June was awoken the next morning by some ridiculously loud noise in the living room, her head pounding as she walked into the other room. She stretched as she saw Pope and Kie rushing around, John B and JJ still passed out.

"What are you guys doing?" June asked, her hand going to her head as she looked at the two with a peculiar look. They both looked at her, Popes eyes widening as he quickly looked away,  Kie holding in a laugh as she walked toward the fridge.

"Pants June! Pants." Pope said, grabbing a beer can sword and tapping John B on the face with it. June's head was hurting too and to care, the girl looking down and wondering how she had even gotten into the sweatshirt she was in, her eyes narrowing before she let it go.

John B stirred, June tuning out their conversation about school as she made her way towards the fridge where Kie was, pulling a slice of pizza from a box on the way. Pope slapped JJ in the face as John B  woke up, the boy sitting up and running a hand over his face.

"JJ. Wake up. Is he alive?" Pope said, John B standing from his seat on the table and  pulling a shirt on. It was then that JJ got up, the boy mumbling and muttering about pizza, the blonde struggling to pull his shoes on.  John B and JJ noticed June's pant less state at the same time, John B narrowing his eyes at her and JJs mouth dropping open.

"Is that my sweatshirt?" John B asked, furrowing his eyebrows as Pope pushed him outside.

"Pope I cant go! My girlfriend has no pants on. I cant go!" JJ shouted as Pope pulled him outside, shaking his head frantically as the Heyward boy closed the front door.

"My head hurts." June said, chewing on her pizza as she plopped down on the couch. She stretched out, relaxing as Kie looked through the fridge for something again, her eyes falling on the half dressed March girl.

"Are you ever gonna go back to school? Kook academy?" Kie asked, sitting down on the coffee table and looking at June. The brunette took this into consideration, sighing as she looked down at the floor and then taking another bite of pizza.

"Uh...I don't know. Probably. I just don't know if I'm ready for that. I'm not ready to pretend everything's normal just yet.  Plus I'm sure I'm gonna get shit for everything that's happened." June knew that kooks were all about reputation, and hers had been tarnished and raked through the mud. The bullying and comments would definitely be there if she returned to the kook academy, and June wasn't quite ready to take on more berating, her own was enough.

"I gotta go but... I'll be back in a bit." Kie said,  nodding at June before heading towards the door. June didn't even get the chance to say anything, instead being left behind, her lips tightening into a thin line as she looked at the spot where Kie had just been.

June was finally left alone to her thoughts, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Her mind almost instantly travelled to Zach, the girl feeling guilty at the fact that she had had a good time, and Zach was laying in a hospital room. Before she could stop herself she grabbed her phone from the other  room, sending a text to Adam to come pick her up and then getting dressed.

She had gotten dressed quickly, the girl looking around the trashed house and letting out a sigh as she put her hands on her hips. She didn't like to think anymore,  it was better if she was busy with something, so while she waited for Adam she cleaned up the mess that was the living room.  By the time he got there she had pretty much cleaned the whole front room, with the exception of the dishes.

June heard someone honk the horn, the girl quickly running outside to get to Adams car. She entered his black car silently, Adam giving her a sideways glance as he pulled out of the driveway.

"You know mom and dad are beyond pissed right?" Adam broke the silence, June's forehead pressed against the passenger side window as she let out a sigh.

"Did you tell them where I was?" June asked, not bothering to look at her brother as he shook his head.

"No I'm not a snitch. Besides, running away over and over again despite always getting caught is kinda badass." Adam said, making June smile. She turned to him with her smirk, Adam glancing over and then rolling his eyes and immediately taking it back. "Alright don't let it get to your head June. Seriously, I will punch you in the face if you don't stop smiling at me like that."

"You love me." June giggled, a genuine smile
coming onto her lips as he didn't object.

"I do have to ask...are you ever gonna come home?" He asked, June furrowing her eyebrows and letting out a sigh before looking down at her hands, unsure as to what the answer was.

"I don't know. Probably. If they find me then yes.  I'm just trying to enjoy life. Dad literally banned me from seeing JJ. That's not-that doesn't work for me." June started getting defensive, the girl gesturing around as her brother nodded.

"So you and JJ are getting pretty serious? Do I need to have a talk with him?" June shook her head at this, a chuckle building in her throat as he said it.

