Request: Could you possibly do a Zach imagine where him and the reader have been dating for a while and she finds out in court he cheated on her with Hannah during the summer?
A/N: This was sad to write ;((
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[GIF NOT MINE]
"Hey, babe, it'll be okay..." you reassured your boyfriend on your way to his testimony.
"Yeah, I know...I just don't wan to let Hannah down," he sighed.
You brought him in for a hug and rubbed his back softly, "you won't Zach, I know the two of you were never really close especially after the whole compliment stuff, but I know you regret that and that you won't want to let her down again."
"Yeah, I guess so," Zach said, pulling away from the hug and looking down at his shoes awkwardly.
You continued to walk, holding hands in silence until you hugged him outside the courtroom when you arrived.
"I'll be sitting there watching you the whole time, don't worry, I'm there," you smiled, giving Zach's hand a last reassuring squeeze.
But somehow that did the opposite of reassure him, as you were completely unaware to just how close him and Hannah became the summer before she took her life.
Zach smiled weakly and went to testify. You took a seat in the audience with Zach's mother and watched as your boyfriend nervously took the stand. The lawyer supporting the Bakers was rather kind to Zach and you could tell he was less uncomfortable than he had been earlier. However, it was when the defence attorney for Liberty High came to interrogate Zach that things took a turn.
She began to ask Zach questions about Hannah that you found odd and completely irrelevant, but Zach on the other hand seemed to be sweating and fiddling with his thumbs nervously. What was up with him?
You watched painfully as she grilled your boyfriend, each question causing him to take longer pauses before answering. Zach was evidently avoiding eye contact with you and he'd just admitted to becoming friends with Hannah Baker over the summer after apologising to her, but you didn't see why he would think you'd be upset.
"And you and Hannah were just friends? Or was it something more?" The attorney pressed on, eyeing Zach like a hawk did its prey. It angered you the way she treated teenagers on the stand, she'd even forced Courtney Crimson to come out in front of her parents.
Zach made quick eye contact with you before looking back down at his hands. He took a long pause as if he was remembering something before saying, "We...uh, w-we had sex."
His expression showed utter shame, but not regret. You let out a silent gasp as you processed what he'd just said. He had sex with Hannah Baker, during the summer that you and him were still together.
"Just once?" The lawyer egged on.
It couldn't have been more than just once, Zach wouldn't have.
"It was uh...it was all summer," he said, his voice shaky, his eyes not daring to look up and meet yours.
As if it couldn't get any worse. He'd cheated on you the whole summer while you were away with your family. You felt your throat close up and the tears that had welled up threatened to escape.
You couldn't stay in that courtroom any longer, knowing what you now knew. You stood up and quietly apologised to Zach's mother and swiftly left the room, not giving Zach a second glance. You continued to walk away, now making your way down the stone steps of the courthouse that were full of protestors fighting for Hannah's justice. You wiped the tears that continuously streamed down your face that had flushed red with embarrassment.
"(Y/N)!" Zach called out, but you refused to respond.
"(Y/N), please! Let me explain," Zach yelled, running down the steps to catch up to you.
You began to pick up the pace at which you were walking, "Leave me alone Zach."
"No, wait..." Zach said, finally having caught up to you, blocking you from walking any further, "let me explain..."
"Let you explain what, Zach? It's all pretty obvious isn't it? You cheated on me, not once, but the whole fucking summer! The worst part is, you lied to me about it, the whole damn time, and I had to find out this way?" You yelled at him, your voice cracking, causing Zach's heart to break.
"I know, (Y/N), and I am so, so unbelievably sorry, I didn't know how to tell you, I was too afraid of losing you," Zach said, starting to tear up himself.
People passing by on the streets began to look at the two of you funnily.
"So you thought it better to keep me in the dark for months, to pretend that I was your first time, who the fuck do you think you are Zach?" You said, hurt laced in your voice.
"I am so sorry baby, you have to believe me, that I am so fucking sorry," he replied, his tears running down his face as he attempted to take hold of your hand.
"Don't touch me," you whispered as you swatted his hand away. Zach pulled back and just looked at you guiltily.
"Why don't you seem like you regret it? Why, Zach?"
He stayed silent.
"If you're fucking sorry, then tell me that you regret it, all of it. Tell me that you didn't love her, Zach," you pleaded.
But he remained silent, looking at you as his upper lip trembled.
"You loved her didn't you," you said, your voice cracking, the tears now seemed to be never ending.
"I..I did," he cried, "but I've always loved you (Y/N), I never stopped loving you, I did then and I do now, please just forgive me."
Hearing that he loved her tore your heart in two, it caused a dull ache to spread in your chest.
"I don't think you can cheat on a person you love, Zach, and if you do it means you never loved them fully or there wouldn't be any voids to fill," you said, your voice empty.
"Please just give me another chance, a chance to fix this," he begged, getting down on his knees, causing even more unwanted attention from strangers, "I'll do fucking anything, (Y/N)."
"Goodbye, Zach," you said, trying to hide the pain but it was necessary.
You then walked away from the boy who'd stolen your heart and then ripped it in two.
