Burn

The funeral was nothing that Drew had expected. Yes, she expect the tears, the boys, and some fighting. What she didn't expect was how angry Brian had been. He had every right to be angry. Drew knew that he would have either ignored her or blown up. She didn't think his explosion would be so...explosive. Cori was wonderful with her. She stood up for her and consoled her when she was upset. Drew couldn't ask for a better friend.

The next morning, Drew woke up with a massive headache. Probably from all the crying she had done the night before. She thought was was over Brian; at least to a point. The way his hands felt on her cheeks and the look in his eyes brought back all feeling that she had worked hard to bury. With one look, she was smitten. Dre stretched and made her way towards the bathroom. She gasped when she got a look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red, her skin was blotchy, her lips were chapped, and her nose was red as a tomato. Some people could cry and not look a mess; Drew was not one of those people. She quickly washed her face, washing away all signs of emotion. She then showered, dressed, and made herself ready for the day.

The smell of pancakes, bacon, eggs, the whole deal, wafted through the house as Drew made her way into the kitchen. Cori scurried around the kitchen, making sure that everything was just right. Drew smiled and sat at the breakfast bar. "Morning." She said, making herself known. Cori turned around and smiled brightly at her.

"Morning sunshine!" Cori was a morning person so it was no surprise that she was so perky. "Sleep well?" She asked as she flipped some pancakes. Drew rolled her eyes and drank from the coffee cup in front of her.

"I don't really remember. I guess I wore myself out." Cori nodded and placed a plate full of food in front of her.

"Yesterday was an exhausting day." She said as she stood across from Drew, eating her own food. Drew agreed, pushing the food around with her fork. "You are going to eat, right?" Drew shrugged her shoulders. "Seriously? You're going to let one douche bag ruin you?"

"He was just angry. I know Brian, he's not like that usually." She defended. Cori groaned loudly. "What?"

"You're doing it again?" Cori replied.

"Doing what?"

"Defending the people who are assholes to you." She told her. "You do it every time. Whenever something happens with Evan, you give an excuse and defend him. Now you're doing it with Brian! Come on, Drew. Just admit that they're bitches." Did she really do that? She did try to find the good in people. Was she just trying to avoid confrontation? Cori rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food. "What do you plan to do today?" She asked, dropping the previous subject.

"I'm going to go check on Alice and the business." Drew had left her in charge, staying as a silent partner. Technically, she still owned the business but didn't really do much unless she needed to.

"I can't believe you went from owning your own place to working for Celia." Cori sighed. It was her dream to own her own business some day.

"It was a better option for me." Drew said as she munched on some bacon.

"Because it was as far away from here as you could get." Cori smirked. Drew glared at her lightly.

"I'll be back later." She said before getting up and walked out to her car. The ride to the office was like she had never left. It felt so natural to her. When she pulled up to the building, she smiled from the outside; It had looked like nothing had changed. That familiarity was comforting. She got out and walked up the stairs. She opened the door and to the lobby, nostalgia washing over her. It was still the same. The flowers lining the walls, the table set up for a reception by the window, The desk that sat outside the door to the offices. It was a Sunday so she didn't expect it to be too busy.

"Hello?" A melodic voice called from behind the door. Drew walked over, reaching for the handle before it was pulled open. Alice looked as if she had seen a ghost. Drew smiled lightly at her. She hadn't changed much either. Her hair was a bit shorter and bags under her eyes from stress made her look tired. "Drew?"

"Were you expecting the pope?" She joked. Alice didn't seen to see the joke as funny.

"I expected him to come here before you did." She snapped walking back towards her office. Drew sighed and walked back with her. She expected her to be bitter. She hadn't told anybody about her leaving. Drew walked into Alice's office; what used to be her old one. Alice sat behind the computer, focused. Drew sat in the chair in front of the desk.

"How has it been going?" Drew asked, trying to make some kind of conversation.

"You haven't gotten any calls. Every thing's fine." Alice shortly replied without lifting her gaze from the computer. Drew knew she wasn't working on it but it kept her from looking to Drew.

"I'm sorry." She apologized. Alice sighed and moved onto sorting files.

"Far too late for sorry." Drew sighed.

"Alice, please. I know you're made, you have every right to be. It wasn't right for me to leave you to do Brian's wedding all by yourself." Drew knew it wouldn't help, but she could only try.

"It wasn't that. The wedding went fine without you." She told her, finally looking at her. "It was the fact that you didn't tell me you were leaving. I was stupid enough to think that you were my friend." Drew bowed her head. She would never forgive herself for all the people she hurt. "Do you know how much of an idiot I looked like when Brian asked me when your flight was coming in? The look on his face when he figured out what happened was heartbreaking." It was Drew's turn to look anywhere but her. "I know about Jimmy." Drew nodded, trying to keep tears from her eyes. "He was hurt when he found out that you left. It took everything for us to keep him from boarding a plane to get you."

"I had to leave," Drew muttered.

"I know exactly why you left. I always knew that you wouldn't go to the wedding. I just didn't expect you to actually be gone when we all came back." Drew quickly wiped away the tears that fell. "Brian almost left." Alice told her.

"What?" She asked, her head snapping up. Alice nodded.

