June 2019

That year Zac got to kiss June at New Years. In fact, he got to kiss her anytime he wanted.

Things got busy again, especially for June. Things were going well, almost too good to be true. June was used to being thrown in the ringer and dealing with, as you may have come to know, bullshit.

There was still a lot of hate. Mostly through social media, like news outlets and fake fans constantly bugging them. Some thought June was too good for Zac. Some thought Zac was too good for June. Some hated them all together. Some left death threats. Some just had rude comments. It was a lot, but they managed to ignore it.

Zendaya and Bella were fine but didn't hang out as much as they used to, which was okay with them. Zendaya became more nostalgic and sad, but Jianna was there for her. Both girls were back and forth with work a lot, as pretty much everyone from their small crew was, but they always made time for each other.

June became a lot closer to Jianna and Emma both. Matter of fact, when Emma has a break with work, the three of them are going on a small girls trip.

And maybe Brisa, if she would stop quoting vines every two minutes and requesting too much room service in the mornings.

But before that, June was turning 28. It didn't seem that long ago that she was turning 27 with her closest friends by her side. A year later, not much has changed.

"I'm getting so old!" June whined. She was laying sideways on a rocking chair in Emma's home, letting her feet dangle off the edge in a childish way.

Tom was sitting on the chair straight across from her with one leg over the other, and Emma was sitting on the arm of the chair. They both smiled upon hearing June whine, even though she wasn't happy. Emma looked down at Tom to see he was already looking up at her. Both were dressed up well, Tom in a suit and Emma in a long dress. Her long hair was still left down though, just in a braid which had some white ribbon in it.

Emma held in a giggle, and Tom pressed his finger to his lips, telling Emma not to say a peep. "You're not that old, Ju." Emma looked back at June, who was covering her face with her forearms.

"Yes, I am!" her whine was kind of muffled. She finally removed her arms and sat up straight. "My mother won't stop asking me when the kids are coming."

Emma snickered. "Maybe that's because things are going so well for you and Zac."

June contemplated. "I mean, yeah, probably. But it's kind of annoying. I'm two years away from being thirty!"

Tom nodded. "Your face is started to show signs of forty actually."

June smiled bitterly at Tom. "That's precious coming from you. Let's get going to the restaurant, before we have to return grandpa back to the retirement home." June got up and went to put on her shoes to complete her white dress which had a bright orange belt she may or may not have just stolen from Emma's room.

Tom started quietly complaining to Emma of course, starting a very quiet argument in the corner of the living room. "Okay, okay." Emma hushed him. "Just remember, it's her birthday." Tom nodded reluctantly.

June came back with her heels on. "Come on, I'm starving. And I can't wait to see Zac."

Emma and Tom smiled and nodded before getting up and following June out the door and to the car. Tom drove the girls, opening the doors for both of them, and even let June pick the music in the car. Normally, he wouldn't have been so nice, but he knew it was her birthday, and something else was about to happen.

Every now and then, Emma would glance over at him and check up on him. By now, they'd gotten used to tuning out June's singing, no matter how loud she sang *NSYNC (which was still reasonably the best boy band of all time). Emma took Tom's hand in hers calmly as they proceeded to drive to the restaurant.

Normally the gang celebrated their birthdays together, but at home or away from the public eye. Zac picked this one out, it was very nice and very secluded, and featured a backyard where guests could eat under the sun or stars with many flowers around.

June nervously played with her loose curls. "I haven't seen Zac in so long, I'm nervous."

Tom furrowed his brows, looking into the rear view mirror. "It's been like a month."

Emma turned her head to face him. "In girl time, that's like three years."

The rest of the drive wasn't long, and they were happy to see they didn't arrive late at all, for the rest of their friends were arriving at the same time they were. Once June found Zac, she stuck by his side for the rest of the evening. They found a nice table outside, and the sun wasn't setting yet.

"I'm just glad she's not third wheeling with us anymore." Tom leaned in and whispered to Emma, who had looped her arm into his. She laughed quietly and shook her head.

"Don't be rude, she's in love."

Speaking of lovers, Jianna and Zendaya were no better than June and Zac.

A little after Zac and June started dating, Zendaya admitted she was bisexual and had a little crush on Jianna.

Jianna had been a closeted lesbian, Tom being the only one who knew, but came out to the rest of the group (and the world, actually) after that. Not too long after that they started officially going out.

