"Will you pick up your goddamned phone? That song is driving me crazy!"

All Zacky needed were the not-so-dulcet tones of his future wife to wake him up in the morning to ensure that his day was well and truly ruined. He listened to all sorts of crazy music, whatever he could get his hands on that had a good beat and was made by someone who gave a shit about the music rather than the money. The song in question was Deadmau5's 'Professional Griefers' and he didn't give a damn if she hated it, he liked it and to him that was all that mattered.

Rubbing his eyes as he sat up in bed, the name 'JIMMY' flashed across the screen and he grinned. He'd bet anyone at least a hundred dollars that Jamie had let him loose on the beach, and he was chasing dogs again, screaming about how he was 'changing the spectrum'. His best friend was crazy.
"ZACKY!" Jimmy yelled excitedly.
"JIMMY" Zacky yelled back. It was just the way they greeted each other, and though some people found it a little weird, it was their little thing.
"Get your ass over to Haner's- someone showed up on his doorstep last night, and he won't let us do anything until you come down"

"Did you tie someone up? Who's there?" he asked, slowly getting out of bed and wondering what sort of crazy punk kid had camped out on Brian's doorstep overnight. Jimmy sighed.
"You'll never believe it, but it's Lizzy"
"Lizzy!?"
He hadn't seen her in years, they'd left on such bad terms they never bothered to call each other anymore, almost as if their platonic friendship had fizzled out entirely. He never stopped thinking about her, especially when he and Anna fought, and he wondered what his life would've been like if he hadn't proposed. Would he and Lizzy have ever worked?
He didn't realise he'd been silent for so long, until Jimmy started to talk again.

"Look, I know you two aren't as close as you used to be, but she's going through a lot of shit right now. She got here at 3am, Brian said she had a breakdown in his kitchen- she needs us, Zack. She needs you"
"She doesn't need me, she made that pretty clear when she last saw me. But...as Brian's friend, I guess I should go down there. Give me twenty minutes, I'll be there as soon as I can" Zacky replied, balancing the phone between his shoulder and ear as he glanced through his closet.

"Alright Baker. But despite what you might say, she does need you. And I think, deep down, you need her too" he said wisely and rang off, leaving Zacky feeling a little empty, like there was a hole inside of him that his friend had made by just saying those little words, ones he didn't want to admit were true.
He dressed quickly and walked downstairs, hoping to say a quick goodbye to Anna and then to leave as fast as possible. She hadn't let him out of her sight in almost a week, he missed seeing his friends, and his godson. He liked to spoil Tyler, the way he didn't particularly like to spoil Anna.

"And where do you think you're going?" Anna asked from the kitchen as he was halfway to the door, and he cursed, doubling back.
"Something's going down at Brian's, he wants me there. Band stuff, you wouldn't understand. I'll be home late, don't wait up" he said vaguely, picking up the keys to his car and making to get out of the door as fast as his feet would carry him. She coughed, stopping him, and put her hands on her hips.

Yet another fight was brewing.

"But we're meeting with the wedding planner today! He can't reschedule Zack, you'll have to visit your friends some other time" Anna spat, letting the word 'friends' roll off her tongue like she was talking about cockroaches rather than actual human beings.
"A wedding planner I'm paying for, Anna. If he wants his bill paid, he can reschedule. We'll talk about this later" Zacky said, shrugging on his expensive jacket and turning away.

"Why do all our conversations end like this? There is no later! You keep calling all these things off so you can spend more time with them than me! I don't think you want to get married to me at all!" she said, her voice getting higher with each word that fell from her lips. Zacky rolled his eyes, and grabbed a pair of aviator sunglasses from the table. He was done with having a relationship right now, he couldn't cope with it.

"You know Annabelle? I'm starting to think the exact same thing"

***

Perched on Jimmy's lap, Lizzy stared over at the little group that had gathered in her brother's living room at a summon of command, the ones she'd spent years growing up with- and years watching get drunk, often with hilarious outcomes. She'd missed hanging out with them everyday, and she was beginning to notice the little changes in them. How Matt had gotten a couple of new tattoos when she'd been gone, how Jimmy's hair seemed a little darker than she remembered, how Johnny...well, he was still the same height. His hair colour had just changed.

"MY LIZZY LIES OVER THE OCEAN, MY LIZZY LIES OVER THE SEA, MY LIZZY LIES OVER THE COUNTRY- AND THE PLANE BROUGHT HER RIGHT BACK TO MEEEEE!" Jimmy sang loudly, rocking the girl on his lap from side to side happily. He'd been the most excited to hear that Lizzy was back in town and had leapt into the house and lifted her over his shoulders, hollering at the top of his voice.
"Ten years, and you're still singing those songs. You haven't changed one bit James Sullivan" Lizzy grinned as the doorbell went again and Brian got up, a slightly worried look across his face.

"What did you expect? That I dyed my hair purple and joined a Kiss cover band?"
"Something like that"
The whole room erupted into laughter at that point until Brian walked back in, Zacky at his side. The laughter only died down a little, and it was Jimmy who broke the awkward silence that settled as Lizzy and Zacky stared at each other, both suddenly turning a little shy.

"Zachary! Did you finally kill that bloodsucking fiancee of yours to get out here?" he said not so subtly and he smirked, shaking his head.
"Unfortunately, no. But, you were quite specific that I come down here, so that's what I did. She's been on my ass all morning- I swear one of these days, I'm gonna pack up and leave" Zacky said, leaning against the wall as he stared in Jimmy's direction, but not at the man himself.

Lizzy had changed. She was paler, her hair was lighter- but her eyes had that same twinkle in them that had made him love her in the first place. She smiled, and looked down, a pink blush tinting her cheeks.
"Face it, you haven't got the balls, Baker. Just she's got yours in a vice like grip" Brian smirked and Zacky punched him in the arm. He hated being the one with the bitchy fiancee, it sucked.
"I'll go get some beers, you guys are funny when you're drunk, and I need some cheering up" Lizzy said, and almost automatically, Zacky said,
"I'll help you"

The two of them walked out to the kitchen in silence, where Lizzy began pulling bottles out of her brother's fridge, almost as if she still lived here.
"So, NYC to Cali in one night? You must've been really pissed off..." Zacky said, hoping to get a conversation started. Lizzy chuckled, slamming the fridge shut with her foot and rooting around in a drawer for a bottle opener.
"Well, yeah. My boyfriend cheated on me, and shits been going down at work. I needed a vacation- so I came home. How about you? Lacey told me you were engaged" she said, a little sadness in her voice.

He wanted to find this guy and beat the crap out of him. He didn't know why, he just did. Did he still feel protective of Lizzy?
"Yeah. She's, well...she's a challenge" was all he said, feeling a little frustrated by how he felt so barricaded from the girl he'd once called his own. Lizzy took a step forward, and took a deep breath.
"Can we start over? I mean, before I got all cocky and that whole argument happened. I've missed talking to you" she said softly, and he found himself smiling, the first time he had felt like doing so in a long time.

"Sure we can Lizzy. Truth is I've missed you too. You wanna hug it out- for old times sake?" he asked nervously and she laughed, jumping over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. And as he held her, the smile slowly disappearing from his face, he felt his stomach turn.

Was he really meant to feel like this? Like he was falling in love all over again?