Protection, Zack Merrick, All Time Low

23

Zack

I see Jacks' arms wrapped around Kimmy and I immediately start getting angry, it probably isn't anything, but her shoulders are racking, and looks like she's crying.

I walk over there quietly, "You can't tell him." Jack whispers.

My fists clench at my sides, I walk up to them, angerily. "Can't tell who what?" I ask, venom soaking my voice.

"I don't want to start anything." She says, looking up at me, her blue eyes glimmering in the fires light.

"I thought you loved me?"

"Yeah, I could say the same for you." She snaps.

"What do you mean?" I demand. "I do love you, you're the one cuddling up to jack not even five hundred feet from me!"

"Dude what are you talking about?" Jack looks at me with pain in his eyes, but doesn't he see mine? One of my best friends betraying me. The love of my life, betraying me.

I slam the heel of my hand into his nose, probably breaking the damn thing. "You cheated!" I assume, yelling. "Why would you do that to me?"

"Zack! What the fuck? I didn't! And even if I were to, you'd think I would do it with your best mate?" She looks up at me, tears wiped away, and anger clear in her eyes and voice. "How could you think that low of me?"

Jack is holding his nose, and he looks at me like I'm the stupidest man in the world, and maybe I am, but that doesn't take away what happens next.

"Jack, can I see your phone for a minute please?" She asks. He hands her the phone hesitantly after unlocking it, and she shoves a gif in my face, "Yeah, I'm the cheater." She says sarcastically, "That was after you told Alex you had feelings for me, and he told you I like you as well, but you did it anyway. Didn't you?

"Would I have been tying you down so much to where we wouldn't have fun?" She pauses, looking me un the eyes for the first time since she showed me the gif. "Was I not enough for you while I was gettin' beaten, and raped? The worst thing is, you didn't even tell me about it. About her. But then you tell me, that you were sad while I was gone." My heart was clenching, she was right.

She continued, "You told me you were looking for me, worried about me. Tell me, Zack, why would I be in Vegas in some other girls body while I was in Manchester experiencing the worst week and a half of my life, because I went to dump him for you. Because I didn't want your band to be bashed because Alex Gaskarths little sisters abusive boyfriend was about to leak the nudes she didn't even know were taken!" She was screaming now, and at this point, I was glad Rian and Cass lived in the country part of Baltimore.

I could see the others staring at us in my peripheral vision. I tried to hug her, and she just pulled away, my heart shattered even more.

"You're right." I whisper. "I wasn't looking for you at that time, I was mad you left without telling me, I was mad you didn't even leave a note, text, or even tweet me. I was mad that you weren't there and I was when I planned on asking you out on a date that week."

"Don't you dare turn this on me." She snaps. "I did it because I figured I'd be back in a few days."

"I'm sorry." I tell her, "Genuinely sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fix the doubt I had that you don't even actually love me. Sorry doesn't fix the fact that you don't trust me. That you thought I slept with your best mate, why would I do that when the only person I've willingly had sex with was you? And yet, you called it making love?" She digs her hand in my pocket, and grabs her keys, and then goes to grab her bag, avoiding looking into anyones faces or curious glances.

I try and stop her, before she climbs into the drivers seat, driving off, "Baby, I'm so sorry, don't go."

"I just need time away, okay? Let me breathe." At this point, tears are streaming down her face. "Think about how much you trust me not to do something stupid." She gives a dry laugh. "Get home safe." I move in to kiss her, and she jerks back, not looking me in the eyes as she shuts the door and drives off quickly.

At least she still cares.

But how could I have been so stupid?