The Unexpected

Chapter 16

Dedicated to @LilMissT13 for making me laugh with all of her comments! She also threatened me with a gun, which made me write this chapter faster. Motivation! :D

"Hope that you fall in love and it hurts so bad." –OneRepublic, I Lived

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Chapter 16

I sat down across from Zachary, eyeing him suspiciously. He stared right back, looking semi-amused at my weapon of choice. "Really, a frying pan? What are you gonna do, cook me poisonous bacon?"

"No, I could clobber you to death. It also doubles as a shield." I held it up and waved it in his face. "Get your facts straight."

Zach sat back in his chair, chuckling at my antics. "I'm not going to attack you, Ricki. I just want to talk."

"Okay." I mimicked his position. "So let's talk. First question: Are you or are you not Alec?"

Zach nodded. "Yes."

"Yes what?" I urged.

"I am."

"Okay, but why Alec?"

"I don't know," he answered, shrugging. "Maybe I wanted my identity a secret. It would come in handy when crazy girls wanted to attack you with cast-iron cookware."

I raised the pan again and he flinched. "Watch yourself buddy." I warned.

"Three, did you know that I was S?" I pulled my legs up criss-cross-applesauce and layed my 'weapon' in my lap.

Zachary shook his head. "Not the entire time, but I figured it out a couple of weeks ago." He leaned up to meet my gaze, resting his chin on his palm. "Now it's my turn to ask a question."

I thought about it. "Fine, I guess it's only fair. Ask away."

He was obviously surprised I obliged, but then grinned at me. At that moment I was glad I was a still a little ticked at him or I would have melted. I met his gaze, his green eyes holding victory in them. Aw, heck, even when I'm mad he's still gorgeous.

No, bad Ricki. Bad naughty thoughts.

"My question is," Zach paused for dramatic effect. I rolled my eyes.

"Just ask already."

He held his hands up. "Okay, okay. Will you, Ricki Young, accompany me, Zachary Freeman, to the movies Saturday at six."

"I-"

"Please?" he interrupted me. "Just one night, since your obviously not going to the dance with me."

"Zach, I don't know." I sighed.

"You can choose the movie," he bribed. "We'll even stop by Freezie's afterwards, of you'd like."

He's playing dirty, I thought. Using my secret weakness...ice cream. That's just harsh. But then he looked at me, and for a split-second I saw Aaden's face from when he convinced me to leave school with him.

"Okay, but just for one night," I said. Zachary grinned lopsidedly, once again reminding me of Aaden.

I inwardly cursed myself for agreeing. This was going to be harder than I thought.

..............

After making arrangements for Saturday Zach left, leaving me alone to finish my spaghetti. I looked at the clock as I turned the T.v. back on and was surprised to see that it was already nine. Where could Rose be? I thought.

Sometime while I was watching a re-run of CSI I heard the door open. Rose walked in, looking tired. "Hey, you okay?" I asked when I saw her eyes were tinted red, like she had been crying.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said with a wave of her hand.

"Where were you?"

"I was out, Miss Nosy," Rose answered before swiping the remote and turning the channel.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I think I'm entitled to know where my grandmother keeps disappearing off to."

"Fine, if you're so intent on prying into my personal life, I was visiting your grandfather's grave," she quipped at me.

"Oh." I winced. "Rose, I'm sorry-"

Rose interrupted me. "It's fine, no need to apologize." She looked at me- really looked at me, like she was trying to figure something out. "You never knew your grandpa, did you? Or Margie."

I shook my head. "No. They... the accident was the week before I was due."

The car crash was six days before I was born. Margie, my dad's little sister, was taking my Ben, my grandfather, to the drug store when a drunk driver swerved into the wrong lane and hit them head-on. The drunk got away without a scratch while Ben was killed on contact and Margie was medi-flighted to the hospital where she died three days later. She was seventeen. Now, nearly sixteen years later, it was still hard on everyone. Especially Rose.

We sat in silence until both of us decided to go to bed. That night I lay curled in my blankets, mind jumping from topic to topic, making it hard to fall asleep. I eventually found myself sitting in my vanity, brushing my long strawberry hair down over my shoulder. The soft motion was relaxing- my mother used to stroke my hair when I was younger- and soon I felt my eyelids drooping. I thought of Aaden again and how soft his hair would feel under my fingers.

That night I fell asleep with a smile.

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I know, I know, they're getting shorter. Sorry, but I haven't really been into the story for the last couple of chapters. I'll try harder next time, k? It didn't help that Arwin's Vigil by The Piano Guys was basically putting me to sleep. *yawn* VoV

~Madiliz :3