Sorry for the longer wait, it's been quite a crazy few days. I am planning on finishing the story though, so stay tuned.

A big thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story and those that have only recently found out.

A favourite and/or review would mean a lot, I appreciate all feedback.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Trust

Addison hastily walked through the hallways of Seabrook High. She carried a crumpled up flyer in her hand and a seething expression on her face. Many students looked up in surprise as they watched her storm past them, but she paid them no mind.

"Zed!" She yelled once she saw the zombie in question standing next to his locker with Eliza.

Zed looked up, and his smile faltered somewhat when he saw Addison's expression.

"Zed! What is this!?" She asked as she held up the flyer in her hand.

"Ehm… A flyer?" Zed hesitantly answered.

"Y-yes, but it's about what's on it!" Addison replied, shaking the flyer.

"It's for my campaign. I have to put myself out there." Zed defended himself.

"I get that, but like this? Really?" Addison retorted. She had no problems with Zed handing out flyers or advertising for himself, but she did have a problem with the actual flyers. All of them featured a broadly smiling Zed, but with some obvious adjustments. It almost looked as though Zed had spent some time in the sun, as his normally pale skin looked more tan. Almost human like. Aside from that, his green hair, which Addison loved, had been replaced by dark locks.

"W-what's wrong with it?" Zed asked sheepishly.

"W-what's wrong with it!?" Addison seethed. "Zed! T-this doesn't look like you… Y-you look… You look…"

"Human." Zed finished her sentence, sighing deeply.

"Yes…" Addison replied in a sad tone. "Why? What happened to 'zombie pride'?"

"This is a necessary inconvenience…" Eliza said, though she sounded far from happy. "Yesterday did not go very well. There's no way Zed's getting the wolf vote."

"Oh… Well… What happened?" Addison inquired, looking a little worried.

"Things, ehm… They did not go smoothly." Zed mumbled.

"You weren't disrespectful, right? You promised me you would try your best." Addison reminded him.

"A-and I did… But things just went a little sideways…" Zed shrugged.

"And now, since we don't have the wolf vote, we need a better approach on some other fronts. This means that we need more publicity and that Zed needs to ace the debate tomorrow." Eliza explained. "And printing flyers is easier than relying on Zed to do something good for once."

"Hey!" Zed protested.

"But why like this?" Addison stated, holding up the flyer again.

"Because I need to appeal to humans, which sadly means looking less zombie like." Zed answered.

"But we love zombies." Addison retorted. "We know zombies."

"Yeah… But with the werewolves…" Zed contemplated. "People are lumping zombies and werewolves together. They now think we're monsters again. I just want to show them that I'm nothing like those furballs."

"Zed!" Addison exclaimed, nostrils flaring.

"Sorry Addie, but Eliza and I really tried. Those wolves want nothing to do with us!" Zed objected.

"They are mistrustful. We just need to take things slow…" Addison advised.

"And I will do that. But the election's coming up and I need results as soon as possible." Zed replied.

"I still don't like this." Addison sighed.

"I get that you don't." Zed acknowledged. "But it's just for now… After I win, I get to take you to prawn, we solve the werewolf problem and then everything can go back to the way it's supposed to be…"

Addison couldn't bring herself to smile, so she only nodded. "I… I'm running cheer practice today… I need to prepare…"

"Oh, good luck! I'm sure that you're gonna ace it!" Zed encouraged her.

"Thanks." Addison replied, managing to conjure up a small smile. "We are not done talking though. I'll see you after practice."

"I'll be there." Zed nodded.

Addison wanted to hug him goodbye, but half way through leaning in she changed her mind and just stepped around Zed. She did not look back, but practically felt Zed's sad eyes in the back of her head.

Really, she was just sad about how things between Zed and the werewolves had gone thus far. She had to admit that the werewolves had been far from model citizens since they came to Seabrook, but it was Zed's attitude that annoyed her the most.

For months, the two of them had worked their butts off to try and get equal rights and opportunities for zombies in their town. Zed had preached all about acceptance and equality, but this stance seemed to have disappeared when regarding the werewolves. The way he talked about them, calling them furballs or bloodthirsty, reminded Addison a little too much of zombie intolerance. The fact that Zed was apparently not aware of this, and that he was willing to 'humanize' himself in order to win the election kind of scared Addison.

