No reviews. :( Oh well. I'm having fun writing this. It'll get more into the paranormal aspect shortly. But anyways...yaddah yaddah yaddah...I Don't Own anything...not zak, not aaron or nick, not GAC, not anything, one, or place in Savannah Georgia..the only thing i do own is Ariana. So yeah. I'm gonna update and if you're reading it..i hope you like it. :D

After the endless days of heat, the sky finally decided to open up and rain. A soft southern drizzle kept up from the crack of dawn. Ariana woke to the sounds of the pitter patter on the roof. She lay in bed, her eyes still closed, and enjoyed the sounds. She smiled as she remembered the kiss she and Zak had shared the night before. She rolled from her stomach to her back and looked at the ceiling, really not wanting to get out of the bed. Really not wanting to go to work. But she knew her fun time was over. She threw the covers back and crawled from her warm haven, making her way to the bathroom. She flipped on the lights and looked at herself in the mirror. She shook her head and started the water in the shower. As she stripped her clothes and waited for the water to warm, she turned on the radio. 'Good morning, Savannah! This is Emmagine and Mike in the morning. Today we're looking at rain up until the early afternoon, then our beloved sunshine should return and warm things up again. The time is 8:20, and this is The Great Escape, by Boys Like Girls. 98.4 in the morning...' The song began as she stepped into the shower and let the water cascade over her head. She felt herself slowly getting fully awake as she washed her face and hair, then she shaved again before rinsing off once more and turning off the water. She wrapped a towel around herself and listened to the song playing on the radio as she dried her hair and applied her make up. She switched off the radio, slipped her glasses on, and ventured downstairs and started a pot of coffee. As she waited for it to brew, she noticed the paper laying on the floor. She walked over to the front door and picked it up, perusing the headlines. She was startled as she heard a sharp knock at the door. She peeked through the hole in the door and saw Zak standing on her porch. She smiled and cracked the door.

"Hey. I didn't know you wore glasses." She smiled at him. "Well right now that's about all I'm wearing. Let me run upstairs and change. You can come in and wait if you want." She was halfway up the stairs when she heard the front door shut behind her. "There's coffee, too, Zak. Have some." She darted into her room and started looking through her closet. She settled for a nice peach colored tank top, a white button up shirt that went halfway up the tank, a pair of grey slacks, and a pair of black heels to finish it off. She was finally dressed when she descended the stairs and found him sitting at the kitchen table. "Now I'll say good morning." She smiled as she trotted over to the coffee pot and poured a cup. She added her creamer and stirred it before settling in a chair next to Zak. "So what are you doing up this early?" He took a drink from his mug and set it on the table. "I just wanted to come see you." She blushed behind her coffee cup as she took a jolting drink. She immediately felt the caffeine spread through her system. "So what are you doing today?" She took off her glasses and set them on the table. "I've got to go to work." Zak made a small 'oh' shape with his mouth. "Well, what time do you get done?" She thought for a minute, remembering her abandoned project. "It should be around two or three. I've got to finish a couple of projects and then I'll be done." She noted that he looked disappointed. He nodded his head, understanding it, though. "Okay. Well, do you care if I come by then? Actually...Nick and Aaron will be with me too. They're dying to get access to your X-Box." She laughed as he smiled. "No that's fine, Zak, really. Would you and the guys want to do a cookout? The radio says this weather's supposed to clear up pretty soon."

