Water Doesn't Wash Away Everything (Zack Merrick)

Chapter 28

Zack glanced down at the photograph Alex had given him, the address that was scribbled on the paper, and then up at the house he stood in front of.

This had to be it. Unless there was a duplicate house that Alex and Megan posed in front of when they were younger.

Zack stuck the picture and piece of paper in his pocket then started up the walk. He could only hope that Meg’s family still lives here.

“Hi.”

Zack jumped and looked to his right to see a boy with blonde hair. He looked a lot like Meg, with the same eyes, but their hair was different. The only person it could be was Tony.

“Hey. Are….you Tony?” The boy smiled and nodded.

“Yea. Who are you?” Tony asked.

“I’m Zack. Is, um, is your sister here?” The kid’s smile faded slightly.

“She doesn’t live with us anymore.”

“What?” Zack whispered, there’s no way Tony had heard him.

“Excuse me.” Zack turned to a woman with blond hair that was cropped short standing on the steps on the house. “Can I help you?”

“Uh, yea. I’m looking for Megan,” Zack said quietly. The curiosity grew on the woman’s face.

“Are you Zack?”

“Yes.” The woman nodded, thinking.

“Come on in.” She gestured him forward and he walked to the door, glancing over at Tony. Tony gave him a smile then disappeared around the corner of the house.

***

“So you are the famous Zack,” she said sitting down across from him at the kitchen table.

“Famous?”

“My daughter told me a lot of things about you.”

Zack looked down at his hands nervously. “Can I say something?”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“I love your daughter. With all of my heart, I do. And I’m sure she told you about the…fight.” She nodded. “But those things I said, I didn’t mean any of it. I need you to know that I care for Megan and I need to find her. So I can apologize. I’m just hoping she’ll give me another chance….”

Zack didn’t know exactly why all of that came out. She sighed and took a drink out of her mug.

“I know that you care about Megan. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. But I need you to know that Megan was heartbroken when she came back. She tried to hide it but I could tell. I hated seeing her like that. I was tempted to go find you and kick your butt.”

Zack ran a hand through his hair and looked down.

“But,” she said with a smile, “from the rest of the things she told me, I could tell you that you really did love her.”

“I—“

“And she loves you too. But I’m sorry. She doesn’t live here anymore. She stayed for two months, to be home and to stay with Tony but then she decided that she needed to leave.”

“Where can I find her?”

“California.”

“California?”

“Yea. She’s living in a house in Fortuna, not too far from the beach.”

Zack smiled. This really was the girl of his dreams.

***

“Thank you, again.”

Megan’s mom smiled and gave him a hug. “You’re welcome. Now go get her.”

He smiled then looked over at Tony.

“See ya Tony.”

“Bye Zack!”

Zack left and then got into the taxi he had called for earlier. He shoved the address Meg’s mom had given him into his pocket. When he got to his hotel room he grabbed the phone.

“Did you know that Megan lives in California now?” Zack demanded to Alex.

“What?”

“Yea. She lives in Fortuna. How did you not know that?”

“I don’t know! She never told me!”

“You’re the one that actually gets to talk to her!”

“Not as much as you think. Zack, I barely get to talk to her now. She’s getting more and more distant from me ever since…yea.”

Zack nodded even though he knew Alex couldn’t see.

“Right. Sorry, bro. Look, I’m going to get some sleep. I’m going try to get the next plane out of here.”

“Then what?”

“Then I’m going to Fortuna. What else?”