When She Cries 9
Zack and Zane's agreement(?)...
Hmm, I read a fellow author's note about someone copying her novels and I was so scared of that happening to me too... so far though, I haven't seen or read anything like my work... but then again, if someone would copy my work, he/she's not likely to post it in the same network, right? ooooh, I really hope no one copies my works... I mean, duh! I worked hard for it! (.--)
Nicole and Asiya: Haha am still not sure if my "when she cries" is a book material... but... haha oh, wth, I'll give it a shot. :) I have to finish it first though... :D thx for the moral support, you guys! oh, and asiya, I don't suppose you've posted your work in here juz yet? coz I was looking for it and I didn't see it in any of the categories... gimme a heads-up when u get to post it?
Michelle: hmmm, idk why, but for some reason, ur comment got booted out... shame, it was really good... XD well, about ur suggestion with zane... haha lets juz see what happens, shall we?
To everyone, plz enjoy reading! and comments, plz! YOU GUYS ROCK!!! XD
*****************************************************
(Zack's POV)
"So let me get this straight," we were congregated at the living room, Holly and Zane sitting on the sofa, me pacing back and forth in front of them, "you ran away from home?"
Zane leaned back and said casually, "Yep. Seems to be the case."
"Don't give me that laid-back attitude, Zane! You know am gonna be in trouble once Mom finds out you're with me?"
"Will you relax? As far as Mom knows, am with my band mates and am like a million miles away from her in some beat-up van or something." He cocks his head at me. "Unless, of course, you're gonna tell her."
To this, I have no answer. Zane IS my brother, after all. The cooler one at that. And definitely the one most bathed in spotlight. But, yeah, still my brother.
"How long are you planning to stay here?" I asked, keeping my "coolness" level high so Zane won't know am about to cave in.
But, then again, we're not twin brothers for nothing.
"Cool! Thanks, man! Maybe for a month or so? Or maybe longer, depends on how long the missus is gonna stay." he winked at Holly.
And to my utter disappointment, Holly actually cracked a tiny smile!
"I didn't say yes yet, did I?" I said acidly, fueled by what I juz saw.
"Oh, chill, Zack, an extra person with us won't hurt." said Holly.
I blinked and straightened up. "Alright. I can see am overrode in here. Considering that ITS MY PLACE." I said sarcastically.
Zane actually laughed. HE ACTUALLY HAD THE NERVE TO LAUGH!!!
"Oh, Zachary, Mom's the one who pays for your bills in here and the rent too. you're not exactly starving, are you?"
Holly looked at me in wonder. And I can see she's trying hard not to laugh. "Your mom still pays for your expenses?"
This. Is. So. Humiliating.
"Zane, Holly gets the only room in here so you go grab a sleeping bag or something coz you'll have to sleep on the floor." And with that, I make my gracious(?!) exit.
"Honestly, Holly, how were you able to put up with THAT?" I heard Zane ask Holly before I slammed the bathroom door shut.
_____________________________________________________________________
That night was spent with jokes and childhood stories for Holly's entertainment and my gradual destruction of dignity (I mean, why mention that time in the pool when I accidentally peed and the water around me turned yellow? That was like more than a decade ago!!!), all courtesy of Zane.
"Wow, Zack, I never knew all these things about you!" laughed Holly as Zane recounted a very, very embarrassing moment of my childhood again for the umpteenth time. This one involving a dog and a tree.
"Yeah, well, they're not exactly things that I would like everybody to know now, are they?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"You, Zachary Minsk, have got to loosen up! So what if they're embarrassing? I get em all the time, too! Geez, you're even more uptight now than you were before."
"Might be because am more serious with my life, brother." I almost spat the last word out.
I saw Zane's eyes widen for a millisecond before going back to their usual laid-back stance. Oh, great. I juz hurt my twin brother big time. "Well, how are you gonna enjoy life if you're so serious, right?" he laughed, nudging Holly on the ribs.
"You should listen to your brother, Zack, he's talking sense." said Holly, nodding.
What the?! SHE'S more uptight than I am and she's the one actually telling me to loosen up??? "I give up." I said, putting my hands up indicating surrender and retreated to the bathroom again, this time to get ready for bed. "You guys better get ready for bed coz its lights out in 15!!!" I yelled at them.
"Ok! No need to be so grumpy about it!" yelled Zane back.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Zack."
...
"Hey, Zack. You awake?"
