Holy fudge nuggets! Five reviews and only on the first chapter! Yays! Thank you to those who reviewed, favored the story, and are watching it--I really appreciate it, I really do. Anyway, here's another chapter for you all. I don't particularly like as it isn't very smooth, but I couldn't of doing this chapter any other way. It's long, so maybe that'll make up for it's suckiness. I would've gotten this chapter out sooner, but was doing something funky and wouldn't let me upload it, but from what I heard from the other Zack/OC stories I read, I wasn't the only one who had that problem. Either way, everything is okay now. So I hope you enjoy. Please, review!
Chapter Two: Meet Old and New
She hadn't heard the end of it and she still hadn't. When Cheryl found out where Kristen had went three nights ago from Paul—he caved under the pressure that was her mother—Cheryl hit the fan and chewed Kristen out to no end. Like the girl had predicted, her guardian took her cell phone away, took her computer away, and forbade the blonde from driving her precious baby blue Volkswagen Beetle convertible.
Kristen Faust was twenty-one-years-old—an adult, who could drink—and she was still being treated like a disobedient child. It was ridiculous, but Kristen couldn't argue. Her foster parent was crazy, psychotic, but she knew Cheryl cared deep down…really deep down.
Or at least that's what Kristen kept telling herself.
Either way, because Cheryl had grounded her foster daughter taking away her only way of communication, Kristen didn't know if that cute—awkward, but cute—guy from the club had called her or not. He probably thought she was stuck-up bitch, who had just been toying with his emotions. Sure, the fact that she had landed the part for the TV show she had auditioned for the morning after Meghan's bachelorette party and that today Meghan and Isaac were getting married today—later tonight—brightened her mood. However, Kristen still felt bad even though she was probably never going to Zack ever again. Not to mention, the fact that Cheryl kept reprimanding her didn't make the young woman feel any better.
Even now, on the drive to the Jeffersonian to meet Dr. Temperance Brennan at the Jeffersonian, Cheryl was scolding Kristen from the passenger seat of Paul's sleek black BMV.
They were going to the Jeffersonian to meet with Dr. Temperance Brennan because her and her works had inspired the TV show that Kristen was going to be on, along with her character. That being, the producer of the show had suggested that Kristen meet with Dr. Brennan and study her, so Kristen could understand her character and her character's job better to which Kristen fully agreed—mostly because Dr. Brennan's job was so fascinating and she loved her books. Unfortunately, agreeing to such gave Cheryl even more incentive to scold Kristen because she thought it was ridiculous that they had to go to her—Cheryl thought that Dr. Brennan should've be so honored that a TV show was inspired by her books that she should've gone to them at the studio instead.
As Cheryl, who acted a lot less angelic than she looked with her platinum blonde locks and azure-hued eyes, ran her mouth about Kristen's disobedience and lying and how inconsiderate Dr. Brennan was, Kristen just sighed deeply in the back seat and gazed out the car's window in boredom.
In the rearview mirror, her kind and boyishly-looking agent, Paul Kinkler, gave her his most comforting expression while mouthing "I'm sorry" to her—Cheryl didn't notice as she was too busy ranting. Kristen just shrugged signaling that it was no big deal, she was use to it all by now, which she was. Besides, she knew that love made you do stupid things that one couldn't control and that happened to Paul.
"And there's this young man that keeps calling you!" Cheryl cried angrily, catching Kristen's attention.
Kristen's eyebrow arched. "What young man?" she asked. Does she mean Zack?
"I don't remember his name." her mother scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "Something Addy. Jack, maybe? Mack, I don't know."
"Zack?" Kristen said.
"Yeah, that was it." Cheryl nodded. "He called saying that you told him to and that you two met at the club you had snuck off to. He has called at least three times already."
"Oh…" the youngest person in the moving vehicle said softly. The actress didn't know whether to be happy or not that Zack had called her and more than once. That was what she had wanted, but since her cell had been confiscated by Cheryl, she hadn't been able to answer back. Zack probably hated her now, especially with Cheryl rudely answering the calls.
"What happen to Ren? I thought you two were still dating." chimed in Paul from the driver's seat.
Kristen shot him look. The dirty-blond male pursed his lips realizing he had slipped up again, mentioning something the Kristen had told him to not mention in front of her mother. Nonetheless, it was out and Cheryl now knew.
