Maybe she should have taken Bucky up on his offer to drive her home. Addison's legs were screaming at her as she walked home from the arena.
But she sighed blissfully, thinking about the time she just got to spend on the ice with Zed. She didn't even care that she was sore and tired. The skate she had with him was incredible. It felt like they were even closer now than before!
Maybe he really did like her more than a friend...
Her train of thought was derailed when her phone buzzed to life in her pocket. She quickly dug it out and smiled when she saw her best friend's name flashing across her screen. She swiped the answer bar and put the phone to her ear.
"Hey Bree!" She greeted cheerfully.
"Addy!" Bree shrieked, forcing the blonde to pull the phone away before her eardrum could explode. "I just heard from the Acey's that you had a practice session with Bucky this morning and he didn't even offer to bring me along to see my best friend!"
"It's ok, Bree. We wouldn't have had much time to catch up anyways. You know how strict Bucky is with practices!" Addison laughed.
"I know, but I miss you so much!" She whined, making Addison laugh even harder.
"Hey! Why don't you come to the hockey game next weekend! It's the playoffs and I'll be performing in the second intermission!" She offered excitedly.
"Oh my gosh! That sounds so fun!" Bree squealed. "I'll get the whole squad to come! It'll be like competitions with all of us cheering you on from the stands!" Addison's smile widened.
All her friends would be in one place! Her old and new ones! Maybe she could even introduce them all and she could see them more often. Her excitement grew with each passing second.
"That would be amazing Bree! I can't wait to see you guys!" She matched her bestie's enthusiasm.
"I know right?! Ok, you text me the address and we'll see you next weekend!"
"On it! Talk to you soon!" Addison agreed.
"Bye Addy!" Bree chimed before they both hung up.
Even though her legs were killing her, there was a pep in her step the rest of her walk home. Everything was finally coming together.
XxX Meanwhile XxX
Zed let out a loud grunt as the air got knocked out of him from getting slammed into the barrier, again.
Having played this game for so long, it didn't take long for him to recover his breath, but long enough that his half of the team lost possession of the puck. He was definitely used to the tough and rowdy nature of the sport but it seemed like one specific member of his own team was being extra rough this practice.
Zed angrily shoved Ziryan. "What the hell is your problem Dude?!" He yelled with a glare.
"Problem? I'm just playing the game!" Ziryan laughed, shoving him back just as roughly. "I think you're going soft on us Necro!"
As soon as the nickname left his mouth, Zed had him grabbed by the collar of his padding and spun to slam against the wall instead. "Watch it Ziryan or I'll show you soft." Zed growled. But Ziryan laughed with a sinister smirk, instigating him further.
"I think you'd like that too much! Is Blondie not getting you off anymore?" He cooed in a baby voice.
Zed was seeing red. What was his problem with Addison?! He slammed his back into the barrier even harder but his teammates were pulling them apart before he could throw any of the punches he wanted to.
The blare of Coach's whistle drew their attention as he skidded to a halt between them. "Enough! What has gotten into you two?!"
Zed shook off the two players holding him back and glared at Ziryan one more time before answering Coach. "It's nothing. Just irritated." He seethed.
"Well save that aggression for the playoffs! My team plays together, not against each other! If anyone has a problem with that, there's the door!" He shouted, shutting down any room for argument.
When he looked around at the silenced young men, he sighed. "That's what I thought. That's enough for today. Everyone hit the showers and go home. I want all of you calmed down and rested for practice Monday. Am I clear?"
"Yes Sir!" The whole team agreed.
"Good. You're dismissed." He said, messaging the bridge of his nose.
Zed followed more leisurely behind his teammates. Honestly wanting to avoid Ziryan for fear of what he might do to the jerk if he said one more thing out of line.
"Zed!" Coach called to stop him. He mentally groaned as he turned to face the older man.
"Yeah Coach?"
"You doin' ok kid? I've never seen you act out like this." He asked, his brow showing his concern. "At least outside of a game." He corrected himself.
