The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Club

by J. C. Isabella

  “Don’t go turning it around on me!”

  “You always want to know my feelings. Come on, I’m your boyfriend. Tell me.”

  “Okay, you make my knee’s shake. I get nervous, and all jumbled up. Warm and gooey.”

  “Melted butter.” He grinned, “I like that.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You have no idea how much.” He kissed me. It was deep, hard, and after he did that I was too lost for coherent thoughts.

  We got to the party ten minutes later than planned, since Zack had to kiss off all my vanilla lip-gloss. He said I tasted too good. The party it was typical for Kyle. Parents out of town, keg in the living room, band in the dining room. His house was pretty big though, so it didn’t matter. It was on a back road away from other houses. The cops would never find out unless someone tipped them off. Not that I wanted stay that long. Zack said we’d sneak out before it got crazy.

  Zack and I shared a coke. Neither of us drank, which was something I admired about him. We both knew the party would be a lot more fun sober. I left him with Kyle to use the bathroom. When I was on my way downstairs, I passed by an open doorway. Lana was inside, changing her dress.

  “Hey, what happened?” I asked, shutting the door behind me. We might be having problems, but I wasn’t going to let her strip for half the people here to see.

  She pointed to a white strapless mini on the bed, it was covered in covered red goop. “Someone wasn’t watching where they were walking. It’s salsa.”

  I helped her pick out a black skirt and a silver top. She had a bag of clothes with her, which meant she was with Kyle while his parents were out of town. I guess he decided to stay with her after all.

  She wobbled a little, and giggled. I got whiff of her breath.

  “How much have you had to drink, Lana?”

  “Uh, not sure.” Her lips pursed. “I don’t feel so hot.”

  I sat her on the bed and went downstairs to get a sprite, thinking it might help settle her stomach. I managed to grab one without being held up by Marcy, who was just as drunk, maybe more, and ran back up.

  Lana wasn’t in the room, but Zack was. His back was to me, and he stood in front of a desk in the far corner, shaking his head.

  “Hey, where’s Lana?”

  He didn’t answer me.

  “Zack?”

  He pointed to the bathroom.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “This is sick, Chloe.” He stepped aside, revealing Lana’s laptop, open to a webpage with pink lettering that said: The Unofficial Zack Warren Fan Flub.

  I dropped the sprite, soaking the carpet. “No.”

  He nailed me with a cold stare, eyes like ice. “I really thought you were special. But you’re just like all the other girls, maybe worse.”

  “I did not do that.”

  “I thought I could trust you, Chloe. You don’t want me for the money I have the potential to make, or the fame that comes along with being in the major leagues…right? Or am I wrong? Are you like every other Regina or Lana out there, who sees me as a means to an end?”

  He clicked on the info button and in bright red letters it listed me, Chloe Baker, as the founder, the brains behind everything.

  Suddenly every fear, every nagging worry I had clouded my mind. I knew this would happen, deep down, but I wasn’t prepared to fight for him, to fight for us. In my wildest dreams I never thought I’d be Zack Warren’s girlfriend. Sure, I hoped that when he found out he didn’t hate me, but now I was devastated because I’d hurt someone I loved.

  “It was a game I started in the elementary school. Lana kept it going. She made the buttons and the website, everything! I’ve tried to stop it, please listen.” My eyes filled with tears, spilling over. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

  He backed away, tense and cautious like I’d never seen him before. “Can I believe you?”

  “Yes!”

  “See, I’m not sure. Because you’re telling me one thing, and here this website says you’re the creator, the founder. Lana told me the same thing right before you came in.”

  The blood drained from my face. “Lana told you?”

  “Yeah, she’s so shitfaced. I bet she doesn’t even realize it was me. She said this is all you’re idea. You deserve the credit. Alcohol is the best truth serum I know of.”

  “That’s not true.” I cried, scrunching my face and fisting my hands. “None of it!”

  “I think the evidence speaks for itself. I’ll be going back to the dorms alone. Need some time to think, cool off. Find a ride, Baker.” He headed for the door. Leaving me.

  I ran after him, sobbing. When I got out in the hall I didn’t see him. There were too many people. The music was pulsing, too loud to call out to him.

  “Hey, Chloe, I was thinking you should spend the night. We can go to the mall or something tomorrow.” Lana’s voice floated out of the bathroom, raking down my spine like shards of broken glass. “I feel a lot better now that I’ve puked up all that beer.”

  I hovered in the doorway and glared at her. “You’re not my friend. We’re over.”

  Her face paled as she came out of the bathroom and plopped down on the bed. “Wow, are you okay?”

  “No,” I said, moving into the room. “I don’t hate Zack Warren. I hate you.”

  “Why?”

  “You told him…y-you made it seem like the website was my idea, the buttons, all of it!”

  “So, it’s not like it hurt anything. You guys don’t even get along.”

  “You’ve ruined everything between Zack and I. We get along now, or we did. We became friends.”

