretty distracting yourself buster. Fine just listen for my cheers then." Addison said.
"You know I will." Right before they walked out the door, Zed stopped her. "Addie, thank you for everything. Gar Gar Gaza."
"Good Luck Zed. Gar Gar Gaza." Addison repeated, before giving him a quick peck on the lips. Both thought it was over too soon though.
They walked out the door ready for the game and prepared for what happens next.