Thanksgiving Break

Tuesday

At 5 am, Addison's alarm began to sound. Promptly hitting the snooze button, she rolled back over and attempted to go back to sleep.

"Knock, knock! Rise and shine, honey," Missy said as she walked into Addison's bedroom.

Addison pulled the covers over her head, mumbling "Five more minutes."

"Nope. Not this morning. We've got a long drive ahead of us and we still need to stop in Zombietown to pick up Zed."

"Four more minutes?"

Missy smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, "I brought you coffee..."

Addison threw the covers off and sat up, taking the cup from her mother.

"That's what I thought. You've got twenty minutes before we need to be in the car. Can you call Zed and make sure he's up?"

"He's not," she laughed, "but I'll wake him up."

"Thank you, 19 minutes," Missy said as she walked out.

Addison took a sip of coffee and reached over to her nightstand grabbing her phone. She smiled at the picture from homecoming that was her background before she called Zed. After only two rings, he picked up.

"Good morning, gorgeous!"

"Wow, you're awake...and cheery?"

"Didn't really sleep last night. Yesterday went even better than I expected, so I'm super stoked about today. Are you guys on your way?"

"Not yet," she said with a yawn. "Mom just woke me up. We'll be leaving here in….17 minutes."

"Well, I will see you in 22 minutes then. Go finish your coffee, gorgeous. I love you."

Addison laughed. "Will do. I love you too." She set her phone back down and quickly finished her coffee.

When she made her way downstairs 10 minutes later, her mother gave her a disapproving look.

"That's what you're wearing?" Missy said as she gave her daughter a once over.

Looking down at her light denim jeans, National Cheer-Championship long sleeve shirt, and dark pink cheer jacket, she shrugged. "Yes. What's wrong with this? It's almost identical to what I wore yesterday."

Missy tisked. "Addison, please don't give me trouble about this. I promise it'll make more sense later this week, but for now...please go put on something nice?"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Fine. It's too early to argue. Does my boyfriend have to dress nicely as well, or am I the lucky one."

"If he could dress a little nicer than jeans and a sweatshirt, I'd appreciate it."

"I'll call him," Addison sighed as she jogged up the stairs to change.

Missy let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Honey, we should probably just tell her," Dale said as he leaned down and kissed his wife's cheek.

"I don't want to say anything until I know for certain. Everything should be finalized by tomorrow evening."

Upstairs, Addison was digging in her closet as she waited for Zed to pick up the phone.

"Hey, where are you?" Zed asked as he answered.

"Still at my house. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"What are you wearing?"

Zed laughed. "Well, that was an unexpected question. Are you legitimately asking or do you want a sexy answer?"

Addison smiled and shook her head. "Legit asking….Although the sexy answer does sound intriguing."

"Jeans, hooded sweatshirt, and my letterman jacket...Why?"

She let out a loud sigh as she pulled a pastel pink sweater dress off of a hanger and tossed it on her bed. "My mom is making me change into something nice. She asked if you could do the same."

"Um, how nice?"

"I don't know, she said 'something other than jeans and a sweatshirt'."

"I'll see what I can do. See you soon, gorgeous."

"I love you, Z."

"Love you too, Addie."

"Oh, one more thing...what was the sexy answer going to be?"

Zed laughed on the other end of the phone. "Just a smile."

Fifteen minutes later Missy and Addison pulled up to Zed's house and found him already waiting for them on the porch. Addison smiled when she noticed the jeans and Letterman stayed, while the hoodie had been replaced by a white dress shirt and pastel pink tie.

Zed smiled as he got into the car. "Good morning ladies, you are both looking lovely this morning."

"You look pretty lovely yourself mister," Addison smiled as she leaned over to hug him. Her mother tended to frown upon public displays of affection.

Zed laughed nervously. "Mayor Missy, I apologize for the jeans. I must have grown another inch or so since I wore my suit last."