"That's right. What had happened to that boy? I thought you two were madly in love." she pointed out, looking back at her daughter with narrowed eyes.
Inwardly groaning, Kristen rested her head against the tinted window next to her—she officially wanted to kill Paul, screw him and his lovesickness. "Stuff happened. We broke up." she confessed, being as vague as possible.
"That's not what he keeps telling me when he calls, which is often, I might add." Cheryl argued.
That's because he's a delusional, egotistical prick., Kristen thought to herself, but said aloud dryly, "We're working through it. We may get back together." When Hell freezes over and pigs fly.
"You better. I set you two up. Ren is perfect." Cheryl huffed, sitting back in her seat and facing forward.
Kristen rolled her green orbs and looked at Paul sharply, who mouthed another apology her way. She just shook her head and slouched in her seat.
The rest of the ride through D.C. to the Jeffersonian was uneventful. No one said anything else, which Kristen was more than thankful for.
Eventually, Paul, Cheryl, and Kristen arrived at the museum and parked. In a group, with Kristen lagging behind a little to look at all of the historical items showcased, the three of them headed to the Medico-Legal Lab portion to speak with Dr. Brennan as that was where she worked for her occupation as a forensic anthropologist.
Once they reached the Medico-Legal Lab, they showed their Visitor Passes to the guards to be allowed entry. They stepped inside the large place and instantly, Kristen's breath was taken away—like the first time she had been to Broadway in NYC.
The Medico-Legal Lab was so vast with so many people walking about in blue lab coats. It kind of smelled like a hospital being of lemons and disinfectant, which the blonde hated, but there was another scent amongst the mix that made her love it instead. It had a musky and slightly warm smell to it, too—smells that she couldn't really describe. The Lab was very clean and pristine being of mostly white and metal. Beeps, chattering, bubbling, and all those other sounds you'd suspect to hear in a lab, Kristen heard and made her heart flutter and enthrallment build up in her chest. She liked—no—loved it. She wasn't sure why, but she did. It had officially become one of her Top 5 places to be along with Broadway, New Hampshire, Hawaii, and Las Vegas—Philly had been pushed to sixth place.
"Kristen, you stay here while we go talk to this woman." Cheryl told her foster child.
"Yeah, yeah, okay." Kristen answered distractedly as her wide ocean green eyes looked about the environment around her.
Cheryl scowled recognizing that look. "Don't. Touch. Anything. Understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay."
"Kristen,"
"I understand."
"Good." Cheryl's eyes narrowed. "Let's go, Paul."
"Yes, Cheryl." Paul said obediently, following the older and taller blonde. "See you in a few minutes, Kris."
"'Kay." she said dismissively—she was still mad at him.
The two adults left leaving the young woman alone. Being as curious and adventurous as she was that was a very bad thing to do, especially since she wasn't going to keep her words. Kristen began to explore to get a better feel on the lab; if she was going to be studying Dr. Brennan in order to understand her character than she was going to have to get use to being where the brilliant anthropologist worked.
Kristen wandered taking in everything that surrounded her. It was a lot bigger than at first glance. Workers would look at her oddly and/or quizzically as she passed by with an expression of a kid in a candy store.
The short girl was so in awe of the place that she wasn't particularly watching where she was going. And her being a huge klutz just made in worse as she accidentally tripped over her Vans' shoelaces causing her to tumble to the floor. Thankfully, Kristen was so use to falling that her fall barely hurt at all. That didn't make it any less embarrassing, though.
Flushed in her face, she avoided eye-contact with anyone that walked by and got to her feet brushing off her black skinny jeans and white V-neck Y-shirt beneath her bright yellow LMFAO hoodie. Good job, Kris. You're as graceful as a drunk swan.
"Only you, Kris, would trip over your own feet." chuckled a hearty and deep male's voice from behind her.
Jumping, startled, Kristen whipped her fair head around. She squinted her eyes—having "forgotten" her glasses today—only for them to widen at whom was standing them with an amused smirk and his muscular arms crossed.
"Seeley?" she asked hesitantly.
The tall short-haired brunet said gruffly, "Don't call me Seeley, Kristen."