There was a saying; the end justifies the means. Addison herself had never agreed with this saying, but Zed was now apparently willing to do whatever it takes, even setting aside his own morals, in order to get what he wanted. Now, what he wanted was to take her to prawn, so Addison could not get too mad at him though.

For now, she needed stay focused on cheerleading and the first ever practice she'd be running. Despite everything else that was happening, Addison was still totally pumped about getting this opportunity. If the practice would go well, then she would surely be named as cheer captain if Bucky would become school president.

That scenario would of course mean that Zed wouldn't win and that they would most likely not be able to go to prawn together, but that would just be another obstacle they would have to get past. Addison sighed. It appeared as though all she and Zed were doing at the moment was trying to get past obstacles in their relationship.

Addison shook her head, trying to get rid of all the negative thoughts as she headed towards the school gymnasium to prepare for her cheer practice.

As a steady member of the team for over a year, Addison had taken part in plenty of cheer practices herself, but she suspected that leading one would definitely feel different. She felt nervous, but excited. This was her chance to not only show Bucky, but everyone else in the team how good of a leader she could be.

Addison had always been an outsider in the cheer squad. If not for her hair, then for her thoughts and ideals. The rest of the team, with Bucky at the front end, mostly cared about winning. They were more worried about their own image than about actual problems in the school.

As an almost polar opposite of that, Addison always knew deep down that she would be able to actually help people as both a person and a cheerleader. She had already drawn up a lot of plans for the cheer squad if she would be elected as team captain. She planned on starting an outreach program, cheer-centered fundraisers and even community charity work. As captain, not only would she be able to put these plans into fruition, she would also finally be able to move past her image as the outsider or abnormal one of the squad. All of this meant that at the moment, she wanted nothing more than to become cheer captain.

Once in the gymnasium, Addison readied the squad's mats and pompoms. After that, all she could do was wait for the rest of the team to show up.

Bree and Bonzo were first, approaching Addison enthusiastically.

"Oh my god, Addie! Your first practice!" Bree squealed.

"I'm so fired up!" Addison replied, practically jumping up and down. "I'm ready for cheer practice! I feel like I'm ready for anything!"

"You'll hit it out of the park, I'm sure!" Bree encouraged her.

Bonzo also nodded enthusiastically, a broad smile on his face.

"Thanks guys." Addison beamed. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you. I want a hundred percent out of every cheerleader!"

Bree and Bonzo both nodded before moving out to grab their stuff. The rest of the squad slowly poured into the gymnasium, chatting excitedly and all happily greeting Addison. The Aceys were the last ones to enter the room, and none of them even bothered to look at Addison.

"Alright! Everyone! Can I get your attention?" Addison announced to the squad, who by now had all gathered in the center of the gymnasium.

The murmuring stopped and everyone, including the Aceys, directed their attention towards Addison.

"Right, as you all know, this is my first time leading a cheer practice. This is both for me to better understand how it feels to be cheer captain, and for you to rate my skills as captain." Addison went on. "Now, it might be my first time, and we might have only just started the new season, but I don't want us to slack off. We'll start with some normal stretching and some basic exercises before revisiting some of the essential moves from last year. Aside from that, we have new zombie members on our team, meaning that we also get to try out some new moves. Well, are there any questions?"

Bree slowly put up her hand, somewhat surprising Addison.

"Ehm, yeah? What is it, Bree?" Addison asked.

Bree didn't reply, but only timidly pointed to a spot behind Addison, who turned around to see ten or so of the group of werewolves sitting on the stands, looking amusedly in the direction of the cheerleaders. Wyatt was among the group, and appeared to be the only one who looked on in genuine interest.

"What are they doing here?" Bree whispered, standing next to Addison.

"No idea." Addison answered, though she did not feel any sort of discomfort.

"This is a place for cheerleaders!" Lacey spoke up as she joined Addison and Bree along with Stacey.

"We made reservations, they are not allowed in here." Stacey added.

