ZACK’S POV
Noah had brilliantly succeeded in his plans of trapping and destroying me and my image in the town. It was clean sixer he took to get me out of his way of getting back his lost image in the town. Now he had a reason not to let me participate in the GYT even if he wanted to and had got what he always wanted since he deemed my entry in the town as a threat in his way. But whatever it was for him, for me, it was my end. I had lost my everything and all that remained in me was a tornado of emotions which were killing me slowly. I had a belief that once all these emotions were burned out, the reason for my existence too would cease to exist!!!!
I was out of my mind when coach took me to his room and asked me to control himself. He had raised his voice had also began to scream and shout at me saying a lot of things. Little did he know that my head wasn’t at all registering any of his words.
“You are down now Zack, dean has called you to his office” out of the blue, Sam burst into the cabin.
His tone had pure contempt for me and the way his lips smirked, I knew I was doomed and it made me fully prepared to face the consequences of my actions. I was ready to face the world alone this time and I had no more emotions left in me to keep in my limits. It was going to be an eye for an eye. Coach looked at me with a helpless eyes and took me to the office.
In the office, Noah was seated at a corner and given first aid while his minions were beefing to the dean about me when I and David arrived at the office. Upon seeing me, Dean too had a mixed expression of outrageousness and sympathy towards me. What creeped me out the most were how these people were giving me these looks which were boiling my inner devil!!!
“You were so out of limits Zack; I am sorry I had no other option than filing a physical assault complaint against you” Dean’s proclaimed his verdict on my actions and Noah smirked at me. I was actually expecting something bigger but this was just nothing for me for now!!!
However, what ignited my wrath on Noah a lot more was the way he was smirking at me as if he won the world against me. It made me feel very egoistic seeing how he was thoroughly enjoying my destruction when I was waiting for all of it to come at me. This creepy smirk of his made the beast in me awaken once again and I scornfully raged towards Noah but was luckily stopped by the others surrounding us.
David held me helplessly tying my hands on my back. I did notice how Noah and his minions got a tiny shock seeing my attempt but they got relieved seeing David take the matter in his hands. Coach was freaked out seeing my badass avatar yet was sorry that he couldn’t help me. Helplessly, he held me like a captive till the sheriff came and arrested me. That was it, it was the end of the high school drama and a victory of Noah’s fucking scheming against me. Now, it was time for me to face the wrath of my mom!!!
I was taken to the police station and put behind the bars until someone came to bail me out. Night had already approached for the day and Mike somehow came to know about the events and rushed to mom. They together came to the station and were asked to get someone to stand as surety for me or else I would have to spend the rest of the day in jail. The surety was to take up my responsibility and make sure I never repeated the assault again.
After knowing this, I was sure that mom would have np idea on whom to contact other than coach David. As expected, she contacted David and told him her situation and him, without any hesitation came for my rescue. The alone time in the station prison had given me required time to settle down my shits and I was back to my senses. However, my evil head was already planning to confront Caroline the way she was supposed to be. This time, I was going to make sure that she was going to pay for all her deeds especially the big betrayal drama she had given me!!!
David signed up for me and mom thanked David for all his help. He wanted to help us some more but knowing that mom wanted some lone time with me, he asked her to take care and left. An officer came to release me from the lockup and I finally got to see my mom’s reddened face. Mike was still with her and he dropped us both home.
“Is Zoe back home??” I asked him in a whispering tone when we reached home.
“Yes, she is and I have told her to stay there itself. I’m sorry Zack, but I do think you both need to stay away from each other until this mess is solves. That's the best for you both. You also better handle Caroline” he told me Zoe was safe. Among all the mess, this news was the only thing that gave my heart a sort of relief and Peace!!!!
I agreed to obey his words and bid him a bye. He nodded and made his way back home but when I turned back to the porch of my house, I was stunned and appalled to see Caroline there. Not only that but mom was standing beside me in a frozen state yet with a frown.
“Both of you get inside, now” mom ordered us and all of us walked inside the home like zombies.
“Explain yourself” she threw her bag on the sofa and scowled at us.
“This fucking bitch is not pregnant and had been manipulating me since day one” I swirled at Caroline and lashed at her.
“WHATTTTTT????” mom was frozen shocked when she heard that.
“Yes, this double-faced women played with all of us so fantastically that we all believed her blindly” I gritted my teeth and snapped at her. I was so in rage but my discipline kept me away from assaulting a women!!!