"No you and JJ are done talking. The first time was bad enough." June chuckled as they pulled into the hospital parking lot, Adam giving her a laugh and and raising his hands in surrender as he parked.

"Hey I apologized for that okay? I thought he knew. Next time you need to tell me which secrets to keep." Adam said as he unbuckled his seatbelt, June keeping hers on as she wrapped her arms around herself. She bit her lip, feeling her nerves act up as she considered just going back to the Chateau. Adam noticed his sister mood change, dropping his hand on his sister shoulder and giving her a tight smile.

"When he woke up he asked to see you. I told him you'd be by. He's not- he wants to see you." Adam reassured her, June's lips parting at his words, a sigh leaving when lips as she looked at the daunting building in front of her.

"Okay." June said, unbuckling her seatbelt and pushing her car door open. They made their way inside, Adam talking to the front desk and getting them their visitor stickers. She held his arm as they made their way down the halls to Zachs room, June chewing on her lip anxiously as they neared it. Adam let go of her, opening the door and letting her through first.

June caught sight of Zach, the boy filled with more color than he had the day before, his eyes turning to her and a smile coming across his face. June let out a shaky breath, her eyes latching onto the smile on his lips, one coming over her own as she took a few steps towards the bed. She wanted to be back to the Chateau by the time school was out, she didn't want to miss anything.

"Hey." June said first, Zachs heart pounding as she walked over to the side of the bed.

"Hey." He replied, reaching a hand out for her as she sat in the chair on his right. She gripped his hand, her heart feeling full as she realized he was okay, and he was breathing and alive and maybe he couldn't walk but he was okay.

"I was wondering when you would show up."

"Did you get injured just so I would come see you?" June joked, running her thumb over his knuckles and smiling.

"Maybe. It worked so I guess that counts for something." The black haired boy said, a goofy grin growing over his lips as he looked down at their conjoined hands. June's smiled dropped as she thought about what happened, the girl swallowing the lump in her throat and speaking.

"You scared the shit out of me. Don't ever do that again." June said, leaning forwards and hugging Zach. She felt relief when he wrapped his arms around her, his face burying in her neck as he breathed her in. He felt as if things had gone a bit full circle, his eyes filling with tears as he hugged the girl he loved so dearly.

"I'm sorry...for all the things I did. I didn't wanna lose you, but I see now that  you're doing better without me. I just-"

"You don't have to apologize Zach. When you're out of here me and you will meet up, we can talk...theres some things you need to know. Theres—" Zach had been thinking about what Rafe had said on the tower for awhile now, what he had told him about June. He had spent all the time he had in the hospital going over his relationship, remembering the small things, the little things that made sense for what he had told to have been true.

Rafe would invite her to parties and hit on her, Rafe would insist on coming on some hangouts. The Cameron boy always had some kind of connection to June, something was always there between them. And yet he found himself unable to stop loving the March girl, even if she had lied and even if she had cheated, which he now was almost sure had happened. She would always be his first love.

"Is it true?" Zach said, cutting June off. She knew what he was talking about, the girl pulling out of the hug and clearing her throat. "Rafe told me. But Rafe also pushed me from Hawks Nest so I just wanna hear it from you." Zach felt his heartbeat quicken as he waited for the words to fall from her lips, as he waited for his world to break into pieces and burn down.

June looked down at their hands, her eyes wide as she saw herself facing one of her demons, one of her biggest regrets. She was given the chance to lie, given the chance to lie and make things not as bad, make one less person hate her.

"It's true. Whatever he told you... it's true." June said, feeling the largest weight come off of her chest as she told the truth to the person that it would hurt the most. Zach nodded, turning away as tears gathered in his eyes, his chest feeling as if it was going to explode. He wanted to get angry, to tell her to leave, to yell, to kick something, but he couldn't, because he loved her. Still. Regardless.

"I think I need some...time. Come by later this week yeah?" Zach said, turning his head away from the girl so that she couldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall. June bit her lip, feeling that weight resettle on her chest as she realized the truth always came with consequences. She stood up, clearing her throat, her own tears gathering in her eyes as she realized this hadn't gone the way she wanted. She was quick to leave the room, sniffling as she felt the guilt start to hit her in waves.

_________

This made me 🥲

I like Zach now , I like writing him .

Let me know how you feel!!

Bonfire coming up here in the next few chapters 😀