She deadpanned. Yeah, that's him all right. "What are you doing here? I thought you worked for the FBI. This place doesn't seem like you're kinda place." the younger person questioned with interest.
"It's not," Special Agent Seeley Booth made a face. "But the people here work on murder cases for the bureau and that includes my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." he admitted.
"You work with Dr. Brennan?" Kristen cocked her head to the side.
"Mmhm," He nodded and smirked a little. "And apparently you'll be hanging about here with us for a while or so that's what your mother told me before kicking me out of Bone's office."
"Bones?" Her brows furrowed.
"Dr. Brennan."
"Oh… Wait, you left Dr. Brennan alone with Cheryl? Are you out of your mind?"
Booth chortled. "Relax. Paul is there."
"That's not reassuring…at all." Paul couldn't harm a fly.
"Dr. Brennan can handle herself, trust me."
"I hope so. You know how Cheryl can be."
"You mean shrew and overbearing?" the ex-sniper joked lightly—he was being partially serious, remembering how Kristen's foster mother was when they first met.
"That's the nice way of putting it, but yeah." the actress smiled.
Booth laughed once more before opening his arms. "Well? Am I going to get a hug or not?"
Rolling her eyes, Kristen shook her head, but with a smile. "Of course." She stepped up to him—her height reaching his chest—and enveloped him in a hug. A hug that he willingly returned since the two hadn't seen one since Kristen lived in New York five years ago.
"Good to see you again, Goldilocks." Booth patted her back.
She made a face into his broad chest at the old and stupid nickname he had bestowed her yet, happily said in reply, "You too, Seeley."
"Did that chick ever call you back?" was the cury-haired bug and slime specialist, Jack Hodgins. His question was directed to his best friend as he fiddled with the computer in front of him.
Zack, who was hovering over a body on the autopsy table like usual, raised his russet optics to the older, but shorter male. "Baby chickens cannot call someone let alone have access to a cellular phone." the genius pointed out calmly.
Hodgins deadpanned and rolled his light eyes. Why do I even try to speak anything but his native alien tongue?, the bearded male thought to himself. He corrected himself, "I meant the girl from the club the other night."
"Are you speaking of Kristen?" Zack asked. He felt a small pang of disappointment in his chest, but he had quickly brushed the sensation away as soon as it came knowing perfectly well such a thing was illogical.
"Yeah, her."
"What about her?"
"Did she ever call you back?"
"No, she did not." Zack responded emotionlessly returning his focused attention to the corpse before him.
"Dude, that blows." Hodgins frowned a little. "She did give you her number, right?"
"Yes. She placed the required seven digits for a telephone number in my phone before she left."
"No," Hodgins shook his head, sighing in exasperation. "I mean, was it really her number? She didn't give you a fake one?"
"Why would someone do a thing like that?" queried Zack confused.
"Girls do that."
"Why?"
"…Never mind. Just tell me who answered the phone when you called."
"An austere woman named Cheryl Quinn. She claims she is Kristen's mother."
"Oooh. That's even worse."
"I don't understand." Zack stated with creased eyebrows.
"Well, Kristen either got in trouble for some reason and got her phone taken away or Kristen gave you her mother's number as her way of blowing you off." explained Hodgins, leaning back casually in his wheelie chair.
"Only the first seems logical." Or was he just hoping that it was the first choice?
"That doesn't make the latter any less possible."
Zack frowned. "…Why would she give me a fake phone number if she did not want me to call?"
Hodgins opened his mouth to answer to tell Zack he was probably a bad dancer or said something strange like he always did, but stopped short when his noticed two familiar figures on the floor of the Medico-Legal Lab cheerfully talking. He immediately recognized one of the figures as Booth from his tall and masculine appearance. And if he was seeing right, the other figure was a short, blonde girl that had to be Kristen Faust—the actress that Zack had danced with at Rush three nights ago.
"Dude, is that her?" Hodgins asked aloud, his eyes still transfixed on Kristen and Booth talking as if they had know each other for years—how was that possible?
"You're saying "dude" a lot today and "her" who?" Zack said quizzically.
"Kristen! The girl from the club!" exclaimed Hodgins, pointing to Booth and Kristen.
