Zed and Vanessa are excited for their first day at Seabrook High. While Zed is hoping to make the football team, Vanessa is squealing with excitement for her cheer squad audition, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her older sister, Addison. The u...
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Nessa's heart was pounding in her chest as she walked into the cafeteria. She never meant for any of this to happen, especially to Zed.
She stared hopelessly at the sandwich and chips on her tray, waiting for someone to call her name. Addison, Bucky, anyone really. But no one did, she felt alone.
An empty table seemed like a good option though. Just her own company and no one to annoy her. Bang.
"Hi! I'm Bree, Addison's friend!"
Oh God. Anyone but Bree.
"Yeah, I know." Nessa replied with a dry chuckle. Ever since she joined the cheer squad, this annoying, short girl has not stopped pestering her. She would do anything for five minutes of freedom.
Suddenly, she spotted him.
"So sorry Bree but I have to go. You see, I really need to..." she trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence and leaving the girl with a half eaten plate of food.
It was awkward walking up to him. People stared at Nessa, wondering what she was doing and where she was going. She caught Bucky's eye from a distance, his eyes practically bulging out of his skull.
It didn't take long for Zed to realise. And when he did, the corner of his mouth turned up slightly. Wait, he's happy to see me? she thought, giving her shoulders time to relax.
"Hello."
"Hey Nessa. You okay?"
"Yeah I'm completely fine, but what happened last night wasn't. You see, it was cheer initiation."
His eyebrows lifted up, securing his face in a slightly shocked expression.
"Not like that is a good reason at all. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and I hope we could maybe talk again soon." Nessa added with a smile.
The zombie sitting on Zed's left grunted and held out apple skin that had been turned into the shape of a flower.
Nessa's smile grew ten times bigger. "Woah, I love it, thank you!"
As she said those words she could feel Zed's eyes on her, staring at her face in admiration. She couldn't help but look at him back, and when she did, all of the tension was relieved from her body. That was, until Bucky stepped in.
He yanked Nessa back as hard as he could, causing her to let out a small squeal. The flower was knocked out of her hands and onto Zed's tray, leaving him astounded as the behaviour of her cousin.
Bucky gave Nessa a stern telling off. He told her that if she was to talk to him one more time, she'd be out of the cheer squad. "Pick which side you are on. Are you a cheerleader, or are you one of them?" he warned, staring intently at her. Nessa gave Zed a reassuring look before walking away beside a grinning Bucky. She had to give him what he wanted or she would never be allowed to even look at a zombie again.
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About ten minutes later, Nessa and Zed found each other. The flower back in Nessa's hands, and a smile back on Zed's face. They talked about how they both made it onto the team of their dreams and what it could mean for their futures. Nessa decided that it would be best to try and comfort Zed by telling him what it was like for her. Having a sister like Addison, and being seen as a freak because of a little bit of white hair.
"This school, this town... it's hard not fitting in." she said, dragging her feet along the floor as they reached the top of the stairs.
"Are you kidding, you're perfect." he replied, blushing at the girl in front of him. The comment made them go silent, Nessa appreciating what he just said to her. Without a word, she pulled out her strand of white hair from the clip, letting it flow down next to her eyes.
"See, I'm not perfect. I was born with this, I never knew why I had it. My parents just thought it was genetics or something about the pigments in my hair. Whatever it was, it wasn't like everyone else." she started, occasionally looking up at Zed. "And now I cover it up. But it's all good now! I'm on the squad like my mother wanted and I fit in."
Zed sighed as he grabbed her hand. Looking at their finger's intertwining. They talked some more but quickly paused as they both heard people walking toward them. With their hands still together they ran back down the stairs and raced to the gym where Nessa was about to start cheer practice. Before she left, she reached up to give Zed a gentle kiss on the cheek, which left him speechless and touching his face where her lips had just been. They exchanged smiles before they turned around to go back to their separate lives.
Nessa walked away, but Zed turned around one last time, just to make sure she was real and not a figment of his imagination.
