Hey everyone! I was listening to music the other evening and came across this song by Colbie Caillat called Fallin' For You and I thought it so fitting to these two. I wrote it as a timeline over the time where Addison and Zed fell in love and the ending a little ahead in the future as you will most likely guess anyway. If you have the chance to, go and find this song and have it play while you read. I really hope you will like this one-shot.
Enjoy!
I don't know, but I think I may be fallin' for you,
Dropping so quickly.
Maybe I should keep to myself,
Wait until I know you better.
As Addison stood there in the zombie safe room, face to face with the zombie who had introduced himself as Zed, she came to the decision that everything her mom and dad had taught her about zombies, and that they were dead-eyed freaks, was not the case at all. Finally able to see him more clearly now that the light was on again she couldn't deny that he was cute, and very much attractive as he stood there smiling a crocket smile at her and his eyes filled with joy, no Zed was not hideous at all.
Addison could have happily stayed there all day with him if Bucky hadn't found the two and dragged her away. Zed whose smile was wide only a second ago was now replaced by a look of disappointment, upon seeing that Addison felt a spark inside her chest that had her hoping Zed had enjoyed her company as much as she had enjoyed his, and had her determined to talk to him again. Whether Bucky liked it or not. For some reason after having spent maybe only 15 minutes tops with him, it had her wanting to spend as much time as she could with him, if not all her time.
For Zed, she didn't mind giving up all of her time in favour of spending it with him.
I am trying not to tell you
But I want to,
I'm scared of what you might say,
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling.
But I'm tired of holding this inside my head.
She was more than sure Zed was never going to want to speak to her again, or even look in her direction after he had discovered her and Bree hiding in zombie town, egg tray in hand, in her hand, after the dark had settled. She recognised the look of disappointment he wore upon seeing her all too well. She was never going to go through with it, she was absolutely repelled by what Bucky and his friends had asked of them, not that Zed knew that, all he saw was Addison sit there looking like someone about to cover his house in eggs. Addison, the girl who had claimed she wasn't like the others.
The mere thought of Zed never speaking to her again made her heart sink inside her chest, the thought of never getting to see that crocket smile again was just too much to handle. She was fully aware that according to any other human she should have used this to move on and forget about him, he was a zombie and she was a human, a very unlikely match that was never going to work anyway, or accepted for that matter.
Wait, match? When had she started thinking of them as a match? Did she like Zed? Like like Zed?
Shaking the thought out of her head, she could figure that out later, for now she made it a mission to give Zed an apology and if he wanted to listen, try and explain what had happened the night earlier. Whether he accepted her apology or not, at least she had tried, and at least, well she hoped anyway, he wouldn't see her as typical cheerleader. She had heard what zombies thought of cheerleaders, and seeing how her fellow cheer squad minus Bree had acted they weren't wrong. She really didn't want Zed to think of her like that. She was not like that.
"Please forgive me," Addison whispered to herself as she snuck down the stairs heading to find Zed.
Maybe, she thought, maybe she did like like Zed.
Just a little.
I've been spending all my time
Just thinking 'bout ya.
I don't know what to do,
I think I'm fallin' for you.
Screams reached Addison's ears as she was at her highest in the air, at first she couldn't tell why there was screaming to start with until she out of the corner her eye caught some guys running away, guys dressed in the familiar colours of what cheerleaders wore, guys Addison felt a sickening feeling was the ones supposed to catch her when she would land. Panic started to set as gravity kicked in and she went down, was she going to die now? Was this how things was going to end? She was mentally preparing herself for the pain that was sure to come, only to land with a soft thump in a set of arms that had slightly colder temperature than her own and was met by a pair of familiar brown eyes.
She faintly registered that the screams had turned into cheering now, but that was about all she did notice, she was too focused on was the one still holding her in his arms.
Zed had saved her.
"Hi,"
"Hi."
I've been waiting all my life and now I've found you
I don't know what to do,
I think I'm fallin' for ya
I'm fallin' for you
Addison wasn't in doubt anymore, there was no way she could deny it anymore, she liked liked Zed. Maybe, just maybe, she was even falling for him. All she wanted was him, all she thought about was him, anything that included Zed Addison craved. He had made her feel a way she had never felt before, he had filled her up with an entirely new feeling to Addison and she was getting addicted to that feeling and only Zed could provide her it. Bree thought the girl had the flu when she had told her how her palms was clammy and her heart racing, but Addison knew that was all Zed's doing. She hoped she wasn't obvious to anyone as she gazed at him from afar, she was excited for all of them that they no longer had to eat their lunch in the basement but was now allowed to come up to the cafeteria, but she was especially happy that it was another opportunity, for her, to see him.
