Suffocated

Chapter 7
True Love Never Dies
The next morning, I woke up sprawled out on my bed as the sun peeked in through the curtains. Sitting up I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I got up & walked into the living room, looking around for Johnny.
"In here." he said from the kitchen.
"Oh, hey."
"Breakfast?" he asked me, handing me a plate of bacon, eggs, & sausage.
"Oh my god yes." I smiled as he sat the plate down in front of me.
"Hungry?" he chuckled, sitting down next to me.
"You have no idea." I said, mouth full of bacon.
"You know you can slow down. No one's gonna steal it from you. It's still gonna be there when you're done chewing."
"Shut up, Johnny." I chuckled, drinking the orange juice he handed me.
"So what are your plans today?"
"I don't know actually." I sighed.
"Didn't Valary ask you to hang out with her and Michelle today?"
"Oh yeah. She did." I remembered. After I finished breakfast, I dressed into some clothes & texted Valary.
"I'm gonna head over there. See you later, Johnny." I said as I walked to the front door. When I opened it, Zack was standing there.
"Oh. It's you." he sighed.
"Yeah. I live here, too, ya know."
"I need to talk to Johnny."
"What is your deal, Baker? You didn't have a problem with me until I got back. What is it?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Ya know, you're acting like a real bitch. Why don't you grow the fuck up?"
"Excuse me?" he said as I walked past him.
"You heard me douche rocket." I replied, standing there, staring at him.
"You aren't worth my damn time. Get outta here." he scoffed.
"I live here. You fucking get lost." I shouted, pushing him.
"Gina will beat your ass for that."
"So you have your slutty bitch fight for you? You can't be a man & do it yourself?"
"I wouldn't hit a woman. You know that."
"Whatever, dick." I said, walking away.
"What the fuck do you want?" Johnny asked Zack, looking kinda pissed.
"What's up her ass?" Zack scoffed, getting ready to step inside, but Johnny stopped him.
"For one, that's my sister, you bitch. For two, YOU! You fucking pissed her the fuck off. You got back together with that slut you call your girlfriend, Gina & you keep treating Taylor like shit. What the fuck do you expect asshole?"
"Hey! She pushed me away first."
"That doesn't mean you can go around pissing her off even more. She fucking cares about you, dude. A lot more than your little whore does."
"Stop talking about Gina like that, dude. That's not cool."
"Yeah? Well, quit talking about my sister the way you do & I will."
"Fine."
"Besides, you know the only reason you're with Gina is to try to get over Taylor & make her fucking jealous as hell. But there's nothing to be jealous of. Gina isn't even half the woman that Taylor is. She's special. I know you know that. Even if you don't want to admit it."
"Fuck you, dude. I came over here to see if you wanted to hang out, but I can see that was a mistake. I'll see you later." Zack shouted, walking away.
When I got to Valary's, I knocked on the door. When it opened, I was attacked by two very excited twins.
"Oh my god! How have you been? It's been such a long time." Michelle squealed.
"It's been...okay." I sighed with a small smile as I walked inside.
"Matt! She's here." Valary called up the stairs.
"Coming." he shouted back down.
"So what are our plans for today?" I asked them.
"We have got to go shopping. We can go to the mall or something." Valary smiled.
"Hey, Taylor." Matt grinned, walking down the stairs.
"Hey, Matt." I grinned back.
"I will see you two girls later. Have fun." Matt said, kissing Valary before we walked out the door. Once we were at the mall, we went into a few stores & looked around. After a while, we went to the food court to get something to eat.
"So you never did tell me how that date went last night?" Michelle asked Valary.
"Oh my god. Gina was so annoying. As always. I think even Zack was getting annoyed with her last night. She treats him like crap. I don't see why he's with her." Valary said.
"I, uh, I ran into him before I left for your house. It didn't go well." I whispered, looking down at my plate of food.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." Valary frowned.
"It's okay. He's just acting like such a...little bitch." I sighed.
"Just don't tell him that." Michelle laughed.
"Oh, I told him all right. We got into it. I called him a douche rocket, too. Little fucker deserves it. I ain' scared of him." I said.
"I'm sure he didn't like that, huh?" Valary asked me.
"I don't give a shit. He can get right the fuck over it."
"If he wasn't with Gina, he wouldn't be like this. She's poisoning him." Michelle sighed, sipping her drink.
