Stay

I wasn't really up for going out for a night on the town, especially at Johnny's. I was under the impression that Grace would be by my side. That was until she told me she was actually bar tending tonight, instead of actually being there with me.

"I have to go. I'll see you there," She smiled.

"I don't want to go," I stated and she glared.

"Well tough shit, Eden," She snapped and my eyes widened, "They want to see you. Matt isn't going to be there. Stop acting so high and mighty just because you have a job and an education now. We get it. You didn't end up like mom, and I'm proud. But stop acting like a pretentious bitch and go get dressed," She ranted.

She didn't give me a chance to respond because she quickly grabbed the keys to her car. I learned that Jimmy had helped Grace finance a car while balancing school bills. She really did have a lot of support from the guys.

Pretentious? I wasn't pretentious.

It's not my job to go out and have fun. I wasn't visiting. I was here to do my family business, then leave. It was as if Grace forgot we had a funeral to plan. A funeral she specifically asked me to help her with. So forgive me for being a little pretentious when I'm stuck trying to find an outfit suitable for a bar.

"You dressed?" A rough voice called with the slam of a door. I jumped up off the couch, spinning around until I glared at green eyes.

He looked mostly the same except for the now present stubble tracing his chin. A beard suited Zack well, I thought. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, back shoes, and a red plaid patterned shirt that he had buttoned all the way to the collar. His hair wasn't in his eyes anymore, but neatly combed to the side. I couldn't keep track of Zack's hairstyles anyways.

"You didn't knock," I stated.

"And you aren't dressed," Zack replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest. I suddenly had flashbacks to the first moment I had met Zack in the park near my house. I remembered the way he stood like a statue.

"Do you have a key or something?" I asked, ignoring his statement.

He shook his head, "Grace left the door unlocked. It usually is. Your Mom was always cooking for us after we managed to save your sister's ass from being fired," He explained, "We were in and out of here a lot," He shrugged.

"Wonderful," I stood.

"Where are you going?"

"To get dressed, as the majesty commands," I replied before stomping down the hall. I shut the bedroom door before beginning to dig through my suitcase for something to wear. I grabbed a pair of burgundy skinnies and a black top before slipping both on. I ran a few fingers through my hair before turning to the shoes I had various options in.

"You almost done?" Zack asked from the doorway, causing me to jump.

"Jesus Christ! I could have been naked!" I exclaimed, turning to face him.

"But you're not... sadly," He shrugged and I glared, "Now are you ready or not? They're waiting for us, you know." He stated impatiently, his foot tapping on the carpet beneath his shoe.

I huffed and grabbed a pair of black heels before snatching up my purse. I walked across the room, ready to walk past him through the doorway when he put an arm up. A solid bar locked across the doorway, blocking my way out. He looked down at me, green eyes locking with mine as he pursed his lips, "You know, I'm glad you're back," He whispered softly.

"Doesn't seem like it. Last I remembered you hated my guts, Vengeance," I sneered.

"Yeah, well when your best friend starts dating a high school girl, tell me how you're feeling," He shot back and I huffed.

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered softly.

He sighed, "I'm sorry. I really am. Now that you're here, I want to be friends with you like I am with your sister. That's why I offered to pick you up. I wanted to see how you were doing," He said softly, pulling his arm back so I wasn't being blocked anymore.

I crossed my arms over my chest, eying him, "Why now?"

"I feel bad," He shrugged, "That shouldn't have happened to you. None of us knew, you know. We all thought he was divorced."

"So you pity me? Thanks," I scoffed. Zack glared and leaned in closer to me, his eyes filled with anger.

"Will you stop being your 'female empowered superhero persona' for one minute so we can have a decent conversation?" He snapped and I gasped, offended, "I feel bad because that shouldn't have happened to you. You were a good person. You were good for him. Jesus, if you had stuck around you'd probably have little Matthews running around everywhere," He stated and I flinched. The thought of Matt and I starting a family had crossed my mind thousands of times, and I chose to block it from my memory.

"And I'm glad you left, okay? Because you didn't deserve that. I know I was a dick to you, but that shouldn't matter anymore. What matters is making sure that, even after all this time, you're okay."

"Okay," I whispered, fighting back the tears that I could feel starting to form. I was trying to hard to keep them back my eyes were starting to burn.

He sighed and brought a hand up to my chin, lifting it so I could look at him, "Are you okay?" He asked.

I bit my lip. Something in Zack's green eyes told me that I had to be honest. He was like the God of Truth with the way he was staring down at me, "No," I whispered out, choking on the air that filled my lungs.

He didn't hesitate. Zack pulled myself into him, wrapping his arms around me in the hug I had needed for the past four years. I clung to the button up shirt he wore, most likely getting my makeup all over the front of it as I continued to sob. He rubbed my back soothingly.

"Sh," He cooed, "It's okay."

"It's not," I sobbed and he gently pulled himself away from me. As predicted, there were two black smudges on the front of his shirt, along with the pale pink smear of my lipstick. I brought a hand up and traced the stains, "Sorry," I muttered.

He shrugged, "I have another in the car."

"We're going to be late," I sighed, making my way to one of my bags to find where I had packed my makeup.

"Take your time. We can be a little late," He smiled, and surprisingly he didn't leave. I sat down on the bed, pulling out a mirror as I began to work on covering up the rosy shade of pink that adorned my cheeks from crying. I then worked on the smudges, all while Zacky watched intently from the corner of the bed where he sat, "No one was there to comfort you," He admitted softly.

"Who was I going to tell?" I scoffed with a shrug, "You wanted me to confide in a stranger that M. Shadows fucked me while still being married?" I asked.

He frowned deeply, "It wasn't like that, though. You weren't just a fuck to him. He really cared about you, Eden. Matt wouldn't have risked everything for you if he didn't. Doesn't that make any sense to you?"

"No," I muttered, placing the cap of my lipstick back in place. I tossed my makeup bag aside and looked over to Zack.

"He was really bad when you left. And to be honest, he still is," He confessed.

"And you expect me to fix that?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Maybe talking will help."

I shook my head, "The only time I will be seeing him is at the funeral. Once that's over with, I'll be flying back to San Francisco where I belong."

Zack didn't say anything after that. Instead, I walked past him and straight down the hall towards the front door. His familiar black car was parked out in front, and he wasted no time unlocking it. He trudged forward, opening the trunk before stripping off his now makeup stained shirt and putting on a new one.

I slid into the front seat, ignoring the glances Zack threw at me as he pulled out of the driveway, "You know, that pain will never go away. You can go through every man in the world, and no one will fill the space like he did," He said softly.

I pursed my lips and turned to him. He refused to take his eyes off the road, probably afraid of meeting the glare in my eyes.

"I can try. And there's not much you can do to stop me."