She was yanked out of her daydream when his eyes suddenly met hers from across the room, and oh dear there was that crocket smile again that made her weak in the knees, and Zed raised his voice to shout over the chatting of the other students.
"Addison!"
She could everyones eyes zoom in on her as they waited for the girl to react,
She knew that to them, especially Bucky, she should have turned her head and ignored the zombie's shout.
She really couldn't care less.
As I'm standing here and you hold my hand
Pull me towards you and we start to dance
Addison had never felt more loss than she did right now. She had always wanted to cheer, she had spend every single summer of her life since she could first walk at cheer camp, she had worked herself hard to get to where she was now. A cheerleader. That was all she had ever wanted... or so she thought, suddenly someone, not just anyone, Zed, had walked into her life and changed all of that.
And yet she hadn't chosen him.
She wiped her eyes as she saw Zed approaching her where she was standing. He had followed her. Did he care about her? Did he maybe like her? She didn't know if she dared hope that much.
The next thing she knew they were running, his hand clasped around her smaller one and the way their hands fitted together felt like they were made to hold each other.
He had brought them back to where they first met.
They were back in the zombie safe room.
"I know it might be crazy, but did you hear the story?"
"I think I heard it vaguely."
"A girl and a zombie."
...
Screw Bucky.
All around us
I see nobody
Here in silence
It's just you and me
Having had to look like she was ignoring Zed was the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
Zed had told her that he didn't want her to give up cheering, it was what made her, her, and that they'd find a way. They had resorted to slipping notes into each other's locker when no one was around to see it, or in some cases, Bonzo Zed's fellow zombie friend would approach her when Bucky wasn't around and give her a one from Zed. The latest one she had received was after Zed had won another game. An invitation.
If her mom and dad found out about it they would have her head.
But it was from Zed, and she couldn't say no to Zed.
I'm not to tell you
But I want to,
I'm scared of what you might say.
So I'm hiding what I'm feeling,
But I'm tired of holding this inside my head.
The zombie mash was incredible. He was right when he had said that she'd love it.
The zombies really knew how to celebrate and let loose, she couldn't remember a time at any human gathering where she had ever had as much fun as she had tonight.
She had when she couldn't locate Zed wondered around the remains of the ruined fabric that the zombie's had turned into a form of night club, come across a little zombie girl, she was cheering, and she was quite good at it too. Addison recognised her as the little girl, Zoey, that she had seen run into the same house as Zed had come out from that evening Bucky had dumped her and Bree in zombie town. She was Zed's little sister.
Eliza had found them, and for the first time, Eliza and her, it felt like, had made friends.
Next up was Zed to find them, he came in and with a let out a relieved sigh when he saw Addison, his face then turned serious as he also spotted his little sister, it was way too late for her to be out Addison figured.
Once Eliza had gone to take Zoey home did Addison realise that once again Zed and her was alone. She almost felt a mixture of excitement and nerves whenever it happened. The room, zombie light garden as Zed called it, was nothing Addison had ever seen, nothing like this was to be found in Seabrook. It was incredible. Zombies was really creative.
Zed had grabbed her hand again, a spark of electricity shot up her arm when his hand touched hers and lead her around.
"Oh tell me more boy, sounds like a fantasy,"
"Oh what could go so wrong with a girl and a zombie."
I've been spending all my time,
Just thinking 'bout ya.
I don't know what to do,
I think I'm fallin' for you.
Stupid Gus. Stupid rules.
Most of all stupid, idiotic zombie curfew.
Was he going to kiss her if time hadn't struck 10:00PM? He looked like it, his hand was on her cheek, she swore it looked like he was leaning closer to her, she wondered if at that moment he could hear her heart, she thought it was about to explode with each second going by. His eyes shining with something she didn't recognise as he drew closer to her and then the voice of Gus had sounded, shouting over the music "YOU'RE OUT PAST CURFEW" and suddenly Zed was gone.
Not only had she missed out on what might have been her first kiss, she now also wasn't allowed to cheer either until her mom and dad had met Zed, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that they didn't know Zed was a zombie, and they hated zombies and their daughter had fallen for one of them.
