Nothing Can Compare in This World to You

That day after school I met up with Zacky, like I normally would, so I could help him with math (i.e. hang out), go to Matt's house with him and hang out with Amy, Val and Michelle, or so he could just drive me home. The two of us actually had no plans for today, as far as I knew, so he'd probably just take me home and we'd talk for a while in front of my house.

When I was walking over to his car, I saw Zacky sitting on the hood with his math calculator in his hands. I crossed my arms and furrowed my brows a bit, wondering what he was doing as I walked up to him.

He looked up at me when he noticed me in front of him. "Guess what my new favorite number is," he smiled at me and I rose an eyebrow at him.

"Twenty one?" I asked.

"That's a kick ass number, but no."

"Then what?" I asked, wondering what he was getting at."

"One-six-zero-one-six-two-seven," he replied with a smirk.

"Zacky, that's seven numbers, not one."

"No, the big number! All of 'em together."

"One million, six hundred one thousand, six hundred twenty seven?" I asked and received a blank stare from Zacky.

"Yeah, whatever," he told me after a few seconds, "But what do you get when you multiply it by five?"

I thought for a second or two, mentally multiplying Zacky's "new favorite number" in my head before saying, "Eight million, eight thousand, one hundred thirty five?"

Zacky stared blankly at me again before saying, "No." I furrowed my brows at him again and tried to check my math in my head. "Well, I mean you're probably right but that's not what I asked."

"Then what did you ask?" I asked him, shifting a bit.

"What that one really big number times five was."

"And that is...?"

Zacky showed me his calculator, with the number eight million, eight thousand, one hundred thirty five. "Boobies," he clarifies for me and I read the numbers again, slightly blushing and trying not to laugh at him.

"The E is backwards," I told him and he looked at his calculator again.

"I don't care, its still boobies," he said and shoved the calculator into his backpack before hopping off the hood of his car.

"You're so immature," I laughed and got in his car, fixing the seat belt/door contraption so his door would stay shut and hopefully not strangle me.

"Yeah but that's why you love me," Zacky smiled as he sat in the driver's seat and turned out of the parking lot so he could take me home.

"Of course Zacky, of course," I laughed and he playfully glared at me.

"Don't deny your love for Zacky Vengeance, it's inevitable."

"Zacky?" I asked, laughing at how conceited he was being.

"Yes Taryn?"

"Have I told you that you're highly delusional lately?"

"As a matter of fact , you have," he answered me.

"Well I'm telling you again."

"You know one day my band is gonna get huge and you won't believe how many fifteen year old girls are gonna want in my pants."

"Zacky, shut up- wait , what? Who said I wanted in your pants?!" I asked, realizing what he was implying.

"What? No! I was just saying- Ow!" Zacky said as I smacked his arm, "You hit me!"

"Yes, I did," I laughed at his overreaction. In reality I didn't even hit him hard enough to turn his arm red.

"Y-you hit m-me!" he fake stuttered and tried to look like he was about to cry, which sent me into a fit of laughter. "Really? My pain amuses you?" he asked after I had calmed down a bit.

"I barely hit you, you're overreacting," I told him as we pulled up in front of my house, Zacky shutting off the engine.

"You'd still laugh if you'd actually hit me."

"If you reacted like that I would."

"You know, I had no idea you were so mean Taryn, I swear," Zacky said, trying to sound serious but failed.

"And I had no idea you were such a baby," I stuck my tongue out at him. He quickly returned the gesture and I laughed again as I untangled myself from the seat belt and passenger door so I could get out of Zacky's car, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

"Hey, wait," Zacky said and also got out of his car, but stood between the driver's seat and the open car door, as I was already on the sidewalk in front of my house.

"Yeah?" I asked him and smiled at how quickly his childish attitude diminished into an almost shy, more mature one.

"Uhm... Are we still on for prom?" He stared at his hands while asking before looking up to me. I had my brows furrowed and gave him a questioning look. I mean wasn't that a dream? "Oh, um, I figured you wouldn't remember-" he started to say as fast as he could but I cut him off.

"No, I do just... Why'd you leave?" I asked and he smiled at me.

"I heard your mom and the dick face come home 'round six. I figured they wouldn't appreciate it too much if they found us in a bed together, fully clothed or not," he laughed; closing his car door and walked around his car to me.

"Oh, well thank you for that then," I laughed at him and then asked, "Why do you want to take me anyway? You don't even look like you'd be someone who wants to go to prom."

"I know, huh? It's horrible!" Zacky laughed too, being sarcastic with me, as he fixed the whole seat belt/door contraption through the open passenger door window and I leaned up against his car, next to him. "So you'll come right?" he asked, finishing with the seat belt and also leaning up against his car, facing away from my house.

I took a second, feeling slightly surreal because I was only a freshman and I was asked to prom by a senior. "Yeah, I'll go with you," I said staring at the front of my house. In my peripheral vision I saw Zacky move a bit closer to me. I looked over to him, almost smiling but how serious he looked stopped me.

"Um…" I heard him as he shuffled a bit closer to me yet.

I couldn’t move myself, away or towards him, and I felt my insides melt and tighten at the same time. I wasn't sure I liked what was happening but I couldn't do anything about it, my body wouldn't let me. I felt his hand place itself on my arm, and if I wasn't frozen I'm sure I would've jumped about a foot in the air, even if I was expecting physical contact.

"Are you gonna run again?" he asked in a barely audible tone, our noses almost touching.

I tried to shake my head but that didn't quite work. I was starting to panic because I wasn't moving and I hoped he wasn't getting the wrong idea, even if I didn't know myself what the wrong idea was.

But I needed to do something, or else I felt we'd be in this position forever, so in a slightly jerky movement, I stood on my tiptoes and brought my lips up to his. After a second I felt him smile and his hands moved to my waist, pulling me closer.

After another second he pulled back a bit, "You 'kay, Tar?" he asked and I looked up into his green eyes, slightly dazed.

God, why did I have to feel so weird and mixed about this?

I nodded slowly and was met with his lips again. He made me feel weak, and almost unstable like I was going to fall over, so my arms sneaked up and around his neck for my stability, which is also about the time he pressed my back into his car. Not roughly though, he was being so gentle, like he was afraid of breaking me, which would've been entirely possible with how all of this was making me feel. It scared me to think that I was letting this happen when I'd only hurt myself in the end when I moved in June.

Though Zacky had put me in a difficult position to move away from him, which might have been intentional on his part, I backed away from him as much as possible, which wasn't much, I'll admit, though he still understood.

Once my lips were free of his I quickly stated, "Zacky, we're outside," sounding quite out of breath, my voice craking halfway through.

Zacky smirked and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "You're so modest," he teased as he did so.