“I didn’t do it intentionally Zack. I was afraid to lose you and it just happened. I wanted to tell you the truth but......” Carolien shamelessly began to act innocent and it made me feel furious at her.
“But what??? What the hell did you think we might go through when you decided to do such a hideous betrayal on us?? Do we seem like idiots that we shall still believe in you after what all that happened??” Mom snarled at her.
“I know I did a mistake. I never wanted to lose you to that bitch” tears rolled down her eyes as she tried to justify herself and that fired up the grill more.
“Don’t you dare make that a reason bitch. Don't make me spill how it all began with you” I clenched my hands and lashed her.
“As if you weren’t cheating on me with that bitch at midnight” Caroline was taken aback by me taking Zoe’s side and decided to retaliate back at me.
“Stop it both of you. Caroline, how dare you accuse my son when Zoe was never something like you” mom also stepped up to support Zoe and Caroline lost it all.
“I have no words to explain myself Zack. All I want to tell you is that I love you so fucking much and will never let anyone, be it anyone, snatch you away from me. For that, I will do the same if I have to” she confessed to me and I scoffed contemptuously at her.
“Seriously, do you think this is love?? You just know how to control and manipulate people. I must make you face the truth that Zoe is far better human than you. At least she genuinely cares for me and understands me like no other. By the way, what have you ever done for me other than increasing my scars??” I marched viciously towards her and she kept taking steps back until she hit the wall.
“that’s the thing Zack. In your pain, all you saw is how she was healing you while you never saw my pains. I have fucking seen the way you look at her, the way you feel around her, the way you be yourself when you are with her. You seem extremely happy and contented when you are with her and with me, you behave like I’m simply a responsibility of yours” she took out her heart and don’t know why, I let her take it all out.
“It’s true that at first the only reason I wanted to patch up with you was to keep her away from you when I got to know you became friends with her. From all of the town, was she the only girl you got to befriend?? No Zack, I couldn’t bear that at all. She had snatched my love from me once and I was not going to let her do it again. So, I decided to do this drama after you disowned from accepting me back. But every emotions in me started to change into genuine possessiveness for you until I started to realize that you were tending more towards her than me. That made me realize that I still loved you immensely and I was not ready to share you with anyone” she took it all out at me in a single breath.
Her face had reddened like a tomato and both me and mom had no idea how we should show her a mirror of reality. On one side, whatever she said was somewhat true, she was possessive of me like I was for her back in city high school. But it all ended when she decided to break up with me, that one move had damaged the very core of our relationship and I was sorry that I couldn’t take it ahead how she wanted even when I tried to.
“I feel sympathetic towards you Caroline. You made me a fool in front of the whole town and now you defend yourself? Don't forget that it all began with you as you broke up with me. That had ended every single emotion I had towards you because you left me when I needed you the most. And Zoe, she came finding me when I wanted someone’s care and to be honest, if it wasn’t for her, I would have gone crazy already. So, don’t even think of comparing yourself with her” I silently snarled at her and she gulped down.
“Enough.... it’s clear that you were manipulating my son into your trap. Caroline, it was all your mistake that you left your love because of your immaturity. No relationship will ever stay alive for long if the very base of it is shaken. The way you left him did make him lose himself and that had sever effects on him. The age that both you are going through makes it tough for not only you, but also others around you to face the consequences of your actions” Mom stepped in between us to stop the matter from going out of hands.
She pulled me away from Caroline and started giving us a class of relationships. I kept starting at her brown eyes with all my loath for her as it was what was left in me after what all she did. Not only that, my soul was damaged beyond repair and it hurt me to know that the girl I once loved immensely gave no mercy in shattering my soul!!!!
“I know I did wrong and this time, I do accept it. But trust me, I had no idea that all this would come out like this. If I had some more time, I would have definitely told you the truth before it was too late” Caroline weighed her head down and told me.
“Sorry Carolien, it's pretty late now and I hope you have understood that truth can never be hidden for much longer. Now that you’re done, before I lose myself fully, get out of my house and my sight” I sighed and told her with a frown because it was the best thing to happen.
I was sure that if we were together facing each other for any longer, one of us would have killed the other with our loath. Mom was surprised by my decision but after a while she felt it to be right too so she sided me.
“He’s right Caroline. You have lost all reasons to stay with us. It’s better you leave for your home tonight itself” she told her and astonishingly, Caroline agreed to her without any hesitation.
In about 20 mins, she packed her bags and was ready to leave the town. Mom had booked a cab for her and had also informed her parents that she was sending their daughter home. Her parents did insist us to let her stay for the night but knowing my condition, mom knew it could only worsen the situation more. So, she declined the request and made Caroline get into the cab.