"He disappeared for a while. Johnny and I found him at the beach. He was wasted." Drew rolled her eyes. "The next morning, the wedding was the furthest from his mind. He sulked around until it was time to start. Then, something changed."

"What do you mean?" Drew asked curiously. Alice walked over to the cabinet and pulled out an album. She handed it to Drew; It was their pictures. Drew shook her head. She never wanted to see these, ever. It was bad enough seeing the ring on Michelle's finger; The pictures of it actually being put there was worse.

"Seriously, Just look at them." Alice sighed. Drew bit her lip and opened the book. Brian looked amazing. His tux made him look like an old Hollywood star. She was mesmerized. She turned the page and it was of the ceremony. Brian looked pissed. Why was he mad? He wanted to marry her. "See? He got mad. You left him on the most important day. You were supposed to be his best friend."

"He's left me tons of times." Alice sighed.

"He wouldn't have gotten married if you were there." She told her. Drew was floored. That couldn't have been true. She refused to believe it. If it was true, that would mean that he cared for her. From his display last night, that was obviously not the case. Alice's phone started ringing. "I have to go." She told Drew. Drew nodded and put the book back on her desk. "It was good seeing you. Stop by again." Alice said as they walked out of the office.

"I'll make sure to." Drew promised. "Again, I'm really sorry." Alice nodded lightly.

"I'm not the one you should say sorry to." She told her before getting in her car. Alice was right. She was going to apologize to Brian, but he blew up at her before she got the chance. She got back in her car, driving back home and thinking of what Alice had said. Drew just couldn't wrap her head around it if it was true. Why wouldn't he just break up with Michelle before all the wedding plans were made? The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she was doing the same thing with Evan. Brian didn't know that Drew loved him, so he settled. Drew was settling too. She knew she could never love Evan. He wasn't Brian. Drew pulled up to her house, noticing a car sitting in her driveway. Drew knew that car anywhere.

"Zacky?" Drew got out of the car and cautiously walked into the house. She could hear Cori talking lightly in the living room. Drew took a deep breath before walking in. Zacky's emerald eyes snapped to her, leaving her stunned. Zacky looked like pure devastation; His smile didn't light up his face and his eyes were cold and lifeless. "Hi," She mumbled.

"Hey," He replied just as quietly. Cori stood up from the chair she occupied and smiled.

"I'll leave you guys alone." She said as she walked out of the room. Drew was frozen to her spot. She knew that Zacky had a lot of questions that she wasn't really ready to answer.

"Thank you for coming back." Zacky started. Drew smiled lightly and went to sit on the couch with him.

"I had to. There was not doubt in my mind. I got here as soon as I heard." Zacky nodded, looking to his lap.

"Matt said he told you. We didn't expect you to actually show up." Drew's heart dropped to her stomach.

"Why wouldn't I come back?" Zacky's tear-filled eyes looked into hers.

"We thought you didn't care about us." Drew shook her head and wrapped her arms around Zacky tightly. That wasn't the case whatsoever. She cared about them more than anything. Zacky held Drew tightly to him like he used to do years ago. The hug that made everything better. Sadly, it wasn't enough this time. "I know you don't want to tell me, but I have to know; Why?" Drew sighed and pulled away from him. He was right, she didn't want to tell him. She was tired of hiding it though. Besides, it wasn't like it would change anything now.

"I had to leave. I couldn't stand there and watch him marry her. It hurt too much just to see them next to each other." She sighed.

"You left because Brian was marrying Michelle?" He asked. Drew sighed. He understood what she meant but he was going to make her say it.

"Yeah," She muttered.

"Why?" Zacky pushed. Drew groaned when she realized what he was trying to do.

"Zacky, Please..." She begged. Zacky held her hand and looked deeply into her eyes. She didn't want to admit it out loud. She'd kept it in for so long that she didn't think she even could say it.

"Come on, Drew." He pushed again. Drew closed her eyes tightly and took a breath.

"I'm in love with Brian." Her heart thumped loudly inside her and she didn't want to open her eyes. She was scared of how Zacky would react. The feeling of Zacky's arms wrapping around her tightly comforted her immensely. The feeling of his acceptance was enough to make her cry; not just the way she had finally said out loud her love for Brian. Once she finally opened her eyes, the sight of his emerald eyes boring into hers sympathetically made her smile. She brought her hand up gently caressing his cheek. "You have no idea how much I have missed your eyes."

"Ditto." He laughed. Drew laughed lightly and hugged him again. "Johnny and Lacey are throwing a New Years party. You and Cori have to come." Drew pulled back from him, a pressing glare on her face. "Michelle and Val are going to New York to celebrate in Times Square like they do every year." Every year? Drew had been in Times Square for New Years last year. Had Brian been so close and she didn't even know? "Brian and Matt are staying though. With everything going on, they don't want to leave California." Drew nodded understandingly. It would be the beginning of the hardest year of their lives. It would have been wrong of Drew not to begin it with them.

"I'll be there. We both will." Drew promised.

"Yay! Shopping trip!" Cori laughed, throwing herself on the couch next to him. Drew smiled and shook her head.

"How long have you been listening, snoopy?" Cori smiled suspiciously.

"Only when Zacky mentioned the party." She laughed. "You know me, When I hear 'party' I come running." That was true. Cori was a party animal. Zacky smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

"This will be a party to remember." Drew smiled, thinking the exact same thing.