"Sure. That sounds awesome." She couldn't quit smiling. A few minutes passed in silence as they sipped on their coffee. "Look...Arie I..I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable last night, and I'm sorry I did. It's just I-" She looked at him, bewildered at how he could think that. "Zak, really? The last thing you did was make me feel uncomfortable. I...enjoyed myself last night." She, for some reason, couldn't call it a kiss. It had felt like something much more than that. Her heart and stomach fluttered when she remembered it. He nodded his head. "Good. I was worried you might have though I was trying to push things, and I wasn't doing that at all." She tried to hide her smile as he nervously rambled on. "Well while you're at work, we'll probably do the interview with Guss. And we might get a wild hair and go to Bonaventure." She looked at the clock on the wall, seeing it read 15 till. "Zak, I hate to kick you out of my house. Like you have no idea how much I hate to do it. But I've gotta be there at nine." She stood up and put her glasses back on before taking her mug to the sink. She saw Zak's hand reaching near hers, putting his cup in the sink with hers. She walked over to the door and waited for Zak to join her, watching as he followed. She was reaching for the door knob when she felt his hand on hers. "Hey, come here." He gently pulled her in for a hug. She relished in feeling his warmth and the smell of his cologne once more. She looked into his eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. His hand slid gently onto her cheek, keeping her where she was. She let her arm go around his neck and pulled him towards her. With as much self control as she could muster, she pulled away. "Now, Zak, don't tell me you're resorting to cheap tricks to keep me from going in to work." He smiled and shook his head. "I don't know. It might not be that beneath me." She shook her head, grabbed an umbrella, and opened the door letting them both onto the porch before she locked up. "You, sir, are a smartass." He slid his arm around her lower back as she opened the umbrella and they walked down the stairs before stopping at the bottom. "I'll take that as a compliment. Let me walk you to work." She smiled and started towards the direction of her office. "It's on the way to your hotel anyways."

They walked through Forsyth park in relative silence, just enjoying each others company. The rain patted the umbrella. "I really don't want to go in. I'd rather just stay in bed all day." He smiled at her. "Really?" She playfully smacked his arm. "You know what I mean. You've got a gutter brain." She pulled out her phone and started checking her e-mails. "Zak, what's your number?" He pulled out his phone and handed it to her as he took hers. She walked along and programmed her name and number into the phone. As she saved it, she felt hers slipping back into her side pocket. She handed his phone back to him. "Text me if you get hungry or something. I can tell you the best spots to eat." They arrived at the front door and she closed the umbrella. "I'll see you guys soon." He hesitated for a second before pulling her into a short hug. He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss upon her lips. "Try to hurry. Nick and Aaron are about to drive me crazy." She giggled. "Bye." He returned the word and started down the sidewalk. She sighed and turned towards the door, walking back in to the every day. As she typed furiously on her report, her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and saw she had a text from Zak. She opened it and saw one word on the screen. Hey. She typed back Hey yourself. Then put the phone back on the desk and continued typing. A second later, another buzz. What are you doing? Almost done? She smiled as she typed back. I wish. This is the last project I've got to get done. Then I'm out. She sent the message and put the phone back on her desk, resuming her typing once more. Buzzzz. She picked the phone up and read his next message. Well hurry up and finish. Not getting any younger. She typed her response and sent it back, not setting her phone down this time. Well I would get done soon, but some guy won't stop texting me. The screen hadn't even gone dark as the next text popped up. Who is he? Why didn't you tell me there was someone else? :( She quietly laughed. Calm down, Casanova. There isn't anyone else. But I'm really going to go. I want to finish this up and actually be there talking to you instead of texting you. :) Her phone was silent for the rest of the time as she typed her project. She put the words into an e-mail and sent it to her supervisor before printing off a copy. The rain had come to a stop and the air was muggy as she finally stepped outside.

At 2, she started walking back towards her home, but felt like someone was watching her. She stopped and looked around, but not seeing anyone suspicious, she continued on her way. She passed through the park and walked across the street to her home, seeing three bums sitting on her porch. "Well, talk about waiting for the attack." She climbed the stairs and sat down in one of the chairs. "And how long have y'all been waiting exactly?" Aaron looked at his watch. "Like 45 minutes." The streams of sweat on Aaron told her that time frame was true enough. "Well come on. I heard you want my X-Box." She unlocked the door and opened it. As she was about to step inside, Nick and Aaron stampeded by her towards the living room. She walked inside, Zak behind her closing the door. "Sorry. They've been bored too. Aaron ran out of topics to do for his vlogs so we've been shooting cool things. Like the fountain, buildings, statues." She smiled. "Well I'm tired. I hate waking up early. I'm gonna go take a nap." She was on the third step and turned around, seeing Zak resting his hand on the bannister, watching her. "Do you wanna come?" He nodded and disappeared. She didn't wait. She walked into her room and flipped on the light as she took off her shoes and switched into a tank top and shorts. She had just laid down on the bed when she heard footsteps outside her door. "I'm decent." The door opened and Zak came in, closing the door behind him. She was on her side looking at the door and smiled. "Get the light." She heard two loud thumps as he took his shoes off and crawled up onto the bed next to her. She rolled over and paid her head on his arm, near his shoulder, and felt his other arm slip around her waist. She could hear his heartbeat and feel his pulse. It was kind of crazy for her to think about, but millions of girls in the world "loved" this guy. And he was just simply that. A guy. A heart beat, a pulse, a heart, two arms, two legs, the same as every other guy in the world. The only difference was he was on tv. She listened to his breathing and was soon fast asleep.

