In which a girl meets the boy of her dreams, but can't figure out if it's real or in her head.
OR
In which a boy waits patiently for the girl of his dreams to want him the way he wants her
#1 under zach herron 7/24/22
Started; 11/2/21
Ended; 6/21/22
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Third Person.
The boys of 'Why Don't We', Conan, Ashton, and Franny all sat on the couch as they watched a movie.
The group had decided on watching a comedy, although only Jack and Jonah were paying attention. The rest were either on their phones or having their own little conversations amongst each other.
They had spent the last couple of days making music and going out together, so they decided to take an off day and watch movies all day together.
Melody couldn't make it because of some 'family issues', so Zach had been pretty uninterested the whole time anyways. Don't get him wrong, he loved hanging out with his other friends as well, but Melody not being able to make it last minute made him miss her even more.
Suddenly the front door opened and Melody walked into the house, her face looking puffy and red, indicating she was upset.
"Melly!" Ashton exclaimed excitedly, but her tone quickly dropped when she saw the look on her face, "Hey, you okay?"
The girl just shrugged and walked towards the couch where Zach was sitting.
The boy looked up from his phone and frowned seeing how emotional she looked, gently pulling her down towards him by her hips.
"What's up?" He softly asked her as she sat very close to him, her body practically on top of his. One thing Melody and Zach quickly learned about each other was that they both were very touchy.
The two had never gone as far as to holding hands for more than 30 seconds, but they'd be lying if they said you'd never catch them with her head laying on his chest or his arms wrapped around her waist.
The rest of the group had grown used to it, though sometimes they silently freak out when Zach wraps his arms around her from behind or when Melody hugs his arm.
They never brought it up to the pair though, knowing that if they insinuated anything the two would get defensive and say they're "just close friends".
Jonah paused the movie and Melody sighed. "I had a call with my parents," she said quietly and Conan's heart dropped.
He had known the girl since she was 13, he knew every single thing her parents had put her through. Melody was a very strong girl, she'd gone through alot yet she was still able to act 'normal' and be happy, but her parents always set her mental health back every single time they called. They were her weakness.
"Well...What was the call about?" Ashton hesitantly asked, not wanting to trigger the young girl. Melody sighed and rested her head on Zach's shoulder, "They wanted me to go home for thanksgiving...I said no, and they went on a tangent about how much of a disappoint I am." Her voice broke a little bit.
Zach immediately tensed up. The thought of anyone calling his girl worthless, especially her own parents, made him furious.
The rest of the group frowned. Other than Ashton and Conan, the friend group didn't know much about her home life, but they could tell just by how upset the girl was that it wasn't good.
"Awh, Mel," Franny was the first to speak. Though they didn't hang out much, she had had a few virtual conversations with Melody. She was already attached to the young girl and she didn't want to see her upset.
"Its Okay, I just...I don't know." Melody sniffled. Zach looked down at her and she just nodded, knowing what he was gonna ask. "We'll, uh, we'll be right back." Zach stated as they both got up from the couch and walked to a seperate room.
Once the two were out of earshot, the group immediately looked at Conan and Ashton, knowing that if anyone knew what was going on with her parents, it'd be them.
"Is she okay?" Jonah questioned with a frown. Ashton looked at him, "Well, I wanna say yes, but..."
"Her parents put her in a bad state of mind." Conan finished for her and she nodded, agreeing with him.
"What's up with her parents? I mean, It's none of my business but they sound pretty brutal." Jack asked and sunk more into the couch.
"They just, they're basically robots. They never show any emotion, and if they do, it's pure anger. They verbally abused her for basically her whole life, it got to the point where they kicked her out, which is why she lives with Conan now." Ashton tried her best to explain.
"Awh, my poor baby," Franny frowned, she felt awful knowing what the girl had been through. Daniel just shook his head, "That explains why she said she deals with PTSD. God, she doesn't deserve that,". Conan sighed and nodded.
As the group continued their conversation, Zach held Melody in the other room.
"It's just so fucked. Like, I'm their daughter. How can someone treat their own blood like that?" The girl cried and Zach wrapped his arms tighter around her.
"I know, gorgeous, I know. What'd they say?" He asked in a soft, calming voice.
"My dad, he said he wished I was never born. Even my mom tried to calm him down, and that says alot. He-he said my suicide attempt should've worked." Melody choked out, although it was muffled as a result of her head being rested against his chest.
Zach felt his anger curse through his veins, but still tried to stay calm. The last thing he wanted to do was get too was get too worked up and make her more anxious than she already was. The boy took a deep breath.
"Melody...you do know that's not true, right?" Zach eventually spoke up after a few moments of silence. Melody nodded and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"God, i'm so sorry. It infuriates me that anyone would even think of saying that. You're worth so much, you don't deserve that at all," the boy kissed her cheek and rested his chin on her head. Melody just sighed and mumbled, "Thank you for this. You're one of the best friends I have."
Zach couldn't tell why, but for some reason her calling him her friend made his stomach hurt.
"Of course, MJ." He responded softly and kept his chin on her head. Melody sniffled and thought about what she was supposed to do next.
"Do you think they'll ever come around?" She finally looked up at him. The boy wiped her tears with his thumb and shook his head, "I dont know. But, until then, just know all the family you need is right here in this house."
Melody let a small smile rest on her lips as she hugged him again. Zach held her tight as his chin ended back on her head.
