Mine

The next morning I had woken up earlier than I had wanted to. I couldn’t sleep much last night after yesterday’s events. I had already packed up everything and was waiting for Zack and the rest of the guys to get here. I sat on my couch nervously bouncing my leg up and down. I didn’t know how I was going to react to Zack when he got here. How was he going to react to me? As well as I know him, I have no clue how to predict the outcome of this situation. Something like this has never happened before.

Although I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t always wished it would.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when my front door suddenly swung open and in walked a bright eyed and bushy tailed Zack. He had a wide smile on his face as he strolled through the foyer and into my living room.

“Hey are you ready?” he asked happily. I studied him briefly, searching for something that told me everything was going to be awkward now. I saw nothing. No trace of any kind of remorse, regret, uncertainty. Nothing.

As relieved as I was, I had hoped I’d find something.

“Yep, all packed and ready to hit the road,” I replied happily, standing from my seat on the couch. If he wasn’t going to be weird about it then I definitely wasn’t going to be either.

“Great, I’ll help you get your stuff,” he said as he started walking to my room. I followed him back there and I started grabbing some stuff. For a girl I packed rather light, I don’t mind the packing process but having to unpack everything sucks. “Hey listen, about yesterday…I don’t know what got into me. I hope I didn’t upset you or hurt you,” he told me sheepishly.

“I admit I was shocked but I didn’t exactly push you off,” I laughed nervously. It’s been a long time since I felt this nervous around Zack. He smiled at me and chewed on his snakebites, casually stepping closer to me.

“I’m glad you didn’t,” he winked. I felt myself blush and a stupid grin graced my lips.

“Come on, let’s get going,” I told him, deciding that if I stood here any longer I’d probably say something stupid.

After packing everything and loading up on the bus I was finally truly excited about going on tour with the guys. It had been a couple of years since I had been out with them last so I was looking forward to this!

“I’ll show you to your quarters m’lady,” Zack said in a terrible fake British accent. I followed him down the long narrow hallway that had bunks in both sides of the wall. “Here ya go, I’m right across from you,” he told me smiling happily.

“Awesome,” I replied.

“Zackary I thought you were giving her the storage bunk,” Maddie whined as she suddenly poked her stupid head out from behind the curtain of Zack’s bunk.

“It’s way too small, plus we need it for storage since some of us have a lot of extra luggage,” he explained with a roll of his eyes.

“I don’t feel comfortable sleeping so close to her. She'll probably cut my throat while I'm sleeping." She growled, glaring at me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Don't tempt me." I shot back. She glared at me and roughly pulled the curtain back. Zack gave me an apologetic look.

"So you want to see the grand tour?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Sure. " I replied happily. This bus was amazing! The main living area which consisted of two large built in couches and a small booth behind the driver's area. It was equipped with a microwave, stove, and a mini fridge. There was a small bathroom that had just the basic sink, toilet and shower. Not a bad way to spend your time away from home.

"This is my favorite room. " Zack said as he opened the door. It had a very comfortable vibe. There was a full sized bed, a computer desk where all the guys did their recording on the road and where I can upload photos. There was also a TV and several different video games.

"Obviously we use this room a lot, and it's great to have when one of us needs a break from everyone. That's what this is for." He explained showing me a 'Do Not Disturb' sign that hung on the door.

"Sweet." I replied as I looked around in awe.

"Plus I've got a secret stash in here." He said dropping his voice down low so only I could hear. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"'Stash? I didn't think you'd bring it with you on the road." I whispered back. He walked over to the bed motioning me to follow. He knelt down in front of it and reached underneath the frame where suddenly he pulled a small drawer out. It was so inconspicuous. If he hadn’t showed me I never would've known it was there.

"I got us some good shit babe." He whispered excitedly as he pulled out a large zip lock bag of beautiful green. He opened it up and we both inhaled deeply.

"Mmmm. " We both groaned.

"That's amazing." I said grinning excitedly.

"I know! Keep it quiet though. I don’t want Maddie to find out." He whispered as he put his stash back.

"She doesn't know you smoke?" I asked surprised.

"No. I brought the subject up before and she freaked. She's totally straight edge. She doesn't even like it when I drink. " He explained.

"Well I don't know if she's noticed that we all tend to drink a lot. Just because she's straight edge doesn't mean you have to be." I pointed out.

"Yeah I know. I'd just rather her not know. She says green makes it too easy to make dumb decisions." He added. I gave him an odd look.

