Something He Said (A Limelight Story)

Chapter 5

((I want to thank my lovely friend Leo for giving me some advice on mlm experiences for this chapter and some later stuff as well. That being said, this chapter gets a little heavy, and here's a warning for Alonzo's dad being explicitly homophobic.

You remember all those times in Limelight I talked about how Alonzo didn't even realise he had a crush on Zephyr for a long time? Here's the reason why...))

Chapter 5 theme songs: Little Game and Boys Will Be Boys by BENNY

"You liked Bonzo back then, didn't you?"

"... I think I did. And you were jealous, weren't you?"

"Al, I was jealous of everybody who talked to you."

"You never had anything to worry about. I'm pretty sure I always liked you, before anybody else."

"Didn't you like Rizzo first, though?"

"I... I honestly don't know. My dad just... He messed with my head..."

~ When it comes to your love, is it unconditional? When it comes to my love, anything is fixable ~

Zach was almost an entirely different person when he was around Alonzo. He was far less of an attention-seeker and a show-off, and more of a... friend, really.

With Zephyr, he had found comfort and safety, and an escape from the coldness of his own home. There, Alonzo always felt like he had to hide his weaknesses. If he didn't, he paid the price for it. He even had to stay strong – as strong as he could – in front of his mom. He knew she was scared for him, no matter how much she covered it up. But when he was with Zephyr, he didn't have to be strong. If he ever let his guard down around Zephyr, he wasn't going to judge him, or blame him, or make fun of him. There were still things he didn't want to talk about, but he knew he could. Zephyr would listen.

But now there was Zach, and Zach was not Zephyr. With Zach, Alonzo found his confidence. Here was a friend who admired him, looked up to him, even. In a way. It was something new, but something he certainly needed. And he was so impressed that Alonzo had a best friend who was older than them.

Then there was Bonzo. He wasn't as close to Bonzo as he was to Zephyr, or even Zach, but the younger zombie intrigued him. He understood Alonzo. They were the same. They were both stuck with a family they desperately wanted to escape, and got what little relief they could from two things; a tiny selection of friends, and music...

– SOMETHING HE SAID –

Alonzo arrived at the park before Zephyr did, Walkman in hand, but was surprised to find Zach waiting there. He was perched on a swing with both feet tucked under himself with something in his lap. When he saw Alonzo, he clambered down onto the ground and ran over.

"Hey!" he called out before slowing to a stop, just as Zephyr appeared around the corner, "I forgot I still had this other Bowling For Soup CD from Paizley."

Zephyr was already scowling when he reached them, but the second Alonzo looked at him with that familiar excited smile, his expression changed.

"What's that?"

"Zach got it from Paizley. It's another Bowling For Soup CD. Look!"

Alonzo made an attempt to read the name of the album until Zach did it for him; A Hangover You Don't Deserve. None of them really knew what that meant, but it didn't matter. What mattered was the songs on it. They couldn't share the headphones between the three of them, so Zach was happy to let Alonzo and Zephyr take them since he had already listened to it, while he picked the songs to play. Zephyr threw Zach a disgruntled look and edged just an inch or so closer to Alonzo, but neither of the other boys seemed to notice.