She dreamed of a wide, open field. The grass was up to her hip as she waded through the moving oceans of green. In the middle of the field there was a ghost. Its mouth was moving, but no words came. It raised an arm and pointed with a decaying hand to behind her. She turned around and saw a dark cloud. It hovered over a small lake of water. She turned back around and saw the Ghost was gone, but Zak stood in its place. He reached out for her and pulled her in, giving her a kiss. She felt something shaking. Her eyes slowly opened and she immediately recognized the scent surrounding her. She calmed when she felt his arms still encasing her. "Arie? You awake?" She nodded her head and raised her arm. She draped it across his middle and didn't move again. "We're in trouble, Arie. Nick and Aaron found that pool you've been stashing out back." She groaned and pulled the covers over their heads. She felt his stomach bob up and down as he chuckled. She heard it reverberate in his chest, enjoying the sound. She sighed and threw the covers down. "Fine." She sat up and as she went to stand, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her back on the bed. She felt his fingers moving quickly on her side as he furiously tickled her. She screamed and laughed. "Zak! Sto-..Oh God!" She continued laughing as he tickled and found she couldn't breathe. He stopped as she was panting and was hovering over her on his arms, looking down at her. "Hey." She smiled at him and touched his cheek with her hand. "Hey."

He leaned down, intent on kissing her, but Nick yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "Zak, can we go swimming? Pleeeeeeeaaaaaassssseeee?!" A quick peck was the substitution. Arie jumped out of bed and closed the closet door behind her. She opened her dresser and pulled out her swimsuit, a pink one piece that was connected at the middle, but showed off her sides. 'Property of Team Pink' in white was on the middle. She pulled her hair up into a messy bun and tied it up with a clip. She found 3 pairs of swim trunks that she kept for occasions like this and came out of her closet. "Here guys!" She threw the trunks down the stairs. Zak came climbing back up with one pair for himself and went into the bathroom. As he walked out, he saw her in her swimsuit. "Damn. I like pink." She grinned and walked past him into the bathroom and pulled down four towels. "Come on." She slid on her flip flops and they headed down the stairs and out the back door where Nick and Aaron were already swimming. Zak picked up Nick's camera and started recording. "Savannah, Georgia. Aaron's Vlog, that he doesn't know about. We're at a friend's house today" he panned over to Arie, wrapped in a towel and waiting on Zak. "This is Ariana. And over there is Nick and Aaron." At that time, they were wrestling in the water. "Zak, come on. I wanna play chicken." Zak posted the camera and took his shirt off before jumping in. Arie leaned down close to the camera. "What no one knows, is that Nick is absolutely crap at playing chicken. And I'm gonna beat him." She took off the towel and was slipping off her flip flops when Zak picked her up. "Guys, I think she's taking too long. Don't you?" Aaron and Nick were cheering Zak to throw her into the pool. "Zak Bagans so help me, God, if you throw me in you are going to regret it!" He looked at her then jumped in, sending them both into the pool. She came up coughing and pinching her nose, attempting to get the chlorinated water out. "You...suck."