"Calm down! Calm down!" Addison shushed the others. "I'll go talk to them. All of you just start with your warm-ups."

Bree nodded approvingly, but the Aceys just scoffed before rejoining the rest of the squad. Addison meanwhile walked over to the other side of the gymnasium, where the werewolves all straightened up when they saw her approach.

"Hey guys. What are you doing here?" Addison asked with a broad smile.

"Chilling." Wyatt answered. Addison noticed how he was the only one who kept up his cool and uncaring attitude.

"Well, sorry, but this practice space it for cheerleaders only." Addison told them.

"Ha! Just try and get us to leave!" The werewolf Addison recognized as Wynter snapped.

"Wynter!" Wyatt immediately interjected. "Show some respect…" He added before turning to Addison. "I apologize for my comrades…"

"No need." Addison replied. "And I don't want you to leave… I want you to stay…"

Wyatt and the other werewolves all pulled up their eyebrows in apparent surprise.

"You want us to stay?" Wyatt questioned.

"Yes." Addison smiled. "Cheer is for everyone, and I want you all to feel welcome."

"Wait… You 'want' us to cheer with you?" Wyatt inquired.

"I want you to try out." Addison nodded. "See if you can keep up…"

This specific choice of words got the werewolves' attention, and Addison couldn't help but grin as she watched them sit up.

"Keep up?" Wynter sneered. "Keep up? Us werewolves can do everything better than you!"

"I would like to see that." Addison replied with a sort of challenging undertone. "Show us what you can do…"

Addison saw how a slight grin appeared on Wyatt's face as he stood up and walked down to her.

"Are you serious?" Wyatt asked in a casual tone once he reached Addison.

"You werewolves brag a lot." Addison said, crossing her arms as she looked up at Wyatt. "Care to put your money where your mouth is?"

Wyatt looked back at the other wolves, who all sort of nudged their heads. "You're on." He then smirked.

Addison was ecstatic as she performed the routine alongside her squad. For about an hour, she and the team had introduced the werewolves to the trials of cheerleading. Addison became even happier when the werewolves actively took part in the activity and also proved themselves to be extremely capable cheerleaders.

The routine she had thought of only worked better with the more physically adapt werewolves taking part, and they happily showed off their physicality and agility to both the humans and the zombies present. There were still some small aspects they needed to finetune, but Addison could already imagine herself bringing home the cheer championship title with this team and this routine.

In the end, she was thrown up high into the hair and did a couple of flips before landing safely in Wyatt's arms. The entire team posed for a second, all breathing heavily, before bursting out in loud cheers.

"That was amazing!" Addison exclaimed as Wyatt gently lowered her to the ground. "You're all natural cheerleaders."

"Is that a complement?" Wyatt teased.

"From me it is." Addison replied. "I hope you'll consider joining for real."

"Hmm, we'll have to think about it. But I have to admit… We wolves work well together…" Wyatt told her.

"B-but I'm not a wolf…" Addison said somewhat shakily, also feeling a blush creep up on her cheeks.

"But would you want to be?" Wyatt asked.

Addison blushed even more and stammered as she couldn't formulate a real response. Before the awkwardness could grow even more, both Addison and Wyatt were alerted by someone coughing loudly behind them.

"Wynter!?" Wyatt exclaimed as he quickly turned around.

Wynter was on her knees, clutching her chest as she coughed like her lungs her bursting.

"Wynter? A-are you okay?" Addison inquired as she hastily approached the downed werewolf.

"Just breathe… Just breathe, Wynter…" Wyatt tried to calm her, rubbing her back.

More werewolves and cheerleaders gathered around as Wynter slowly regained her composure. The coughing soon stopped, and it took just over a minute for Wynter to breathe normally again.

"I'm okay… I'm okay…" She stammered, getting back up.

"A-are you sure?" Addison asked, still worried.

"I'm fine!" Wynter snapped. "It's nothing!"

"That wasn't nothing. Maybe you should see the nurse." Addison offered.

"That won't help." Wyatt replied, helping Wynter up straight. "It's a wolf thing…"

"Oh…" Addison sighed. "Is there anything I could do to help?"

