Where You Belong

I heard Michelle's curse and trained my eyes to the doorway, where a small blonde girl appeared, a smug smile on her face. The room went quiet as she strutted inside, Michelle following after her with a dangerous look on her face. I cocked an eyebrow, gauging everyone's reaction of the somewhat familiar looking girl standing in the room.

Lacey was eyeing her with a blank stare, obviously not pleased with the woman's presence. Michelle already looked ready to kill, and Leana, a usually bubbly and sweet girl, was shooting daggers at her. Val was the most lethal I'd ever seen her look, and if looks could kill, this girl would've been dead ten times over.

The guys also didn't look thrilled to see her. Matt, of course, was seething, though that was to be expected with his anger issues. Brian's face was set in a stony glare, as was Jimmy's. Johnny's eyes were narrowed into such tiny slits at her that it was a wonder he could see anything out of his own eyes.

And then when I looked at Zack... I knew exactly who was standing in front of us.

His eyes said it all. I could see the hurt, pain, the heartbreak in his eyes as they darkened in color. I could see just a flicker of it all before it disappeared, as if it'd never even been there to begin with. All of a sudden, he tensed wildly, and his grip around me tightened as the muscles in his arms spasmed. Anger and rage seemed to just radiate from his body, and because I was so attuned to him, I could feel it reaching my body, too.

It was an unsettling feeling, having such an intense rage rapidly building up inside of me out of nowhere. It was scary knowing just how angry I was getting, knowing that I had hormones in my system that would take that anger and have a fucking field day with it. I knew in that moment that I had to stay as calm as I possibly could, otherwise I'd be in deep trouble.

But when Gena spoke, I knew it was easier said than done.

"What?" she smiled expectantly, "Do I not get a 'welcome back'?"

"No, but if you step right up, you can come over here and get a 'fuck off and go play in traffic'," Michelle glowered from her spot behind her, and I silently applauded Michelle in my mind.

I watched as the blonde rolled her eyes before looking straight at Zack, thus causing his grip to tighten on my hip. I severely hoped my face didn't betray the pain I felt. I knew he didn't mean to, but clearly his mind was on other matters as his anger started to surface.

I stayed quiet, biting my lip as another sharp pain hit my stomach when the baby kicked. I couldn't risk upsetting myself for the sake of the baby, knowing he'd be able to sense my emotions just as Zack could. I felt my nostrils flare as the blonde threw a smart comment at Michelle, her eyes still trained on Zack. That action alone made me angry, but I knew I couldn't get involved if I could help it. I would stay quiet unless she directly said something to me.

Gena's eyes moved from Zack, to the hand he had on my hip, before eyeing me with a glare, "And who is this?" she sneered, motioning towards me with a look of disgust.

Naturally, staying quiet didn't last long.

I cocked an eyebrow and sat up straight, ignoring Zack's groan of protest, "The name's Brittany, if you must know. And honey, I don't know what your problem is, but while your eyes are on me, you best fix that look on your face before I fix it for you."

She seemed taken aback by my answer as I smirked at her, daring her to say something else. I felt Zack's arm creep around me, pulling me back to his side. His fingers dug into my skin ever so lightly, a warning for me to not get started. I knew he was only looking out for me, but I also knew I wasn't letting some rat faced bitch walk in and think she could talk down to me.

Homegirl had another thing coming.

Zack's ex noticed the interaction between the two of us before eyeing my stomach, clearly ready to jump to conclusions. I braced myself as her eyes narrowed at me, then Zack, "So, I'm guessing you're not over the whole baby issue if you moved on to the first knocked up bitch you could find, huh?"

Oh yeah. Go time.

Johnny wordlessly reached over and grabbed my arm, allowing me to use him as support to hoist myself up and off the couch we were sitting on, "Let me tell you something real quick. I don't know what you're here for, and I don't really care. But you have one more fucking time to say somethin' smart and I won't be the only bitch here who'll be knocked the fuck up, you hear me?" I slowly stalked towards her, taking in her dispassionate expression after having shrugged Zack off of me.

"And just what are you gonna do to me?" she asked in a bored tone, motioning towards my stomach with a smug smile, "You're pregnant. You wouldn't dare."

I smirked evilly, and I noticed Zack attempting to get up from the corner of my eye. Johnny and Matt were quick to pin him back down to his seat as I got right in the girl's face, bending my neck to look up at her and stare her dead in the eye, "Would I?"