"I don't care. We're through. I had a chance a long time ago, but that's all over now. He's got...his thing & he's over me."
"Oh no you don't. Don't you be giving up on this. Not yet." Val told me, grabbing my hand.
"Johnny told me last night that I just need to go for it. That Zacky is mine. He's always been mine. I just need to get him."
"Well, he's right." Michelle nodded.
"What if he's wrong? What if Zacky shoots me down? I don't know if I could handle that."
"You'll figure something out. When the time is right, you'll know it." Valary smiled at me. We spent a few more hours hanging out before I finally went back home.
"How was it?" Johnny asked me, sitting on the couch, watching tv.
"Great. I had fun. It was good to see them two." I grinned, standing by the door.
"You okay?" he asked, looking over at me.
"I've been thinking. About what you said."
"Which part?" he asked, confused.
"Zacky. I think I'm going to go over there & try to fix this."
"Really? That's good, but I don't know if Gina is over there. If you see a red or black newer looking Camaro in the driveway, that's hers. Be careful. If you have any problems at all, don't hesitate to call me or one of the other guys. We'll be there in a heartbeat."
"Thanks, Johnny. Love you, bro." I smiled as I leaned down to hug him before walking back out the front door. I started heading for his house & my heart was racing. What was I doing? What if this didn't work out? I'd never know if I didn't try, so I kept walking. Once I reached his house, I looked at the driveway. It was empty. Thank god! I walked up to his door & knocked. I stood there for a minute, waiting, & then he opened it.
"What do you want?" he asked me, sounding annoyed.
"I want to work things out."
"There's nothing to work out. I'm with Gina now. I'm happy. Leave."
"You're not even going to try to talk to me?" I asked him.
"No." he chuckled.
"Fine. At least do me one favor before I leave & then you don't ever have to worry about me bothering you again."
"Ever?" he asked me.
"Ever." I sighed.
"What is it?" he asked, standing there in the doorway. I cupped his face in my hands & brought his lips to mine, kissing him. When I let go, I thought I saw something in his eyes.
"Anything?" I asked him.
"Nothing. You done?" he asked, annoyed again.
"Yeah. I guess I'll-" but he already shut the door in my face. I turned to walk back home all alone, feeling defeated. This was it. I knew coming home was a terrible idea. I was better off staying behind in Florida. I cried most of the way home. When I finally got back home, Johnny rushed over to me.
"Did he hurt you?" Johnny panicked.
"No. No. He's over me."
"No. He's not. That's shit."
"No, it's not. He's over me. I kissed him & he didn't feel anything. He practically begged me to leave. He wouldn't even talk things over with me. I'm done trying."
"Oh shit. I'm so sorry, Taylor." he sighed, hanging his head.
"I fucking told you. It doesn't even matter anymore. I'm going to go to sleep. I'm tired." I said, trudging into my bedroom. I laid down on my bed & soon after, fell asleep. During the night, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Johnny must not have heard it because he was still asleep in bed. I slowly got up, looking over at the clock. It was 3 a.m.
"This had better be fuckin' good." I grumbled, walking into the living room to the front door. When I opened it, I saw Zack standing there.
"What the fuck do you want?" I growled.
"I lied." he said, cupping my face in his hands & pressing his lips to mine.
"Wait, what?" I asked him, confused.
"I did feel something earlier when you kissed me. I missed your kiss. I'm sorry for everything."
"Just shut up & kiss me." I said, pulling him closer, pressing my lips to his. I shut the door & we sat down on the couch, lips still pressed against each others. I ran my fingers through his dark hair & he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.
"I am so, so, sorry." he whispered when we finally broke apart.
"Why? Why did you treat me like that?" I asked him.
"Remember that night when you pushed past me? The first night we saw each other again? That hurt. It cut me deep inside. I was just really, really bitter. What everyone's been saying is right, though. Gina is just a lying whore that I was using to try to get over you."
"I want to be together. You and me. I want us to be a couple." I said, looking deeply into his green eyes.
"You already know my answer to that." he smiled, kissing my forehead.
"What about Gina?" I asked him.
"Fuck that bitch. She's just using me for my fucking money anyway. She's nothing compared to you. No one is." he grinned.
"I really missed you, Zacky." I smiled.