...
"Come on, Zack. If you're awake juz say yes, you know."
"Sheesh! If someone doesn't answer back, doesn't that make them asleep already?" I said in frustration. Its 12 midnight and the whole building's quiet. Am sleeping on the sofa and Zane's camped on the floor below me.
"Oh! So you ARE awake! See? You should've juz said 'yes, Zane, am awake' in the first place! Its called courtesy."
"Oh, my dear twin brother, please don't even dare lecture me about courtesy. I think you lost your rights on preaching that the moment you stepped in my apartment and decided to juz crash in, you know."
"Is that the only reason? I got the impression you didn't want me here coz of Holly. Which, I'd like to add, is THE MOST gorgeous girl I've ever seen!"
Even in the dark with virtually near to zero visibility, I could pretty much see Zane's face lifted up in a smirk. "That is so not true. Am juz helping her, that's all." And right as I said it, I wished I hadn't.
"Oh, so she's not your girlfriend?" the enthusiasm isn't hard to miss.
"No she's not, Zane. Now let me sleep."
"Sweet! Where'd you pick her up anyway?"
"I do not juz pick girls up, Zane."
"Yeah, yeah. So, where'd you find her?"
"Juz out there. She needed help and I was around so I helped her. Now go to sleep."
I expected another question or a smart comeback from Zane but after waiting for a few moments, none came, so I guess it is safe to sleep now.
Or not.
"You know mom would be mad like crazy if she finds out you're living with a girl?"
I sighed. Juz for a quick glimpse of my life, my mom and dad got divorced when we were 13 or so. It was really ugly, all the shouting and throwing of stuff at each other whenever they have a row...
Well, we stayed with mom and she took great care of us. It would've been perfect coz mom is a really hip person who understands how it feels like to be a kid. And then she discovered the church. It was really spontaneous. Like one second she was really cool, the next second she's this absolutely scary mom who believes their kids would grow a lot better if they go home BEFORE the sun sets and no interaction whatsoever with the opposite sex. In short, that oh-so-frustrating-and-not-to-mention-infuriating no girlfriend till you're 18 yrs old rule. Coz she suddenly don't believe in PMS. Can you juz imagine how that sucks?
Well, anyway, being the "eldest" by a few minutes and more "mature", I felt pressured to obey. And Zane, being the more outspoken and free-spirited of us 2, he felt pressured to rebel. I turn out to be the geeky twin and Zane turns out to be the cool twin. And the rest is history.
"Yeah, I know. that's why I didn't tell her in the first place."
"You know what, here's a deal. I don't tell mom about Holly and you let me stay in here. Is that a great deal or what?"
I snorted. "Of course you're not gonna tell mom about Holly, Zane. you're on the run from her!"
"Yeah, well, I could always place an anonymous call and tip her off, y'know."
"Good luck with that." we both know that mom would never ever NOT know out voice no matter how much we disguise them.
And it looks like Zane knows it too so he changed course.
"Is Holly always like that, though?"
"What do you mean 'always like that'?"
"Well, I juz think she's too pale to be normal. Like vampire-ish pale. And she's so thin."
Well, son of the devil, talk about, same observations by two hopelessly different twin brothers! "I don't really know. She gets all moody whenever I try asking her if something's wrong." I sighed. "Guess that's a yes then, right?"
"Well, am not as smart as you, brother. But if you ask me, I'd say it's a yes too."
I snorted at his first remark but decided to juz let it go. Well, compliments rarely come my way, I grab whatever scarce compliment people throw at me. Desperate? Maybe............................ Well, ok, yeah. Really, freaking desperate for attention. Seeing as my twin brother gets all of em.
Minutes passed and Zane didn't say a single word. Huh. I guess the interrogation part's done for now then. Might as well---
"So if I try it with Holly, is there somebody who'll get jealous or mad, by any chance?"
I took a deep breath and counted to 10. "Zane."
"Yes?"
"I swear if you don't let me sleep right now, I'll do whatever it takes to put you to sleep forever." I growled at him.
"Ok, ok! Sheesh! I was juz asking, is all."
Seconds... 1 minute... 5 minutes... 10 minutes... no talking or any annoying sounds whatsoever. Finally!!!!
Dreamland, open your gates coz here I come...
"So, if you don't have a thing for Holly then I guess I could go ahead, right?" I heard someone say from very, very far away. No, it is not ok for me to juz let you score with Holly coz I like her!!! I wanted to shout.