"Arie, you get on Zak's shoulders and I'll get on Aaron's. We're going to play chicken." Aaron went under and came up with Nick sitting on his shoulders. "Dude..you look light, but you are heavy as a cow!" Nick smacked his head and raised his arms in the air. "Come on!" Zak went under and Arie felt her legs go over his shoulders. As he came up, she was raised out of the pool and his hands were holding onto her legs just at her knees. "Okay, guys, official rules! No splashing, no legsweeping of the chicken holders. Get it on!" Zak walked towards Aaron and Arie reached out, pushing at Nick. He leaned back and Aaron protested. "I can't help you if you go that way, dude. Seriously." They approached each other again and Nick reached out and grabbed Arie's arms, trying to twist them and throw her off balance. She pushed his hands off and Zak backed up. Aaron came charging at Zak, bringing Nick in close. Arie reached out and grabbed his hands and pulled him. "Zak, back up. Back up!" As Zak backed up, Aaron and Nick both went face first into the water. Zak stood up straight as Arie cheered. "Hell yeah!" He ducked down and let her slip off his shoulders and back into the water. She stood to the side as Nick and Aaron playfully argued with each other about those fault the loss was. She watched Zak watching them and admired his two tattoos that were usually hidden by his shirt. On his back was a winged demon and his left shoulder on his bicep was a celtic cross. She smiled. A little good and evil. He turned and smiled at her. She jumped up and then went under the water, keeping her nose pinched as she kicked through and surfaced in the deeper end of the pool. She climbed the ladder out and got onto the diving board. "Cannon Ball!" She ran down the board and jumped as high as she could and into the pool. She felt the sting on her side as she surfaced and blindly bumped in to Zak. "Are you okay? You totally landed on your side." She walked with him to the shallow end and as her torso appeared out of the water, she saw it was blood red. "Yeah, I think I'm done for now." She climbed out of the pool, the guys following her. "I'm gonna get dressed. We need to go to the store if we're going to cook out tonight." She climbed the stairs and went to her bedroom. She threw on a long yellow t-shirt with patterns in pink on it, and slid on her white flip flops. She let her hair down and grabbed her stuff. "I'm ready. Who's going?"

They all walked into the store, getting slightly chilled as the air conditioner hit their skin. Aaron had his camera rolling for a vlog. She pushed the buggy, throwing in hamburger and hot dog buns, chips, drinks, mixers, and toppings as well as a bag of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. "S'Mores! Yes!" Nick was overly excited about the sugar content of the evening ahead. They walked into the cold food aisle and she saw Aaron zoomed in on a container of jello. He pulled back and told the camera he was on the search for something delicious. She grabbed a package of hot dogs and threw them into the buggy and watched as he turned down an aisle. She walked along and picked out the hamburger meat followed by the ribs. She started to turn down the same aisle that Aaron had gone down when she heard Zak talking. "Schtubbs. Schtubbs." He held the bottle infront of the camera for Aaron to get in close on and then Aaron made an excited "Ugh!" She shook her head as he shut it off and held it at his side. "You guys are dumb." She continued down the aisle and was looking at barbeque sauce, picking out two bottles. "We're done here. Next stop Liquor store." Zak headed to the parking lot and brought the car to the door. He sat in the cool air conditioning as Aaron, Nick, and Ariana loaded up the groceries. "Thanks for the help, Zak." Nick climbed in the back seat. "Anytime, man. Glad I could be of help."

After the liquor store stop, they headed back to her house. Zak took command over the ribs and Arie started making the patties. She had them shaped and seasoned and ready to grill. She quickly washed her hands and went to her phone. "Okay if I invite a few people over?" Zak closed the oven to let the ribs slow cook. "How many is a few?" She smiled. "Only like four. I'm not going to invite all of Savannah, I promise." He nodded as she picked up the phone and dialed her sister's number. "Hello?" She rested her elbows on the counter. "Em, hey. It's me." She heard a noise in the background and then her sister again. "Hey what's up?" She looked at the clock. It read 4:00. "Well here in a few hours I'm having a cook out. I've got enough food to feed an army. Do you want to come?" She heard her sister sigh on the other end. "Is Keith going to be there?" She felt a sense of dread with his name. "No. He and I are done." She looked over to Zak who was trying to crash Nick and Aaron's game by filming their faces while they played. "There is a new guy though. And he's good. I don't mean brainwashed-Keith-good. I mean...really good." A moment of silence passed on the phone. "I'll be there. Do you want me to call Gina and ask her too?" She looked at her list of people. "Yeah. Haven't seen my sisters in a while. Both of you come."