"Oh, nothing to apologize for, sweetie. You look quite handsome. I'm sorry I had you both change. I...I'll explain later."

Zed gave Addison a questioning look. Addison just shrugged in response.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

After six hours of driving, Missy pulled off of the interstate at the Bay Ridge exit.

"Hey sleepy heads, we're almost there," she said trying to wake the two sleeping teenagers in the backseat. She looked into the rearview mirror and smiled at the sight of her daughter asleep on Zed's shoulder with his arm wrapped protectively around her. "Addison, Zed..." she called out a little louder, still not getting a response. Shaking her head and laughing to herself, she pulled over to the closest Starbucks drive-thru.

"Two venti coffee's, black, and one venti caramel frappuccino with extra whip and extra caramel."

Missy paid for their drinks and pulled over into the parking lot, waiting for the aroma to wake them up. Addison's eyes opened immediately.

"Hey there, sleepy," Missy smiled as she handed her daughter one of the hot coffee's. "I thought maybe you two could use a caffeine boost."

"Thanks, Mom," Addison said as she took a sip of the coffee. "Z...wake up," she said, shaking his shoulder softly. "Zed..." she said a little louder, still no response. Addison let out a small laugh. She leaned over and cupped her hand in front of his ear. Instead of whispering, as it would appear she was doing, she nipped his earlobe hard.

"I'm up!"

"Good," Addison laughed, "Mom got us coffee."

"Here you go, sweetie. Just the way you like it," Missy said as she handed him the overly sweet concoction.

"Thank you, Mayor Missy. Sorry for falling asleep."

"I'm used to it. Addison and her father both knock out on road trips."

"Where are we, Mom?"

"About 5 minutes from campus. We have about 30 minutes before we need to check in for the tour."

"That should work out well," Zed said glancing at the time on his phone. "I'm supposed to see Mr. Hughes before we start,"

"Well, we should head over to campus then." A few short minutes later they drove through the main entrance of campus and pulled up to the visitors parking lot. As they got out of the car, Missy took an appraising look around. "It's...cute."

"Mom…," Addison warned.

"I know, I know," Missy smiled. "I'll keep my opinions to myself."

The three walked into the administration building and checked in with the receptionist. After waiting for ten minutes, Missy walked back up to the receptionist.

"Excuse me, do you know when we should expect Mr. Hughes? We're supposed to be checking in for the tour shortly."

"I'm sorry for the delay ma'am," the receptionist said nervously as she picked up the phone. "I'll call his office again." A moment later she hung up. "Mr. Hughes apologizes for the delay and asked me to have you start the tour. He'll catch up as soon as he can."

Zed shrugged and stood up from the couch, pulling Addison up with him. "Come on, gorgeous," he said with a smile. "Let's go see UBR."

Zed and Addison walked out hand in hand with Missy right behind them. It didn't escape her notice that the receptionist gave Zed an uneasy look.

The three followed the crimson and gold signs directing them to the quad for tour registration. Soon the tour group was assembled and the tour began. Missy couldn't help but notice that Zed was the only zombie in the group, or that he was continually getting uncomfortable looks from more than a few prospective students. Zed was such a wonderful young man that she often found herself forgetting he was a zombie. It broke her heart that others would judge him before getting to know him. A lesson she herself had learned the hard way a few years ago. She smiled as she saw her daughter grab his hand and lean into his side.

Thirty minutes later, the tour had taken a brief break for refreshments in the assembly hall.

"I'm way too hungry for this," Zed mumbled as he bit the head off of a shark-shaped cookie, not noticing the girl standing near them jump and quickly walk away. Addison laughed and kissed his cheek.

"I promise we will feed you before we head back home." The two of them looked up when someone called Zed's name from across the room.

"I'm so glad you made it to UBR today!" Mr. Hughes smiled as he reached them. "I'm sorry I got held up this morning. How are you liking the tour so far?"

