fameless → ZACH HERRON ✓

t w e n t y - e i g h t

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
( THIS ISN'T YOU )

     CARMEN AWAKES WITH a start. At first she's confused, glancing around at her surroundings wildly. Then, she meets the gaze of someone she thought she had left behind years ago- Jackson.

Carmen's breath catches in her throat as he grins at her, exposing his pearly white teeth. That smile was one that used to captivate her- to brighten her day like nothing else. But now, it was haunting. The center of her nightmares.

She tries to move from her uncomfortable position on a chair, but fails as her hands and ankles are tied together, and a rope around her waist that secures her to the chair.

"You tied me up?" She questions, not meeting Jackson's gaze as her eyes roam the familiar setting.

She recognized it- a place where she and Jackson would go to hang out with Casey and Laila. It was their secret circle spot, and even her mother didn't know where it was. And now, she finds herself regretting that no one else knew about it.

"I wasn't going to take any chances," He shrugs, sitting down on a chair that was placed opposite of her. "I heard you moved on from me."

"Is that why you kidnapped me?" Carmen scoffs. "Because you were jealous that I left Oregon and moved on from you?"

"We're in Oregon, darling," He chuckles deeply, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "And you may have convinced yourself, but you haven't moved on. You and I both know you still love me."

"I stopped loving you the day you beat me with your friends," Carmen glares. "If you would've just let it go, and stopped the rumors, I would still be here and my father would still be alive."

"So you're blaming his death on me?" Jackson arches a brow. "After you slept with Casey's boyfriend?"

"I didn't!" Carmen snaps. "You and all the others think that, but who started the rumor? It's not true, Jax, and you know it! You're the one who spread the rumor!"

"Because you did! Don't think I didn't catch you two hanging out together at his house!"

"Who told you that? Hm?" Carmen arches a brow, leaning forward. "Was it Derek? Because the only time I stayed the night at Cole's house was when he and Casey just got together, and she was too afraid to spend time alone with him!"

"Derek wouldn't lie," Jackson narrows his eyes. "You, on the other hand, would do anything for your reputation, wouldn't you? Move to a new state- and get some overprotective friends just so you could keep the truth from them when I came along."

"I told them everything that happened, Jackson. I don't keep secrets, especially from people I care about. You know that if I ever slept with Cole, you would be the first person I told because I loved you. I would've never kept the truth from you, even if it meant the end of our relationship."

"But that's the thing, Carmen," Jackson frowns. "I did love you, as much as you loved me. But you didn't tell me, and now you're lying about it!"

"I DIDN'T SLEEP WITH COLE!" Carmen yells, her anger flaring. "AND YOU NEVER LOVED ME! YOU AND I BOTH KNOW YOU PLAYED ME!"

"Well, let's see what Cole has to say about that, hm?" Jackson smirks, standing from his his chair as he steps beside her, staring at the door just feet away from them. "We'll see who's telling the truth."

Carmen squirms as Jackson places a harsh grip on her shoulder. But she stops as the door opens in front of them, revealing someone she hadn't saw in nearly seven months.

"Cole," She murmers, staring at the familiar blue eyes. "Why are you here? I thought you moved-"

"I did." Cole states, shutting the door behind him. "But I came back after Jackson contacted me."

Carmen glances up at Jackson, furrowing her eyebrows in pure confusion. "Why did you contact him?"

"Because Cole told me everything," Jackson grins wickedly. "And I called him because I wanted someone to watch as I make you pay for all the suffering you put me through these past months."

"Jax, what are you doing?" Carmen murmers as Jackson disappears into a dark part of the warehouse. "Jackson?"

He appears again after a few moments, holding a baseball bat harshly in his grip.

"Please don't do this again," Carmen pleads, her eyes watering as flashbacks of her first beating came into mind. "Please, Jax. This isn't you."

"You're right, Cam, this isn't me," Jackson tilts his head to the side. "But I haven't been myself since you left. And I think it's time you pay for it."

And then, he he arched his shoulder, and swung the bat.

---

"You okay?" Daniel asks taking his seat next to Zach, ignoring Aurora's yell from behind them.

The boys and Aurora are currently on a plane to Oregon, with Carmen's mother somewhere on the plane. Corbyn snores next to Daniel, while Aurora worries about the storm next to Jonah. The girl was deathly afraid of airplanes, due to her days of binge-watching Grey's Anatomy.

"I'm fine," Zach mutters, staring out the window at the clouds.

"You know she's going to be okay, right?" Daniel says, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get there before he does anything."

"We don't even know where he's taking her, Daniel," Zach states harshly. "How do you expect me to believe that she's going to be okay? That he's not hurting her right now?"

"Carmen is a fighter," Daniel shoots back. "You know that. She came back from the brink of death, and-"

"And what?" Zach turns to him. "Was miserable for days because of how much pain she was in? I just didn't want her to get hurt again, Daniel. I didn't- I didn't think this would happen, or I would've slept in our room anyway."

"There's no way you could've known," Daniel comforts him. "And for now, all we can do is hope for the best."

"Yeah, well, I hope she's okay," Zach sighs, sinking back into his seat with tears in his eyes. "I can't lose her."

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