"I'm fine. Really. Just having some…disagreements...with Ziyran lately." Zed half admitted. He wasn't looking to rat the guy out for his hostility. He could handle him anyways.
But Zed was also a terrible liar and Coach's face showed he saw right past it.
"Don't let him get in your head. He might be a little envious of your ability on the ice, but you two are great as a team. You just have to look past his attitude." Coach offered as encouragement, slapping a hand heavily on the green haired teen's shoulder pad.
"I've got this Coach." Zed smiled and nodded.
"I know you do Kid. Now go shower up." He gave Zed a light shove to send him off. "I expect you at full force Monday!" He called.
Zed spun around to skate backwards towards the exit. "I'm all fired up!" He called back, swiveling dramatically on his skates and making Coach chuckle.
XxX
Addison ruffled her snowy white hair as the blow dryer did it's job. The soft strands were well conditioned but choppy at the ends. It wasn't like she could go get it cut professionally anyways.
No one could know her hair was this freakish.
Not that it really mattered. No one would ever see it because her wig was a perfect coverup. And she was an expert at making sure it stayed in place.
Once she was satisfied that her natural hair was dry, she shut off the blow dryer and put it away. Then, with practiced ease, slid her wig into place, tucking every last stray strand of white under the blonde cap. And finishing the job with countless bobby-pins, ensuring that it would stay put. Zero chance of a slip up.
She looked at her handy work in the mirror. She should be proud of the perfect disguise she was able to achieve. But a part of her deep down inside whispered that it was wrong.
A soft sigh left her lips as she pushed away from the vanity, grabbing her phone and plopping down on her bed instead. It had become a habit, pulling up Zed's last message as soon as she unlocked her phone. Just to be sure she hadn't missed something from him.
There was never anything she hadn't already seen or responded to, but it usually resulted in her sending him a text anyways. Which was the same case today. She sent him a quick message and scrolled social media while she waited for his ping of response.
How was practice?
Ugh terrible
I'm so sore :(
Oh no was your coach
that tough on you?
Nah just me and another
player getting into it
A fight?!
Haha not exactly!
Nothing to worry about Addy
I'll survive ;)
I know you will…
but is there anything
I can do to help?
I'm just gonna try
relaxing for a while
I'll text you later
Addison's brows knitted in concern. She couldn't remember a time Zed complained about being sore after a practice in the entire time she'd known him. Whoever he was having to deal with must have been really rough on him.
But could he be down playing it so she won't worry? Was he actually hurt? Or could she just be overreacting? A very good possibility.
She wasn't completely blind. She knew she liked him. Eliza made it clear that it wasn't much of a secret either. And she swore Zed liked her too. But could she be reading him wrong?
Addison couldn't help but smile as she remembered how they skated together earlier that morning. Maybe their friend wasn't reading things so wrong after all.
But she could dwell on that later. Right now, it seemed like Zed needed a pick-me-up! Springing to her feet, Addison went around the house grabbing a variety of 'supplies' for a care package.
Tylenol, heating pad, ice packs, snacks, a fuzzy blanket, her favorite sci-fi rom-com she watched on her down days, the works!
After collecting everything, which she had spread across the kitchen counter, she grabbed one of the spare laundry baskets and loaded it up. "Mom! I'm taking some stuff over to Zed's!" She called to the other end of the house.
"Ok Sweetie! Call me if you need a ride home!" Missy replied, sounding half occupied in whatever work email she was replying to.
"'Kay! Bye Mom!" She tucked the basket under her arm and headed out the door to make the short trek to Zed's house.
XxX
Addison checked her phone's directions again, for about the millionth time, to make sure she turned on the right street. She tried ignoring all the odd looks she was getting from passersby but she also knew how weird she had to look, as she awkwardly adjusted the basket under her arm.
A prissy blonde girl looking half lost wandering around the town she barely knew full of 'zombies'. Which she was actually used to at this point. Most students at school rocked the green locks. She wondered briefly if she would have wanted to dye her hair green too if anything would stick to the freakish white she was cursed with. But somehow she doubted she'd go with green.