"So far it's been great, it's really nice up here," Zed said as he shook Mr. Hughes outstretched hand.

"And Miss Donnelly, it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Mr. Hughes," Addison smiled.

"So, what do you say we blow off the rest of the tour and I show you around the athletic complex?"

"Um, sure," Zed shrugged. Addison motioned for her mother to join them.

"Mr. Hughes, this is my mother," Addison said as she walked up.

"Mrs. Donnelly," Mr. Hughes politely said. "I was just about to steal Zed away to show him the athletic complex, please enjoy the rest of the tour with your daughter."

"Oh, I thought we were all going?" Zed said looking more than a little confused.

"We'll just be a few minutes, and I'm sure these lovely ladies would like to see the rest of campus while we're off discussing sports."

Zed looked at Addison and Missy, unsure of what to do.

"Zed, go. We'll be fine. Just shoot me a text when you're finished and I'll let you know where to meet us." Addison said giving him a hug.

"Are you sure?"

Addison nodded with a small smile.

Feeling slightly uneasy for some reason, Missy put her hand on Zed's shoulder. "Zed, sweetie, if you need anything, call. Okay, dear?"

"Okay, well...I guess I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," he said before leaving with Mr. Hughes.

"Well that was odd," Missy said looking over to Addison.

"Yeah...Oh well, might as well pay attention to the rest of the tour so I can fill Zed in," she shrugged.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"So, Zed. How did your tour of Shoreline University go? Did they finally give you a formal offer?"

"The tour went really well, Mr. Hughes," Zed smiled. "And they actually gave Addison and I both formal offers."

"Already?" Mr. Hughes said, clearly shocked. "That's interesting. Cheer offers usually aren't offered this early in the school year."

"Yeah, Addie was more than a little caught off guard when Coach Mills talked to her about it."

"Mills met with her?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Winters introduced us to Coach Roberts and Coach Mills."

"Coach Roberts met with you?" Mr. Hughes cursed quietly under his breath, clearly not taking Zed's excellent hearing into consideration.

Zed stopped walking. "Did I say something wrong, Mr. Hughes?"

Taking a moment to collect himself, Mr. Hughes smiled at Zed. "Nothing at all, Zed. I'm just surprised that both coaches were available to meet with the two of you."

"Oh, ok," Zed shrugged as they continued their walk to the athletic complex.

"So, Zed, have you given any more thought to our conversation a few weeks ago?" Mr. Hughes asked holding the door open for him.

"I have been thinking about it, a lot actually. That's one of the reasons I was so excited about coming up here today."

"That's wonderful! Come on, I want to show you around. This is our Athletic Complex. Over here is our football training field," he said as they walked towards a large indoor field.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Zed said looking around. A large team photo hanging on the wall caught his eye. As he looked at the photo he noticed something, or rather the lack of something. "Um...Mr. Hughes, how many zombies do you currently have on the team?"

Mr. Hughes let out a small nervous laugh. "Well, currently none. We're working to integrate the team."

"How many zombies are you recruiting?"

"Well, you."

"Me?! As in just me?"

"Yes, We've seen the improvements you've made at Seabrook with the football team, basketball team, and baseball team. We feel that you would provide us with the missing piece in our athletic programs."

"I'm sorry. Programs? As in more than one?"

"Well, yes. I don't think our student population or alumni for that matter is ready for full integration just yet," Mr. Hughes said with a slight laugh. "But you have made quite the name for yourself the last few years, Zed."

"Mr. Hughes, after my first season playing football, all sports were integrated. I wasn't the only zombie playing."

"I'm going to be honest with you, Zed. We are trying to integrate, but we're getting a lot of pushback from our alumni. We are hoping that you can do here what you did at Seabrook. I know that's a lot to ask of any one person. But I truly do feel you are the zombie for the job."