  “Oh, sorry about that.” She laughed. “Well, you’ve still got me. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

  “No,” I turned my back on her and went to the window, staring down at Zack’s truck, waiting for him to drive away in the Beast.

  “You would pick a guy over me?”

  “You’re not my favorite person right now.” I crossed my arms, eyeing her over my shoulder. “I asked you to stop this club. And what do you do? You make a freaking fan page!”

  “God, Chloe, way to overreact. I told you I was going to do it.”

  “Oh, I’m not overreacting.” I shouted, feeling so helpless. My hands started to tremble, along with my bottom lip. “This is childish.”

  “You’ve been trying to sabotage my club since the fifth grade!”

  “Finally, you admit that this monster is your creation, not mine.” I gasped, stalking toward her. “Thank you. Now, answer me this: How would you feel if a group of girls made buttons and held meetings about Kyle? They want to know everything, from his preferences to boxers or briefs, what his favorite food is, and if he really keeps an air mattress in his truck.”

  “I guess it would be creepy, but we’re not talking about Kyle. This is about Zack.”

  “Yes, it is, and if you think it would feel creepy, imagine how I’m feeling right now when Zack thinks I’m behind all of this?”

  “I’m not sure I follow.”

  “That’s because you’re not paying attention and you’re drunk.” I ground out. “You don’t want a bunch of girls having a fan club for your boyfriend, and neither do I.”

  Lana’s face went taught with shock. “Boyfriend?”

  “Yes, boyfriend.” I wrapped my arms around my stomach. I felt ill. Like the world was disappearing from beneath my feet. “You were right about how I felt for him. I only hated him because I couldn’t love him. I thought he didn’t like me, that I annoyed him. But really, he liked me too. It’s a long story, not anyone else’s business, so that’s all I’m telling.” I felt a muscle jumping in my jaw. “And I’d appreciate it if you would inform the fan club that, I, as the founder, am unfounding, unmaking, and demanding they grow up!”

  Man, that felt good to get out.

  Lana blinked, looking like a drunken owl. “You’re not kidding.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “You really love Zack Warren.�
�

  “Yes,” I admitted. My heart hurt I loved him so much. He wasn’t just some boy, not just a crush. “He probably hates me now. He thinks I spend my time following him around like some sick stalker. I don’t know if I’ll be able to fix this, ever. We became friends Lana, trusted each other. I fell so hard for him. You have no idea what it does to me, seeing him so betrayed and hurt.”

  “I’m such a bitch. Chloe, let me talk to him.” She said. “I can tell him you stopped having anything to do with the fan club in the fifth grade. He’ll understand. He has to. This is all my fault.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I think he needs some time to chill.”

  “I’ll keep saying it—I’m really sorry Chloe. I never thought Zack would find out. I was just having fun, you know? I liked being in control of my own group.”

  I hugged her back, “Get rid of that website. Then we’ll talk.”

  “Done.” She smiled. “Well, I guess it was fun while it lasted. I better go call an unofficial meeting and tell the girls what happened.”

  I groaned, “Lana,”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not gossiping. I’m stating the truth, that Zack Warren is off limits.” She hugged me again before leaving. “Call me when you want to be friends again.”

  “Thanks.” I sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard, hugging a pillow to my chest. Lana went back to the party. I’m not sure how long I sat there. I just stared into space wishing Zack would appear in the room. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him, that I would never betray him or do anything to hurt him.

  I was getting my nerve up to go find him when a shadow filled the doorway.

  Chapter 29

  I sat up and let the pillow drop to the floor, holding my breath.

  “Zack!”

  “Something wrong Chloe?” But it wasn’t Zack. It was the last person on earth I wanted to see. “Why are you crying?”

  Was I still crying? I touched my cheeks and found evidence of tears. “It’s not important, Max.”

  He walked to the foot of the bed and braced his hand on his hips, watching me from beneath his shaggy brown hair. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”

  “I really want to go back to school.” I whispered, knowing that as soon as I got there I’d crawl right into Zack’s bed. Wait for him all night if I had to. I’d explain myself again. I had to try. Quit wasn’t in my vocabulary.

  He held out his hand, “I’ll take you, come on.”

  “No, that’s alright.” I shrank back a little, feeling a prickle of worry. There was a reason Zack didn’t like him. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. “I’ll call someone.”

  “It’s not a problem.” He wiggled his fingers. “What could it hurt?”

  I swallowed, maybe he was right. Zack’s over protectiveness had me worrying for nothing. Max had never done anything to hurt me. Even though I knew Zack would disapprove, I slipped my hand into Max’s. I wasn’t about to beg for a ride home. I’d figure out some way to show Zack I wasn’t what he thought, that the fan club was a mistake.

  “Good, I’ll take you, and on the way you can tell me why you’re crying.” He squeezed my hand a little harder than necessary. I pushed away my apprehension. Max was a big guy. Probably didn’t know his strength.

  “Thanks, this is really nice of you.” I said, letting him lead me downstairs through the throng of people to the front door. Kyle certainly knew how to throw a party.

