Chapter 16

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by rac06h10ael

by rac06h10ael

-Zack's POV-

I paced back and forth in the dressing room of the venue, twisting the wedding ring around my finger and biting my lip. This was the last show, the last day I had to make my decision. Was I going to choose my friends or was I going to choose Gwen? It was an impossible choice, and quite frankly, it was unfair. It wasn't easy either.

It wasn't just me I had to think about, or Gwen, but I had to think about Chase. No matter what, Gwen was Chase's mother and I was his dad. If I chose Gwen, I would keep my family but lose my friends. If I chose the band, I'd lose my family but keep my friends.

"Hey, Zack, you ready?"

My head snapped up and I saw Jack standing in the doorway, and behind him, Alex and Rian. They were all equipped with their earpieces and were ready to get out on stage and perform. I swallowed the lump in my throat and croaked, "Do you think I can ask you guys a question?"

"Dude, we've got to go on in five," Alex retorted, "So it better be quick or else you'll have to wait until the show's over."

I let out a long sigh and sat down on the couch the venue had provided us, putting my heads in my hands and asking, "What should I do?"

"About what?" Rian replied, pushing through the barrier Alex and Jack had created in the doorway and walking over to me, plopping down on the couch cushion beside the one I was on and wrapping his arm around my back.

"Gwen wants me home more often," I divulged the secret I'd been keeping from them these past few days, though that was only a part of it.

"Well, the tour's almost over with, so..." Jack began to say, entering the room himself and joining the two of us on the couch, sitting on my other side, "...you'll get to be home with her in no time."

"No, guys, you don't get it," I stressed, meeting both of their gazes, "She doesn't want me touring anymore, being in a band anymore." A silence fell over the four of us, a heavy tension rising. "I...I don't want to give this up, but I'm afraid that if I choose you over her, she's going to take Chase away from me and...and I can't lose him. He's my son."

"She wouldn't do that to you, Zack," Rian tried to convince me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

I couldn't help but notice how Alex was still standing in the doorway, and hadn't said a single word this entire time. Part of me knew why, though. It was because he knew how Gwen truly was. She'd played him just like every other guy she cheated on me with. He knew how manipulative she could be. It took him a while to grasp that concept - at the time choosing to believe her over his best friend - but eventually, he did. He knew how she could be, and how she would say anything and do anything to get what she wanted, including taking what I cared most about away from me.

"Yeah, man, don't worry about it," Jack added, "This is how things have always been and she's never had a problem with it before, so maybe she just missed you a lot this tour. We won't be touring again for a little while, so you'll be home like she wants you to be. Everyone will be happy."

"Guys, I really don't-"

"Hey, the show's about to start," Alex bluntly interrupted, attracting everyone's attention, "We should probably get going." And with that, he left the doorway, soon to be followed by Jack and Rian. I, on the other hand, stayed back. I wasn't ready to play this show, not with everything I had on my plate. I groaned and fell back into the couch, covering my face with my hands.

That's when I heard the sound of footsteps quickly pattering across the floor and felt the cushion next to me dip in. I turned my head and peeked through my fingers, seeing who the person who'd come in was. "Alex?" I inquired, dropping my hands into my lap, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to help," He replied, his voice hushed to a whisper as if we were meeting in secret or something.

"Help with what?"

"Giving Gwen a taste of her own medicine," The singer answered, pivoting his torso so that he was facing me and resting his right arm on the back of the couch, "She deserves it, Zack. After all she's done to you, done to us, she deserves to know what it's like to be lied to."

The room around us grew warmer, my cheeks turning a deep shade of red and a worried expression appearing on my face. "Yeah, but...how?"

*****

"THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT, BALTIMORE! WE LOVE YOU!" Alex screamed into the microphone, a smile plastered on his face as he shot his hand up to the air, Rian hitting the drums and Jack and I strumming the strings of our guitars to close the show. The lights went out shortly after and four of us made our way off of the stage and into the wings. As we ventured into the back of the venue, the four of us ready to go out and celebrate the success of this tour, Alex inconspicuously pulled out his phone and told me to make the call.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" I asked him, afraid that the plan he described to me on our way to the stage was going to be a waste of time.

"It's worth a shot," He assured me, "I mean, besides, he's probably just like you and me. She lied to him. I bet he wants to get back at her just as much as we do."

I sighed and looked down at the device in my hands, the screen lit up and illuminated with his contacts, the person's name displayed noticeably in the center of the page. I bit my lip and pressed the contact, putting the phone up to my ear and listening to the rings everyone was familiar with. Alex gave me a supportive pat on the shoulder before catching up with Jack and Rian who were already half-way out of the venue.

The ringing came to a stop at one point and was followed by a, "Alex?"

"No, uh, this is Zack. I'm just using Alex's phone because, um, mine...died," I lied, rubbing the back of my neck nervously, "But anyways, how have you?"

"I-I've been better. Why?"

"Well, I just...I was wondering if maybe you wanted to meet up some time. I want to talk."