Wyatt's eyes widened for a moment before he smiled warmly at her, unknowingly showing off his fangs. "There, ehm… You might…" He began, before Addison suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder that turned her around.

"Addison! Well done! I saw the practice and it went smooth to say the least!" Bucky told her with a wide grin.

"Thanks." Addison proudly replied.

"And getting werewolves on the team, genius move! With them on the squad this election is so in the bag." Bucky went on, preening happily.

Addison's smile immediately disappeared. "Bucky, this is not about politics. I didn't ask the werewolves to join us simply to get them to vote for you."

"In that case you unintentionally helped me, which I also don't mind." Bucky shrugged.

"I-I just felt like cheer could unite…" Addison stammered, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Bucky looked at her almost compassionately and patter her on the shoulder. Still, Addison wasn't sure if he was being genuine or simply condescending.

"You know, Addie? You have some learning to do, and some growing up, but I know that you will make a great cheer captain." He told her.

Addison felt her heart jump up in her chest. "You want me to be cheer captain?"

"Well…" Bucky began, swaying a little on his feet. "Let's just say that I am the deciding factor, and that you are at the top of my list…"

Addison almost felt like hugging Bucky, but refrained herself from doing so. "Oh, I can't wait! I had this idea that the squad could move beyond winning trophies and maybe start an outreach program…" Addison started rambling.

"Woah! Woah!" Bucky interrupted her. "You're not cheer captain yet. For now, cheer is what I say cheer is about, and I say cheer is about winning."

Addison felt like Bucky had slapped her in the face. "B-but… Come on, we could do so much good for people…"

"I don't care!" Bucky interrupted her again, though he kept on with his persistent smile. "Right now, all you should be doing is try to get your green-haired boyfriend to not run for president anymore. When I become president, you become cheer captain, it's as simple as that."

Addison felt gob smacked, and could only look on timidly as Bucky brushed past her and introduced himself to some of the werewolves before explaining all about his campaign.

"You okay?" Wyatt asked as he walked up to her again.

"Yeah…" Addison answered, slowly shaking her head. "It's just… It's Bucky…"

"I couldn't help but overhear a little…" Wyatt pondered. "I hear you want to do good…"

"I do!" Addison blurted out. "But I need to become cheer captain if I want to change things."

"Who said that?" Wyatt went on, getting even closer to Addison. "Who said you can't make things better by simply being who you are?"

"What do you mean?" Addison replied, blushing a little but also cracking a smile.

"I mean…" Wyatt spoke, gently grabbing her hand. "I mean that you're a leader, Addison. But of something a lot greater than cheer."

Addison blushed even more and looked away from Wyatt as a strange, warm feeling in her chest. Right when she wanted to respond, Addison spotted a flash of a very familiar green from out the corner of her eye. Looking to her side immediately, Addison saw a horrified looking Zed standing in the doorway of the gymnasium.

"Zed!" Addison immediately called out, pulling her hand out of Wyatt's.

Zed's eyes widened and he stumbled back a little before hastily running off.

"Zed!" Addison repeated somewhat exasperatedly as she turned her back on Wyatt and went running after Zed.

"Addison!" Wyatt called after her, but she ignored him and continued to chase after Zed.

Addison hurried after Zed, leaving the gymnasium and entering the school's empty halls. "Zed!" She yelled again, just as the zombie in question neared the end of the hallway.

Zed stopped dead in his tracks and turned around, looking back at Addison with a hurt expression.

"What's wrong?" Addison asked, walking closer to where he was standing.

"Really?" Zed reacted, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "You're asking me that?"

"What do you mean?" Addison asked, her tone more icy than before.

"I-I know what I saw in there…" Zed replied.

"Oh yeah?" Addison retorted, crossing her arms and quickly feeling her anger rise. "What did you see?"

-A few minutes earlier-

"Do you really think the debate can save us?" Zed asked Eliza as the two walked through Seabrook High.

"Yeah, totally…" Eliza answered. "We may not have the werewolf vote, but if your football buddies can persuade other humans to vote for you, we might still be good. Add to that the swing vote you'll get if you ace the debate, and this president thing should be in the bag."

