After Hannah Baker- Zach Dempsey's New Life

8: Story

"Tell me about him," Ryan said when we walked into her house. She very slowly sat at the kitchen island. 

"What about him?" I asked. 

"Why you don't like him," she shrugged. 

"It's a really long story and I don't want you looking at me any different," I paused. "Or hating me," I mumbled. 

"What's in the past is in the past," she said slowly. "I can't judge you for who you were, for what you did. I can only judge you for who you are and what you can do," she whispered. I sighed then sat down next to her. 

"There was this girl at my old school," I paused. "All of my friends treated her like crap, they called her a awful names. My friend Justin and her had this thing for a week. Bryce had took Justin's phone and sent a picture Justin took of her around the school. That lead to more people saying things about her that weren't true. 

Then Marcus lied to her about her being his dollar valentine list to trick her into going on a date with him. He tried getting with her in the diner after he stood her up. She shoved him away and he called her a slut. Most of the basketball team was there and heard him say all of it. They all left the diner, she stayed at the booth and cried. Once all of the guys were gone I went back inside and sat with her. I was trying to be nice but since all of my so called friends were asses to her she ignored me.

The next day at school I went to talk to her and she told me to get lost. Which I did. We shared Communications Class together. The teacher had bags for us set up around the room so people could give us compliments anonymously. I started taking compliments from her bag because I was jealous that I wasn't getting compliments." I paused again to look at Ryan.

"What did Bryce do?" Ryan asked slowly. 

"He raped her," I mumbled. "He also raped my friend Jess, which the girl witnessed," I paused again. "He was supposed to go to prison but his dad bought him out," I mumbled. "Anyway, the girl went to get help from the school counselor the Monday after Bryce raped her. But the counselor basically told her that with no prove, he couldn't do anything," I paused again. "She killed herself that night," I whispered. Ryan put her head on my shoulder quietly. 

"How did you know Bryce raped her?" she asked quietly. 

"She made these tapes about all of the things my friends did to her and why she killed herself and I was on them," I mumbled. 

"She blamed all of your friends for her suicide?" she asked. 

I nodded slowly. "That's why we moved across the country," I mumbled. "There was this big trial because the girls parents were trying to sue the school because she was bullied," I whispered. 

We sat in silence for two seconds until the doorbell rang. Ryan sighed then grabbed her crutches to go open the door. I walked up behind her. Bryce was standing on the other side of the screen door. 

Bryce smirked at her then looked behind her at me. "Can I help you?" Ryan asked him. 

"I didn't realize Zach was here," Bryce chuckled then scratched the back of his neck. 

"We're always with each other," Ryan said then glanced back at me. "What do you want?" she asked Bryce. 

"Just to hangout," Bryce answered. Ryan glanced back at me slowly. I shook my head slowly. "You told her?" Bryce asked me angrily from behind the screen door. 

"What, you expected me not to tell her?" I chuckled. "I know for damn sure you didn't come over here to hang out Bryce," I said stepping in front of Ryan. Ryan backed up slowly. Bryce clenched his fists. "Stay away from me and Ryan," I said then shut the door and locked it. Ryan very slowly rubbed my back before I turned around to look at her. 

"Calm down okay?" she smiled lightly. I nodded then slowly hugged her. 

"I don't want you around him," I whispered. 

"I won't go around him," she whispered into my chest. 

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang again. Ryan sighed when I pulled away to peak out the window at the top of the door. It was Bryce. 

"Let's just go out to the back yard," Ryan said when I looked back at her. She lead me to the back yard where we sat down next to the pool. Ryan put her good leg into the water and turned to face me. I put both of my feet in the water then smiled when she started kicking my foot under the water lightly. She slowly put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. 

"You feeling okay?" I asked quietly. 

"Head hurts," she whispered. 

"From your concussion?" I asked wrapping my arm around slowly. She nodded then scooted closer to me. "Is it the sun," she shrugged then baried her head in my chest.

"It could be," she mumbled. 

"Let's go inside and go to the basement or something," I mumbled when Bryce started yelling. 

"Okay," she whispered then leaned away from me so I could stand up. I helped Ryan stand up then handed her crutches to her. She lead me inside then down stairs. She very slowly sat on the bean bag then smiled at me when I looked around the room looking for another chair. 

She giggled when I sat on the floor next to her. "You can sit here if you want," she mumbled then scooted over a little bit. "There is enough room right here," she patted the spot next to her.

I chuckled then very slowly crawled onto the beanbag. "What if it explodes?" I asked when the beads moved and the bean bag hissed. 

"I forgot bean bags can explode," she mumbled before the seem ripped open. 

"Ops," I chuckled. She giggled then looked at the ripped seem. "You need a new beanbag," I whispered.

She chuckled then sighed. "Now I don't have a chair down here," she mumbled. 

"We can get another one," I chuckled then stood up. I turned to help Ryan up. She stood on one leg until I handed her crutches to her. I grabbed the beanbag where it was ripped then looked at Ryan. "Where do you want it?" I asked. 

"Put it in a garbage bag and then bring it out to the garage," she said then headed up stairs. 

"Okay," I said when we walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a garbage bag and unfolded it for me. When the bean bag was almost in the bag I dropped it and a bunch of beads flew into the air. 

"Zach," Ryan laughed then looked around the kitchen. 

"I'll clean it up," I chuckled then grabbed the garbage bag from her. 

"You better," she giggled when I grabbed the broom leaning against the wall. I started sweeping up the beads while Ryan sat on the kitchen counter. 

When I finished sweeping up the beads, Ryan walked me out to the garage to put the garbage bag in it. She showed me where to put the garbage bag then waited for me. She lead me back inside then sat at the island. 

"You good?" I asked when she put her head on the island. She nodded then looked at me slowly. I slowly picked her up then carried her to her room. 

"What about my crutches?" she whispered when I set her on her bed. 

"I'll get them in the morning," I whispered laying next to her. 

"Okay," she whispered then put her head on my shoulder. She fell asleep after a few minutes.