Before she could get another word in, I reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt, balling some of the fabric up in my fist as she stumbled forward, looking at me in surprise. Zack groaned from behind me, "Britt, don't you--"

"Callate," I commanded him in Spanish, and he quickly went quiet as I fixed the blonde before me with an innimical stare. "Y'know...after hearing how you treated my best friend, I was ready to kill you with my bare fucking hands. But because I'm pregnant as you can see, I'm trying to control my anger a little bit better than I usually would. I had planned to stay out of this when you first walked in here. But now that you've brought me into it..."

Just as the girl started to squirm in my grasp, I pushed her to the ground and backed away from her in fear that I'd get stupid and straight up hit her. I watched silently as Gena scurried to her feet, fixing me with a strong glare as she ran a hand through her hair, "You'll regret ever putting your hands on me!"

I smirked, eyeing Michelle, "You'll regret ever setting foot in this hotel," I smiled sweetly at her, watching as she began backing herself towards the door, where Michelle was waiting. She backed straight into Michelle and shrieked as Michelle smiled wickedly at her, pushing her back towards the room we were all in.

"You came here looking for a fight," Val spoke up from her spot on the couch, glaring stonily at Gena.

Michelle smirked and stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the doorway, "And now you've got one."

"You picked the right day to show up, that's for sure," Lee stood from her spot on the couch and flanked my left side, placing her hands on her hips. "So what makes you think you can just show up like you deserve to be here?"

It took a while for Zack's ex to find her confidence, but when she did, she stood up straight and flipped her short, bobbed hair with a scoff, "Because Zack is my boyfriend, and I'm here to work things out with him. Not you."

I raised an eyebrow, "Over five months after you up and left without a word, and you honestly think you have a boyfriend to come work things out with?" I laughed as Michelle did, "Well I'm glad you're so optimistic of your future. Cause I'm not."

"This has nothing to do with you!" she spat, forgetting my earlier threat and stalking towards me, getting right in my face.

I watched her with an amused expression, "Well now that you've jumped in my face, it does."

And that was all the excuse I needed to plant my fist right in her face. I could hear Zack shout as I socked the girl right in the eye, smirking as she dropped to the floor with a small scream. Zack continued trying to talk me down, but I paid him no mind, knowing that he would get the message that I would handle things my way whether he liked things or not.

Michelle just giggled as she stood guard in the doorway, watching as Zack's ex shakily stood on her feet.

"You came here to talk about your relationship problems, so let's fucking talk about them!" I clapped my hands, stalking towards her with a smile. I felt Leana follow behind me, and saw that Val was tensed in anger from her spot on Matt's lap. Lacey wasn't far from self-combusting, herself. "Now that you've chosen to involve me and all."

"Yeah," Michelle piped up, stepping forward a bit, "Let's talk about how you ripped Zee's heart out and laughed right in his face. How depressed he was for weeks because of how quick you were to think of yourself and disregard your relationship in the process."

"He didn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't smile or laugh," Val growled venemously, glaring at Matt when he tried to stop her from standing up, "He was sickly-looking. He was bed-ridden. He couldn't do anything productive. He was an emotional wreck. All because of you."

"And now you think," Leana mused with a small chuckle, "That after all this time, you can just waltz right in like you did nothing wrong? Like nothing even happened?"

I smirked, crossing my arms over my chest, "Homegirl, you got another thing comin'."

The second I spoke, the girl's eyes narrowed it anger. It was obvious that she hadn't been expecting the girls to be here on the day she'd picked to finagle her way back into Zack's heart again, and it was even more obvious that she wasn't used to someone talking to her the way that I was. I'd known from stories that the others would tell that not many had liked her to begin with, but never confronted her out of respect for Zack.

I was another story. Zack knew I respected him and loved him to pieces. But he also knew that I would never let anyone talk shit to me and try to punk me down. And he knew that if he tried to stop me, there would be hell to pay.

I waited for Gena to speak, knowing she was just itching to stick her foot in her mouth, "And who are you to make threats? I know you don't think you're here to keep me from Zack; he's mine, and you can't have him."

"If you had any fucking sense left in that hollow brain of yours, you'd realize she's your worst fucking nightmare." Lacey sneered from somewhere behind me, and I smiled on the inside when I felt her presence on my right side.

"Oh, how right you are, Lace," I laughed lightly, advancing towards Zack's ex again, "So let me tell you a little something else, since you don't know who I am. I'm not the one, simply put. I'm not the one to fuck with. I'm not the one to be yelled at, or fixed with an unpleasant stare. I'm not the one to disrespect, and I'm not the one whose friends or family should be disrespected. You follow where I'm going?"