"Okay. Love you, bye." She heard her sister disconnect the line. She dialed Tonia's number and invited her and Matt as well. They both said they would be there. Zak came back in and pulled the ribs out of the oven and headed for the back yard. She followed him out and stood near by watching. "Are you master and commander of the grill?" He smirked at her and lit the grill. "You know it." She turned around and went back inside and started making her own version of Chatham Artillery Punch. Zak returned with the ribs and put them into the oven to keep warm. He then grabbed the burgers and headed back out. She heard the doorbell and walked to the front door. As she opened it, she saw her sisters. She smiled and ran to both of them, giving them a big hug. "Long time no see, sis. So you promise Keith is gone? Done? Over? For sure?" Gina was the blabber mouth. Never shut up and always asked questions. "Yes, Gina. I am one hundred percent positive that he is kicked to the curb and already at the dump." They stepped inside the house and shut the door. Another knock came just as she was walking away. "Go out back and I'll be there in a sec." She turned around and opened the door to reveal an unfamiliar guy standing there. "Can I help you?" He looked confused, but like he was trying to work something out in his head. "I'm Billy. My friend Aaron called me and invited me to a cook out. Is this the right address?" She leaned back into the house. "Aaron! Come here please!" A few moments later, Aaron appeared and took the guy's hand, giving him a half hug. "What's up, man?" He turned to Arie. "Sorry, I thought Zak told you. This is Billy. He works with us and I invited him. Was that okay?" She smiled and let Billy in the door. Before she shut it, she saw Tonia and Matt starting up the stairs. "You guys are the last to arrive to the party. That's never like you." Tonia carried a bottle of wine and Matt struggled to keep up. "It was a long day at work. And the only remedy is going to be this bottle of deliciousness. Grab your glasses, girl. I need it." She smiled and closed the door behind Matt.

A loud scream came from out back. She ran through the living room and onto the back porch. "Oh my God. Jesus A..this is him!" She smiled. Good old Gina. Leave it up to her to get googly eyed when she saw a celebrity in her sister's home. Zak looked startled and kept his eyes on the burgers. "Gina..can I talk to you for a sec?" Her sister reluctantly nodded, but followed her back into the kitchen where Tonia was pouring two glasses of wine. She handed one to Arie and then headed for the back. "That's Zak Bagans." She nodded. "This I know." She took a gulp of her wine and watched her sister. "And he's in your home...why?" She set the glass down and refilled the little she had drank. "He wanted to interview me about Wormsloe Plantation. That's where they're doing their next lockdown. I agreed, we started hanging out, he convinced me to break up with Keith, we went on a date, kissed, took a nap together today, and now we're here. He wants me to go to the lockdown with them." Her sister's eyes were as wide as saucers. "And...?" She took another long drink. "And what?" Scoffing, her sister smacked her hands on the counter top. "And what did you say?" She raised her eyebrows at her sister."Really, Gina? Really? You think after I've gone through all of what I just told you that I would say no?" Her sister picked up a carrot stick off the vegetable tray. She bit into it and chewed it for a few minutes. "Well you better be glad you said yes. I'd have to kick your ass if you had told him no. I mean, come on, he's only the sexiest, most attractive guy that's had his eye on you in a while." She took another long drink, knowing at the rate she was going, she would have the bottle finished before Tonia. "Who's that?" Zak walked into the kitchen and she felt her cheeks start to turn red. "No one you know. Apart from the scream, you didn't really get to meet my sister. Zak this is Gina. Gina, Zak." She smiled broadly and held her hand out to him. "Hi. Nice to meet you." He nodded his head as he took her hand and shook it a little. "Arie, we're about ready to start chowing down. You want to help me grab the ribs and stuff?" She nodded. Her sister caught a look, telling her to go away. She made a beeline for the back door, leaving them alone. She pulled out a cutting board and an onion and sliced it in half. She chopped one half for the hot dogs, and started to slice rings for the burgers. "Zak, I'm really sorry she screamed in your face. I probably should have told her." She felt his arms go around her waist and his chest against her back. "It's fine. I have, actually, come up against worse before."

