I Can't Forget What You've Forgotten

Third P.O.V. --- One Month Later

Zacky placed a finger to his lips and signaled for Cassie and Matt to be silent as he crept up behind his girlfriend, Krystal, in the kitchen. She was crouched over, invisible from the eye behind the small island in the hotel room, as she dug through the small refrigerator for a beverage. He pinched her sides with a slight voice and she jumped up, startled with scream that was cut off short with a small giggle.

"Don't do that," she tried to scold him with a failed attempt. She wiggled out of his hold when he came back in for more and ran out of the kitchen, squealing the whole way. She jumped on one of the two queen-sized beds and leaned back against the headboard behind her, an unopened bottle of Pepsi in her hand. She joined Jimmy in watching the television, which he had turned on to a channel showing a BMX competition.

Zacky followed her and jumped onto the bed next to her as well. "Can't tell me what to do," he grunted from the pressure of landing on the bed on his side and elbow. Jimmy uttered a noise from the interruption and brief blocking of the television screen.

Krystal tried her best not to choke on her drink from the shift on the bed as Zack rolled his eyes at Jimmy's behavior. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and leaned back against the headboard as well, throwing an arm around Kristy's shoulder and keeping her close. He kissed the side of her head and trailed down to her neck in a series of pecks.

She giggled from the tickling sensation and craned her neck away, trying to avoid his soft lips. She let out a squeal when she turned back to him a second later to have him lick her cheek. "Ew, gross." She continued to laugh and leaned in against him. Placing a finger under her chin, Zack tilted her head up and softly placed his pierced lips against hers; their eyes slipped shut in the moment.

Jimmy glared over at the couple, annoyed. All he wanted to do was watch the competition, but all he could hear were giggles and laughter, now the sound of kissing as their lips came together. He let out a groan and threw his hands up in defeat. "I give up!" he exclaimed and went into the kitchen area where his girlfriend and Matt still sat. He plopped down on the hard booth seat next to Cassie and leaned down against her shoulder, whining.

"Awe, what's wrong?" she cooed, reaching her hand up to pat his cheek. She laughed at his behavior and looked at Matt, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to watch the game," Jimmy continued to whine, "But they won't shut up and stop being lovey dovey." He ended with a frown and crossed his arms across his chest, clearly still annoyed and perhaps a little angry.

Matt was already angry before, just watching the way Zacky behaved with Kristy, but his blood began to boil more after Jimmy finished his sentenced. To him, it was alright to show some PDA around friends who already has a significant other, but to him, they were being rude about it. Also, there was a little spark in him that told him it wasn't right.

Their whole relationship wasn't right.

"That's it," he muttered and slid out of his seat, charging out to the other room where the couple, still kissing, was. He cleared his throat loudly and they departed from each other. Zacky glanced up at him and made a gesture, encouraging him to say what he wanted to say. "I need to talk to you," he stated simply and nodded his head towards the door, "In the hallway."

Zacky rolled his eyes but nodded, getting off the bed and following after Matt out into the empty hallway. It didn't matter whether or not people occupying other rooms could hear them or if the people across the hall could see them, as long as the conversation was between them and they understood what was being said.

"What's up?" Zack stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and faced Matt. They stood facing each other in front of the door.

Matt held a scowl on his face, his brows furrowed together in anger. He crossed his arms tightly across his chest and kept his voice low. "Do you think this is right?" he questioned his best friend.

Zack shot him a puzzled look and tossed his head back slightly, shrugging. "Do I think is what right?" He wasn't sure what Matt was talking about, but he had a feeling it wasn't exactly going to be a happy talk. It must've been serious if he was pulled aside by someone fuming.

"You and Kristy," Matt answered bluntly. Zack rolled his eyes once again and leaned against the wall next to him; Matt moved to stand in front of him. "Do you know what you're doing? Tell me," he demanded, "Do you think it's right to be taking advantage of her?"

Appalled, Zack's eyes grew wide. "Taking advantage of her?" His voice grew slightly louder in disgust at the fact that his friend could even come up with such conclusions. But was he?

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "Dating her, acting like nothing happened, letting her go on like this," he began to list off. "It's not right. You shouldn't keep dat--"

"Who are you to tell me who I can't date?" Zacky interrupted, his voice growing louder by the minute. "This is my business and I think you should butt out of it--"

"No!" the other stopped him in a stern voice. Zack kept his mouth shut with his eyes narrowed on Matt in a glare. He knew that if he were to move to escape at that moment, Matt wouldn't let him get away that easily.

Hearing the raise of voices outside, Cassie got Jimmy to move back into the other room and continue on watching his BMX competition while the room was quiet and Kristy was momentarily in the bathroom. Out of curiosity, she crept on over to the door and peered out of the peephole at the arguing men. But she figured it was best if she just stood there and listen. Their conversation was muffled from Jimmy and Kristy's hearing, but they were clear from where Cassie stood behind the door. She didn't like to eavesdrop, but it all seemed so sudden, sparked from when Jimmy spoke of Zacky and Kristy's relationship.

"She has the right to know," she heard Matt say; it sounded as though he was gritting his teeth. Outside, Matt had his fists clenched tight, still tucked underneath each other by his side. "She can't remember a fucking thing, and you're trying to keep it that way. It's selfish Zack; she deserves to know what happened in her life and where she's at. I'm sick and tired of having to act like a stranger around her just because you don't want her to remember what you did to her. I know it hurts for her not to remember you," he softened his tone lightly but continued on, "But stop taking advantage of her memory." He wanted his words to get through and stick in his friend's mind, hoping that maybe he'd made the right decision and fix what's wrong.

In a way, it was like cheating.

Cassie's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped slightly; a small gasp escaped her lips. The back of her eyes stung with tears that have yet threatened to fall. She couldn't believe what she had heard; this whole time, she thought she was spending time and making memories with her best friend, but she wasn't who she thought she was. Kristy didn't know who she was, and she definitely didn't remember anything that they've done together - all the things that have made their friendship so special.

Not only that, but Zack was using her to his benefits. She thought that it was strange - that Kristy would agree to be Zack's girlfriend after all that he's done, how she would even simply start to warm up to him. She knew Kristy was better than that, and that she would never do such a thing. Cassie didn't want her to get hurt, but this wasn't a lie to keep.

She sensed that that was the end of the argument between the boys, so she quickly moved away from the door and walked numbly back over to Jimmy. She climbed onto the bed next to him and laid on his chest. Her eyes stared dead straight at the television screen as she contemplated on what was going to happen next.

Matt gave one last sigh and turned to slide his key card through the slot, turning the doorknob and going back into the hotel room.

Zacky stayed behind for a few moments after Matt had left, staring at the wall across from him. "I'm not taking advantage of her," he muttered to himself, a last attempt to convince himself that he truly wasn't.