Water Doesn't Wash Away Everything (Zack Merrick)

Chapter 29

Megan stared up at the ceiling, letting the music that was blaring from her speakers surround her. She stretched her arms over her head and then let the them rest on the floor.

How she had gotten onto the floor, she wasn’t really sure. She was just listening to music, walking around her living room, then decided to lay down.

She let her eyes slip shut as the lyrics sang through her head. Megan didn’t want to move from her spot. Here, no one could hurt her. She was content here. With the music playing, she was secluded from everyone’s crazy life.

Her eyes snapped opened as she heard her phone starting to go off from the coffee table. Meg sighed, stood up, grabbed the phone, then went to turn down the music.

“Hello?”

“You need to get down here! Now!” her friend yelled over the phone. Meg pulled the phone away from her ear as loud music blasted into it.

“Where are you?!” Megan tried to yell into the phone.

“At Will’s beach house! We’re having a party! So many hot guys here! You need to get down here now!”

Megan sighed and pressed her fingers against her temple.

“Steph! I can’t come—“

“That’s a bunch of bull! I bet you’re sitting at home alone listening to music!”

Megan had grown into too much of a routine. Without Zack and her friends from the east coast, she did nothing of true importance. At least not to her. She barely even laughed anymore, a thing she used to do nonstop.

“Get your little butt down here before I get one of these young men to drag you down here!”

Megan sighed again and fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. Every time she looked at it she thought of Alex. The guy who had taught her how to really party.

She licked her lips and regretted the next words that came out her mouth.

“I will be there soon.”

***

“Steph!” Meg yelled out to the girl that was in front of her. Steph pushed away from the guy she was dancing with and went to Megan.

“I’m so glad you came!”

Meg gulped and glanced around at the sweaty bodies that were around her. She already wanted to leave, badly. Then she looked at the bracelet and thought of how much she needed to get out of her own house.

“I want you to meet someone!” Steph yelled, grabbing Megan’s wrist and pulling her through the crowd. Meg tried to resist but was too weak, especially when Steph suddenly yanked her forward.

Megan wasn’t ready to meet ‘someone’. Whenever somebody said that, especially Steph, it meant they just wanted you to get off their moping behinds and get back into the dating ‘game’. Meg wasn’t even ready to roll the dice.

“Fletch!” Steph yelled. She let go of Megan’s wrist to touch a guy’s arm. “This is Megan! The girl I was talking to you about!”

Megan refused to let her grimace show. ‘The girl I was talking to you about.’ What exactly were they talking about? Whether or not Fletch wanted to get into her pants?

Fletch gave Megan a smile and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you!”

Meg gave a small smile back.

“I’m going to let you too talk! See you later!” Steph disappeared into the mass of people.

“Do you want to dance?” Fletch asked to Meg. She shook her head politely. Fletch went over to a table and grabbed a plastic cup.

“How about a drink?” Meg glanced at it before actually taking it. She had only gotten drunk a couple of times. She barely ever drank. She looked down at the drink then shrugged. She chugged down the liquid. If she was going do this, get back into the ‘game’, she was going to need this.

Meg knew it was a horrible idea. In her gut, she knew something would go wrong. Zack’s face popped into her mind and she suddenly pushed the gut feeling away.

***

Megan burst into laughter and leaned against Fletch.

“You know,” Fletch said, “I think you might be my love.”

Megan’s brow furrowed but then they both erupted into laughter once more. Fletch suddenly crashed his lips roughly onto Megan. Meg froze.

So many things came rushing to Meg’s mind, it made her head hurt. Zack’s face. Zack’s laugh. His smile. Touch. Hug. Kiss.

Megan pushed Fletch away roughly and stood up.

“What? What happened?” he asked looking up at her. She ignored him and staggered through the crowd until she reached the door. Her breathing was unsteady as she made her way to her car. Tears pricked at her eyes as she shoved her keys into the lock.

Once she slammed the door shut, she let out a scream. Her forehead fell onto the steering as tears pour down her cheeks.

She couldn’t do this anymore. She needed Zack. More than anything she wanted him to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be ok. No matter what, he was going to be there.

A sob broke out as she clutched onto the steering wheel. Meg would have to go back. She needed to go back to Maryland, find where Zack was, and go to him. She needed to apologize and talk to him. She thought she could forget everything that happened.

Meg thought that she could go back to the way things were when the only person from Maryland she was friends with was Alex. Even her friendship with him was going down.

Megan sat up and the started her car. It roared to life and she made her way down the street. Tears were still going down her face but she wasn’t going to deal with those now.

In the morning she would try to call Zack. He had called her so many times but them none of them she would answer. She wasn’t sure if she was too scared or angry  or just didn’t want to remember.

If Zack didn’t pick up, she would call Alex. He would know where Zack was. That way, Meg could be able to go to Zack and talk to him that way. She had a plan and it was going to work. She would go to sleep tonight then wake up in the morning and start on the plan.

Megan glanced up, noticing the stoplight went green, and stepped on the gas peddle. Her eyes darted over to the car coming from her right. She slammed on the brakes, trying to stop in time.