She put the chopped onions into a bowl and the sliced onions into a different bowl. She turned around and went to the sink and started washing her hands. As she dried them, she saw the guys going back and forth carrying out the food. Zak opened the cabinet and pulled out the barbeque sauce they had bought earlier. "Hey, Nick! Don't forget the Schtubbs!" He tossed the bottle to Nick, who caught it with ease. Everyone was fairly silent as they ate their food. "Zak, man, these burgers are for real delicious." He nodded in agreement. "I wish I could take the credit, but it was Arie." After they had finished eating, the guys started to make a fire in the grass so they could do s'mores. The girls stood drinking their wine and punch and watched. "I hope no one loses an eyebrow." Arie chuckled. "With these guys, it's hard to tell." Tonia draped an arm around her. "I'm just glad you finally left that asshat Keith and moved on to far bigger and far better things. Look at that man's arms." She gave a longing sigh. The other girls were now looking at Zak, and this made her jealous. "Guys, he's not an all you can eat buffet. Plus, he's mine. Or..at least I think he is. That part is still kind of foggy." Emily looked at her. "Did you guys do it yet?" Her eyes widened at the humiliating question. "Um, no, Emily. That wasn't exactly the first thing I was thinking of when I left Keith." She drank the last gulp of her punch with difficulty. The hard liquor had settled to the bottom, making her even more loopy. "Why did you leave Keith?" She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off. "Because Zak told her to." She looked at Gina. "Sorry." Tonia laughed. "What exactly did he say to make you see the damn light, Arie? Cause to my knowledge, me and your entire family said everything under the blazing sun, but you were just so oh so in love with Keith that you couldn't see straight." She laughed. "That wasn't love. That was syphilis of the brain. Which, thankfully, I've made a full recovery from. Zak basically made it well known that he saw right through the charade that I was trying to pull off. He saw me trying to cover for Keith's douche-bag-ism, he saw the controlling, the level of unhappiness I was at. And it ended with Keith slugging me in the eye when Zak had his back turned."

Tonia grabbed the wine bottle and poured the last of it into her cup. "I thought you needed it?" She tossed the bottle into the yard. "Trust me. You need it more." She smiled and took a drink, returning her gaze to the guys trying to light a solid piece of wood on fire. She smiled and shook her head. "They're totally helpless. We are never going to get smores done at this rate." She stood to help, but Tonia took her arm and pulled her back down into her chair. "No, just wait. I think it's starting to get a little hot to move." She looked over as the guys all took off their shirts. "What, are they going to break out into song now?" They all laughed and continued watching as the guys lit pieces of paper, sprayed lighter fluid, and did anything else possible to try to light the fire. Emily butted in. "Arie, what's with that big tattoo on Zak's back?" She thought for a moment, not really knowing why he had it. Or why he had any of the other tattoos he had. "I don't know. I'll do some digging on that one." Zak was still standing with the guys, but looked over at the girls, and found Arie staring at him. He grinned and turned back around as Nick asked him a question. "Dude, what's going on with Arie and you? You get all excited when we talk about her. More so than the lockdown tomorrow night." He scratched his head. "I don't know, Nick. I like her. That's all." Matt walked up to Zak and clapped his shoulder. "Zak, the one main thing to know about Arie...she's a hopeless romantic. She believes in true love, guys bringing her flowers, asking her father for her hand in marriage, sending a text just for fuck's sake. That kind of stuff. These days, most guys would think she's expecting too much but until Keith came along, she had resolved not to settle for anything less than all the garbage." Zak nodded and took everything in. He looked at her again, but this time she was in conversation with the girls. A small smile spread across his lips, knowing he actually wanted to do those things for her. "Hell, yeah, dude!" Zak was jerked out of his thoughts when he looked down and saw Nick blowing on the small embers of what would soon be a good fire. "Time for dessert!" He yelled at the girls. He watched and noticed Arie was wobbly on her feet. He walked over and took her arm as he helped her to the chairs now surrounding the fire. The cicadas were screeching loudly as the sun big its last line of light over the horizon. She stuck a marshmallow on a stick and held it over the flames, slowly rotating it. "What are you doing?" She smiled. "I like mine browned. Not burned, not still white, just a nice, toasty brown." He smiled and shook his head as he popped a marshmallow into his mouth. Once dessert time turned into who could torch their marshmallow the worst, dessert was over.