"Ummm.." I began but we both burst out laughing as we remembered a lot of dumb decisions we made while stoned out of our minds.

"Okay, so maybe there is some truth to that." He laughed.

"Maybe." I replied, trying to control my giggles. It didn't work. Every time we looked at each other we would start laughing all over again.

"What's so funny?" Zack and I both jumped when we heard Maddie's voice.

"Nothing babe, just goofing off." He shrugged. She looked between the two of us, glaring at me of course.

"Well we're fixing to stop at the beach before we make our first stop. I was wondering if you wanted to help me pick out my swim suit?" She said shooting him a provocative look before smirking at me.

Bitch please…
.
"I'll see ya in a bit Addy. " He said as he followed her out of the room. I sighed heavily and went to my bunk to pull out a swimsuit. I could hear noises coming from Zack's bunk so I quickly headed back to the back room to change. I wonder if Zack feels anything about what happened with us yesterday even though he’s back there with her.

He has no guilt for it I’m sure.

I had picked my red and black plaid bikini, my favorite one since the bottoms were cut like boy shorts.

"Hey Addy you back here?" I heard Kayte ask from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, come in." I called. She opened the door and came inside. I slipped on some jean shorts and my flip flops.

"We’re here, I've got all the towels." She said.

"Okay cool. Let's go." I said following her out and off the bus.

The beach was beautiful. One of the reasons I love California so much. The golden sand and the clear water was breathtaking. I helped everyone pack the coolers, chairs, and volleyballs set down to a secluded area. Zack and Maddie had yet to join us, I shuddered at the thought. Kayte and I got comfortable and laughed as the guys started doing catcalls when they noticed our attire.

"Looking good ladies!" Jimmy called as he helped the others fix the volleyball net. Kayte and I laughed at his silly compliment.

"Hey who wants to help me with my sunblock?" I called over to the boys giving them a sly wink.They all began running towards me with the exception of Matt who made his way over to Kayte.

"Whoever catches the bottle is the winner!" I laughed and tossed the bottle into the air. They dove for it and I couldn't help but laugh at their determination.

"They're like bridesmaids at a wedding!" Matt laughed. Jimmy suddenly jumped up from the dog pile holding the bottle high in the air.

"Ahahaha! I win losers!" He exclaimed and ran over to me. Johnny and Brian flipped him off.

"Don't hate that I get to rub on the beautiful lady!" He teased. They finished setting up the net that had fallen down during their antics. Jimmy squeezed the shimmery lotion onto his hands and began skillfully rubbing it into my skin.

"Mmm. " I groaned as I rested my head on my knees.

"Feel good?" He said into my ear as his hands made their way down my back.

"Mmmhmm." I mumbled.

"Better watch them hands Rev. You won't be much good with those drums if I have to break your fingers." Zack said, suddenly appearing beside us.

"Don't worry dude, I'm not gonna molest your precious...unless she wants me to." Jimmy said with a wink. We all laughed except for Zack who glared at him which only made us laugh harder.

"Not funny," He grumbled as he grabbed a beer then stalked over to Maddie who was waiting impatiently.

"The sad thing is he's probably dead serious." Matt said as he wrapped his arms around Kayte.

"I know dude." Jimmy laughed as he continued applying lotion on me.

"What? No way, Zack would never hurt one of you guys." I said, surprised they would even
suggest that.

"Actually the only way Zack probably would hurt one of us is if we really did try something with you." Matt answered.

"Yeah God forbid somebody tries to take away his girl. " Jimmy added on a more serious note.

"I think you guys mean Maddie." I said as I shared a confused look with Kayte.

"No, we mean you. It doesn't matter who he's with. To Zack you're his territory and guys don't like their territory being messed with by any other dude. It's simple guy code. Why do you think none of us have ever tried getting with you in like the ten years we've been friends?" Matt asked.

"Uhh, because you guys are like brothers to me. Plus you've been with Kayte since freshman year." I pointed out.

"Well excluding me, it's not just because of how close we all are. It's because we know you're off limits. Always have been, always will be." he explained. I sat there dumb founded looking between the two men.

"That's not really fair to me. What if I decide I want a boyfriend?" I asked. Both men laughed.

"Well nobody would stop you of course, but I feel bad for the guy who's brave enough to try. Zack would flip shit and probably beat them up just like he has all your past boyfriends." Matt replied, no hint of a joke in his word. Now that I think about it, Zack always did get in fights with my exes. Was it really because he didn't want me with anyone? What does that even mean?

