Chapter 28
There is nothing worse than being forced to face a part of your past that you would rather not. I would know that better than anyone else.
That's why I was ready to kick Nikki out of the auditorium when she showed up at one of our practice sessions when we were playing Counting Stars by OneRepublic.
She had strolled in like she owned the place and sat in the very front row. Zach almost dropped his drumsticks, but regained his composure and finished the song without looking at her again. I hadn't expected him to, so I was filled with pride.
The silence that followed after we stopped playing was tense. Even Jasper knew not to open his mouth to crack a highly inappropriate joke. Zach was looking at her like he couldn't understand what he was seeing.
I remembered the look in his eyes when he had sat under a table with me, trying to drink away his feelings.
"Hello Nikki." I said before I knew what I was doing.
"Hi." She said, looking confused. Then she started to look a bit upset and asked "Are you Zach's girlfriend?"
I hesitated, not knowing what to say.
"What are you doing here?" Thankfully, Zach had decided to speak.
Everyone else flinched at his frigid tone. I had never heard him speak like that.
"I miss you."
"You sure didn't look like that when you went to that party with somebody else." He spat.
"That was a friend. He just wanted me to step out of my house." She looked taken aback.
He sighed.
"Why are you really here? Because of that stupid call?"
Scarlett looked she regretted ever making that prank call.
"That was just of one the things that made me realize that I wanted you back."
"Why didn't you realize that when I left you all those messages? When I tried to catch your eye on the street but you just walked away? When I stood outside your door, waiting for you open it?"
"I know I have a lot to explain. But please, hear me out." Her eyes started to water.
We took that as our cue to start to walk out. But he realized what we were doing without even turning around.
"Stay right there." He snapped at us. "Whatever she wants to say, she can say in front of you."
"Are you sure?" Liam questioned "I think you need some privacy."
"I'm sure."
We decided to sit in the corner so that we wouldn't be an interruption.
"You have a minute." Zach looked at his watch in a pointed manner and then back at Nikki.
"My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I broke up with you." She started.
I heard a startled gasp from my left.
"I honestly thought she was going to die. Then I thought about you. I realized you were the only person of my life who could escape getting tangled in the drama that was my life."
"Didn't it occur to you that I the reason we were dating was because I wanted to be part of your life?"
"I didn't think about then. I had already decided I would have to let you go for your own good. I thought you would be better off without me."