"I missed you, too." he whispered, hugging me.
"Come on." I said, standing up & holding out my hand.
"Where are we going?" he asked me.
"My bedroom." I said.
"Ooh." his face lit up.
"No. I'm not that easy. Nice try, though." I chuckled.
"Man." he laughed, snapping his fingers. He followed me to my bedroom & we laid down, cuddling.
"I've always wanted to do this. With you, especially." Zacky whispered in my ear.
"I've been waiting for what seems like forever to be yours." I smiled, turning over & facing him. Our lips pressed against each others again & our arms wrapped around each other.
"I've been waiting forever, too." he whispered as I turned over & wrapped his arms around me, falling asleep.
"Good night, my angel." he kissed my cheek & fell asleep shortly after. The next morning, I woke up a little startled after realizing that Zacky was in bed with me. But then I remembered what had happened & I smiled. I slowly moved his arms so I could get up, kissed his forehead, & walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me.
"Hey." Johnny said as I walked into the kitchen to see him drinking coffee at the table.
"Hi." I grinned.
"What are you so happy about?" he asked me, confused.
"Zacky's in my bedroom." I whispered.
"What?!" he said, shocked.
"I went over to his house to try to fix things & he didn't exactly give me a warm welcome. Then I came home & all that. Someone was knocking at the door at 3 a.m. & I went to go answer it. It was him. He's finally come to his senses. We're together now. He's all mine."
"It's about damn time." Johnny smacked the table.
"Yeah, I know. Things are finally starting to look up."
"Good morning, Vengeance." Johnny said, looking behind me.
"Hey, what's up, man?" he mumbled as he sat beside me at the table.
"Good morning, babe." I smiled as he kissed me. He smiled back at me & put his arm around me.
"So what's the plan for today?" Johnny asked us.
"You know what I think we should all do? We need to get a cooler full of drinks, some alcohol, some food, & go to the fuckin' beach!" Zacky said.
"Now, that sounds like a real good time right there. I'll call the guys & we'll head out." Johnny grinned, winking at me.
"I'll change, get some stuff together, then I'll walk with you over to your house." I said, looking over at Zack.
"Sounds good." he grinned. We walked to my room & I grabbed a backpack, stuffing some towels & sunscreen in there.
"I'll be right back." I winked at him.
"I don't get to watch?" he asked me, jokingly.
"Not this time." I said, not turning around as I walked down the hall to the bathroom. I changed into my black one piece swimsuit that looked like an X ray of a skeleton, put some cut off jean shorts, & a Day To Remember t shirt over that. Walking back down the hall, Zack looked out of the bedroom door to see me.
"You ready?" he asked me, kissing my shoulder.
"Yeah. Let's go," I smiled, taking his hand. "Johnny, we're heading over to Zacky's. Meet us at the beach, okay?"
"Yeah. Sounds good. See you after a bit." Johnny shouted from behind his bedroom door. Once we were walking for a little bit, Zack spoke up.
"I'm really excited about today."
"So am I."
"I thought I had lost you forever when you left."
"I know."
"But, Johnny noticed that the only picture you had taken was of me & you. I don't know why, but it gave me a little bit of hope."
"I couldn't bring myself to leave without it. I was so in love with you back then. Not to mention, you were my best friend. I knew I'd miss you the most."
"You really mean that?" he asked, looking over at me, surprised.
"Of course." I grinned, wrapping my hands around his arm & pulling him closer as we were walking along.
"I'm just glad everything is back to normal." But then we finally arrived at his house.
"Fuck." he whispered, worriedly.
"What should we do?" I asked him.
"That bitch better not be in my motherfuckin' house. I'm going in there. I have to." he said, walking up to his front door. Gina's car was parked in his driveway. He walked inside as I stood on the front porch. After a few minutes, I walked inside to see if everything was okay.
"Gina, get the fuck out of my house. We are done. There is no us anymore." I heard Zacky growl at her.
"Oh, don't be like that, sugar bear. You know you want this."
"Get real, bitch. He doesn't need someone like you when he's got me." I said, walking in & standing beside Zack.
"So this is the famous Taylor I've been hearing so much about? What makes you so damn special?"
"Bitch, please. I was Zacky's first love & I will be his last. Besides, you will never be half the woman I am."