All she really wanted was to be able to feel normal, not necessarily 'blend in'. She'd been doing that her entire life! If only people could accept her natural hair for what it was.
The ping of her phone jerked her out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the screen to see that she'd arrived at her destination. When she looked up to find the house numbers, she caught only the blur of green pigtails before the front door slammed shut. She remembered Zed mentioning his little sister so she presumed that must have been her.
She took a deep breath, just now realizing she'd be meeting his family in the process of dropping off the care package. Then pointedly marched up the porch steps and knocked on the door before she could chicken out.
The seconds dragged on, feeling like she was standing there awkwardly for an eternity. Maybe Zed's little sister was home alone and won't answer the door? No, that couldn't be right. Zed said he was just going to be relaxing. Which meant he'd be at home, right?
Addison was just hoping and praying Zed would be the one to answer the door, not his parents. Sure, she could manage to talk to them, albeit awkwardly, but she would definitely be more comfortable giving the care package directly to him.
She could vaguely hear some grumbling through the door before it swung open. Being greeted by Zed's surprised expression made her sigh in relief and smile all at once.
"Addison! What're you doing here?" He asked with an awkward smile.
"I wanted to bring you a care package!" She said, gesturing to the basket under her arm. "You said you're not feeling too hot so I thought this might help." She explained further.
"Ouch," Zed joked, hand over his heart in mock offense. Addison laughed and punched his arm playfully. "Thanks, Addy. That's very sweet of you." He added sincerely, making the blonde blush.
"It's nothing." She replied, shyly pushing her hair behind her ear. Even though he didn't agree, Zed also didn't argue over it, instead, stepping aside.
"Do you wanna come in?" He offered, hopeful. Addison smiled before shrugging nonchalantly.
"I guess I could stay for a few." She teased. Zed laughed as he shut the door behind her.
Zed groaned, stretching his neck muscles as he led her into the living room. Addison's brows scrunched with concern.
"You really got roughed up at practice today, huh." She said, noting how stiffly he walked to the couch.
"Eh, like I said, I'll live." He assured before plopping down heavily onto the worn sofa.
"Yeah yeah, I know. But for the rest of the evening, you're not allowed off this spot unless it's for food or bathroom breaks!" She ordered, grabbing the blanket and heating pad to make him more comfortable. As soon as it started to heat up against his aching back, Zed sighed happily.
"Yes ma'am." He agreed, melting into the cushions.
Addison dug further into the basket for the Tylenol but stopped when she noticed green pigtails peeking around the corner from the hallway.
"Oh hello!" She greeted the younger girl. "I don't think we've met!"
Zed sat up to turn and look, smiling at his shy little sister. "Zoe! It's ok! Come meet Addison! She's great!" He encouraged. Addison immediately got up and shoved him back against the pillow, fixing him with a pointed glare.
"I said relax Mister!" She warned.
A quiet giggle stopped Addison from continuing to barrage the little girl's brother, smiling when she stepped out from around the corner.
"Zed doesn't listen if me or Daddy tell him to relax." Zoey chimed but Addison puffed her chest.
"He'll listen when I tell him or else he'll be hurting worse from a dreaded low kick." She said, turning to raise a brow at the boy in question. Zed gulped, sinking into his pillow as response.
Zoey laughed even louder and made her way further into the living room as Addison returned to digging in the care package. She curiously peeked over the teen's shoulder, spotting the snacks and movie poking out from the assortment of supplies Addison had brought.
"Oo! 'Warm Bodies'! Can I watch with you guys too?" Zoey asked excitedly. "The way the zombie boy turns more human again because of their love is sooooo romantic." She added with a swoon.
Addison's eyes snapped up to connect with Zed's. She hadn't really thought that through. It was a zombie romance! Why did she have to pick that one?! What if he thought she was trying to tell him something! When, in reality, she was just trying to give him a relaxing feel-good movie experience!
She decided she was just going to crawl into a hole and die.
"Uh, I don't know Zoe. Can't you like, let us spend a little time together? I mean, she did take the time to bring all this over for me, not to entertain my nosy little sister." Zed teased, spying Addison's reaction from the corner of his eye.
