A Far Cry From Innocence.

This was a great time to make such a realization. Roni had just flipped her shit on me after just kissing Zacky for a blackout, drunken dare... What was she capable of, what would she do, if I told Zacky what I felt?

Apparently my expression was enough for Zacky and a smile that lit up his entire face came over his lips. He put a hand on my knee, the smile never leaving his lips, "You remember." He looked like he wanted to hug me, like he wanted to relive the magical moment. His face lost a little of the light when he realized I didn't look quite as ecstatic as he did. "You remember, but you wish you didn't... Am I right?" His eyes fell to the ground as he hand slid away.

I had no answer. I was glad I remembered but, at the same time, I wasn't. I could either tell him now and face the wrath of an unpredictable Roni, but I wasn't sure if telling him the truth was worth my life. I could wait out the little fling, knowing this crazy bitch was far from the 'one and only' for Zacky; but if she was a crazy girlfriend, what kind of ex would she be? Zacky looked up at me, eyes disappointed and hurt again, and it practically broke my heart when I made my decision.

"Zacky... It was just a drunken mistake..." I had to look down at my hands to focus on something other than him since my tears were already threatening to spill over. "I'm sorry, it just... didn't mean anything to me." It was unbelievably difficult to keep my voice from cracking.

"Why can't you look at me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, practically pleading for this to not be the truth. I felt the tips of his fingers brush my arm briefly but there was nothing more.

I stood up, quickly brushing the tears off my cheeks. I looked over at him and put my hand on his cheek, "I'm sorry, but... we're just friends." I sighed and dropped my hand, walking out of the lounge to go to the front living room area. I yelped as I was suddenly grabbed by my hair and dragged into the bathroom, the door shutting behind me.

"I thought I told you to stay away from Zacky!" Roni threw me against to the floor, glaring at me. "You guys are done, through, finished! Friendship equals over!" She leaned down to put her face in mine, "What about that don't you understand!?"

I whimpered for a second before gaining enough composure to fight back a little. I glared back and wiped the tears from my face, "I don't understand what you have to worry about! You're a grown ass woman getting in a teenager's face because you think I have a thing for Zacky. He's not even your boyfriend so just shut the fuck up!"

"He's not my boyfriend yet, you whore! Maybe if you actually paid more attention to his life rather than stuck your tongue down his throat, you would already know that," she spat, nearly headbutting me.

I stood up and pushed her away from me as she stared at me with wide eyes. "Fine, whatever, Veronica! You win," I threw my hands up in the air in defeat before glaring down at her. "Consider the friendship over, okay?" I figured it was anyway, after hurting Zacky the way I just had.

I opened the door and pushed past her, walking out to the living room where Brian and Matt were playing video games and the others were cheering them on. I sat down next to my brother and leaned against him.

"What's up, brat?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the television screen as the engines of cars racing roared through the speakers. He cackled as he nudged the corner of Matt's car, causing him to lose control as Brian's car zoomed past him.

I shrugged and hooked my arm through his. I just wanted to feel like I could have someone, and I knew I always had my big brother. His presence was greatly appreciated and made me feel a little better for the time being.

Jimmy jumped down next to me and stared, waiting for a response. When I finally looked over at him, he slouched down and grinned at me. "So, how are the lovebirds?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

I felt tears quickly brim in my eyes, and I turned to bury my face in my brother's arm. I couldn't handle this and was glad we only had two weeks left until I was home, and Roni would be out of the picture any day now. I pulled away, pushing further into Brian's arm as Jimmy poked at me playfully.

"Hey, man, leave her alone! It was your dare, and you shouldn't have even done it!" He pulled his arm out from under me to elbow Jimmy, "Slime ball!" He put his arm around me and hugged me close so he could get back to his game and play protective big brother at the same time.

Jimmy crossed his arms and pouted. "It may have been my dare but she was the one you leapt at the chance to swap spit with him," he grumbled like a child that had just not gotten their way.

"It was just a drunken mistake, Jimmy. Shut up and forget about it."

I looked up at the sound of Zacky's bitter voice as he sat down at the table, pulling Roni down into his lap. She shot a glare at me before nuzzling her face in Zacky's neck. He didn't even look at me, he just stared blankly at the television screen, blatantly ignoring my existence... And that hurt more than what I had told him.

I turned and buried my face in Brian's shirt to hide the silent tears that slid down my face. He gave me a quick questioning look but I hardly had the composure to answer, and he just left me alone.

How could things have gotten so bad?