They came in together holding hands, Zendaya wearing a skirt and dressy shirt while Jianna wore a pantsuit. Jianna had cut her long hair, much to everyone's disapproval, but they were doing their own thing, and they were super happy about it.

"Do us all a favor, and wear pants more often." Brisa was the first to greet them, immediately making Jianna blush.

"You look great." Rebecca, Emma and Zendaya's Spider-Man co-star followed up. She was sitting on her boyfriend Jordan's lap and he had her hands around her, probably couldn't get up, but she still smiled brightly at her friend.

"All my girls look great tonight." Tom gave Jianna a kiss on the cheek, making her grin. The two had been friends since forever now, and he had been the first person she came out to. They shared a smile before Tom hugged Zendaya and stepped back so Emma could say hello to her friends.

June didn't think there was a plan, but there was. She just didn't know it.

Dinner was great and the conversations went smoothly — June thanked the lord above for her group of friends and how well they all clicked with each other.

"Hey baby, can I talk to you?" Zac tapped June's arm. June's heart dropped to her stomach, knowing the line never followed up well, but she still nodded and followed Zac next to some flowers nearby. Zac made sure she kept her focus on the sunset in front of them and her back turned to their friends, since they'd all taken notice and started whispering excitedly.

"Is everything okay?" June asked, her arm looped in Zac's. While she was staring at him, he was looking out into the sunset.

"I'm actually super nervous." he confessed.

"Why?" she asked.

Zac gulped and looked at his girlfriend. "Because there's something I've been meaning to ask you, and for the longest time I wasn't sure how. Now I'm sure how, but I'm worried I'm going to end up choking over my words or ruining this somehow."

June fell speechless. Her gut was telling her one thing, but her stupid mind was telling her another. "Okay. Well, just take it nice and slow and I'm sure I'll understand."

Zac put his hand on top of hers. "You're so understanding."

June nodded, waiting for him to go on. "Thank you." she whispered faintly, dropping her arm from being looped in his arm.

He took her hands into his and faced his greatest fear, greatest weakness, greatest love.

"Ever since the day I met you, I knew you were going to tumble into my life whether I liked it or not. Surprise, surprise, I did, but you had me enchanted from the moment we met. I joked about losing you to Hugh, but I actually did fear about losing you to anyone. I couldn't bare to think of you with anyone else, not when I believed you were made for me." he paused and looked over June's face. "I still believe that."

June blushed. "Dude, come on, you know I'm your soulmate."

"I do, that's why I want to make things even more official. I want you to be mine, not just now, but forever, in every way possible." he let go of her hands, sticking his right in his pocket and fishing for something. "Also, please don't make fun of me for this because I saw this and immediately thought of you." he pulled out a felt box.

June's eyes widened. She really couldn't believe what was happening.

People nearby were starting to look, and Emma was recording. Zac opened the box and smoothly dropped onto one knee, revealing a plastic ring in the box with a star on it. June let herself reveal a toothy smile in return.

"June Kaya Martin, will you join me in rewriting the stars for the rest of our lives?"

June didn't realize it until a hot tear fell down her cheek, but she had started quietly crying. It wasn't ugly crying, but pretty crying, the kind Emma teased her about because no one who's human can pretty cry but here June was, pretty crying in front of the man of her dreams because he had just asked her the question she'd been dying to hear.

Slowly, she nodded, her long and loose curls jumping with her. Zac's face displayed the biggest grin anyone had ever seen. "Yes, yes please." he slid the thick ring onto her special finger and tucked the box back into his pocket. He stood up and let the short girl engulf him into a hug, and for a moment it was just the two of them in their own world. Everyone clapped, like a scene from a movie, and their friend group cheered the loudest.

Zac picked June off the ground for a moment, afraid of crushing his girl to death but also afraid of letting her go. When her white heel clad feet lifted off the ground she yelped out of joy, and when they pulled away, he saw how happy she looked too.

"Oh, babe, I got some lipstick on your shirt." she pointed a spot on his white shirt where a burgundy colored stain now sat.

Zac didn't even look at it. "It doesn't matter." he said before pressing his lips to hers.

NOTE
hiya! this book is almost done
and i would appreciate it if you
checked out my new ross lynch
fic (when you finish one fic for
a white boy, you start another!!!)