Annabel Lee

"Happy Birthday, Annabel!" Matt screamed one last time before she and Jimmy left the school parking lot. She gave a warm "thank-you" and climbed into the beat up van. Zack had left early because he had to work today. She was disappointed but knew he needed his job. He couldn't turn down any extra shifts. Unlike her, Zack had to save for college. She thought it was admirable of him to work himself instead of relying on his father to find the money for school.

Jimmy smiled to himself. Annabel thought that Zack had to work, but he was just trying to surprise her. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect for tonight and Jimmy agreed to help out by driving Annabel home. He would be here to pick her up around nine. That was plenty of time for her to celebrate with her parents.

"Bye, Jimmy. Thanks again for the ride" she said as she exited the van.

"No prob, Ann" he reached over to hug her.

"Happy Birthday, again" he laughed.

"Thanks Jim"

Annabel walked towards the door dreading the "surprise" dinner her parents had planned. She didn't understand why they tried to hide it. Every year, for her birthday, they went to the same restaurant and every year, her dad ordered the same thing-shrimp caprese hold the tomatoes. Every year was exactly the same for Annabel and she couldn't wait to leave it behind-all except Zack of course. Her mom greeted her at the door with a sugary smile.

"Hi honey. How was school today?"

"It was fine mom. Everyone wished me a happy birthday and I even got a little birthday cake during lunch"

"That's nice dear. Now go get ready. We'll be leaving in about an hour when your father get's home"

"Okay mom" Annabel rolled her eyes as she trudged up the stairs to her room.

Annabel decided on a dress before getting in the shower. She picked out the perfect shoes and simple jewelry. She had to admit that she did actually enjoy spending this night with her parents, it was just different this time. She never missed a birthday without Zack being there.

Exiting the shower, with thoughts of Zack still on her mind, Annabel got dressed. Her make up was low-key but still a little sultry. Smokey grey eye shadow, black mascara and cherry colored lip tint completed her look. Walking out the door following her parents, she couldn't hide the look of disappointment at Zack's absence.

Zack rushed around town like a mad man. He was behind schedule and though Jimmy and Matt were helping him get everything ready, he was still worried. He had never lied to Annabel before, and though technically this wasn't a lie, he felt bad about keeping her in the dark. What if she didn't like the surprise? What if she's mad at him for keeping this from her? Pushing his fears aside, Zack directed the guys in the final touches.

"Dude, Zacky, if this doesnt' get you some brownie points then nothing ever will" Matt chuckled.

"I hate to say it, but you're probably gonna get some tonight, Zack" Jimmy said, somewhat disgusted after it came out.

"That's not why I'm doing this Jimmy. I love her more than life and can only hope she loves me the same. I just wanted to do something romantic to prove how much I love her"

"Well, if she doesn't get it after tonight you're gonna have to hit her over the head with a rock" they all laughed at Jimmy's statement.

"And Matt, you've taken care of everything at the beach?"

"Yeah man. Candles, blankets, blah, blah, blah. All the stuff you said to get" Matt looked over at Zack.

"Look, Zack, everything will be perfect. I'll be there right before nine to light the candles and I'll make sure the blankets are laid out. She'll love it dude. Like I said-brownie points."

"And don't forget this" Jimmy handed him a blind-fold. "It'll be more of a surprise if she can't see where you guys are going"

"Thanks guys. I couldn't have done this without either of you."

"No problem" they both said in unison.

"Well, I guess I better be getting ready then. I'll call you Matt when I get to her house"

"I'll be ready"

"Cool. Thanks again. See you guys later" Zacky said as he headed towards the shower.

"So, Annabel. You got accepted to Notre Dame?" her father asked while eating his shrimp caprese-minus the tomatoes.

"Yeah, the letter came a few days ago"

"Have you heard anything back from Brown or Yale?"

"No, not yet"

"Don't worry, they'll come soon enough. The top schools in the country don't accept just anyone. It might take them a while to see your application, but when they do, I'm sure they'll all be jumping at the chance to have you. You'll be fighting them off with a stick" he said with a wink and a smile.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll come soon enough" her mother replied.

Annabel nodded in agreement, but she knew they wouldn't come anytime soon. She knew because she never bothered to apply. It was a sneaky move on her part, but she knew what she wanted and those schools weren't anything close to that. She picked at the food on her plate feeling guilty about lying to her parents. She just wanted to go home, crawl into bed and call Zack. Thoughts about thier date tomorrow night consumed her. She couldn't wait to spend some "alone" time with him, and the movies were the perfect place for that.

Annabel opened the car door as soon as they were in the drive way. She had wanted to get out of those heels and put on some more comforable clothes before calling Zack. She tried his cell phone three times with no answer. Getting frustrated, she left a voicemail on the third try.

"Hey Zack, it's me. I just got back home-dinner was okay, I guess and my dad only wanted to talk about school and-well Anyways, I'm home; just seeing if you wanted to come over after work. So yeah, call me back. I love you....bye"

Anther fifteen minutes had passed with no answer from Zack so she called his house.

"Hello Mr. Baker. This is Annabel. Is Zack home from work yet?"

"Well, Annabel, he's not here. He didn't have to work today. Wait a minute, I thought he was with you" Jim questioned, very confused now.

"No sir, he told me he had to work right after school. That's why Jimmy had to give me a ride home" trying to sound unaffected, she asked him to give Zack a message. "Will you just have him give me a call whenever he comes in?"

"Yes, Annabel. I'll make sure he gets the message"

She hung up the phone unsure of what to think. Zack said he had to work-he had never lied to her before. With tears falling from her eyes, she flung herself into her pillow hurt that Zack would lie to her.

Zack's heard the ringer on his cell phone. He didn't have to even look at the screen to know it was her. He said good bye to Matt while making sure he had the blind-fold that Jimmy gave him. Zack pulled up beside Annabel's house and slowly made his way to the door. He rang the door bell and patiently waited for someone to answer.

Annabel heard the door bell ring several times before getting up to answer it. She caught a glimpse of herself in the bedroom mirror. Her make-up was ruined, leaving black streaks down her cheeks where the mascara had run. She looked at the time and thought it was pretty late for someone to be visiting. Opening the door, she glared at Zack. Before she could attempt to slam the door in his face he noticed she had been crying.

"Annabel, what's wrong, baby? Why are you crying?" he pulled her into his arms.

"You lied to me" she tried her hardest to hold in the sobs.

"What are you talking about? I didn't lie to you." he questioned her.

"Y-you s-said you h-had t-t-to WORK!" she screamed the last word.

"Oh god. I just wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry, Annabel. I didn't mean to upset you. If I-"

"Whatever, Zack! Do you really expect me to believe that?" she cut him off, pushing him away from her.

"Annabel, look at me. Do I always dress like this? I have been planning tonight for a few weeks. I just didn't want to ruin it. I knew you would invite me to dinner with your parents and you'd have been suspicious if I'd have said no. I was just trying to keep it a secret. Ask Matt. Or Jimmy. They both helped me with it"

She looked him over. He looked so good in button-up shirts. She saw the look in his eye and it wasn't a deceitful look. It was a look of love, and pain that he had upset her. She appologized to him and cried even harder for not believing him.

"It'll be okay, Annabel" he wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"Oh my god! I'm a mess. Let me wash my face and change into something nicer." she started to go inside.

"No, don't" Zack said quickly. "I like what you're wearing" he blushed.

"Okay" she replied as she took his hand. Zack opened the car door for her. Once she was blindfolded he headed to thier favorite spot at the beach.