a little death (zach abels)

chapter three - just a squirrel

"12:27 am," i whispered, staring at the clock on my phone. sam was asleep next to me, she instantly knocked out the moment we got into my bed. i surprisingly wasn't tired, not after the crazy night we had. either that or i just didn't want to sleep until i heard from zach.

he told me he'd text me. maybe he meant tomorrow? hell, maybe he only said it to be nice?

i pulled off the dress i was wearing to the concert, deciding to sleep in only my bra and underwear.

my mind, racing with a whole bunch of "maybe's", felt too tired to even function anymore. "just sleep on it, nikki," i told myself. i pulled my thin sheets over my body and shut my eyes.

i went to sleep with my ears ringing, my heart pounding, my mind racing, and my lips curled into a smile. it was truly the best night of my life.

the light vibrating of my phone sounded exaggerated in the dead silence. my arm flew towards it. i was getting a call from a number i didn't have saved into my contacts. i had been sleeping for a while, it was almost three. who the fuck would call me this late? 

not wanting to wake sam up; i stood up, threw on an oversized sweater, and walked to my balcony doors, but by the time i got outside it was too late - my phone had stopped ringing. "strange," i whispered to myself, wondering who it was. it didn't cross my mind that it could've been zach. after all, he said he'd text me. plus, i think he'd know i was sleeping.

wide awake, i lay on my hammock swing, deciding to stay out on my balcony for a bit.i absolutely loved being there. my body shivered as the breeze touched my bare skin, the sweater i wore being my only protection towards the cold. i didn't mind at all - this was my favorite weather. 

i shut my eyes for a little bit. i felt myself drifting off, however i knew i wouldn't fall asleep.

i heard the bushes crackling from below. my eyes shot open as i lay very still. "it's just a squirrel," i whispered, calming myself down. the noises continued, and my garage's automatic sensor light went off. "shit," i cursed under my breath. "no animal could've caused that to turn on..." my eyes glanced over to the automatic light on my balcony. if i moved an inch, it would go off, and whoever's down there would know i was here. the person started humming, seeming to be pacing back and forth in front of my garage - which was right under where i was. once he let out a few coughs, i knew it was a man. 

it became dead quiet for a bit, but the light was still on, and he was still there. i had managed to remain perfectly calm and still throughout this time. he started coughing, a lot more than he did before - it seemed like he couldn't stop it. right at that moment, my phone started buzzing again. "shit!" i yelled, a little too loudly, plunging towards the table my phone was on - causing me to fall off my hammock with a loud thud, and the sensor light to go off.

i declined the call to stop the loud vibrating and realized the man had stopped coughing.

i backed up to the corner of my balcony, hoping to hide from this person, and trying to steady my breathing. my body was trembling with bot fear and being cold. he started throwing rocks up onto my balcony. "pssst," i heard from below. "it's me, zach..."

i let out a sigh of relief. standing up and leaning over my balcony's rail, i saw him standing there - in the same clothes he wore earlier. he ran his hands through his semi-long hair and smiled cheekily.

"what the actual fuck are you doing here?! you scared the living shit out of me," i scolded him with a whisper. his smile instantly faded. "i uh, i'm sorry..." he seemed speechless. i rolled my eyes. "wait right there," i said, zach responding with a nod.

i stepped back into my room and checked up on sam. after seeing her sleeping body still in my bed, i walked out of my bedroom and shut my door lightly. passing both my parents' and my older brother's room very quietly, i tiptoed down our staircase and headed for the front door. walking out, i saw zach standing there, kicking a rock down my driveway. i ran up to him.

he saw me and a smile spread across his face. "hi there," he whispered. he ran his fingers through his hair again. his eyes traced down to my legs, taking note of the little amounts of clothes i was wearing.

"um.. sorry about that, by the way. didn't mean to frighten you," he whispered, his eyes fluttering back up. my heart was still pounding - from fear, and now, adrenaline. "it's just, i was with the guys and uh, i wanted t-to see you," he stuttered a bit, facing the floor.

my hand flew to his chin and lifted his head up. "are you drunk?" i asked, worry filling inside of me. "uh," he nodded, not looking into my eyes. "zach.." i whispered. "how did you get here?" he glanced over to a car parked in front of my driveway. "oh god, no, why?" i grabbed onto him and pulled him over to my house. 

--

i took zach straight up to my bathroom. he sat on my counter as i threw water over his face, hoping to wake him up a bit. "i'm okay nicole, i promise," his hands overpowered mine as he grabbed onto me. i sighed, sitting on the counter next to him.

"what'd you guys drink?" i asked. "had a couple beers, that's all. and maybe a shot of vodka," he said.

"so why'd you come here?" 

"couldn't get you off my mind."