"I appreciate the insane amount of faith you seem to have in me," Zed said as he ran his hands through his hair, "but I can't guarantee the same results here that happened in Seabrook. There were a lot of things that had to happen to get us to where we are today."

"I understand that. And I can't promise you that it'll be easy."

"Well, I appreciate you being honest with me Mr. Hughes."

"I'm sure I've given you a lot to process, and I know you're going to need some time to think about it. But please know, you will have the entire administration's support," Mr. Hughes said as he placed a reassuring hand on Zed's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Hughes."

"Come on, let's get you back to the tour."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

As the tour began to wrap up, the group made it's way back to the quad. Addison had just pulled her phone out to text Zed when she heard a familiar, high pitched laugh. Her head snapped up and her fists clenched as her eyes locked on Lacey.

"Addison, honey, what on earth is wrong? You're shaking," Missy asked, suddenly panicked at her daughter's instant change in mood.

"Lacey," she said through clenched teeth.

"I don't know what happened between the two of you, but whatever it is, needs to stop," Missy said under her breath, "her father is on the City Council."

"Mom, she makes passes at Zed every time she's in the same general area as him. And let's not forget what she did to Bucky!"

"What are you talking about? Bucky broke up with her."

"Yes Mom, AFTER she cheated on him at the homecoming dance last year."

"What?!" Missy exclaimed. "But Kitty said that Bucky broke up with Lacey after Eliza made a pass at him."

Addison rolled her eyes. "No. Not at all. I don't know what she's got against Eliza, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Bucky and Lacey broke up in October, he didn't ask Eliza out until May."

"Your Aunt Kitty always was a bit dramatic," Missy sighed.

"Mom, Bucky really loves her. She's even the reason he stopped moping around and got back on the squad at SLU. They're really good for each other."

"Mayor Missy? Addison? What are you two doing here?" Lacey said as she walked up to them.

"Lacey," Addison said as politely as she could muster.

"We're here touring the school," Missy said with a terse smile.

"Well, UBR is a great school. I really love it here."

"It's been a very nice tour...Oh," Missy pulled her vibrating phone from her pocket, "please excuse me. I need to take this." she apologized before she quickly walked off with her phone to her ear. The two girls stood there awkwardly for a moment before Lacey broke the silence.

"Addison, I know you have every reason to hate me after everything I've put you and Zed through..."

"Do not say his name," Addison sneered.

Lacey held her hands in front of her. "Fair enough. Look, I just want to apologize to both of you. I never really wanted him. For me, it was the thrill of the chase. He's the only boy that ever told me no. And not just no," she said with a humorless laugh. "Those no's were always accompanied by how much he loves you. You're a really lucky girl. Don't ever let him go."

"I know how lucky I am," Addison said, still struggling to control her anger.

"I also need to apologize for Kelly. I never thought that my venting to her about being rejected would lead to her developing an obsession. I had no idea until Halloween night at The Dock. We both went too far that night. I'm really sorry."

Addison took a deep breath. "Thank you, but I am not ready to forgive either of you. I'm sorry."

"I deserve that," she said, her eyes falling to the ground.

"Can I ask you a question, Lacey?"

"Sure."

"Why did you cheat on Bucky?"

Lacey sighed, "I knew it was over. I saw the way he always looked at Eliza. It was only a matter of time before he broke up with me for her. So, I tried to find someone else, and I just haven't yet," she said sadly. "I should get going. I really am sorry, Addison. I'll see you around."

"Bye, Lacey," she said with a small wave as Lacey walked away. Addison took a deep cleansing breath and scanned the crowd, looking for Zed and her mother.

"There's my favorite cheerleader," a familiar voice whispered as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. "I missed you, gorgeous."

"My favorite zombie," she smiled. "I missed you too, handsome."

"How was the rest of the tour?"

"Interesting," Addison said shaking her head slightly. "How was your meeting with Mr. Hughes?"

"Interesting."

