~COMPLETED~
Ellody Brown, a high-school girl who happens to be Zach Herron's best friend since childhood, hasn't told Zach how she feels about him. But what happens when feelings for someone else come in between them? Ellody struggles with anxiety...
PREVIOUSLY: "I'm going to call Zach, OK?" Ellody added, and Sienna smiled, darting out of the room and closing the door with a soft snap.
BRRT BRRT.
BRRT BRRT.
"I thought I was going to call you next!" Zach shouted down the line, making Ellody turn the volume down. She ignored his comment as warmth spread through her body, a feeling only he could bring out in her.
"Hey, Zach. You miss me?" she asked, running a hand through her hair like he always did.
"Not one bit. I never miss you when I'm on tour." Zach laughed before calling out to someone on the other side, and Corbyn's voice came through.
"Hey Ellody, how you doing, just wanted to say hi, now I've gotta go because it's my turn for Uno, bye!"
"Was that Corbyn?" Ellody giggled, imagining Corbyn getting up and rushing back to his game.
"Of course it was," Zach replied, sighing deeply before yawning. "You tired? How's the tour going?" she asked quietly, her eyes fixed on the door to her room.
"It's good, it's going well. But I'm super dead," he admitted, and they both laughed.
"I wish I was on tour with you. I have a stupid test coming up at school that I'm avoiding studying for, and... OK, you'll never guess what me, Sienna and Jade just did," Ellody explained, ending in a whisper.
"Oh, what?" he asked, his tone excited. Ellody stood up from her bed, retreating to the window alcove and pulling the curtains shut. It was where she went when she told her friends secrets when they were in primary school, and where she cried and wrote in her diary all through middle school. So it was obviously going to be her gossip corner all through high school, alongside her midnight break-down hidey-hole.
"A Jonas Brothers concert. We snuck in!" she whisper-screamed, adrenaline flowing through her veins as she remembered the night she just had.
"No you didn't," Zach whispers back, but his tone suggested that he believed her. Ellody giggled, nodding to herself to try and believe that maybe she did just do that.
"I did! Oh my God, I was so scared I was going to get caught," she added, examining the dusty curtain and deciding she should probably get around to washing them.
"You still could get caught. They just have to check the security cameras and see you sneaking in. You're not out of it yet," Zach explained, throwing Ellody off her game completely.
"Why would they? If they don't have a reason to, they wouldn't check the tapes, right?" Ellody suggested, her heart pounding. It was hard to believe just seconds ago she was still living off the adrenaline. We could still get caught.
"Believe what you want," he muttered, but Ellody could hear the smile in his voice.
"I will," she sighed, staring at the floor. She didn't want to get caught; she'd broken the law. His face appeared in her mind, an eyebrow raised in a slightly disapproving way. "I'm sure it'll be fine. What's the chance of me being caught my first time ever breaking the law?" she added hurriedly, biting her lip.
"Yeah, hardly any chance. It doesn't matter, don't stress over it," he said, his voice getting more distant as he spoke.
"Zach? I'm worried," she breathed, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them. He didn't reply for a few seconds, and Ellody took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Look, I've got to go - Caspary wants me to try on some shoes. I'll talk to you later. Oh, and you'll be fine - there's no way anyone would catch you," Zach explained, pausing for her reaction. Ellody sighed as quietly as possible, her face falling. She didn't want him to go try on shoes, she wanted him to fight off the cops at her door and run away with her, where she would be completely safe-
"I've really got to go. Talk later," he pressed.
"Yeah, bye," Ellody muttered, hanging up. She put her phone down next to her and held her head in her hands, feeling a panic attack coming on. Tears were already building up behind her eyes, and her throat hurt with the urge to cry. Before she could decide whether to have her panic attack and go through her breathing exercises on her bed or where she was, her phone beeped and his name appeared on the screen. Ellody's heart soared as she read the text on her screen - Caspary didn't want him, he wanted Jack.
ZACH: lol cas wanted jack not me wanna ft
Ellody didn't reply; she went straight to FaceTime and pressed his name, waiting for him to accept the call. Seconds later, his face graced her screen, lighting up the dark alcove.
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"Hey girl," he said, pulling a face at her. Ellody forced a smile, waving. He felt so far away.
"Hey, what are you doing?" she asked, noticing the house-looking background.
"Watching Daniel give everyone massages. We were cramped in an Uber for ages," he explained, yawning. Ellody shook her head slightly, wondering why Daniel was doing it if they could afford for a real masseuse to travel with them.
"Of course, what else would you guys be getting up to?" she joked, her heart heavy as she stared at his side profile, his head turned to where she guessed Daniel was standing. His jawline could cut watermelon in Ellody's mind.
"Daniel, do me next," Zach said before laughing and shoving someone away from him. She longed to be with them, sharing this moment. Scrambling for something to say, Ellody's mind landed on the one and only Kay Cook.
"Hey, I was meaning to say this earlier, but... I ran into Kay at the concert," Ellody began, quickly deciding to let this sink in for him before continuing. Laughter echoed in the background before he turned back to the screen, smiling.
"Sorry, did you say something?" he asked, clearly unable to feel the pain she was feeling on her side of the screen.
"I saw Kay at the concert. Are you guys together or what? I'm so confused," she said, staring directly into his eyes. He raised his eyebrows, the grin fading to a small smile. He licked his lips before replying.
"Uh, well, we're still figuring things out. How is she?" he asked. Zack Caspary appeared on the side of the screen, talking to Zach about something Ellody couldn't hear. Before she knew what was going on, Zach was apologising and saying he needed to go. "Kay and I haven't seen each other in a while but we still text. I do have to go now, Caspary wants to compare Jack and I in the shoes, sorry Ell. I'll call you when I get a second," Zach muttered into his phone before giving a half smile and disconnecting the call. Ellody's lips were slightly parted, the breath of her next few words turning into a quiet exhale. Her mind was blank. Couldn't he see she needed him? Her phone screen darkened and turned off from lack of use as tears filled her eyes. Being away from Zach was hard, but receiving even the slightest bit of neglect from him hurt even more. Is it unhealthy how much my pure happiness depends on his word?
BRRT BRRT.
BRRT BRRT.
Ellody didn't want to see who was possibly calling her in the middle of her worrying and overthinking.