  Someone grabbed my arm, keeping me from going out the door. “Chloe, what are you doing?”

  I turned to see Kyle. “I’m going.”

  “With Max?”

  “Yeah, so?” Max made an irritated sound and tugged me down the front steps into the yard.

  Kyle followed us, “Chloe, I thought you were with Zack. He told me you guys were together.”

  “We were.” I had to run a little to keep up with Max’s quickening strides. “He told me to find a ride, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  Kyle dug his fingers into his puff of hair, exasperated. “Let me drive you!”

  Max unlocked his car and opened the door for me.

  “If you see Zack,” I said to Kyle, “tell him that I’m sorry. I never, ever, wanted to hurt him, and he doesn’t have to worry. I’ll be okay. Maybe he will listen to you. You said you’d talk to him if he ever found out.”

  Max shut the door after I was in, and when I looked up Kyle bolted for the house.

  “He’s a freak.” Max said as he started the car. “Probably doesn’t know you and Zack are over.”

  I buckled my seatbelt. “Zack and I haven’t broken up. We had an argument and needed some time apart.” I stared out the window, trying to hide how nervous I was. On the verge of panicking. I never should have gotten in the car with Max because I was upset. I should have listened to Kyle. Hell, I should have listened to my gut. “How did you know Zack and I were together?”

  “I could tell.”

  “Right…wait, this is the wrong way.”

  “It’s a shortcut.”

  The winding street emptied out at the retention pond. A dead end. “Uh, the sign back there says differently.”

  “Don’t worry.”

  “Take me back, Max.”

  “I will.”

  “Now!”

  “Hey, I’m just trying to cheer you up.” He reached out and patted my leg. “Cool it, have some fun.”

  I shoved his hand away, tugging my dress down to cover my knees. “Lets go back to the party. We can have fun there.”

  “Why?” he took a sharp turn that had me gripping the seat. “So you can run to your boyfriend and tattle on me?”

  Yes, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. “No, I’d just like to dance with you, make Zack jealous.”

  “You’re not a good liar.”

  No, I am. I just needed a little more time to make myself as convincing as possible. Also, I’d never had to lie and control my terror.

  “Why are you taking me here?” I demanded, seeing that the road was ending, blocked off by metal railing and a ditch. “Why are you doing this?”

  He jerked the car to a stop and cut the ignition, “I’m doing what I want to do.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked, unclipping my seatbelt. Very slowly, I turned in my seat, hiding my fingers as I searched for the lock. I pulled the leaver until I felt it pop up. But I didn’t open the door, not yet. I had to wait for the right moment, and then I’d run.

  “Your boyfriend thinks he has the right to order me around.” He said.

  “Zack can be a little overbearing, but he means well.”

  Max laughed, leaning toward me. “He told me I wasn’t allowed anywhere near you. Coach suspended me from the team because I asked you out. And now the little fucker is in the big leagues. He thinks he’s so much better than me.”

  I gulped. “I’m sure he had a good reason. He didn’t really mean to hurt you, Max.”

  “I don’t care what his reason was, I saw you first.” Max licked his lips, fisting his hand in my hair and jerking me closer. “And since I saw Zack dump you back at the party, that means what he said doesn’t matter anymore. Game on!”

  His lips crushed mine with bruising force. Terror ripped through me. I hit him with my purse and scratched for his eyes. He pushed me back against the door, trying to pin me down. I managed to grip the handle. The door swung open. I tumbled out of the car, down into the ditch. Not bothering to look back, I shoved to my feet and ran.

  Chapter 30

  Zack

  “Move.” I pushed a scrawny kid out of the bathroom line and pounded on the door. “Open up.”

  The water shut off and the door swung inward. I didn’t hesitate and slipped in, locking it behind me.

  “Whoa, Zack. What are you doing?” Lana asked, trying to get past me. “If Kyle finds out—”

  “I want the truth.”

  “Oh, that.” She crossed her arms, leaning her hip against the counter. “You’ll
never believe me.”

  “Try me…I heard you and Chloe arguing. I was right outside.” I didn’t catch every word because of the noise from the party, but what I heard was enough to keep me around.

  “Of course you were.” She didn’t flinch, didn’t get defensive. Normally Lana fought back when she was trying to hide something.

  “I can’t wrap my head around it. The Chloe I know would never have such a creepy obsession.”

  Lana sighed. “You’re right. We were kids, and we had a crush on you. It was a game, but I made into more than what it was.”

  “She should have told me before we got together.”

  “She really cares about you Zack. She tried to stop me, to protect you.” Lana rubbed her arms. “This is all my fault. It got out of hand. I was just having fun. I didn’t see the big deal. But Chloe saw it as an invasion of your privacy.”

  I felt terrible for yelling at Chloe, and I knew Lana spoke the truth. Chloe didn’t have a conniving bone in her body. I was just so shocked I reacted. It’s not every day you find out you have your won fan club. “Where is she?”

  Lana tensed, “Zack, she’s heartbroken. This is all me. You want to be mad at someone, be mad at me.”