Chapter Seventeen

{Cammie}

"Hey."

I looked up from my hands that I had been wringing together ever since I had woken up in the hospital. Zach was standing in the doorway, looking uneasy and apprehensive as he watched me.

"Hi," I returned, my voice shaky.

"You're awake," he stated, not moving any closer to where I was sitting on top of the hospital bed. Instead, he remained by the door, his body stiff and awkward. He was keeping his distance, almost as if he felt like he'd be intruding if he didn't, despite me being the one who asked to see him.

I nodded, feeling the tension radiating off of him. "Yeah," I replied, just as awkward.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," I told him, nodding once again like a freaking bobble-head doll. "The doctor said there are no broken bones, no internal damage or long lasting effects. Sounds like I got lucky."

This time he didn't say anything. He simply stared at me, his face stern like he was concentrating really hard on not crying, his expression morphed into one of pain.

"I know I'm not exactly pageant material, but it's not that bad, is it?" I asked, only partially joking. I knew I had a bunch of cuts peppering my face and a white gauze wrapped around one of my arms since it apparently had been bleeding pretty badly, but I didn't think the damage was bad enough to require the degree of staring in which Zach was giving me.

He shook his head. "It's just…I did this to you. It's my fault," he said, his voice filled with anguish and self-hatred.

"I know that's what you believe, but—"

"Aubree wanted me back, but I told her we were over for good. Then she found out about us, so she went after you because she knows I care about you," he explained, anger mixing with the desolation.

"It's not your fault," I told him with conviction. The whole reason I had asked to see him was because I knew he'd be beating himself up about what happened to me. He'd blame himself, despite it being completely irrational to do so. I just wanted to tell him that the accident had nothing to do with him, but it seemed as if he was already convinced he had everything to do with it.

Borderline hysterical, he threw his hands wide and practically shouted, "But it is! Aubree cut the brakes on your car because she was jealous that you were with me when she wanted to be. You were out driving that death-mobile because I was too stubborn to tell you I love you and I basically pushed you out the door. Can't you see, Cam? It's all my fault!"

"Hey," I interrupted before he could continue on his downward spiral, keeping my voice calm and soothing. "Come here. Sit."

Without much argument, he did as I said and sat in the chair next to me. Instantly, I grabbed for his hand, tangling our fingers together and holding tight so he could grasp how serious I was.

"You didn't do this, okay? This is Aubree's fault," I told him, stressing every word.

He turned away from me, untangling his hand from mine and running it through the mess of his hair. "I'm a fuck up, Cam. I ruin everything I touch. I—"

"No." I grabbed his face and turned him back to me, forcing him to look me dead in the eyes. He wasn't crying, because Zach wasn't one to normally cry, but the vulnerability that was there was just as daunting. It was heartbreaking to see someone who's usually so strong be completely shattered by their own thoughts.

"No," I repeated, stronger this time. "You did not do this, because you are a good person. And I know that if you had any idea that this would happen, you would've done anything to protect me. Because that's who you are, Zach. You're not some fuck up. Okay?"

Although he was hesitant, he nodded his head, and I released a breath.

"I'm so sorry, Cammie," he apologized, pulling me to him.

I wrapped my arms around him while he buried his head into my shoulder, squeezing me tight as if he was afraid I'd disappeared if he let go. I told him that it was okay, whispering assurances to him as his tortured breathing subsided.

Finally, after he had completely calmed down, I asked him, "Did you say you love me?"

At first, he didn't move. So, I pulled back to look at him, because I wanted to see his expression when he answered.

Hesitantly, he nodded. "Yeah."

"Did you…did you mean it?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited for his reply.

A ghost of a laugh escaped his lips, like he couldn't believe I had asked such a question. Again he nodded, but this time with more certainty. "Every word."

I wanted to smile as my heart skipped a beat. Zachary Goode loves me.

"Why couldn't you have told me that before the accident?" I was joking, but a part of me was seriously wondering why he ended things between us, claiming he didn't want to stand in the way of me finding a guy who truly loved me and wanted to be with me, when he was that guy all along.

"I had convinced myself that you deserved better than me," he explained. "Because of our history and how I've treated you."

"But I told you I forgave you, though," I reminded him, hating that he thought so poorly of himself on my account.

"But I didn't think I deserved to be forgiven," he argued, looking ashamed again.

I gave him a small smile. "Can't you just accept my forgiveness and not worry so much about who deserves what?"

"I'm not sure it's in my nature to accept the thought that we belong together," he said, and I glared at him. He chuckled softly, then added, "But I guess I can learn to try."

I wrapped my arms around him again, giving him a quick kiss before hugging him. Although his hold on me was just as tight as before, this time I knew it was because Zach was happy to have me in his arms.

"What are we gonna do about Macey?" I asked nervously. "I mean, we're gonna have to tell her sometime."

"She already knows," he admitted, not looking too thrilled or pleased about it.

I scrunched my face up in concern. "Is she mad?"

"She's pissed."

"So, I repeat. What are we gonna do?"

"I'll handle it," he told me. "We didn't get to talk about it much before you called me back here. I have a feeling she has a lot more to say to me."

