(✔) 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙗𝙤𝙮 ↳ (𝔃.𝓭.𝓱)

thirty-five !

"Wh-What? No. No, there's no way," Everly breathed out, staring at Zach in disbelief. Her thoughts were a scattered mess inside her mind. There was no way.

Zach nodded, a tired sort of smile on his face. "I'm him." There was a shocked silence on Everly's part. She sat, gaping at Zach in extreme surprise.

"Do you want me to explain?" Zach offered, the corner of his mouth tilting upwards in slight amusement at Everly's expression. The latter nodded slowly, still in utter disbelief.

"For a long time, I was alone. I was unloved and neglected by my parents. They loved my siblings, but me? They despised me, their own child. I'm not sure why they hated me so much, but they did. They paid me no mind. They could care less about what happened to me. Their patience was always running thin with me. I would make the smallest of mistakes, and they would say horrible things to me, or they would beat me. They didn't give me the love and attention that I needed."

The first day Everly went over to the Herron house. The screaming behind the front door before she rang the doorbell. The way Myta spoke so harshly to Zach, but the way she was so devoted to caring for little Reese. The night when Everly ran away from her home, and she went over to Zach's. Where had his parents and siblings been? Apparently on some kind of fun trip that they hadn't bothered to bring Zach on.

"I didn't even have any friends. They were all fake. They didn't care about me. All they cared about was the fame they were getting from hanging out with me. They were leeching off of me for popularity and money and stuff like that, but they never stuck around to support me or love me. I had basically nobody. I hated school and I hated home. There was nowhere for me to go," Zach explained sadly. "The rest of the school hated me too. Well, most of them did. They despised me for my reputation. They spread rumours about me behind my back. Always eyeing me in between classes. They hated me."

Tyler had always kept texting about his shitty parents. His shitty school, and how he hated it there. How everyone was fake. How people were so mean to him there.

"But I had the Internet, and I used it to find friends. I mean, if people could find love on there, I could find friends too right? Yes. About a day later, I met you. I was so happy that I finally made a friend, even if she was only an online one."

"Wait, but why did you create a fake name for yourself? How did Tyler come about? Why did you say you were from Utah?" Everly blurted out, befuddled.

"Not to brag, but I'm pretty famous," Zach began, before being rudely interrupted by Everly's loud snort of amusement.

"No, seriously," Zach chuckled. "I had a really bad reputation. I still do. People gossip about me all the time. News even leaks to other schools. And the Internet is very powerful these days, anyone could find me and recognise me and harass me online or whatever. So I wanted to hide from that. I wanted to get away from my life and pretend to be someone else."

"Anyway, remember that science class?" Zach continued, looking questioningly at Everly.

She nodded. "The one we became partners in?"

"Yeah. When I found out I was being partnered up with you, I was so happy. It was finally a chance to make a friend that wouldn't use me for my popularity. Because you were new, and you didn't know who I was, and because I had already met you over text the night before."

"But I blew it. I started acting like an asshole before anything could even happen between us. I hated myself. I just let my stupid reputation and my stupid everything, ruin my chances. But there was one thing keeping me going, and that was he fact that you didn't hate me online. And online I was my real self, not the cocky asshole I made myself out to be in school."

"Wait..." Everly said quietly, her mind racing. "Why were you such an asshole in school anyway? Why did you have that reputation? Was that your choice?" She was blabbing out so many questions at once but she just couldn't help herself. She needed answers.

Zach laughed coldly to himself, shaking his head. "Believe me, it wasn't my choice. There was this girl that I dated a few years back. Her name was Breanna, and she was my world. I loved her, I treasured her, I did everything for her. I thought that she would give me the love that I so desperately craved..."

"But then, I soon found out that she was using me for my fame. My popularity. My money. And obviously, I was upset about it. It hurt so bad, but I broke up with her. I didn't want to be with someone who didn't love me for me. Not again. So I left her, and oh boy. She wasn't happy," Zach smiled humourlessly at the thought of that bad memory.

"She started spreading rumours about me. Saying shit like I used her for sex, and that I didn't really love her, I just liked her body. And believe it or not, everyone believed her. She had this angel reputation and everyone loved her. And she could be very very convincing sometimes. And that's how my bad reputation came about," Zach finished.

"What?! That's seriously fucked! Why didn't you stand up for yourself and say it wasn't true?" Everly yelled, her face etched into a deep scowl.

"Oh trust me, I tried. Nobody believed me. Not even my 'friends'. So I eventually just decided to lean into it. Pretend that I was the person they made me to be. And as they say, fake it till you make it. I just pretended to be that cocky, girl-obsessed bastard they said I was until I grew so used to it, and I really became him."

"Deep down, you weren't. You're not. I know you aren't," Everly whispered, but Zach didn't hear her. He looked too deep in thought.

"You know the worst part?" He asked, his eyes turned to the night sky.

"What?" Everly questioned curiously.

"Breanna? She was Isabel's older sister."

Everly's eyes widened and she nearly choked on nothing. "What the fuck?!" She screeched, her jaw going slack.

Zach snickered at the girl's reaction. "Yup. That's why Isabel hates me so much. And of course, so does Ariana. But that's a given, Isabel and Ariana are best friends."

"Okay, but like. I still don't understand how you're supposed to be Tyler. Like for example, when I was texting Tyler when I was staying at your place, he was texting back, and you were in the same room as me," Everly explained.

Zach raised his eyebrows smugly at her. "Are you sure I was in the same room as you?" He challenged.

Everly frowned. "Yeah, of cou—" She broke off mid-sentence, realisation dawning on her.

"You weren't. You were in the connecting bathroom 'taking a shower', while I was outside in the bedroom. That's how you were texting me."

Zach nodded proudly. "Very good."

"Well, what about the time that you were mad at me in real life? And then I texted Tyler, and he comforted me?" Everly tried again.

"You know I could never stay mad at you for long," Zach smiled cheekily but Everly missed the genuineness in his tone. She punched him playfully in the shoulder, ignoring the rush of warmth in her chest.

The both of them stopped laughing and just ended up sitting next to each other in silence, their faces turned up to face the moon.

"Soooo...Are you still mad at me?" Zach asked hesitantly, sneaking a glance at Everly.

Everly fought to keep a smile off her face and nearly failed. Biting the inside of her cheek hard, she said, "You know I could never stay mad at you for long."

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BITCH THIS BOOK IS GON BE ENDING SUPER SOON IM SO SHOOOOK. anyway, sorry for the super late update ive been really busy lately oop. but don't worry updates are coming soon!!!! love u all!

x,
k