"I know it's confusing, no point in questioning it. That's why it's called guy code. Girls don't understand. Come on, let's play some ball." Matt said standing up. We followed suit and headed over to Johnny and Brian who were playing one on one.

"Just so you know, I'm not afraid of Zack." Jimmy whispered into my ear. I smiled widely and instinctively bit my lip. I glanced over at Zack who was eying us both suspiciously. I suddenly felt a sense of empowerment.

Is it possible to make him jealous?

After several competitive rounds of volley ball we all decided to swim for a while and relax. Jimmy and I were having a dunking war. It was quite hilarious actually.

"Hey babe, are you coming in?" Zack asked Maddie who sat laid out on the shore baking herself in the sun.

"No way, salt water will destroy my hair." She said as she leaned her head back against the chair. Jimmy and I snickered. What a priss. I was too caught up in our making fun of her to realize that somebody was behind me. Before I knew it I was being hoisted up in the air then came crashing down underwater. When I resurfaced I was met with a hysterically laughing Zack.

"You're gonna pay for that!" I yelled then lunged at him. We both submerged underwater, wrestling around. He managed to get a good grip on me and before I knew it I was being hoisted up in the air again.

"Jimmy! Catch!" Zack called. I shook my head quickly.

"No! No Addy-ball! No, no, no!" I cried feigning panic. Addy-ball was when the guys decided to throw me around like a rag doll - something they found hilarious. I screamed as I felt myself being thrown through the air and landed in Jimmy's arms causing us to crash underwater.

When we resurfaced I tried to make a break for the shore but Jimmy was too quick and grabbed me before I had a chance and hurled me through the air. Zack caught me, and him being more stout was able to keep us above water this time.

"Okay! No more please!" I pleaded.

“Alright fine party pooper,” Zack teased as he sat me back down in the water. We began playfully shoving each other around trying to dunk each other underwater when Maddie’s god awful screech sounded.

I believe the sound she was making was an attempt to alert us that she was not happy.

“Zackary! Hello! Did you forget about your girlfriend! I am not going to sit here and continue to watch you flirt with her anymore!” she yelled angrily.

“What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not flirting with her!” he yelled back as he started storming out of the water.

So I should mention that the number one sure fire way of pissing Zack off is by yelling at him, and his temper can be a force to be reckoned with. Just a little fun fact you all might want to know, now back to the current situation:

“Yes you are! I can’t believe you would actually do that in front of me! Don’t you know how to respect a woman, did your mama not teach you any better?” she spat.

Please Zack just back hand the trick, we’re all begging for it!

The look on Zack’s face was slightly terrifying and his fists were clenching at his sides. I could tell he was struggling with his temper. The rest of us came out of the water having our mood dampened by the skank mentioned above. Zack and Maddie continued their screaming match on the sand while we packed up our things and boarded the bus.

“What the fuck is up with that bitch’s attitude? I could punch Zack for bringing her along on this tour,” Jimmy fumed as he grabbed a beer from the mini fridge and sat down on the couch.

“Same here, if we have to put up with that for the next three months I say we put them both out on their ass,” Johnny chimed in as he rubbed his temples.

“I second that!” Brian laughed.

Everyone fell into casual conversation with each other, Zack and Maddie had quieted down but hadn’t come back on the bus yet. I was now laying on the couch with Jimmy, my legs thrown over his lap while his forearms rested on them as he held his phone in one hand and the other rested gently on my thigh. I watched him with a smirk as his face was concentrated on the game he was playing, it was cute really. Jimmy was a very attractive man to say the least. He was really tall, around 6’4 which made me feel like a gnome when standing beside him. His naturally dark hair was always a mess but in a way that suited him very well. His eyes were the clearest blues I had ever seen and the ink that decorated his arms made him so easy on the eyes. As if his appearance wasn’t attractive enough, his personality could win over any girl’s heart. He was completely insane in the most wonderful way. He is so open and loving, accepting everyone for who they were no matter what. It was a very rare sight to see him angry or upset. To be honest if I wasn’t so head over heels for Zack I’d definitely go for Jimmy.

“See something you like?” I heard a voice say quietly. I looked over and saw Zack seated on the other couch. How long had he been sitting there? I didn’t even hear him come on the bus, and where was Maddie? I guess I didn’t realize how zoned out I was. Jimmy never looked up from his phone and everyone else was still carrying on with what they were doing.

“What?” I questioned.

“You’ve been staring at him for like twenty minutes,” he mumbled. I glanced around again and realized our conversation was going unnoticed.