"Really? Because I'm pretty sure that Zack belongs to me. This isn't over. If I leave, you'll come crawling back, begging me to take you." Gina laughed, standing up.
"Just get the fuck out. I don't want you here. I don't need you here. You don't even give a shit about me, anyway. You only fuck me for my money & fame. Taylor actually likes me for me."
"Oh, sweetie. No. That's not true. I knew you when you were still Zacky Baker." Gina sighed, walking over to Zacky & standing in front of him.
"Ha ha ha. No, bitch. We fucked after a concert of ours & you've been stuck on me ever since. You're nothing to me. You've never meant anything to me. You were always just another hoe." Zacky laughed.
"I'm not leaving." Gina said.
"Should I call the cops or ambulance?" I asked her.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"Because you have about ten seconds to be out that door before I beat the brakes off you."
"Bring it on if you think you're so tough." Gina giggled.
"Taylor, you don't have to do this." Zack stopped me.
"Yeah, because Zack knows how crazy I am. I could stomp you." Gina piped up.
"Uh, no. Taylor would mop the floor with you. You don't even have a ghost of a chance. I just don't want my house to be a murder scene." Zack laughed, turning around to face Gina.
"Whatever. I don't have time for this shit. Better watch your ass, slut. You, too, Baker." she growled, walking out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
"Hey, Zack?" I asked, looking over at him.
"Yeah?" he replied, looking back at me.
"You're wrong about what you said earlier."
"What do you mean?" he asked me, confused.
"When you said, 'Taylor likes me for me'. You're wrong."
"Wait, what? Did I miss something?"
"I love you. I always have." I grinned. An instant smile spread across his face.
"I love you, too, Taylor."
"I've been wanting to tell you that for so long. I could just never find the right time to do it."
"Well, I've always loved you. Through everything. I've never loved any other girl the way that I love you. The way you make me feel, no other girl could ever do that." He got his things together & we walked over to the beach. We looked around for where the guys were & we could see Brian waving to us.
"Well, hello there, love birds." Brian smiled, opening a bottle of beer.
"Hi, guys." we waved.
"So is it official? Are you two together now?" Matt asked us.
"Yeah. We're together now." Zack grinned, putting an arm around me. After they all cheered & gave us hugs, we sat down on a towel.
"Do you have any sunblock? I forgot mine." Jimmy asked me.
"Yeah. I have a big bottle. Any of you guys need some?" I asked them. They just looked at me, nodding shamefully.
"Did you guys all forget your sunblock? What the hell?" I laughed. I slathered some all over my body, then passed it around.
"So, uh, Gina was at my house when Taylor & I got there." Zack said, nervously.
"Oh, shit, bro. Is everything okay?" Brian asked him, worriedly.
"Yeah. Taylor almost beat her ass. But Gina wussed out & left finally."
"Damn. I have a feeling that won't be the last we see of her." Matt sighed, taking a drink from his bottle.
"Yeah, unfortunately." Zack frowned.
"Well, come on. Let's go do this." I said, jumping up & standing there in front of all the guys. I took my shirt & shorts off as they all took their shirts off.
"Last one to the water gets dunked." Jimmy shouted. I bolted.
"Hey!" Johnny laughed as they all ran after me.
"Sorry, short shit." Matt said, dunking Johnny's head under the water. We splashed around for a couple of hours & then went to go lay on our towels on the beach.
"Catch." Brian said, tossing me a bottle of beer. I opened it & took a few sips as the rest of the guys took drinks from their bottles.
"So after some fun in the sun, what are everybody's plans?" Matt looked around at all of us.
"Nothing really." Jimmy said, emptying his bottle down his throat.
"We...have prior engagements." Zack winked at Brian. He nodded.
"Who?" I asked him, curiously.
"You & me, silly. But I can't tell you what we're doing. It's a surprise."
"Ooh. I like surprises." I grinned, scooting closer to him & resting my head on his chest.
"I know you do & I'm pretty sure you'll like this one, too." he smiled, kissing the top of my head.
"Well, then. Everyone else, if you're not busy, Michelle & I will grill out some food, I have plenty more alcohol back at the house if you guys want to come on over & chill out there." Brian announced. All the guys nodded, but Zacky looked down at me & winked. I smiled, wondering what he could possibly have up his sleeve for this surprise of his.