» Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to make can sometimes be more painful. «
~ Paula Cretho
「 In which Mackenzie makes a hard choice. 」
Dedicated to: bratayleysdiary for being awesome <3
A/N ~ I had hardly any inspiration for this chapter so I'm sorry if it's not up to my usual standard :) the second half is better lol
POV: Mackenzie Ziegler
DATE: 1 February 2026
•••
"Johnny's in a really hard place at the moment Kenz. Hayden invited Annie to live with them– you know what they're like. He's got nowhere else to go, but with your permission he could stay with us. Please Kenz–" Lauren starts to explain, but I cut her off.
"Johnny?" I ask, just louder than a whisper. "Staying with us?" My voice raises a few octaves.
"I'm so sorry Kenz and I know I'm putting you in a tough situation but he needs this right now. It would only be for a few weeks–"
"A few weeks?" I question, sounding shrill. "Are you aware of how much I hate your brother?"
Lauren sighs, driving even slower through town. "Of course I am. I'm only asking you to consider it Kenz."
Beyond pissed off, I stare out the window. "Why can't he just stay in a hotel until Annie's gone?"
"Well firstly Kenz, you of all people should know what staying in a hotel is like when you have over 100 million instagram followers, and secondly, Annie's not going anywhere. Hayden invited Annie to live with him."
"I'm going to kill Hayden when I see him next. Son of a–"
Lauren laughs, cutting off the sound of me cursing. We sit in silence for a while, me seething with anger and probably turning a lovely shade of red. Note the sarcasm.
"Mackenzie–"
"Okay okay, I'll consider it." I grumble.
"Thank you." Lauren smiles sincerely. "You're very kind."
I mumble something unpleasant about her that rhymes with ducking glass mole, and she shrieks, giggling.
"What would your fans say if they heard that?"
"I don't know– but I'd probably make the newspaper in thousands of countries, be the starter on many news channels and there'd be videos of it everywhere." I laugh, anger evaporating.
Lauren smiles. "Sounds about right. Do you want to have a girls night in?"
"Of course."
On the way home Lauren and I stop to get pizza, face masks and as much lollies as we can fit into a supermarket bag. After stopping for a few photos with very eager fans, we get in the car and drive home.
Upon reaching our apartment, I look up at it with admiration. Lauren and I happened across this place by accident, but it's been more than perfect for us.
YOU ARE READING
holding on • jenzie
FanfictionMackenzie Ziegler is a perfectly happy woman, living in sunny Los Angeles with her best friend Lauren Orlando. Her singing career is just getting started, and she's being offered gigs that artists twice her age haven't had the chance to do yet. Life...