What came out though is a snore.
************************************************************************
so I guess next time, you guys will get to vote for either Zack or Zane... haha juz a thought! :P
Nicole and Asiya: Haha am still not sure if my "when she cries" is a book material... but... haha oh, wth, I'll give it a shot. :) I have to finish it first though... :D thx for the moral support, you guys! oh, and asiya, I don't suppose you've posted your work in here juz yet? coz I was looking for it and I didn't see it in any of the categories... gimme a heads-up when u get to post it?
Michelle: hmmm, idk why, but for some reason, ur comment got booted out... shame, it was really good... XD well, about ur suggestion with zane... haha lets juz see what happens, shall we?
To everyone, plz enjoy reading! and comments, plz! YOU GUYS ROCK!!! XD
*****************************************************
(Zack's POV)
"So let me get this straight," we were congregated at the living room, Holly and Zane sitting on the sofa, me pacing back and forth in front of them, "you ran away from home?"
Zane leaned back and said casually, "Yep. Seems to be the case."
"Don't give me that laid-back attitude, Zane! You know am gonna be in trouble once Mom finds out you're with me?"
"Will you relax? As far as Mom knows, am with my band mates and am like a million miles away from her in some beat-up van or something." He cocks his head at me. "Unless, of course, you're gonna tell her."
To this, I have no answer. Zane IS my brother, after all. The cooler one at that. And definitely the one most bathed in spotlight. But, yeah, still my brother.
"How long are you planning to stay here?" I asked, keeping my "coolness" level high so Zane won't know am about to cave in.
But, then again, we're not twin brothers for nothing.
"Cool! Thanks, man! Maybe for a month or so? Or maybe longer, depends on how long the missus is gonna stay." he winked at Holly.
And to my utter disappointment, Holly actually cracked a tiny smile!
"I didn't say yes yet, did I?" I said acidly, fueled by what I juz saw.
"Oh, chill, Zack, an extra person with us won't hurt." said Holly.
I blinked and straightened up. "Alright. I can see am overrode in here. Considering that ITS MY PLACE." I said sarcastically.
Zane actually laughed. HE ACTUALLY HAD THE NERVE TO LAUGH!!!
"Oh, Zachary, Mom's the one who pays for your bills in here and the rent too. you're not exactly starving, are you?"
Holly looked at me in wonder. And I can see she's trying hard not to laugh. "Your mom still pays for your expenses?"
This. Is. So. Humiliating.
"Zane, Holly gets the only room in here so you go grab a sleeping bag or something coz you'll have to sleep on the floor." And with that, I make my gracious(?!) exit.
"Honestly, Holly, how were you able to put up with THAT?" I heard Zane ask Holly before I slammed the bathroom door shut.
_____________________________________________________________________
That night was spent with jokes and childhood stories for Holly's entertainment and my gradual destruction of dignity (I mean, why mention that time in the pool when I accidentally peed and the water around me turned yellow? That was like more than a decade ago!!!), all courtesy of Zane.
"Wow, Zack, I never knew all these things about you!" laughed Holly as Zane recounted a very, very embarrassing moment of my childhood again for the umpteenth time. This one involving a dog and a tree.
"Yeah, well, they're not exactly things that I would like everybody to know now, are they?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"You, Zachary Minsk, have got to loosen up! So what if they're embarrassing? I get em all the time, too! Geez, you're even more uptight now than you were before."
"Might be because am more serious with my life, brother." I almost spat the last word out.
I saw Zane's eyes widen for a millisecond before going back to their usual laid-back stance. Oh, great. I juz hurt my twin brother big time. "Well, how are you gonna enjoy life if you're so serious, right?" he laughed, nudging Holly on the ribs.
"You should listen to your brother, Zack, he's talking sense." said Holly, nodding.
What the?! SHE'S more uptight than I am and she's the one actually telling me to loosen up??? "I give up." I said, putting my hands up indicating surrender and retreated to the bathroom again, this time to get ready for bed. "You guys better get ready for bed coz its lights out in 15!!!" I yelled at them.
"Ok! No need to be so grumpy about it!" yelled Zane back.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Zack."
...
"Hey, Zack. You awake?"
...
"Come on, Zack. If you're awake juz say yes, you know."
"Sheesh! If someone doesn't answer back, doesn't that make them asleep already?" I said in frustration. Its 12 midnight and the whole building's quiet. Am sleeping on the sofa and Zane's camped on the floor below me.
