𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍 / alex standall ✓

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍
0 / PROLOGUE
↳ season zero, episode zero
act one / the tapes

Zach Dempsey sat against his headboard, staring at the group chat on his phone. It was full of people that had two things in common – one, they were all on Hannah Baker's tapes that she had made before she had killed herself two weeks ago, and two, they had all listened to them. As far as he knew, the tapes currently resided with Sheri Holland, who was number ten on the lineup of thirteen individuals.

The tapes had messed Zach up, although he didn't quite show it. He was less concerned with his presence on the tapes, and more concerned with his twin sister, Nessa's, presence on them. The night that he had listened to her tape, he cried himself to sleep for the first time since their father had passed away over the summer.

Zach thought about all of the things that would change, not only for him, but for his sister; his built-in best friend since birth, once she heard her tape. As much as he wanted to prolong it, he needed her to know the truth about a night that she hadn't spoken to him about since it happened. So, Zach Dempsey made a decision that day. He made it alone, without informing anyone but Nessa's boyfriend Alex Standall.

"Hey, Ness." Zach said as he popped his head into her room. She looked up at him from her English textbook. "I'm gonna run to the gas station for a snack, need anything?"

"I'll take some sour gummy worms." Nessa said, and Zach nodded before closing her door and grabbing his keys. He jumped into his Audi, and began his drive. He didn't lie to his sister, he would go to the gas station eventually, but there was something else he had to do first. He drove down the roads of their small town until he reached Padilla Automotive.

"Tony?" Zach called through the shop as he walked in, searching for Tony Padilla. He eventually found the man underneath a car. Tony heard his call and pushed himself out from underneath the vehicle, brushing the oil and dirt off of him as he locked eyes with Zach.

"What do you need, Zach?" Tony asked him.

"I need to talk to you about the tapes." Zach stated. Tony's eyes widened as he walked out of the shop and led Zach around to the back of the building.

"Talk." Tony said.

"I can't keep hiding this from Nessa, Tony." Zach finally said. "We need to get her the damn tapes. It's not fair."

"Hannah had rules, Zach." Tony told the boy, shaking his head.

"Tony, come on." Zach pleaded. "If someone, one of your friends, had done what he did to your sister, you would want her to know, right?"

Tony thought for a moment as Zach pleaded his case.

"Please, Tony." Zach said, his voice slightly cracking. "I owe this to her. I promised to protect her and I am fucking failing right now. It's killing me."

"Okay, I hear you." Tony said sympathetically as a single tear rolled down Zach Dempsey's face. He had never seen him cry before.

"Alex and I, we owe it to her to keep her safe and be honest with her, and we are both neglecting that right now. Just give her the tapes, please." Zach finished. Tony thought for a moment, and made a decision.

"Fine." he spoke quietly. "I'll give her my copies tomorrow, but I can't stop Sheri from passing them on. She'll have them at the same time as Clay Jensen. That's all I can do."

Zach nodded as he wiped the tear from his eyes.

"Thank you, Tony." Zach said as he walked off.