Texting Zach Herron

Chapter 9

Zach: Hey Bree

Zach: Bree?

Zach: I'm gonna keep texting your name until you answer

Zach: Bree

Zach: Bree

Zach: Bree

Zach: Bree

Bree: What? I was sleeping

Zach: Hi Bree

Bree: Is that it?

Zach: No

Zach: Today's the day we get to meet each other!

Bree: You had to wake me up at 7:30 on a weekend to tell me that?

Zach: Yep

Bree: Well now I won't be able to get back to sleep

Zach: You're welcome 😊

Bree: Is it ok if I bring my best friend because she's had a crush on Jonah for a long time

Zach: Sure

Bree: Thanks!

Zach: I'm so excited!

Bree: Me too

Zach: I gotta go see you later

Bree: Bye

Reality

Zach's POV

"Why are you smiling at your phone?" Daniel asks.

"He's obviously texting Bree." Jack says.

"I ship it so much!" Corbyn yells. "#Zree!" He adds.

"What the hell is a Zree?" I ask him.

"You and Bree's ship name." Jonah says.

"You guys gave us a ship name?" I ask.

"Yep." Corbyn replies smiling.

Bree's POV

"Hey Emily you want to go to the Why Don't We concert with me?" I ask her.

     "OMG yes!" She replies.

     "Okay well the concert is in an hour and a half and it takes half an hour to get to the venue so get ready!" I tell her.

She gets ready and I beg Jamison, my cousin, slash brother I guess, to drive us to the concert. He finally gives in after a lot of begging and he drops us off. I lead Emily to the back of the venue and try to open the door but it's locked.

"Wait, why are we here?" She asks.

"You'll see." I tell her. I text Zach that the door is locked.

Bree: Hey Zach, my friend and I are here but the door is locked

Zach: Coming

The doorknob starts to move after a few minutes and it opens revealing Zach.

"Zachary!" I yell.

"Bree!" He yells pulling me into his arms. Emily just stands there shocked.

"Emily?" I ask. She's just starring at me and Zach. "Em?" I ask again. Nothing. "EMILY MADISON BROWN!" I yell next to her ear. She screams and falls on the ground.

"You know Zach Herron?!" She yells.

"Just come on." I say pulling her off the ground and pulling her with me to wherever Zach was leading us. He opens a door and I see the rest of the band.

"BREE!" Everyone yells.

"You know the whole band?" Emily asks.

"Hi guys." I say. "This is Emily my best friend." I tell them. I see Jonah starring. Daniel is trying to snap him out of it.

"Earth to Jonah!" He yells throwing a shoe at Jonah. Emily looks down blushing.

"I'm gonna go find a bathroom." I tell them. I go to the bathroom and when I come out Corbyn is standing in the hallway waiting for me. "Hi Corbyn." I say.

"I know who you are." He tells me.

"Me too, I'm Bree." I say.

"No, I mean I know who you are Ally Jacobs." He says. All the color drains from my face and my smile fades. How does he know?

"How did you find out?" I ask him.

"You used to live in Virginia and you went to the same middle school as me. It took me a while to recognize you though. Last time I saw you, you had bangs and braces." He tells me.

"You didn't tell anyone did you?" I ask him.

"No, but what happened to you? One day you just disappeared." He asks.

     "I don't want to talk about it." I say.

     "Ally, please." He says. I end up telling him the whole story.

"I'll tell you but don't call me Ally, my name is Bree." I say.

"Ok I'll call you Bree." Corbyn says.

"Well, when I was younger my parents, if you could even call them that, were alcoholics. They would come home drunk every night and beat me." I tell him. I pull my shirt sleeve down so he can see the scar on my shoulder and I start to cry. "When I was twelve they taught me a bottle hurts more than a fist." I pull my sleeve back up. "After that I knew I couldn't live with them anymore. I took a bus to the closet state I could get to and I moved in with my aunt." I tell him. "I changed my name to Bree Adams instead of Ally Jacobs and that was that." I finish, tears streaming down my face. He pulls me into a hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't know." He says.

"You couldn't have known. Your only the fourth person I've ever told." I tell him.

"Who all knows?" He asks.

"My Aunt Rita, my cousin who's now my brother too I guess Jamison, Emily, and you. That's it." I tell him.

     "Please don't tell anyone, especially not Zach." I tell Corbyn.

     "I won't, but why especially not Zach?" He asks.

     "Because he'll think I'm a freak and I kinda like him." I admit.

     "You like him?" He asks.

     "Yeah, kinda." I say.

     "#Zree!" He says smiling.

     "What the hell is a Zree?" I ask.

     "It's the ship name the guys and I came up with for you and Zach." He tells me.

     "You guys are crazy." I tell him.

     We go back to where the rest of the guys are and we all talk until the concert starts. Emily and I watch backstage and when the concert is over we say bye to the guys and Jamison picks us up. When we get back to my house we decide Emily will spend the night because it's already late.

     "So, where were you and Corbyn gone before the concert started?" Emily asks.

     I respond saying "Corbyn knows..."