"Oh, Zed, sweetie. I'm glad you're back," Missy said as she walked up to the two teens. "If we're all done with the tour, I really need to get down to Shoreline. I have a meeting over at the capitol."

"Is everything okay Mom?"

"Hopefully," Missy said with excitement clear in her voice. "Do you kids think you'll be okay around town for a few hours? I can always call your father and have him meet up with us and bring you two home."

"I think we'll be okay, Mom," Addison smiled.

"Hey, Bucky is planning on driving home from SLU this evening. We can always grab a ride with him."

"That's a great idea, Zed," Missy said as they began to walk back towards the car. "Addison, honey, text your cousin. I can drop you both off at the campus on my way to the capitol building."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Two hours later, the car was quickly approaching the Shoreline exit on the interstate. Despite Zed being asleep, the noises coming from his stomach had been a constant source of entertainment.

"Mom, can you drop us off somewhere near campus that has food?" Addison asked as she tried to catch her breath in between giggles.

"Absolutely, honey," Missy giggled. "I don't know how Zevon affords to keep that boy fed. What do you think he'll want?"

"I honestly don't think it'll matter."

"Well, I'm pretty sure there's a Panera right off campus."

"That sounds perfect mom. Thank you."

"You might want to start waking him up, we'll be there in less than five minutes."

After several soft nudges with no luck, Addison bit him once again.

Zed's eyes popped open, instantly finding hers and smiling. He leaned over and whispered, "You know what those teeth do to me, gorgeous," before placing a soft kiss behind her ear.

"All right you two," Missy said pulling into the parking lot. "If you need anything, please text me. I can't promise I can call back immediately, but I will if it's an emergency."

"Mom, we'll be fine. I promise. Bucky gets out of cheer practice in a couple hours and then we'll be heading back down to Seabrook."

"Okay, honey. You two be good."

"We will, Mayor Missy."

"See you at home, Mom. Bye!" Addison said as she and Zed got out of the car.

Zed sniffed the air,"Mmmmm. Paneraaaaaaaa."

"Come on Zombie. Let's get you fed." she laughed as they walked hand in hand into the restaurant.

The two sat side by side in a booth, enjoying each others company and stealing sweet kisses while eating their food. Zed filled her in on his talk with Mr. Hughes, and Addison told him about Lacey's apology. When they were finished their meal, they still had an hour before Bucky would be finished.

"Want to go for a walk around campus while we wait?" Addison suggested as she stole another kiss.

"That sounds like a great idea," Zed smiled as he helped her out of the booth.

The two walked the short distance to campus, enjoying the quiet early evening. They walked hand in hand following the path along the coast and through the center of the university. As the sun began to set, Addison let out a shiver. Zed shrugged out of his letterman and draped it around her, pulling her in closer to him. When they reached the administration building, Zed stopped.

"This feels right," he smiled as he hugged her tightly. "I could see us doing this every day. We feel right here."

"Really?! You feel that way too?" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck and reached up to kiss him.

"I do. I really do," he laughed kissing her. "Besides, blue and silver match your eyes," he said throwing her a wink.

"Such the smooth talker."

"Always," he smiled. "But seriously, Addie. I feel like we're meant to be here."

"So do I," she said kissing him again.

"Come on, gorgeous," Zed said taking her hand once more and walking into the administration building.

"Mr. Necrodopolus, Ms. Donnelly, what a surprise to see you here," Sue said as they approached the receptionist desk.

"Good evening, Sue. Is Mr. Winters still in by chance?" Zed asked, turning on the charm once more.

"As a matter of fact he is," she smiled.

"Right, four, left, three, right?"

"That's it!"

Zed and Addison made their way to the elevators on the right, up to the fourth floor, took a left, and knocked on the third door on the right.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you so much for your continued support of this story! Your reviews and DM's are what's kept me writing! I hope you all enjoyed their 2nd college tour. Anyone have any guesses as to what's going on with Missy? Let me know!