California Girl's

“You alright, bro?” Alex asked as he put a hand on Zack’s strong shoulder.

Zack turned and gave Alex the most reassuring smile he could muster, “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Alex frowned at his friend, but before he could say anything else Zack had turned and began to walk back in the direction of the stage.

If Alex could he would reschedule the in-stores just so they could get Zack acting normal again. Of course Zack and Grayson had made up, but Zack missed her so much that it didn’t matter whether they were fighting with each other or not.

“I just begged Matt for a good half an hour to change the in-store date, but there’s nothing he can do.” Jack stated as he walked up next to Alex.

Alex sighed and looked down at his beat up converse. He understood what Zack was feeling, having gone through having to leave a girl-friend back home while they toured. The first couple tours were the worst of course, but over time it did get slightly easier, just slightly. It was something you had to work at all the time and Alex still wasn’t sure if that was what brought his relationship with Lisa to the breaking point or not.

As soon as her name rang in his head he shook it several times to rid himself of his thoughts. Sure they had left it on good terms and had remained friends, but there was still that ever prominent sting when he thought back on all the times that they had together.

“It just sucks seeing him like this.” Alex mumbled as he turned to his best friend.

“He’ll be okay,” Jack reassured him. “Once we all get back to L.A things will settle down.”

“I hope your right.” Alex said as the two started walking off towards the stage where they were needed for sound check.

Throughout the sound check Alex kept an eye on Zack. Sure the boy was usually silent on stage but he just wasn’t his self. As much as he understood Zack’s situation and loved Grayson himself, he didn’t want there performance to suffer from it.

“Zachary,” He spoke into his microphone when they finished a song.

Zack’s head whipped around startled, and he locked eyes with Alex.

“I love you,” He started as he began to walk towards him. “But you need to snap out of it.” He said once he was standing in front of his best friend.

“I’m sorry.” Zack mumbled as he looked down at his pink bass.

“It’s okay,” Alex assured him. “I know what you’re going through, but you can’t let this effect how you perform. I don’t want to let the fans down and I know you don’t either.”

“No, I don’t.” Zack affirmed.

“Okay, then just calm down. We have two more shows then the in-store and then you get to go home for a whole month!” Alex exclaimed.

Zack chuckled slightly at Alex’s enthusiasm. He may have just wanted to go and mope in a corner until next Wednesday when he could finally see Grayson again, but he had a band to make happy, let alone thousands of kids that were coming out to see them.

~x0x~

Grayson was trying to hold it together as she watched Annabelle run around the house like a lightning bolt as she grabbed things and threw them into her bright pink suit case. She wished she had at least a pinch of the excitement the little girl had. Sure, she wanted to make the little girl happy and for now the bright smile on the five year olds face was enough to make her continue to pack her bag.

“I’m so excited!” Annabelle exclaimed as she flew into Grayson’s bedroom and jumped on the bed.

Grayson chuckled softly as she gently folded one of Zack’s old t-shirts that he had left there and set it into her over stuffed suitcase.

“Are you finished packing?” Grayson asked.

“Yeah!” Annabelle exclaimed as she jumped up and down on Grayson’s large bed knocking all the pillows around. “When do we get to leave!?”

“Soon,” Grayson assured her as she glanced at the clock knowing that they had to leave within the next half an hour is they wanted to be on time.

“Can we visit mommy and daddy?” Annabelle asked quietly as she stopped jumping.

Grayson was momentarily stunned by her question, but eventually nodded her head. “That sounds like a great idea Belle.”

Annabelle smiled and hopped off the bed and left the room. Grayson watched her leave before sighing and leaning against her bed. She was still shocked that the little girl had asked that, but at the same time really proud of the fact that she had.

“Grayson!” Annabelle shouted from downstairs.

Grayson zipped up her large suitcase and headed down the stairs and found Annabelle by the front door holding a small brown box in her arms.

“You got a package!” The little girl exclaimed as Grayson took it from her and walked to the kitchen.

She ripped open the tape and pulled out the small piece of paper and immediately recognized the messy hand writing.

Gracie,

I love you and miss you with all my heart. Have fun with Belle in New York. Also, I hope this makes up for me not being there with you two.

Love,
Zack

Grayson set the note down and almost fell over when she pulled out two plane tickets to the UK along with passes to the Leeds and Reading festivals that the boys would be playing in late August.