"I don't give a fuck who you are!" she glared, and I inwardly groaned.

Here we go.

"And I don't give a fuck who you are," I retaliated, stopping when I was back in the woman's face, "But let me tell you something else. You don't run nothin' up in here. I don't give a fuck who you are, or who the fuck you think you are, but I fucking dare you to try my motherfucking patience today. I fucking dare you. Know what? I double dog dare you. Go ahead and try me." I glowered, daring her to take the bait and wind me up.

With a smirk, I stepped away from her before pacing the room, "You fucked over the wrong person. Someone who has a heart of gold. Someone who is trustworthy and dependable. Someone who'd do anything for those he loves. Someone who'd buy you the moon if you asked. Someone who puts his family above all else, and someone who wants more than anthing to have one of his own. Someone who would've understood your reasons for not wanting that family if you'd just sat him down and talked to him, instead of leaving. Someone who deserves better than that. And someone who has all the people in the world to make sure he gets treated better than that...myself included."

"Surely, you can feel our frustration," Val purred softly, eyeing Gena with an intimidating expression. "Zack's our friend, and as he's always been there for us, we'll always be there for him."

"Well, that's fucking great," Gena rolled her eyes, "Let him be a bitch and fight his battles for him."

I was quick to move back into her face with a smirk, "Oh, this is no battle, booboo. A battle requires two sides to engage in a fight," I grinned, looking towards Michelle.

Michelle smiled knowingly as well, "And if there's gonna be any fighting going on, it's going to be this side. So choose your words carefully."

Lacey smirked, too, stepping forward, "And Zack is a big boy and can handle things for himself. We just chose to step in because we know he has morals; he might not kick your ass, but we won't hesitate to."

***

[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]

I sighed, fumbling through the chords I was supposed to be playing as the guys and I went through sound check. Of course, I knew everything by heart, but my mind just seemed to be elsewhere. Looking around, I noticed the guys seemed to be in high spirits, and I understood why.

This morning had been an eventful one.

I honestly hadn't been expecting my ex to show up. I mean, I had, but I didn't think she'd show up while we were on tour. We were thousands of miles away from home on the other side of the fucking country; what the fuck was she doing here? But another thing I hadn't expected was the lashing that not only Britt, but all the girls ended up giving Gena, even fucking Lacey.

Lacey, the small, quiet girl that Johnny had started bringing around a year ago. She was a smart, sweet girl, but for the most part, she'd kept to herself and never really voiced her opinion. It wasn't until my best friend had come back home that I'd noticed a change in Lacey. She'd become more outgoing, and after having been around Britt enough, she'd begun to say whatever came to her mind and didn't hesitate about it for a second.

I'd never seen any of the girls so angry before, Britt included. She'd somehow been red in the face, and literally quivering with rage. Leana and Lacey had stood on both sides of her for the obvious fact that she would end up strangling Gena if no one was there to keep her calm and hold her back.

Yes, Gena'd had no idea of the trap she'd walked into when she decided to pay me a visit.

"Man, she must want the fucking beatdown of her life," Johnny muttered in amusement as we watched Gena holler something at the girls, who angrily surrounded her near the entrance of the room.

I sighed as Matt barked out a laugh, "I forgot how sexy Val is when she's mad."

"Leana, too," Jimmy smirked, eyeing his fiance with a look I'd rather not witness.

"Shit, I never knew Lace had a fucking angry bone in her body!" Johnny grinned excitedly.

Brian scoffed, "Well, I already knew that Michelle had plenty of those. Zee, dude, your ex isn't getting out of here unscathed."

"It's not her I'm worried about," I sighed, my eyes trained on my best friend and ex, "It's Britt."

"Why?" Matt asked with a laugh, just as Brittany began yelling, evidently scaring the snot out of my ex, "I think she's handling things just fine." he snorted, and we all tuned back in to what was going on.

"Girl, you must not know who the fuck you's talkin' to; I mean, really," Britt rolled her eyes, just inches away from Gena's face, "And I won't repeat myself. Don't come up in here actin' like you got some motherfucking rights, because I will gladly clue you the fuck in. I'm nine months pregnant, booboo, and I haven't been to my anger management sessions in seven months, so let me holler at you.You got one more motherfuckin' time to open your mouth and say somethin' smart, and it's gon' be some rumble in the jungle, do you hear me?"