Arie went inside and grabbed a few blankets before returning outside. She handed one to each girl and kept one for herself. She sat down and placed it over her legs as she leaned against Zak. Emily spoke up, ruining the silence. "Zak, what's you guys' most memorable investigation?" Arie rolled her eyes. "Emily, really? Do we have to badger them now? We can't just enjoy the quiet for a while?" She scoffed. "As if. My sister's boyfriend is on one of my favorite tv shows. I'm automatically given a 'ask all the questions I want' pass." She laid on the grass and closed her eyes. She felt embarrassed. Humiliated. She heard Zak start to talk and sat back up. "Well, I don't know about Billy, Nick, or Aaron, but by far my worst was Poveglia. I still hate to think about it. I just had this huge sensation of anger and hatred and everything was like in a red filter. And as soon as we walked out of there, it was like a veil lifted. Actually, that's why I've got this back tattoo. It's my interpretation of what I was taken over by at Poveglia." Arie looked at her sister. "Well, there's your answer." Her sister smiled a sweet smile. "Oh, but there's still one you never answered, Arie." She sent her sister a death glare. "Emily, DO NOT.." Emily blurted it out loud and quick, like a band aid. "Have you guys done it?!" She started laughing. "No, Em. Not that it's any of your business, or anyone else's here, but we have not." She stood up and stripped off the yellow shirt and slipped off her flip flops. She dove into the pool, enjoying the quiet of the water, if only for a minute. As she surfaced, she saw everyone else was stripping down to their swimsuit or just bran and underwear and jumping in. She quickly climbed out and ran for the back porch. She opened the cover and turned the lights on and turned on the radio, letting the music fill the back yard. She turned around to jump back in when she ran into someone. Zak stood on the edge of the pool, waiting. "Are you not getting back in, Zak?" He smiled and shook his head. "No. I just ate." She grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. "Haven't you heard that's a wive's tale?" Zak crossed his arms across his chest. "Well, tale or not, I believe it." She saw Nick and Aaron sneaking up behind him. Nick grabbed his arms and Aaron grabbed his legs and ran for the pool. They jumped in, taking Zak with them. He surfaced and sent a tidal wave towards both of them. Arie smiled and jumped in right next to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Are they picking on poor Zak?"

"Chicken!" She saw her sister, Gina, sitting on Matt's shoulders. She looked at Zak. "What do you say, you wanna support the chicken again?" He dunked under and came up holding her legs as she sat perched on his shoulders. "Okay, Rules: No bitch fighting. Means no smacking, clawing, pulling hair, et cetera. No splashing, legsweeping, or interfering with the chicken holders in any way! Let's fight!" Matt walked towards Zak as Gina reached out towards Arie. Arie grabbed her arms and they moved from side to side, trying to tilt the other off. Zak quickly backed away as he felt he was losing his balance. The fight was paused as Aaron felt he had to do a cannon ball. Arie was running her fingers through Zak's wet hair as they watched Aaron run and slip on the board and fall in, resulting in a roar of laughter from everyone else in the pool. He tried again, resulting in a large splash that sent the water lapping over the sides of the pool. "Round 2. Let's go!" Arie took her hands from Zak's hair as Matt advanced with Gina again. She pushed Arie, trying to knock her backwards, but Arie grabbed her arm and they both were still up. She felt Zak jumping around beneath her. "Matt, cut it out, dude." She was focused on Gina, watching her hands coming at her, trying to dodge any losing grips. Suddenly she felt herself falling and saw the edge of the pool beneath her face. She hit her head and went under the water. Zak resurfaced, running his fingers through his hair, trying to get the water out of his face. "Matt, dude, the rules were no legsweeps!" He turned around to look for Arie but couldn't see her. He went under and saw her going down towards the bottom. He swam to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her to the surface. As soon as they got there, he saw a nasty cut on the side of her forehead. Aaron was still outside the pool, waiting to do another cannon ball. "Aaron, take her." Zak hauled her up over the edge and Aaron leaned down to her mouth, listening. "I think she's ok. She's breathing." Zak climbed out of the pool and picked her up, putting one arm under her knees and the other behind her head. He walked towards the back door and walked inside. As he climbed the stairs, he ignored the goosebumps on his skin from the air conditioning. He laid her down on towels on her bed before he got a wet wash cloth and started dabbing at the cut.