Arching a brow, the brunet boy-man peered over his shoulder only for his eyebrows to shoot up with a mild surprise. Kristen really was here, but why? And why did she seem so friendly with Agent Booth?
Zack quickly glanced back to his companion/co-worker. "What do I do?" he asked a bit frantically—he hadn't expected her to just show up at his job.
"Go over to her, I guess. Ask her what's up?" Hodgins shrugged—he surprised himself.
"I think Kristen is intelligent enough to know the ceiling is up."
"Oh, for the love of--!" the other male groaned. "Go and talk to her! Ask her why she isn't answering your calls!"
"Oh, right." the taller man nodded stiffly.
He tore away from his work and started over towards Booth and Kristen. His palms began to dampen as he approached. Why was he nervous? He had only met the woman once and they had barely exchanged many words. Feeling anxious was irrational, especially when Zack was just going to ask Kristen a simple question. Why did he not have the safe confidence as Booth and Hodgins had with the opposite sex?
Once Zack reached Booth and Kristen, who seemed very engrossed in their conversation, Zack swallowed the lump in his throat and apprehensively cleared iy—he was a bit wary to interrupt them, especially since Booth was one of them.
Stopping midsentence, Booth and Kristen turned their dark and light eyes to the young genius standing there awkwardly. The oldest person there gave Zack an annoyed expression for interrupting—and a bit because Booth never really liked the other brunet. On the other hand, the youngest person amongst the three had a look of surprise and recognition.
"What do you want, Squinty?" asked Booth gruffly.
"Zack, is that you?" questioned Kristen in shock—what in the world was he doing in a place like this?
"I couldn't be anyone else." he said.
Booth's eyebrows furrowed and glanced between the two young people. "You two know each other?" he inquired, pointing between them.
"Uh, y-yeah. Kinda." Kristen replied cautiously, not liking the tone in her old friend's voice—she also still didn't know how to respond to Zack standing there.
"We met at a club three nights ago." Zack explained then, turned to the blonde girl. He looked calm, but really he was just as unnerved as Kristen. "You never called me back, Kristen."
"Um…" She bit her lip.
Kristen just chewed her lip harder when she noticed Booth's chocolate orbs narrowed suspiciously. "Wait," he began and looked to Zack, who became stiffer than he already was. "What were you doing in a club?" That was the last place Zack would be at. Then, Booth peered to Kristen, who tried to innocently smile. "And why was he calling you?" he hissed a little, not liking the idea at all.
"Um…y-you see, Seeley? Uh…" Kristen started to explain, but was stumbling over her words. She looked helplessly to Zack, but he just stood there looking confused as he did not get her signal.
Fortunately, Cheryl, Paul, a lovely auburn-haired woman with icy blue eyes, a gorgeous tan woman with long, dark hair, and tall dark man with a beard and mustache approached the group cutting Booth off before he could demand for answers further.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Addy, Agent Booth, and Miss. Faust, but we have important business to take care of." the dark man said with a very deep voice. "Can you please all gather on the lab platform so I can explain?"
Not needing to be told twice, everyone joined a curly-haired and bearded man on the platform. The workers of the Jeffersonian, including Booth, stood on one side of an autopsy table where a pile of bones laid, and the actress with her mother and agent stood on the other side of it.
"Everyone, Miss. Kristen Faust will be coming here every soon often when she does not have college classes to study Dr. Brennan for her latest role in a TV show that has been created based on Dr. Brennan works and books. So please be on your best behavior when Miss. Faust is around." the tall dark man announced aloud.
Everyone nodded. Though, if Kristen knew any better most of the people on the Jeffersonian team didn't seem pleased.
Then, the tall dark man made introductions. "I'm Dr. Goodman, I'm the administrator." he indicated to himself before gesturing to Kristen, Cheryl and Paul. "This is Kristen Faust, the actress who will be coming here every so often. Besides her is her mother, Cheryl Quinn and next to Miss. Quinn is Miss. Faust's agent Paul Kinkler." Next, Dr. Goodman motioned to those of the Jeffersonian. "And this is the forensics team, Dr. Jack Hodgins," The curly-haired man. "Zack Addy, Angela Montenegro," The beautiful woman with the olive complexion. "Dr. Temperance Brennan," The auburn-haired woman with bright and keen eyes. "And this is Special FBI Agent Seeley Booth."