“What is it?” Grayson asked as she climbed on the stool next to her sister.

“We get to go see the boys play in the UK in August.” Grayson told her with a large smile on her face.

Annabelle smiled and began jumping up and down excitedly. Grayson was sure Annabelle wasn’t sure what the UK was, but the little girl loved watching the boys perform and anytime she got the chance to see Alex and Jack was enough to excite her.

Grayson pulled out her phone and sent Zack a quick text message:

It almost makes up for it<3

And it almost did, because who knows how much these tickets cost and how much work he had to do to get the passes this far in advance, but he still wasn’t here.

~x0x~

“Uncle Matt, Aunt Theresa!” Annabelle exclaimed as she jumped out of the barely parked Range Rover and ran up the steps two at a time to hug her aunt and uncle.

Grayson climbed out the vehicle laughing at the little girl and followed up the stairs to greet them.

“She was chomping at the bit the entire plane ride.” She told her aunt as she was pulled into a tight hug.

“Did she behave?” Matt asked.

Grayson shrugged, “She used her cuteness to her advantage and got the hostess to get her ice cream.”

The couple laughed as they ushered the girls inside where Annabelle went running around and began to look at the house that she had missed so much.

~x0x~

I missed this so much!” Annabelle exclaimed as they trotted down a dirt path on horses.

Grayson took note of the large smile on the little girls face, momentarily thinking if it was possible to build a fence to keep a horse in there back yard.

“Do you want to run?” Grayson asked the little girl.

Annabelle sent her a smirk, which she probably learned from Alex and too off on her dark brown horse before Grayson had a chance to say ‘go’.

Grayson laughed as she finally caught up with Annabelle who had smoked her sister and had been stopped on the top of the mountain for a good minute. The view was breath taking as the sisters watched the beginning of the sun set.

“Do you think mommy and daddy like the flowers?” Annabelle asked.

“Of course,” Grayson answered. “Lily’s were mom’s favorite.” She said, refereeing to the flowers that they had put on their parents grave earlier that day.

“Do you think they are watching us?” The little girl asked.

Grayson looked at her younger sister who was staring up at the clouds. “They are always going to be watching us.”

Annabelle turned to her sister and smiled, “I love you, Gray.”

“I love you too Bells.” Grayson said back as she grabbed her sister’s small hand in hers as they both turned back to the sunset.

Grayson suddenly felt calm and at peace with everything. Brining her sister to her parents grave site, them going together, was the closure that they both needed to move on and continue there life in California.

“Fuck!” Someone exclaimed from behind them and both girls jumped and spun around just in time to see Zack get whacked in the face by a tree branch as he struggled to stay on top of the horse.

Annabelle began giggling like crazy, but Grayson was stunned. She wasn’t imagining it because Annabelle saw him to, but she was completely shocked.

Annabelle was already off her horse and helping Zack over to where the girls had there horses tied up while Grayson continued to stare at Zack with a look of wonder on his face.

She watched from the top of her horse as the little girl helped Zack, who was a lot larger than she was, control the horse. Once Zack was safely off the horse, having almost fell face first before Annabelle explained how to properly get off, he finally looked up and met eyes with Grayson.

“Hi baby,” Zack said softly as he looked up at his girlfriend.

“What- how did you- how?” Grayson stuttered and fumbled over her words.

Zack chuckled fondly. “Alex’s voice was shot so we had to postpone the in-store and I took the first flight out here.”

Grayson continued to stare down at her gorgeous boyfriend as Zack smirked back up at her, knowing he had completely surprised her and taken her off guard.

“Don’t I get a ‘hello’?” Zack joked as he held his arms out.

And that was all it took for Grayson to jump off the horse and practically tackle Zack in a bone crushing hug.

“I fucking missed you.” Grayson mumbled into his neck as tears pricked her eyes.

“I missed you, too.” Zack said back instantly as he pressed his lips against his girlfriends for the first time in almost a month. The kiss was desperate, passionate, eager, everything that the two had been missing.

Grayson’s pulled back reluctantly gasping for air as she stared into Zack’s eyes. She saw everything she needed in his intense stare, he loved her, cared for her, and would do anything for her and she felt exactly the same way.

Everything was going to be okay, she knew it. Regardless if Zack was right there, pressed up against her, or thousands of miles away.

It was all going to be okay.