"Glad to see someone still has hope." Zed sighed.

"Well, we did properly prepare you for the debate, which is more than I imagine Bucky ever doing." Eliza explained.

"Do you think Bucky will actually talk, or that he'll simply do some flips instead of answering questions?" Zed laughed.

"Or maybe he'll share his secret hair gel formula to win over the crowd?" Eliza added, making Zed laugh.

"What time is it?" Zed then asked.

"Ehm, almost three. Cheer practice should be over soon." Eliza answered.

"Yeah, let's head to the gymnasium. Addison still wanted to talk to me." Zed replied.

"You guys aren't as lovey-dovey as before." Eliza said, causing Zed to shoot her a dirty look. "Sorry, I just noticed." Eliza added a little defensively.

"Yeah, I know." Zed mumbled. "It's just a very busy period. When everything gets back to normal, so will we. First, I become president, then we take care of the werewolves, and then I take her to prawn. Problem solved."

"That's another thing…" Eliza went on. "If you become school president, she won't be cheer captain."

"That's another problem for another time." Zed grumpily replied.

"It seems like something you should figure out sooner." Eliza advised.

"We'll get there when we'll get there." Zed shrugged it off and sped up a little.

The two of them eventually reached the gymnasium, where Zed already saw Addison and a group of cheerleaders perform a routine.

"Look at that, seems like she's doing just fine." Eliza smirked.

"I knew she had it in her. She just needs a chance to show-" Zed began, before his voice got caught in his throat.

He had just noticed who were also in the gymnasium, taking part in the cheerleaders' routine no less. The werewolves. The werewolves were cheering…

"And look at that…" Eliza commented, seemingly just as shocked as Zed was. "She got the werewolves to join."

"I see…" Zed mumbled, just as he saw Addison being thrown into the air. "That's strange, right?" He added once he saw her land in Wyatt's arms.

"Why?" Eliza asked.

"Because just yesterday those same werewolves told us they wanted nothing to do with humans or zombies, right?" Zed replied.

"Maybe we just weren't the right humans or zombies." Eliza shrugged, also looking at the cheerleaders who had by now finished their routine.

"What?" Zed snapped.

"They may not like us, but that scruffy, super handsome, fine-smelling Wyatt seems really into Addison." Eliza answered.

This comment made Zed's blood boil. Of course he'd had his suspicions himself, ever since the werewolf in question had first approached Addison. He never admitted his these thoughts to Addison, mainly because he also refused to admit them to himself.

"Then why the hell don't you approach him if he's so handsome?" Zed barked.

"He's not my type…" Eliza shrugged.

"B-because he's a werewolf?" Zed asked.

"No." Eliza answered without elaborating.

Zed didn't press on, and simply kept looking at Addison. "T-they're just cheering…" Zed tried to calm himself. Wyatt then said something to Addison, causing her to smile broadly and even blush a little. "A-and they're laughing…"

"Don't worry." Eliza tried to calm Zed. "Who knows what they could be talking about. It wouldn't be very honest of you to spy on her."

"Yeah…" Zed mumbled, still not taking his eyes off Addison. "M-maybe she's just trying to convince the wolves to vote for me."

"Maybe…" Eliza pondered, though she did not sound confident.

"I'm not threatened…" Zed went on.

"You shouldn't be." Eliza advised. "Jealousy is not a good color on you."

"I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous!?" Zed retorted.

Eliza rolled her eyes. "Look, don't make a fuss and don't do anything stupid. I need you fresh for the debate tomorrow. I'll see you later…"

"Fine." Zed replied, still not looking away from Addison.

Eliza just rolled her eyes again before walking off, leaving a distraught Zed in the door opening to the gymnasium.

Zed started breathing more heavily as Wyatt again approached Addison and started talking to her with that casual, smooth expression of his. Zed balled his fists as he tried not to let his anger overtake him.

He trusted Addison, of course he did. He just didn't trust this slimy, sneaky and untrustworthy werewolf! He had soundly rejected Zed's offer of friendship, or approaches from any other humans or zombies as far as Zed knew. All Wyatt ever did, even when he had first entered Seabrook, was trying to get close to Addison.