She had defiantly fallen for him, she had fallen for a zombie, and after tonight she had a strong the feeling that Zed might just happen to return some of those feelings.
She felt even more hopeful that he did when he showed up at her door as her date for the game the next day, and saw that he had messed with his Z-Band ignoring the danger it could cause, just to impress her parents. Just to be able to take her out on a date.
She was excited, he was taking her out on a date, a real date! And yet she had a feeling of sorrow for that Zed had to hide who he was, they had to hide who they were just for the acceptance of others.
When the year had first started, getting accepted and fit in was the only thing, and making the squad, Addison had cared about and now she would give anything to never have to worry about what others thought again.
They didn't mean anything, the looks, what they thought didn't mean anything anymore, only Zed mattered to her now.
I've been waiting all my life and now I found you
I don't know what to do,
I think I'm fallin' for you.
I'm fallin' for you.
It all happened so fast, one moment Zed had just scored the last winning goal and the next everyone was screaming, everyone was running away... from Zed.
Zed's eyes had gone manic, thick dark veins was running up the sides of his arms, neck, they were everywhere as the zombie twisted as he moved, his hands reached out, grasping at the air as he fixed on the humans running around trying to get away. Her attention diverted for a split moment as she saw not only was it Zed, Eliza and Bonzo was now aiming for the humans, they weren't anywhere near her so she turned to look at Zed again, worry growing inside her, when she saw that he was gone. And so was Bucky.
Oh I just can't take it,
My heart is racing,
Emotion's spilling out.
They were taking him away. They were taking Zed away from her.
It wasn't Zed's fault, anyone who had paid attention would have seen the that Zed's Z-Band had kept flashing, going from green to red and then return to green. She knew Zed had messed with it, to win games, to fit in, so really this was everyone else's fault but Zed's.
Anger was rising inside her, and Addison was not one to get angry or at least show when she was or least she taught not to, and she snapped. Turned to the audience yelling all kinds of horrible things aimed at the trio who had done nothing to deserve that treatment, yelling at Zed, Zed who had accepted her, all of her, when she knew no one else would, not even her own parents. They had made her hide. He had called her beautiful.
She was done.
She was going to stand.
For Eliza.
For Bonzo.
For Zed.
For her.
For everyone who didn't dare to.
"Hey!"
I've been spending all my time,
Just thinking 'bout you
I don't know what to do
I think I'm fallin' for you.
She could feel the disapproving looks her parents sent her way as she sat a few rows behind them with Bree. If they loved her, like they should, they should have stood up for her the moment she yanked of her wig, they should have stood there with her and given her support as she faced the crowd that had turned to yell at her instead.
"Look! She's just like them, a freak!"
"What the hell is wrong with her hair?"
"I thought there was something strange about her!"
Instead, she had watched them walk away, heads bowed as they tried to go unnoticed and not attract more attention than their daughter already had.
She couldn't have cared less about them though, the way Zed had looked at her was all she needed.
He looked proud.
She was yanked out of her thoughts when she heard familiar voices shouting beneath her,
"She's got to be here somewhere!"
"There!"
Zed was there.
I've been waiting all my life and now I found you,
I don't know what to do.
I think I'm fallin' for you,
I'm fallin' for you.
Cheers roared up all around them as she stood there, Zed on one side, Bucky on the either. All of them together, despite the rough start, they had done it. Her and Zed, Eliza, Bonzo and Bree, they had stood up together and made them all see that despite the zombie's pale skin and bright green hair, they were really all the same. They all had showed them they all had dreams and wishes. They had shown them that everyone was equal and that they didn't have to be perfect to fit. You just had to be you.
I think I'm fallin' for you.
"Gar-garzia!"
And there it was, that crocket smile she had come to love, spreading wide across Zed's face, his eyes as shining with what she could now identify as love.
"Yeah, I gar-garzia you too!"
I can't stop thinking about it,
I want you all around me,
And now I just can't hide it.
I think I'm fallin' for you.
I'm fallin' for you.
"Hey gorgeous, what are you thinking about?" Zed grinned, appearing out of nowhere next to her, his arm draping across her shoulder as he tugged her close to him. Eliza, Bonzo, Bree and Bucky jogging up to join the two, the rivalry long gone.
"Just about you and me."
So what did you think? Liked it? Not so much? Let me know and leave a review, it would make my night! And also let me know if you like this style and would like to see more like this or if you have any ideas, let me know!
Goodnight!