“I just zoned out,” I replied suddenly feeling annoyed with him. I don’t care if Maddie made him mad that doesn’t mean he can start in on me.

Which is something he always does.

“Sure,” he sighed as he pulled out his phone. I rolled my eyes and shifted a little to get more comfortable. Jimmy lifted his arms up enough to let me scoot closer to him then let his arm resume their original position. Normally where his hand was still placed on my thigh wouldn’t register with me but the fact that I could feel Zack burning holes into us made me more aware of it. Jimmy was so engulfed in his phone that I doubted he even noticed Zack was sitting there. I felt my phone buzz that was laying on my bare stomach since I was still clad in my swim suit top but had now slid on a pair of shorts. I picked it up and saw I had a text message from Zack.

“Don’t you two just look cozy,” his message read.

“I’m just laying here, what does it matter?” I replied back dreading where this conversation was headed.

“His hand is on your thigh, if it was any closer it would be in your panties,” he sent back. I rolled my eyes and glanced down at Jimmy’s hand. His fingertips were just barely grazing the bottom hem of my jean shorts.

Have I mentioned Zack is a very jealous guy? Even when it comes to me, no actually it’s always worse over me. My thoughts drifted back to the conversation we had when we first got off the bus when Jimmy was putting sun screen on me.

Maybe there really is some truth to that

Instead of trying to explain anything else to Zack I decided the smart ass approach was a much more appealing tactic to take. He was getting on my nerves anyway.

“Well I’m not wearing any so… ;)” I texted back knowing that would definitely get a rise out of him. I heard Zack inhale sharply so I glanced at him and was met with his fiery glare.

“WTF! Get up and go put some fucking clothes on!” he sent back angrily.

“No,” I answered feeling arrogant and just to add to his fuming anger I decided now would be a perfect time to stretch. As I did so I purposely pushed my bottom down some so that Jimmy’s hand was pushed up into my shorts some, almost touching my panties that I really was wearing but Zack didn’t need to know that. Jimmy tore his eyes off of his phone and dropped his gaze to where his hand was now. He bit his pierced lip slightly before looking up at me with one eyebrow cocked. In return I winked at him playfully.

“You wanna take this into my bunk?” he joked as a sly smirk graced his lips. Before I had a chance to make a witty comeback Zack must have lost all tolerance with me.

“I don’t fucking think so!” he yelled angrily. Jimmy and I chuckled at his outburst and the priceless look on his face.

“Dude chill out, I’m just messing around,” Jimmy laughed.

“I don’t care! Watch your fucking hands dude seriously,” Zack growled at him menacingly. I rolled my eyes at him and sat up.

“Lighten up Zee,” I sighed as I stood up to walk back into my bunk. While I hadn’t originally intended on pissing Zack off I didn’t really care. He deserves it after that shit he pulled in my bathroom yesterday.

As I dug through my suit case to find some clothes to change into I was interrupted by Zack coming up behind me and pulling me back into him roughly.

“Do you like Jimmy?” he seethed into my ear.

“No Zee, shit let it go I was just playing around,” I huffed as I grew even more annoyed with him. His arm that had encircled my waist tightened around me, squeezing just a little bit too hard.

“Well I don’t like these fucking games, cut that shit out,” he growled. I turned my head as far as I could to look back at him and seen his normally pale green eyes had grown dark and threatening.

What the hell is his problem?

I contemplated making a smart ass comment but the expression on his face told me I better let this one go. Maybe his fight with Maddie still has him all riled up? I don’t know for sure but I do know when he has had enough.

“I’m sorry,” I told him quietly. His harsh stare softened up a bit, but his hold on me did not.

“You’re forgiven,” he replied before placing a soft kiss to my cheek. He kept his eyes on me for a few more moments before finally letting me go. “We’re going to play poker if you wanna come,” he said and I nodded in response. He never said anything else as he turned around and went back up front. I decided not to fuss over his strange attitude anymore at the moment. As well as I know Zack and can predict him in almost any situation there were times like now when I just didn’t understand what went on in his head.

It’s almost as if I really did belong to him.

Notes

Finally an update!
What do you guys make of Zack's weird attitude? Do y'all think he was already in a bad mood because of Maddie or do y'all think there is a darker underlying explanation?
Y'all are amazing for the wonderful comments! It serves as my motivation :)
Also I apologize for some of the name changes, I have 2 versions of this and as I was going back and forth editing names I missed several parts in this chapter! Hopefully I fixed them all.
Stay tuned!