It was honestly the perfect scenario. They pop in the movie, maybe he can slip his arm around her shoulder, enjoy a little cuddle time, and he could just possibly grow a pair and tell her how he felt. If only he could convince Zoey to scram without giving himself away.
"But you're supposed to be watching me till Daddy gets home." Zoey pouts in protest, crossing her arms dramatically over her chest to seal the deal. Zed shot her a glare but Addison was quick to interject before the siblings could squabble.
"How about we skip the movie for now and…play a game instead!" She suggested.
The way Zoey's eyes lit up with excitement told her all the young girl wanted was to be included. Not that she blamed her. She could remember a time when she would bug Bucky until he'd let her skate with him and his older friend.
"That's a great idea." Zed agreed, giving the blonde a soft smile. She was good with kids too? Could she be any more perfect? "I think we have some board games in the closet." He said, wincing when he started to get up. Once again, Addison was right there to stop him.
"I can get them. Zoey will show me, so you can stay on that heating pad." She told him with her own smile of reassurance. He sighed as the two girls hurried off to pick out a game for them to play.
XxX
"I win!" Zoey cheered as she jumped and danced around the living room. Zed and Addison exchange smiles, knowing they had both purposefully made poor choices to ensure the youngster would be victorious.
The celebration was cut short as the front door opened. A middle aged man with thinning green hair scurried inside, head down as he got settled and addressed his children just on the other side of the couch. "Sorry I'm late, kids! Got caught up at the plant—!" He stopped himself when he finally looked up and saw their blonde guest.
Zed immediately noticed the pause and jumped in for introductions. "Oh! Dad, this is Addison. Addison, my dad." He said, motioning between the two of them. "She brought over some goodies so we decided to play a game with Zoe while she was here!"
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Necrodopolis." Addison said with a polite smile. Hearing her name seemed to ignite some recognition in his eyes.
"Addison! Right! Zed's told me a lot about you!" He chimed with a smirk towards his son.
"Dad!" He cringed, sinking deeper into the couch. Wishing he could disappear out of that entire situation. But Addison just giggled softly as she watched his mortification before turning back to his father.
"I hope only good things?" She teased, sparing a glance at the green haired teen again.
"Of course! Of course! He's crazy about you!" The older man went on as if it was common knowledge.
"Ooooh kaayyyyy! I think that's enough of that!" Zed interrupted quickly, throwing the blanket off him and onto his sister across the room, just for a distraction. Of course it worked, Zoey huffing and puffing as she started a mild argument with him.
"By the way, what are you doing laid out on the couch, Zed?" His dad asked once the sibling stopped their mini spat.
"I'm under strict 'rest-and-recovery' orders." He stated very militarily, even giving Addison a salute that made everyone laugh.
His dad shook his head. "You kids are comical." He commented in amusement, finally plopping down in the lounge chair to relax himself. "So! Will you be staying for dinner Addison? I was gonna order us some pizza!"
"Yay pizza!" Zoey exclaimed happily.
"Oh, no, thank you for the offer Mr. Necrodopolis but I was just about to head home." She politely declined, standing up from the floor and brushing off her pants.
"Please, call me Zevon! 'Mr. Necrodopolis' sounds too formal when I just offered you pizza!" He belly laughed.
"You sure Addy?" Zed asked standing as well. "It's gotten pretty dark. You shouldn't walk home alone." The concern in his hushed voice was only for her to hear and, oddly enough, brought a blush to her cheeks.
"I'll be fine! You should rest." She assured but Zed was already pulling her gently by the wrist toward the door.
"I'll be back before dinner Dad. I'm gonna walk Addy home." He said, grabbing a jacket and offering Addison hers.
"Ok Son! Be safe walking back!" Zevon called behind while he dialed Zita's Pizza Parlor to place an order.
Addison smiled up at Zed, touched by his sweet gestures. "Thank you." She said softly, earning a warm smile back from him before they headed out the door. Getting an escort back home by her own personal Prince Charming.