Lacey shook her head, as Gena silently glared at them, "Nope, I don't think she does."

"Me neither," Michelle answered slyly, knowing it'd set Britt off.

Britt whipped around and stared Gena down just as Gena moved to speak, "Bitch, I dare you to open your mouth and say somethin' out of line while I'm standing here. You might get away with that shit with your little friends, but I ain't the one. I'm not in the fucking mood, and I mean that," she glared, and Gena clearly thought twice. I watched as my ex went to open her mouth but then shut it, before opening it again, "Oh, so you do wanna try me? Okay, well say somethin'. Say somethin'."

Gena started, "I--"

"Say somethin', say somethin'. I dare you to fuckin' say somethin', cause it's gon' be World War three up in here," Britt cut her off, talking over her as she turned to Michelle with a smirk, "Man, she just don't know. I will tear this motherfucking joint apart, and she just don't know it. I will do a motherfucking driveby up in here, and she just don't fuckin' know it. I will beat the hell out of you and ask questions later, girl; you just don't know who the fuck you got standin' in front of you."

Gena looked thoroughly terrified for her life, and Johnny was on the floor in pure laughter, as were Jimmy and Leana. I, myself, couldn't help but laugh when I noticed from my best friend's stance that she had no intentions of becoming violent. She was merely instilling the fear of God into her, and damn, was she doing a good fucking job. I relaxed in my seat once I'd realized that we wouldn't be witnessing a bloodbath, but a yelling match.

"Look at you," Britt laughed at her, "Here you came, dressed in your Burberry outfit with your little Prada bag and Gucci shoes, tryna be cute with your designer clothes, ready for a fuckin' fight. Now look at you! Lookin' just as crazy as can be, sittin' in this here corner with your eyes bugged out your head, ready to shit your Vickie Secrets, huh? I told you, didn't I? Didn't I?" she asked, looking to the other girls.

Val smirked, stepping forward and flashing Gena a rather scary look, "I don't know about you, but I sure did."

"Ahh, but she didn't listen," Michelle's smirk matched Val's, and Brian grinned proudly at his girlfriend.

Lacey laughed dryly, "And look where that got her?"

"Between a rock in a hard place," Leana smiled widely, turning and skipping towards Jimmy before taking a seat on his lap.

"And if she keeps it up, it's gon' be between my foot and the ground." Britt smiled wickedly, and I knew the job was done. Gena was visibly shaking as Michelle moved to the side, allowing her grab her things and hurry out of the suite.

"And don't come back, bitch!" Lacey all but bellowed at her retreating back.

"Zee, man, get it together!"

I was snapped out of my thoughts as Jimmy clapped a hand on my shoulder, flashing me a bright smile as we finished up our sound check. I knew he was still in a great mood from earlier, and I was sure everyone could tell that I couldn't seem to stop thinking about everything that'd happened.

Gena had all but flown out the door when the girls decided to unleash their fury on her. She hadn't been able to say much of anything to me, like she'd probably wanted to. In a way I was happy that she couldn't get a word in before she was chased off; I wasn't sure I would like what she had to say.

Would she have apologized? The Gena I'd always known was so sweet and understanding. If we'd had a fight, she would always want to talk about it and try to make things better between us. But she wasn't the Gena I'd always known. Not anymore. And maybe she'd only come today to try and get back in my good graces. While I was capable of forgiving her for her actions, I wasn't sure if I ever wanted anything to do with her again, despite how much I'd loved her. She'd hurt me too deep.

No, I couldn't put myself through something like this again. I couldn't put all of my friends through something like this again, either, or my family. I especially couldn't put my mom or Brittany through another depression. I'd scared them to death more than anything else. My health had been declining rapidly. I resembled that of a cadaver. I was an empty shell, and because those two knew me better than anyone else, they could see the change in me the most.

I couldn't allow something like that to happen again for their sakes. Ma was getting too old to have that kind of stress placed on her shoulders and Britt was heavily pregnant, ready to pop any day.

Britt.

I was so thankful to have her around. She'd been there to pick up the pieces of my shattered heart and spirit. She'd cooked and cleaned for me, and stayed with me during the nights that I'd been too upset to sleep. She'd never questioned my actions when I refused to speak or got emotional at times. She'd understood that I was hurting, and was there in every way possible for me. The way that Gena should've been, but wasn't.

After all her efforts, especially while pregnant, I wouldn't let them go to waste.

I was putting Gena in the past.