“Forget everything that happened here and try to start a new life. And please, change yourself before it's too late” Mom advised her before the car took off and Carolien looked at me.
“He needs time Caroline. And I assure you that once everything settles, he’ll forgive you” mom looked at me and then told Caroline to console her.
“Mrs. Grover, I'm really sorry for everything once again” tears rolled down her eyes and the cab drove her down to the city.
Back inside home, mom came in and gave me a deadly look which hinted how she was ready to shoot the wrath she had on me as Carolien had left. Bring it on mom, I want to end it once and for all!!!
“What is it, just spit it out” I asked her in a tone when her silence scratched my patience.
“Is that a tone I’m hearing young man?” she shouted at me with her motherly authority.
“If there’s anything you want to talk, please do it because your stare is freaking me out” I lashed at her and there began the World War 3000!!!
“Who do you think you are Zack?? What do you think of yourself?? First, you start drinking at an illegal age and now, I had to bail you out from jail?? Seriously, you have gone to that level of being a teenage bad boy??” she scorned at me taking all her wrath out at once.
“Then what do you expect me to do with Noah?? Kiss him with love after what he did only because he was envious of me. For god’s sake mom, try to understand me for once” I screamed at her hoping she would get me for once. However, it was all my mistake that I hoped for the impossible!!!
“Oh yeah, if a man like Noah does something like that to you, will you smash his face and get a black mark on your future? Do you realize the seriousness of what you have done today?? If it had been any serious issue, that would have been the end of your career and an athlete. Is that what you wanted to show your dad?” she yelled at me.
“Come on. Don't you too start again with my career and all. I don’t want it anymore. Why don’t you guys just leave me alone rather than roasting my brains on getting back to track?” I was one taking it and bombarded her with my craziness.
“Is it what you think of us?? Have you already decided to show yourself as a loser you show yourself to be now?? What about the hard work my husband had did to raise you to be the Zack you were??” she got moist eyes when she began to confront m but honestly, I was past those emotions.
“I don’t know. I just don’t know. All I know is that I’m done with the life in this fucking town and after whatever that happened with me, you expecting me to be a good boy is what’s killing me” I went overboard with my screaming and went ahead to take it all out.
“i want to go back to the city and live the peaceful life I had there. I want to have my old life back not this messed up freaking life which has only given me things which I never deserved or called up for in the first place” I held my head which was blasting with the blood that raised up.
“Do you think all this is easy for me then? What do you know about the life I’m leaving being sandwiched between the grief of the events of our life and whatever that happened because of you?” Mom was hell bound on blaming me for everything.
“Me? All these happened because of me? Was I the one who broke up with the girl I loved madly? Was I the one who came in between the dreams of a man who is obsessed with making me out of his way?? Was I the one who came begging to you to bring me back to the tracks??” I lost it and dumped the allegations at her.
“No, it wasn’t you but if you were mature enough to face it all like your father, then today I wouldn’t have existed to see a day where I had to bail you out of jail” she contemptuously screamed at me.
“Oh, so you did it because it was your responsibility and not because you cared for me. Why did you do it then, you could have left me there itself. It would have been better to stay there than living with you here” I was hurt immensely by her words.
“If dad was here, I’m sure that he would have backed me up in what I did today because that Noah did needed to be taught a lesson for his craziness. I'm sure that dad would have given you the perfect answer for the what you blame on my mom. He would have showed you that I was a good son then and now too” I was in pain reminiscing dad but mom had better plan to burn me down into ashes.
“Your dad’s dead Zack. He's fucking dead and is not going to come back anymore” suddenly, she blasted out like a grenade saying that and my heart stopped for a moment.
“He’s dead for god’s sake and all we have is ourselves. Either we have to deal it between ourselves or we’ll have to continue going on blaming each other for whatever that’s happening in our lives. So don’t you dare take the name of your dad in these situations ever again” mom broke apart like hell and I was numb.
she meant it for real. All her words were right from her heart and it had its impact on both of us. I knew that dad was not going to come back but now I completely understood that his absence building more issues between both of us. The pains and scars his death had given us was making us fall apart for the worst. And above all, the one thing we both knew was nothing was going to get good between us so easily. We had our own demons to fight but for now, everything that happened today along with mom’s confrontation that ended so hideously, I knew that I couldn’t take it anymore. But was I going to rise up from it or was these demons of mine going to make me commit any mistakes??