"Nice to meet you all." Kristen said politely. Paul nodded with a grin and Cheryl just scoffed with her arms crossed.
Kristen looked at all the faces of those before her. The majority of them seemed warm and inviting, especially Angela. However, the actress felt anxious and very out of place. She glanced to Zack only to inwardly frown when he wouldn't meet her gaze.
Maybe this whole situation wasn't such a good thing after all, big role or not…
"Come on, Kris," started Zoey, adorned in the same ugly orange bridesmaid dress as Kristen. Zoey, Kristen, Isaac and Austen were sitting in a circle at the bride and groom's table at the wedding reception while Charlotte and Meghan were on the dance floor dancing to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun". The four at the table were discussing Kristen's meet and greet with those at the Jeffersonian, especially Zack. "You're being over-dramatic. I'm sure that Zack doesn't hate you." Zoey pointed out, tugging irritably at the big orange boy in her dark tresses.
"How can you be sure? Wouldn't you be if someone told you to call, but you never answered back?" Kristen sighed, scratching her leg because the dresses skirt was made of a very itchy material—she had a feeling Meghan choose such intolerable dresses purposely, so she'd look even more elegant than she already did for her wedding.
"Not really. It happens all the time," shrugged Zoey carelessly. "Yet if someone told me to call and their mother who is just like the Fuhrer answered the phone when I called, I would be fuckin' pissed." she stated with a dramatic wave of her white hand.
"Thankfully, no is like the Fuhrer—except for Hitler himself and Stalin." Isaac joked.
Isaac Manson was Meghan's new husband and was a very handsome young man. He was the oldest of the group, but acted the youngest as he was always making jokes and goofing around. His dark brown hair—almost black—was wavy and framed his light face to just shy of his shoulders. Isaac's eyes were a golden hue and his charming smile—always causing cute dimples in his cheeks—would always reach them. Isaac was a very happy person and fun to be around. He just wasn't good in serious situations.
Kristen deadpanned. "You two help a lot." she grumbled. They just made her feel even worse.
"Why do you even care what he thinks about you, Kris?" Austen asked curiously.
Austen Bloom was Kristen roommate and best friend without question. Kristen had been friends with the talented musician for six years having gone to the same art high school together in NYC. Since they were roommates at the college they attended now, obviously they went to the same college, too. Austen had chestnut brown cropped hair with blonde highlights. His eyes were a pleasant caramel color and held such warmth and wisdom. Kristen went to the scrawny, tan man often for advice.
"I don't know. It just bothers me." Kristen shrugged, crossing her legs.
Austen arched a brow then, smirked playfully. "Maybe you have a crush on him."
"That'd make sense considering." Zoey concurred dryly. Isaac nodded in agreement.
"What?!" Kristen shrieked, her voice raising an octave as her cheeks burned. She glared. "Don't be ridiculous, Austen! We've only met twice and each time we've barely spoken a few words to each other! That's hardly enough time for me to develop any kind of feelings towards him!" she spat.
"Then, why are you getting so upset?"
"How the hell should I know?"
"You're an actress. Shouldn't you know how you feel?" Isaac said, placing his ankle on his other knee.
"It doesn't work like that." Kristen retorted, taking her hair down from its complicated hairstyle, so it went past to her shoulders to the middle of her back in waves as the pins had caused it.
"Maybe it's like love at first sight and that's why you're so bugged by what he thinks of you!" Austen gushed beaming. "Like Max and I!" Kristen and Isaac looked at the best man strangely.
"Could you be any more gay?" teased Zoey with a bored expression.
"You're gay too, Zo." Isaac, Kristen, and Austen said to her at the same time.
"And yet I'm more of a man than either of you two dumbasses." Zoey countered, pointing to Isaac and Austen, who glowered at her.
Kristen couldn't help but laugh. Sure, her problem wasn't solved, but she did feel better. No matter what, her friends managed to make her laugh.
Shaking her head, the rose to her feet, stumbling a bit because of the heels she had been forced to wear. "Come on, guys. Let's go dance." she said.
Not arguing to the suggestion, Zoey, Austin, and Isaac followed their friend onto the dance floor. They joined Charlotte and Meghan as the song "Cupid Shuffle" came on.