Love You To Death

Zacky pulls up in an airport car park. It’s the dead of night, with only a few people around. His band, Avenged Sevenfold, song ‘Dear God’ is playing softly from his in car iPod. He turns off the ignition, killing the lights. He sighs deeply and turns to the young woman, who’s peacefully sleeping in the passenger seat.

ZACKY: Unwillingly going to wake her. Alice? We’re here.

Alice stirs, but doesn’t awake.

ZACKY: He shakes her leg a little. Alice, wake up.

She starts to wake, her hand rubbing her eyes.

ZACKY: We’re here.

ALICE: Looking out the window. Already?!

ZACKY: You’ve been sleeping the whole time.

ALICE: So much for keeping you awake.

ZACKY: Yeah. Never mind.

ALICE: Sorry Zack.

ZACKY: It’s okay. You had a late night.

ALICE: So did you.

ZACKY: I’m hardcore.

ALICE: Laughing. Yeah, hardcore gay!

ZACKY: I could drive you back home you know.

ALICE: But you won’t because you can’t wait to get rid of me!

She laughs as she quickly gets out the car and goes to get her bags from the trunk. Zacky sighs, looking miserable.

ZACKY: Yeah. Can’t wait.

Alice slams the trunk closed, shaking the car. Zacky catches his reflection in the rear view mirror, and swiftly slaps a smile on his face, and gets out the car.

ALICE: Hugging him. Thanks for the ride.

ZACKY: It’s okay. What are friends for?

ALICE: Yeah well, it would have been nice for my parents to send me off to college-

ZACKY: Would you want them here?

ALICE: Definitely not.

ZACKY: Then stop complaining.

ALICE: Sorry.

Zacky goes for her bags.

ALICE: Taking them off him.It’s okay. I’ll take it.

ZACKY: No come on. I’ll take you inside.

ALICE: I need to do this on my own Zack.

ZACKY: Why?!

ALICE: Because if you take me in there, I’ll have to do the whole proper goodbye thing and I’ll end up being a sobbing wreck.

ZACKY: No you won’t.

She looks down at her feet.

ZACKY: Lifting her head with his fingertips to see her bottom lip shaking and tears barely being held back. Hey, what’s all this?

ALICE: Her voice straining, trying to hide her distress. I’m really gonna miss you Zacky.

ZACKY: Embracing her. Hey, I know. I’m gonna miss you too. It won’t be forever. Four years isn’t that long.

ALICE: Thirty-six months, one hundred and fifty-six weeks, one thousand and ninety-five days, I’d say that’s long enough.

ZACKY: When you put it like that-

ALICE: Looking up at him. I couldn’t have got here without you Zacky. I mean so much to me.

ZACKY: And I wouldn’t be the same without you Ali, you know that.

ALICE: Thank you.

ZACKY: Thank you.

He pulls her to his chest, his head resting on the top of hers. Zacky licks up lips and looks to the sky; hold back his sobs.

ZACKY: You’re gonna miss your flight.

ALICE: Pulling herself together. You’re right. You’re my best friend Zacky, I’m really gonna miss you-

ZACKY: Stop it. You’ll start me off!

ALICE: I don’t care!

ZACKY: Thanks.

They laugh.

ALICE: Running her fingers under her eyes to remove any out of place makeup. Okay then.

ZACKY: Have fun.

ALICE: Yeah…in a place where I don’t know anybody, pulling all nighters, and working to feed myself…tons of fun!

ZACKY: You will meet people, you won’t pull all nighters because you’ll do your work as soon as you get it; you always have, but you will have to work. But you’ve gotta get there first.

ALICE: ‘Bye Zacky!

Alice picks her bag up, hitches it over her shoulder and pulls the handle up on the pull-case, gives Zacky a weak smile and walks towards the entrance of the airport.

She gets half way there, drops her bag and runs back. She jumps on Zacky, her legs around his waist, and arms around his neck.

ALICE: Have a fucking amazing tour!

ZACKY: Laughing. I will do!

ALICE: If you fuck anybody always remember-

ZACKY: No glove, no love. I know.

ALICE: I see I’ve taught you well. My work here is done!

He lowers her to the floor.

ALICE: I mean it Zack, you and the guys really deserve this.

She turns and goes back towards the entrance, getting her bags as she does.

ALICE: Calling back.Don’t forget me!

ZACKY: Don’t you forget me!

She waves over her head, still walking away. Zacky stands alone in the car park, his hands deep in his pants pockets.

ZACKY: I couldn’t if I tried.

He pulls on one of his snakebites with his tongue, stopping his lip from shaking. He swallows hard, closing his eyes tight. When he reopens them a few seconds later, Alice is inside and out of sight.

That’s that then. She’s gone, out of my life, never knowing how I truly felt about her.

I know she’s only going to college, but I’m clever enough to know Alice couldn’t wait to go, and I can’t see her coming back. Plus with me going on our first real tour, and her being busy with her studies, it’s inevitable that we’ll grow up, have different experiences and grow apart. Yeah, we might meet again, one day, but we’ll never be the same Alice and Zacky.

Zacky gets back in the drivers seat of his car, starts her up and rests his head on the steering wheel to compose himself before driving home. His phone in his pocket bleeps, he gets it out to see a text message from Alice,

“Look at the window x”

Zacky follows her instructions and looks at the airport windows to see Alice. She waves at him, then points to her eye, makes a heart with her fingers and points to Zacky. He chuckles lightly to himself and texts her back.

“I heart you too x”

He looks back at Alice, who is waiting for the message she knows Zacky has just text. Upon reading it she smiles a weak smile, waves and leaves again.

Still watching the back of Alice checking in Zacky puts his head on the headrest.

What am I gonna do without you?