~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've been using Jonah to throw off my feelings for Zach.
Oh my God, I'm awful.
Poor Jonah. He has no idea.
"I'm horrible," Ellody whispered, reaching for her laptop and throwing it open. She quickly looked up flights to LA and used the saved credit card on her laptop to book herself the first available flight.
"What are you doing?" Sienna asked, but Ellody didn't have time to explain anything to her sister.
"I... I used Jonah, and I have to talk to Zach," she mumbled. Sienna blinked slowly, looking confused. "I have to go ask mum something," Ellody added as she closed her laptop and ran downstairs.
~
ZACH'S POV:
Corbyn walked into the kitchen, planting a kiss on Christina's forehead before sitting down next to Zach.
"That smells so good," Corbyn commented. Christin spun around and grinned at him, showing off her apron Jack had bought for her that day at a market. Kiss the chef was printed across the front in bold letters.
"It's lasagna and I'm Italian, I hope it smells good," Christina laughed before turning back to the oven and adjusting the temperature.
"Thank goodness you're here, Christina. I'm so hungry," Zach added, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Kay hadn't texted him all day, but yesterday she'd promised to call him once she'd finished her livestream on Instagram. He opened his Instagram to see that she hadn't even gone live in the last twenty-four hours.
"Quit looking for Kay on your feed, you've been doing it all day," Corbyn said quietly, raising his eyebrows at Zach. Zach shrugged and got up, walking out of the hotel apartment area and into his room on the other side of the hallway. Jack was lying on his bed, FaceTiming Gabbie and Lavender.
"Wait, does Lavender's shirt say 'I love dad'? That's so cute, where'd you get it?" Jack asked, smiling adoringly.
"Yeah! Tatum found it online and sent it to us," Gabbie smiled, bouncing Lav in her lap.
"Oh, here's Zach," Jack said, turning the camera so he could see them.
"Hey Gabbie, how are you?" Zach asked, smiling slightly.
"Good, you?" she said brightly.
"Uh, yeah," Zach replied stiffly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was actually just gonna go... shower," he added, frowning at his lack of excuses.
"You? Hygiene?" Jack joked. Gabbie shook her head at Jack, and Lavender started crying, giving Zach a chance to walk into the bathroom. He shut and locked the door before staring at himself in the mirror, fixing his hair.
I wonder why Kay didn't call me. I hope she's not regretting getting back together already.
He got undressed and had his shower, careful to not get his hair wet, then heard his phone ping on the vanity.
SIENNA: she's coming
~
ELLODY'S POV:
It was easy to pack her bags and convince her mum that she needed a holiday from all the stress of life. It was easy to say goodbye to Sienna and call an Uber. It was easy to check in her bags and find her gate and text her mum that she was alright. But it wasn't going to be easy to ring their doorbell and see Zach and Jonah at the same time.
"VIP borders on the flight to Los Angeles airport, please report to gate seven to begin check in." Ellody stood up and pulled her ticket out of her bag, joining a small group of people getting their tickets stamped.
I cannot believe I'm doing this. I'm flying alone. I'm flying alone. Why am I flying alone?
~
Three Netflix movies later, Ellody was walking through security at LAX and finding her bags. She called an Uber and found a bench outside to sit on while she waited.
"Miss Brown?" a young guy called, half hanging out of the driver's seat. Ellody nodded slowly, checking that he was driving the right car and looked like the guy in the photo.
"Yeah," she called, wheeling her suitcase over to the car. He jumped out and took her suitcase for her as she got in the passenger side.
"I'm Max, ready to take you to your destination. We shouldn't take too long, you'll get there at about midnight," he said, putting on his seatbelt and checking his blindspots before pulling out. Ellody pulled out her phone and texted Christina to avoid being awkward and having to make conversation.
ELLODY: are you up?
CHRISTINA: ofc
ELLODY: will you still be up at midnight
CHRISTINA: is that even a question
ELLODY: haha ok
CHRISTINA: y do you ask??
ELLODY: idek just bored ? :)
CHRISTINA: fair enough lol
CHRISTINA SENT A PHOTO
Ellody opened it to see Christina and Corbyn. He was staring ahead of him, and Ellody guessed they were watching TV in their room.
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"LA never stops. Traffic is always such a long wait," Max commented.
"Um, yeah," Ellody muttered, glancing around at the bright city. The sky was dark, but the city was vibrant with people walking the streets and cars everywhere.
"So, what brings you to LA?" Max asked casually, resting his arm on the centre console between the seats.
"My boyfriend and my friends," Ellody said defensively, glaring at her phone as she reloaded her Instagram feed. A few fans that she followed had posted a thousand things on their story, and Ellody flicked through every single one for something to do.
"Oh, cool... cool," Max nodded, pressing lightly on the accelerator as the car crawled forward. She wound her window down to let some fresh air in and watched a few edits of her, liking and commenting hearts to make someone's day. This was going to be a long drive.
~
Finally, the car stopped in front of an enormous house on a hill. Max got out of the car to get her suitcase, and Ellody waited for him on the curb.
"Thanks," Ellody muttered, reaching for the handle. Max held on to it for half a second before handing it over and sighing.
"Enjoy your stay," he mumbled, pulling his keys out of his pocket and getting back in the car. Ellody slowly walked up the driveway, praying Max was just going to drive away. Instead, he waited on the curb until Ellody reached the door, then drove away. What a weirdo.
Suddenly, Ellody realised what she was doing. She was about to see Zach. All her feelings were guaranteed to flood back, and Jonah was going to be right there to witness it.
Maybe I should just text Christina and ask her to open the door. That way, I don't have to worry about Zach answering.
Just as Ellody was pulling her phone out to call her, the door swung open, and the last person Ellody wanted to see was standing right there, a smirk on her face.