Zed liked to think the best of people, but this suspicious behavior could only mean that the werewolves were hiding some sort of secret agenda. Some sort of hidden purpose to their visit.

Just when Zed wanted to approach Addison, he saw how Wyatt gently grabbed Addison's hand and told her something that made her look away and blush. Zed was stopped dead in his tracks, feeling as though his entire body had been frozen.

At that moment, Addison looked in his direction and her eyes widened in shock.

"Zed!" She yelled as she hastily pulled her hand out of Wyatt's.

Zed panicked and took a shaky step back, suddenly regaining the feeling in his body. He took another step back and then just ran out the door, unsure of how to deal with what he had just seen.

"Zed!" He heard Addison shout after him again, but he didn't stop. Just as he neared the end of the hallway, he heard her yell his name for a third time, and this time he did stop.

He looked back, and saw Addison slowly walk in his direction with an expression that was both timid and rebellious. Zed himself was completely shook, unsure if he should feel sad, angry, betrayed, jealous or all of the above.

"What's wrong?" Addison asked, frowning in apparent worry.

"R-really?" Zed shakily replied, throwing up his hands. "You're asking me that?"

"What do you mean?" Addison inquired, the worry in her eyes immediately replaced skepticism.

"I-I know what I saw in there…" Zed told her, nudging his head towards the gymnasium.

"Oh yeah?" Addison sneered, crossing her arms. "What did you see?"

-Present time-

"Y-you…" Zed answered in a shaky tone. "I saw you… And them…"

"Who? The werewolves?" Addison questioned.

"Yes, the werewolves!" Zed sneered. "Why are they here in the first place!?"

"They're here for help." Addison snapped.

"I told you before that the werewolves are not interested in help! Well, my help at least." Zed complained. "Really, they're not interested in fitting in!"

"They're into cheer…" Addison opted.

"No, they're into you!" Zed retorted.

Addison felt herself tense up. "W-what!?" She asked with a stammer and a blush.

"They're into you!" Zed repeated. "They're into you and you're into him- Them!"

Addison took a step back, looking at Zed like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen him! I've seen the two of you! Addison, you can't seriously say that you haven't noticed." Zed objected.

"Noticed what!? Wyatt being nice to me!?" Addison snapped.

"He's done more than just being nice to you!" Zed went on. "He specifically sought you out when he came here, and now he wants nothing to do with anyone else but you!"

Addison balled her fists. "Because he trusts me! Because I'm not irrationally afraid of them! Because I don't call them furballs behind their backs!"

Zed bit his lip, apparently feeling some shame. "It- It's not fair…"

"What are you talking about?" Addison asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Well… You know how hard it was for zombies!" Zed exclaimed. "Years of unjust prejudice and persecution, and now everything is just being handed to the werewolves on a silver platter!"

"Actually, they hate silver." Addison mumbled.

Zed sighed exasperatedly. "You keep asking me to befriend them, to be nice to them, to make them feel welcome and all that! You expect me to do all those things and then also expect me to keep being friendly when the werewolves blow me off! Well, sorry if I don't like hanging around people who despise me!"

"Zed!" Addison protested.

"No, Addison! I'm trying to win an election for my people! I'm trying to win an election for you! So we can go to prawn! So we can be accepted! These werewolves don't care about that and so I find it very hard to care about them!" Zed ranted.

Addison was nearly shocked speechless, but also felt that by now familiar pain of anger rise up in her chest. "No… That… That's not being accepted…" Addison told Zed, pointing at one of his campaign posters that hung on the wall. "That's being afraid to show who you really are…"

"It's temporary…" Zed complained.

"It's still a lie!" Addison retorted. "It's cowardly, and wrong… How am I supposed to respect someone who hides who he really is?"

"Says the girl who wore a wig her whole life." Zed spat, looking angrier than Addison had ever seen him.

Addison took another step back, both absolutely shocked and horrified by what she heard. Out of all the people she knew, she never thought Zed would ever talk to her like this. The pain in her chest, which she was sure previously only came from anger, now definitely felt more like betrayal.

