fake love »» Zach Herron

chapter 54

three days later

Zach **

It's been three days and we still haven't found them. We thought about giving up and going home but we were still hopeful of finding them.

All of a sudden, we hear the same scream as we did the first night, coming from the same direction. "That's Keelys scream!" Jonah gasped.

We then see Liam, Hailey, and Keely walking out (more like Liam dragging them) towards the waterfall.

"Zach!" Hailey shrieked. Liam covered her mouth with his hands.

Hailey **

"Zach!" I shrieked. I saw him look at me and alert the others before Liam clasped his hand over my mouth.

He dragged us over to the edge of the waterfall and the boys followed him cautiously. He then grabbed the hems of our shirts and held us dangerously close to the edge. "Come any closer, and they'll fall to their deaths." He snarled.

"Hailey." Keely breathed out. "Don't even move, even slightly."

I closed my eyes awaiting for my death, but it never came. Or just yet.

Liam stumbled, and threw us back a bit, away from the edge. He was gripping onto the slippery rock for dear life. I was shivering in the water. Zach helped me up and led me towards the other boys, and Jonah did the same with Keely.

I looked back at Liam who was holding on to the cliff for dear life. He looked shocked and miserable, and I couldn't bear to see anyone so close to death, even Liam. I rushed over to him, not caring that everyone was yelling at me to not.

I crouched down from the edge and looked down, getting chills at looking how far the drop down was. I held out my hand and whispered, "Liam, grab on to my hand."

He grabbed it and hoisted himself up with one hand, and I pulled him up by the other hand. once he got to safety he said to me and Zach and the others, "I'm sorry for all of this, but they both made me do this. If I didn't they'd kill me. I'm actually happy for you guys, and Hailey I'm glad that you found Zach. I know that he won't treat you as I did to you."

"But who made you do this?" I asked him leaning into Zach, tired.

"I can't tell. They'll kill you." He said. Tears were now forming into his eyes. "I'm sorry Keely. And Cameron, sorry for being such a dick to you when we were younger. Hailey, I want you to have a happy life with Zach. Don't worry about me. Make sure that you know who your true friends are. And I know that this might sound overdramatic, but I think this is going to be my last goodbye. I hope I'm just a mere memory to you guys, and not a dark one. I wish we could've just start over as friends, maybe turn into best friends with all of you guys. But I know that they'll keep making me do this to you guys, and it's for the best if I just stop hurting others. Bye Hailey. And remember, I love you, and I'll watch over you. I promise." He said directly to me, kissing my forehead. I was a bit stunned and pissed that he did that to me, but tears started to form in my eyes as I realised what he was going to do next. He took a deep breath, and walked away closer to the edge. 

"Liam, wait!" I cried out. He turned around and came back a  bit and I ran to him, hugging him tightly and crying. "You don't have to do this. We can be friends." 

He just shook his head. "But then I'll never stop hurting you guys. I don't want to. It's best if I end it all here. But please, just watch out Zach." Liam said. "They're after you next."

"What? Liam, don't walk over!" Zach cried out. "We could be friends. You can help us."

"Help you guys with what? Just hurting you? I need to do this. I love you Hailey." He said giving me one last dazzling smile before stepping over into nothing but crashing water.

I screamed and ran over to see if he was really gone. i cried and I knew that Zach was too. He clutched me to his chest and I sobbed into his shoulder. "He's gone. I should've known. This was so unlike him. First beating up Easton, then cutting Keely. Then having me and Keely almost on the verge of death?" I cried even harder. Easton came up from behind me and took me into his arms.

"He did what was best for us." He whispered soothingly. "And I think he left your something."

"What is it?" I sniffed. Zach handed me pictures, captions, and a final note. The first picture and caption was of me and him laughing together. He wrote 'We'll be forever locked inside our hearts.'

"That's cute." Zach said.

The second picture was of me giving him a peck on the cheek. He wrote 'Friends forever'

I read the note aloud. "He wrote, 'Hailey. I was thinking about this ever since they made me do this. I couldn't bear to cause you or your friends any pain. Be careful of Riley, she's poison. Look after Zach, I overheard them talking about him. Getting to the point, I want you to know that I'll always love you even if you don't love me back. What I did was the best for everyone. I hope you have a long and happy life with Zach, i know he'll treat you right. With more love than everything put together in the universe, Liam.'"

I started crying again, and it started raining. "Hailey, let's try and find his body at the bottom." Zach said softly pulling me into his warm embrace.

///

I felt weak from all of that crying as we got out of the car and trying to look for a floating body. "I don't see it." Keely said sadly.

"I feel like something part of me is gone, and replaced by something else." I said. "Maybe it was my hate for Liam. I think it was replaced by a friendly love for him."

"I love him for helping us too." Zach said. 

We both stared into each other's eyes for a moment and both kissed each other. "I missed you for those past three days. I thought that I would never see you again." I cried.

"But what matters most is that Liam didn't kill your guys. At least we're back together." Zach said.

For the rest of the day I was crying over Liam, of all people.

OH HOLY SHIT THAT WAS ALMOST 1100 WORDS! anyways i hope you guys liked that twist. that may or may not be the last time you see liam though.