Nick walked in and set down behind Zak. Everyone was standing outside the door watching. Zak looked up and saw Matt standing there behind Tonia. He stood up and walked through the friends, straight for Matt. He reached out and shoved him as hard as he could into the wall behind him. "What's your fucking problem, man?" Matt's yells echoed in the empty silence. "My problem is we set out the damn rules before we started. And because you didn't listen, Arie's passed out on the damn bed. That's my fucking problem." He walked back into the room and asked Nick to leave. Everyone but her sisters, Nick and Aaron left. Zak laid down next to her on the bed, watching her, making sure her breath was still there. It had been 2 hours since everyone had left for the night. He reached over and gently touched her cheek. She flinched, rolled her head, and opened her eyes. "Zak?" He gave a small smile. "Hey." She reached up and touched her head. "What happened?" He was perched on his elbow, looking down into her eyes. "Matt hooked my legs in his and took me down. Unfortunately when I went down, so did you. From what Emily said, you caught the side of the pool." She slowly sat up and sighed. "So much for a good night." He jumped off the bed and walked over to her side. "Did you want to go somewhere?" She looked up and took his hand as she stood. "I want to go get in the hot tub. It'll make me feel better." He nodded and wrapped an arm around her back as he carefully led her down the stairs. Nick and Aaron were asleep, as well as Emily and Gina. They quietly left through the back door and she saw the lights still on in the pool. She turned them off and turned on the lights for the hot tub as they climbed in. The water felt scalding hot at first, but as she relaxed and got used to it, loved the hot water on her skin. Zak eased in next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "You didn't kick Matt's ass did you?" He chuckled. "No. I wanted to, though." She smiled and closed her eyes. "What are we?" She felt his head tilt. "What do you mean?" She slowly raised her head and looked into his eyes. "What are we? Friends, a pair, a couple? Just together?" She saw the light bulb blink on in his head. "It's...I don't know. I don't want to sound like a cheesy 8th grader and as you to be my girlfriend." She smiled and laid her head back on the edge of the hot tub. "Well if you did, I'd say yes." She moved her hand back and forth in the warm water, just enjoying the feeling of how the water moved out of the way of her fingers. She felt her hand collide with his and he moved his fingers between hers. "You do know that now that Emily knows we're together, my mom and dad will find out next, right?" She felt him shift in the water and licked her lips. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No. But they'll want me to bring you to dinner, mom will make lasagna, they'll read you your rights, let you know that they have no respect for you and that you have to earn it from them." He laughed and she rolled her head over to look at him. "I'm serious, Zak. I wish I was kidding, but with my history of men, they're gun shy." He sat down between her legs on the lower level of the hot tub. "If I have to go through them to get to you, I will, I guess." She laughed. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" He turned around and was face to face with her, looking into her blue eyes. "It means that I like you. You make me laugh, you're fun to be around, you fit in with Nick and Aaron, they both like you. They know me better than anyone, and if they like you, and don't say anything bad to me about you, which they would, then you're probably a good thing." She smiled and leaned forward, planting a small kiss on his lips. "You're sweet." He grinned at her and stood up. "No. I'm tired. I wanted to go to sleep but I was worried about you. What do you say we get you out of this hot tub, get you a shower and get to bed?" He reached his hand out to her, and she took it to stand up. He climbed out first and helped her to the ground. They walked inside after he cut the lights and locked the back door. She leaned against the wall as Zak followed her from behind. She turned into the bathroom and stopped at the sink. "I think I can take it from here." He nodded and started to close the door. "I'll sleep on the couch. Your sisters are sharing the gust bed and the guys are on the floor." She took his hand and stopped him. "Zak. I'm pretty sure we're both capable of sleeping in the same bed without fucking like rabbits. You're staying with me." Once more, he nodded, then closed the door behind him. She quickly stripped out of her bathing suit and got into the shower long enough to rise off and wash her hair. She climbed out and towel dried her hair before slipping into the bedroom and dressing in her closet. When she came out, the shower was running again. She sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the television, flipping through the channels, desperate for something to watch. She settled on an episode of Family Guy that was just starting. Halfway through, Zak emerged from the bathroom wearing his boxers and a towel hung around his neck. She could see the bathroom perfectly from where she sat. He put the towel on his head and ran it rapidly all over, removing the excess water, before hanging it over the shower rod. He shut off the light and came into the dark bedroom and found his way to the opposite side of the bed. She smiled as he crawled in and got under the covers. She laid the remote on the night stand and crawled next to him, already finding comfort and warmth by his side. She laid her head on the pillow and looked across at Zak as he looked back at her. She put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him close, giving him a kiss. As they parted, she smiled. "Night, Zak." She rolled over and sighed. He scooted forward and soon she felt his chest burying into her back and his arm wrapping around her waist. "Sleep good, Arie."

I have literally been working on this all day. I hope you enjoy and if you are reading, please respond with a comment. Even a word. More. Love. Whatever..just let me know I'm not writing this in vain lol

I DON'T OWN ANYTHING OR ANYONE besides Ariana.