"Oh! So you ARE awake! See? You should've juz said 'yes, Zane, am awake' in the first place! Its called courtesy."
"Oh, my dear twin brother, please don't even dare lecture me about courtesy. I think you lost your rights on preaching that the moment you stepped in my apartment and decided to juz crash in, you know."
"Is that the only reason? I got the impression you didn't want me here coz of Holly. Which, I'd like to add, is THE MOST gorgeous girl I've ever seen!"
Even in the dark with virtually near to zero visibility, I could pretty much see Zane's face lifted up in a smirk. "That is so not true. Am juz helping her, that's all." And right as I said it, I wished I hadn't.
"Oh, so she's not your girlfriend?" the enthusiasm isn't hard to miss.
"No she's not, Zane. Now let me sleep."
"Sweet! Where'd you pick her up anyway?"
"I do not juz pick girls up, Zane."
"Yeah, yeah. So, where'd you find her?"
"Juz out there. She needed help and I was around so I helped her. Now go to sleep."
I expected another question or a smart comeback from Zane but after waiting for a few moments, none came, so I guess it is safe to sleep now.
Or not.
"You know mom would be mad like crazy if she finds out you're living with a girl?"
I sighed. Juz for a quick glimpse of my life, my mom and dad got divorced when we were 13 or so. It was really ugly, all the shouting and throwing of stuff at each other whenever they have a row...
Well, we stayed with mom and she took great care of us. It would've been perfect coz mom is a really hip person who understands how it feels like to be a kid. And then she discovered the church. It was really spontaneous. Like one second she was really cool, the next second she's this absolutely scary mom who believes their kids would grow a lot better if they go home BEFORE the sun sets and no interaction whatsoever with the opposite sex. In short, that oh-so-frustrating-and-not-to-mention-infuriating no girlfriend till you're 18 yrs old rule. Coz she suddenly don't believe in PMS. Can you juz imagine how that sucks?
Well, anyway, being the "eldest" by a few minutes and more "mature", I felt pressured to obey. And Zane, being the more outspoken and free-spirited of us 2, he felt pressured to rebel. I turn out to be the geeky twin and Zane turns out to be the cool twin. And the rest is history.
"Yeah, I know. that's why I didn't tell her in the first place."
"You know what, here's a deal. I don't tell mom about Holly and you let me stay in here. Is that a great deal or what?"
I snorted. "Of course you're not gonna tell mom about Holly, Zane. you're on the run from her!"
"Yeah, well, I could always place an anonymous call and tip her off, y'know."
"Good luck with that." we both know that mom would never ever NOT know out voice no matter how much we disguise them.
And it looks like Zane knows it too so he changed course.
"Is Holly always like that, though?"
"What do you mean 'always like that'?"
"Well, I juz think she's too pale to be normal. Like vampire-ish pale. And she's so thin."
Well, son of the devil, talk about, same observations by two hopelessly different twin brothers! "I don't really know. She gets all moody whenever I try asking her if something's wrong." I sighed. "Guess that's a yes then, right?"
"Well, am not as smart as you, brother. But if you ask me, I'd say it's a yes too."
I snorted at his first remark but decided to juz let it go. Well, compliments rarely come my way, I grab whatever scarce compliment people throw at me. Desperate? Maybe............................ Well, ok, yeah. Really, freaking desperate for attention. Seeing as my twin brother gets all of em.
Minutes passed and Zane didn't say a single word. Huh. I guess the interrogation part's done for now then. Might as well---
"So if I try it with Holly, is there somebody who'll get jealous or mad, by any chance?"
I took a deep breath and counted to 10. "Zane."
"Yes?"
"I swear if you don't let me sleep right now, I'll do whatever it takes to put you to sleep forever." I growled at him.
"Ok, ok! Sheesh! I was juz asking, is all."
Seconds... 1 minute... 5 minutes... 10 minutes... no talking or any annoying sounds whatsoever. Finally!!!!
Dreamland, open your gates coz here I come...
"So, if you don't have a thing for Holly then I guess I could go ahead, right?" I heard someone say from very, very far away. No, it is not ok for me to juz let you score with Holly coz I like her!!! I wanted to shout.
What came out though is a snore.
************************************************************************
so I guess next time, you guys will get to vote for either Zack or Zane... haha juz a thought! :P
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