Immediately after his outburst, Zed's expression changed from anger into one of pure regret in an instant. He moved his mouth without any words or even sounds coming out.

"Yes…" Addison eventually replied, her voice shaking and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Yes, I did wear a wig… Because I always felt like an outsider, and even though I might be cheer captain I still do!"

"Addie…" Zed mumbled, but soft enough that Addison could talk right through him.

"You know I don't have a place here!" Addison was now basically screaming. "I don't fit in with humans! I don't have a zombie crew! I don't know what I am or where I belong!"

Zed shook his head and took a step towards Addison, but she only kept her distance as she felt herself get overwhelmed by her emotions.

"I am alone… So, excuse me for respecting a group of werewolves who are proud of who they are!" Addison went on, finally bursting into tears.

"Addie…" Zed stammered, again reaching out for her.

"No!" Addison reacted, staying out of reach before purposefully avoiding Zed as she walked off. Zed didn't call after her, nor did he give chase, instead he simply stared dejectedly at the floor.

Addison let the tears roll freely down her cheeks as she walked through the school, drawing some very interested stares from some of her fellow students. Addison ignored it all as she headed to a locker room to change out of her cheer uniform before simply leaving for home.

It was like she was in some sort of daze, with everything around her seeming vague and distorted. All she could think about was her horrible confrontation with Zed. Both of them had said hurtful things, but Addison felt as though Zed had truly overstepped any sort of boundary that had existed between them.

Addison realized that this rift between them had to be mainly caused by the stress that the two of them had been under ever since she had left for cheer camp. She had left Zed to continue their struggle for zombie acceptance all on his own, and then only complicated things by promising to help the werewolves. She understood the pressure Zed had to have been under, which should have only been enhanced by the reinstated anti-monster laws, but even all that was no excuse for Zed's recent attitude.

The way he kept talking about the werewolves, like they were more of an animal problem that had to be resolved as soon as possible instead of actual people who needed and deserved their help. Addison didn't want to admit it, but she had been outright disgusted by Zed's attitude. Now things had finally come to a head, and Addison realized that she and Zed had a lot more to talk, and possibly scream, to each other about.

For now, Addison sulked home, neither of her parents even greeting her once she stepped through the door. Addison had lost her phone privileges as well as the ability to leave the house without her parents' approval, so all she could really do was aimlessly lie in her bed with only her desperate thoughts helping her pass time.

Addison had never been a person to dwell in her own misery, and so she kept on trying to think of ways to get rid of her negative mindset. She really wanted to talk to someone about this… Someone who could offer her some helpful advice…

"Addie?" The voice of her father asked as he knocked on her bedroom door.

Addison didn't respond, simply keeping her head still on her pillow.

"Addie…" Her father said once he slowly opened the door. "Your mother and I have to attend a meeting. We won't be back until late at night, so we want you to just stay in your room and not cause any trouble, understood?"

"Fine…" Addison mumbled, not even surprised anymore that neither of her parents were apparently not even concerned with her happiness anymore.

"Goodnight, sweetie." Her father simply concluded as he closed the door.

Addison waited a few more minutes for her parents' car to leave before she got out of bed and headed downstairs. She knew precisely where her parents had hid her phone, and immediately went to retrieve it. For now, the best option she could think of to talk to someone was Bree, so she texted her.

A loud sudden knock on the front door startled Addison, almost making her drop her phone. It was quite late in the evening, and Addison could not think of anyone who would come by at this time of day. She slowly approached the front door and opened it.

There was no one outside.

Addison was almost ready to panic, she'd had enough of a rough day as it was after all. She turned back around, and gasped when she noticed a set of large scratches on her front door, seemingly caused by something with large claws.

When Addison looked back outside, she saw the entire pack of werewolves gathered in front of her house, with Wyatt and Willa at the front.

"Come with us." Willa ordered, staring coldly at Addison.

"W-why?" Addison stammered, trying to keep her breathing under control.

"We need to show you something." Wyatt replied, looking at her in a calming manner.

"I-it's nighttime…" Addison said, taking a few calming breaths. "What's so important?"

"You are…" Wyatt answered, sticking out a reassuring hand.