I pulled into Matt’s driveway noticing just more than his and Aly’s car parked there. Great dealing with other people than just Matt and Aly. I sat in the car for about five minutes huffing and sighing. I didn’t want this to happen to me and Zacky. But if this is what it came to, so be it. I just wished it wouldn’t, it’s gonna kill me, and it would most certainly kill Ryleigh when she found out.

I grabbed Ryleigh from her car seat in the back and started walking up the walk towards the house. Ryleigh was babbling about a dog she had seen a couple houses back. I laughed at her and looked down, god she was so cute, and looked so much like the person I loved to death.

I knocked on the front door, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. I heard shuffling and two seconds later Matt’s girlfriend Aly answered. She looked at me and smiled.

“Hey Vero-, holy shit what happened to your face?” She asked, stepping closer to me, and looking at my left cheek.

“Umm…nothing. I ran into the door. Nothing unusual,” I said, side stepping her, and coming face to face with Matt.

He stood in front of me starring at me, and glanced down at me cheek, his eyes widened. “Holy fucking fuck! What happened to your face, babe?” He asked, running his fingers lightly over the newly formed bruise.

“Language,” I said, glancing down at Ryleigh. “And like I just said to Aly, I ran into the door. It’s not a big deal.” I walked around Matt, walking into the living room and noticed the rest of the guys, except Zacky, starring at me. I sat down on the couch next to Brian.

“Bullshit, Veronica. If you ran into the door, then why does it look like a handprint?” He asked coming in the room, and standing in front of me.

Aly came in grabbed Ryleigh, and took her upstairs to play.

“I don’t know, Matt. I got out of bed, didn’t realize the door was open, and ran into it. It’s not a big deal,” I said, trying to avoid looking into his eyes.

Matt huffed at me, and sat down on the other couch, next to Jimmy and Johnny. He kept looking at me, as if I was gonna tell him the truth about Zacky hitting me.

Aly came back in and sat down on Matt’s lap, eyeing me with what looked like worry in her eyes. I closed my eyes, and put my head against the back of the couch, I just didn’t wanna keep seeing everybody’s worried faces, it was getting pretty irritating. I mean I love the fact people actually care about me, but I’m sick of them worrying about what’s happening to me and Zacky.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Johnny who had walked out of the kitchen fall on his face. How he fell I don’t know. Nobody was around him; he just tripped on his own feet I guess. I fell back on Brian laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe.

“Holy hell, get off me, it wasn’t that funny,” Brian said, pushing me back onto my side of the couch. I sat up and noticed I was the only one amused by Johnny. I felt kinda stupid. I was trying to ignore my stupidity, when I heard ‘Warmness on the Soul’ start playing. I sighed, knowing who it was, since it only played when Zacky called me.

Not knowing why I answered the phone. I sighed and flipped it open. “What Zack?” I asked snottily.

“Baby, I’m sorry. Please just come home. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, please I’m sorry,” Zacky apologized, pleading more and more with each word he said.

I rolled my eyes, and sighed yet again for like the tenth time in five minutes.

“If you didn’t mean it, then why did you do it to begin with, Zack?” I asked. To tell you the truth I didn’t really care what he had to say. Nothing he did or said could take away the pain I felt, and all the anger I had towards him right now.

“Because you pissed me off!” he yelled. “Do you really thing think that I like being called names all the time by you?”

“And what you don’t call me a psycho ass bitch all the time. Have I ever hit you for it? No I don’t. But the one time I call you something that’s so horrible, I get smacked,” I yelled, forgetting that I was sitting in a crowded living room of people I just recently lied to about my situation.

I heard Aly gasp, but I ignored her, and I watched Matt bound across the room trying to steal the phone from my grasp. I jumped up and ran to stand behind the couch.

“Can’t you just accept my apology and come home? Please, Veronica. I’m sorry,” he apologized again. His apologies meant very little to me these days. He was always sorry about something he did to me. I for once would like him to say he’s sorry and actually mean, and not just say it because it makes me happy. But evidently Zachary Baker is just a cold heartless asshole.

“No, Zack, that’s the problem, you’re not sorry. You’re never sorry for anything you do. I’m so tired of accepting your apologies, when they don’t mean anything. You just say you’re sorry because you know that’s what I wanna hear from you. I can’t take it from you anymore. Can’t you just mean it for once?” I said, dancing out of Matt’s reach, who was still trying to grab the phone, with pure anger looming in his eyes.

I heard him sigh. I knew that sigh; it means that he’s surrendered. “Whatever, Veronica. I don’t give a shit anymore. I am truly sorry that I smacked you, but I don’t have the energy to convince you of that. I’m just about as fed up as you are, baby. I don’t see the point of trying to make our relationship work when all we do is argue with each other,” he said. I could hear him moving things around; I started wondering what he was doing.

“That’s called working out our problems, you dumb fuck,” I said sarcastically. I don’t think he liked that to much, cause he growled at me.

“That’s my fucking point, Veronica. Stop calling me names and shit, it’s getting pretty damn old,” he said, I’m pretty sure through clenched teeth.

“Whatever! I’m done having this conversation with you. I’m done with this conversation, and I’m done with you,” I said, tears starting to well up in my eyes. “I don’t deserve this kind of life, Zack. I actually deserve somebody who gives a shit. Somebody who wants to fucking help raise my daughter, and not complain how she fucked everything up between us,” I cried at him.

“That’s not what I meant Veronica, and you know it. I meant it saying we are fuck-” he started saying, but I cut him off.

“Bullshit! That’s total bullshit and you know it. You meant it she’s screwing up our lives. But the one thing that completely screwed my life up, was meeting you. If I never met you my life would be happier,” I screamed in a high pitched voice at him.

“Baby, if you didn’t meet me you’d probably be dead. Me and the fucking drugs you did back then saved your life and you know it,” he screamed right back at me.

I heard crying in the doorway. I looked over and noticed Ryleigh was standing there shaking, and crying.

“Oh fuck me,” I muttered. “Zacky, I’ll talk to you later,” I said, and hung up. I walked over to Ryleigh, and she ran towards Brian.

“C’mere Ryles,” I said walking towards her. I started wondering why she always walks in when me and Zack were arguing.

She shook her head, and buried it in Brian’s lap. I sighed, I was never the good one at getting Ryleigh to calm down, that was always Zacky that could do that.

“Ryleigh, baby, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” I cooed at her.

She shook her head again. Brian wrapped his arms around her, and rocked her back and forth.

“Ry-Ry. Come here, honey. I’m sorry, you heard screaming again,” I said. I kept telling her I was sorry, but nothing seemed to work.

“Just leave her alone, Veronica. She evidently doesn’t wanna come near you,” Brian said.

“Whatever, fuck it. My daughter’s gonna hate me eventually, why not start today?” I muttered. I flopped down on the couch between Brian and Jimmy.

“Let’s put a movie in!” Johnny screamed. He jumped up and ran towards the DVD rack Matt and Aly have. He grabbed ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ and put it in.

I sat there starring, but not really paying attention. I felt something on my lap, I looked down and Ryleigh was there curled up in a ball. Soon after we both drifted off to sleep.