"No matter what," I started, "I want to be with you. And I know that breaks our promise to Macey, but I don't care. I've been unhappy for too long because of it, and if she's a real friend, she won't want to stand in my way any longer."

He nodded in understanding. Then, a smirk broke out across his face. "Staying away from me made you unhappy for too long, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, smiling none-the-less.

"How long are we talking exactly?" he teased.

I laughed and gave him a gentle shove towards the door. "Go talk to Macey," I said through my giggling.

And then he left, doing as I said and going to talk to his cousin about our newly established relationship.

But not before crushing my lips with his and kissing the crap out of me, bringing a huge grin to my face.

::*::*::*::

{Zach}

Macey wasn't at the hospital when I returned from Cammie's room. She was probably too pissed about my confession and didn't want to have to deal with either of us until she calmed down. Which, with Macey, could quite possibly be never.

I left the hospital in search for her, and I knocked on her front door less than twenty minutes later.

"I was beginning to think you pussied out," Macey said after answering the door. She folded her arms in front of her chest, focusing her cold glare on me.

I nervously shoved my hands in my pockets. "I should've been honest with you from the beginning."

"You make it sound like this has been going on for a while," she said, arching her eyebrow as if daring me to contradict her.

I sighed. "If you let me in, I'll explain everything."

She gave a heavy sigh of her own before opening the door wider and moving aside for me to enter. I took a seat on the couch, while Macey decided to stay on the complete opposite side of the room, all twelve feet of space between us. The entire time I talked, starting with how it all began three years ago all the way up to almost letting Cammie get away right before the accident, Macey simply sat there, unmoving and unrelenting.

"I should've told you. I'm sorry," I finished with a sigh, reading her angry facial expression as one that wasn't ready to forgive Cam or myself just yet.

She stared at me for what felt like forever before finally speaking. "You lied to me. Both of you. Not just about the last few months, but for years! That's why you guys hated each other? Because of a promise?" she argued, disgust clearly written on her face as she shook her head. "Your entire relationship was a lie to the rest of us."

"I know. That's why I'm telling you the truth now," I admitted.

"That's not good enough, Zach," she snapped. Her eyes were wild with anger, but also another unreadable emotion I wished I could understand. "You should've told me you liked her back when it first started. Instead, you went behind my back and broke your promise to me!"

"I stayed away from her for three years for you. I think I fulfilled your damn promise, Macey," I reasoned, rightfully angry that she was acting like I planned on hurting her from the beginning.

"Maybe what I did was slightly fucked up and a bit overboard," she started, and I couldn't have agreed more, "but you still made me a promise, one that you knew was important to me, and you didn't honor it. I was trying to protect her! You would've charmed your way into her pants and then left her high and dry when you were done with her. It's what you do, Zach!"

"I dated Aubree for two years," I reminded her, although I hated remembering it myself after what she did to Cammie as revenge. "I've proved that it's not all I do anymore."

"But before her, you burned Tessa. Before Tessa, it was Lana. And before Lana, it was a whole bunch of other girls that you didn't really give two shits about. I wasn't about to let you do that to one of my best friends."

"You didn't even give me a chance," I argued. "You made me promise you before I even met your friends. It could've been different with her. It is different with her. I love her, Macey!"

"Zach, we're only seventeen. We don't even know what love is!"

"I love her," I repeated, calmer and with more conviction so she knew it was the damn truth. "And I need to know you're okay with that."

"And if I'm not?" she asked, challenging me. Giving orders to Macey was pointless since she was completely stubborn and did whatever you asked her not to just to spite you, which was exactly what she was doing at that moment.

I shrugged helplessly. It didn't matter if she approved or not—Cammie and I were going to be together. It'd just be nice to have someone who was so important to both of us be on board with the idea. "Then hopefully, one day you will be."

Another long moment passed before she said anything. "She looks at you differently. I don't know how I never noticed that before. As much as I want to kick your ass, it doesn't seem like there's anything I can do to keep you two from being together." She paused, eyeing me with a hard glare. "You take care of her, you understand? You stop acting like a damn fool and you man the hell up. You treat her with respect and you spend every day for the rest of your life making up for the past three years. Maybe then you'll be worthy of her."

I nodded, not able to bring myself to argue, because I didn't necessarily disagree with her. I had a lot of making up to do before I even considered myself deserving of Cammie's love, despite her best efforts at convincing me I already was.

"Don't fuck this up, cous," Macey continued, giving her head a small shake. "She's the best thing that's ever gonna happen to you."

"I know." And I truly did. "And I won't. I promise."

She narrowed her eyes at my words, probably thinking that my promises didn't mean shit to her anymore, but then she relaxed and let out a sigh. "Then, yeah, maybe one day I'll be okay with it."

Macey's a little dramatic... but hey, they betrayed her and broke their promises! She has a right to feel a little irritated and hostile

Let me know what y'all thought of the chapter (: I'm thinking there's only one more left, and it'll be kind of like an epilogue type of deal. I don't know, we'll see lol.

A big huge thanks to everyone who's been a fan of my story from the very beginning, and another one to those who have supported me. I do it for y'all (:

Stay awesome my amazing readers (: