~16~ “I grew up”

(Lulu’s POV)

Mia and her sister squealed in the airport as they collided into a hug with each other. Is this what Angel and I looked like? Yes.

I walked over, wheeling my suitcase and turning on my phone. They were now releasing each other from the hug.

“Nelly, this is my roommate, Lulu,” Mia introduced. I looked at the blond girl who had a similar face to Mia. Maybe that’s because they’re step-sisters. Nelly…Nelly…where’ve I heard that name? I gave her a particular look as we shook hands.

“Do I know you?” I asked her.

“I…I don’t think so,” she answered, but in an Australian accent. Mia didn’t have that since she grew up in America. “But I believe my—”

“—roommate is Angel!” I answered.

“Yeah!” she grinned and nodded.

“Small world,” I laughed. Was this a good or bad thing? I mean, if it was so small, Zac would be in it.

***

“Where’s Angel?” Nelly asked when we were at her and Angel’s townhouse which was literally across from campus.

“She’s still in New York,” I answered. “She should be coming back soon, though.”

“She’s still there with Brian, right?” Nelly asked. Man, I loved her accent.

“Actually, he had to leave,” I informed with a gulp. She lightly laughed.

“Some best friend he is to her! Leaving her with Joey and Meghan,” she laughed.

“You know about Joey and Meghan?” I asked with a frown. She nodded.

“Yeah. I didn’t like ‘em from the first time I met them,” she expressed. “Especially Meghan. I don’t know how anyone can deal with her.”

“Hopefully we won’t have to,” I smiled. I liked Nelly. She was cool and I could see why she and Angel got along.

Nelly and Mia talked about their family business and drama as they caught up and whatnot, and I found myself trailing upstairs and into Angel’s room that was almost the same as it used to be—aside from a few things. I even noticed the pictures on her windowsill of me and her, her and Brian, her with Joey and Devin, and her and her swim team friends. There was none of her and Zac.

I started to just lie down on her bed, watching TV and then my phone started to ring. At the thought of it being Angel, I hitched the idea to let the phone ring, take a picture of her room, and just humorously tell her that I’m busy inhabiting her room. The ringing stopped and I took the picture, but when I closed out of the camera setting on my phone, I realized that it was Angel who was calling me.

“Brian, what the h3ll do you want? Why did you leave us in New York with no explanation—?”

“Zac said that Devin was in trouble—well his instinct told him and—”

“Stop making up excuses,” I said.

“I’m not. Zac called me and sent me to check on Devin,” he told. “That’s the only reason why I left.”

“And you couldn’t have called us or knocked on the door to tell us?” I asked.

“I didn’t want to wake you all and plus, we both know that Angel would freak if she found out that Zac had contacted me,” he spoke truthfully. It made sense.

“So then why are you calling me now?” I asked.

“Because I’m about to get on a plane to Rhode Island, but I need you to track Zac’s phone—I have the number,” he spoke.

“Why can’t you? Or Angel—”

“I’m gonna get on a plane; I don’t have a computer or my laptop,” he hissed. “And Angel’s busy with her own plane as well…and don’t you think that if he wanted Angel to know, he’d call her instead of me?”

He was right.

“Fine. I’ll do it, but I make no promises. Angel’s bound to be home in a few hours,” I responded.

“So will I,” he assured. “I’ll handle it from there. I’ll text you the number. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I didn’t know anything about “tracking” a number, so once he sent it to me, I called it. Over and over again. Part of me had a doubt about him actually answering. I had the same phone that I’ve had since middle school. He’d surely know the number by heart even now. Wanna know how I know? Because even when we were going out, he’d admit to screening my calls no matter if I called him or his friends’ phones.

I heard the doorbell ring and then saw Angel briefly at the front door before running back to the taxi to tell the taxi driver to open the truck for her luggage. In that time, I realized that I had stayed on the call with Zac so long that the voicemail thing had beeped. Sh1t.

“Zachariah Tyler, it’s Lulu. We both know that it’s time for you to grow the balls and stop avoiding everyone you formally knew. Even you said it yourself that something was wrong with Devin and you’re right okay? He’s really sick and he just needs you and Brian…and Joey to help him out. All three of you,” I started. I was still peering out of the window and saw the one and only Joey Edwards climbing out of the backseat and making his way to help Angel get her bag…without Meghan in sight. Not only did carry Angel’s bag, but he also wheeled out a suitcase of his own. “And last time I checked, you left town hating Joey and loving—alright. I won’t use that term considering you’d deny it—but strongly liking Angel. And I think that considering those factors, you should just help out Devin so everyone can stop looking for you because that’s only pushing Joey and Angel even more together.”

By now, I was seeing Joey and Angel fade away as they entered the house and knew I couldn’t get caught with any knowledge of Zac, so I’d have to rush this message.

“You don’t have to encounter any of us, except for Devin, but just know that just because you’ve moved on…not everyone else has. In that, I bid you farewell because Angel and Joey are coming home from looking for you in New York. Speaking of which, why the h3ll would you send that letter to Angel—” I stopped myself from starting another conversation. So I just hung up.

“Lulu!” Angel’s voice yelled. At first I thought I was getting caught, but then I realized she was only addressing me from the corridor outside her bedroom. I met her at the doorway. “After I said there was no room for you—”

“I still made it happen,” I sang. I looked past her and looked up to see Joey. My smile dropped. “Where’s your leech—I mean girlfriend. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you going into a bedroom with two other girls.”

I was joking and started to laugh, but then saw Angel shift awkwardly and bite her lip. Joey just stared down at me and rubbed shoulders with me as he entered the room.

“What happened?” I mouthed to Angel.

“I’ll text you,” she mouthed back, already starting to pull her phone out of her skinny jeans and following Joey—who was now standing in the same spot I was when I was staring out the window.

When I left the room he texted me: “They broke up.”

“WHAT!?” I yelled out loud, pausing before I even trotted down the stairs. Immediately, I saw Angel poke her head out of her door and give me wide eyes. She shushed me.

“You told her!?” Joey roared. Angel rolled her eyes at me and I decided to go back to her room where Joey was glaring at us for a couple seconds before he just sighed and sat down on her bed. He was…sad about it?

“What happened?” I asked. He didn’t answer me so I turned to Angel.

“He kissed me and she saw,” she said. I scoffed. Really? He cheated on Meghan as a way to get rid of her? Way to be a wimp. I gave a look to Joey and he shrugged. He looked depressed about it in a way.

“Can’t go without the drama, can you?” I asked the both of them. You’d think they would somewhat be together and touchy, but in actuality, they couldn’t be further apart. It’s as if the only reason he kissed her was to— “That’s how you got rid of her.”

“He nodded and then shook his head.

“Look. It doesn’t matter what the h3ll happened,” he said. “This isn’t some romantic quest—we’re just searching for Zac and get this summer to be a summer.”

“Well you’re the one that—”

“He’s right,” Angel interrupted. “But maybe he’ll come to us.”

What? Right when I was going to question her, my phone buzzed and I looked down to see a voicemail from Zac’s number.

“What does that mean?” Joey asked in place of my initial wonder.

“It means that if we stop looking, maybe we’ll find him,” Angel said. She bit her lip and I questioned what she was nervous or hesitant about. I walked over, grabbed Joey’s arm and started hauling him out.

“Hey!” he protested.

“Nope. I need to talk to Angel—alone,” I rushed and then pushed him out of the door. He huffed and I smiled before facing Angel.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. She shook her head.

“Nothing,” she lied. I gave her a look. She sighed and then pouted as she threw herself into her pillows. “I don’t want to find Zac!”

“Whoa,” I commented. Whoa is right. “Why?”

Did she not want to save Devin? Did she not want to reunite with her lover?

“It’s clear that Zac doesn’t want to be found and I’m sure that Devin can work around him,” Angel started. “And it’s not like Zac’s important—”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said. “I did not spend half of senior year teasing you about the outcome of you and Zachariah Tyler to have everything between you two to crumble when nothing even happened—”

She sat up.

“Nothing happened because there was nothing in the first place,” she reasoned.

“Yes, because there was no being saved from a fire…or flirtatiously fighting…or kissing…or dating right before he left—”

“It’s nothing, Lulu!” she finally yelled, frustrated. “Considering that this is your ex fu**ing boyfriend, you should be happy that I’m not in love with him and sh1t!”

“Happy because he’s making you crazy right now without even doing anything? Yeah right,” I scoffed. “Zac doesn’t have that much power over me. I know what’s best for you and I know what’s best for him. You two are clearly bonded even without the stupid Drug. Even though he’s to d4mn stupid to realize it...”

She was glaring at me now with her lips pressed together.

“Obviously they’re not the best for each other when he treats her like crap,” Joey’s voice spoke. I hadn’t even noticed him sneak into the room and lean against the door’s nearby wall. “Stop trying to make her be…infatuated with him once more. Angel’s not like you; she doesn’t need someone to be with 24/7. She’s made it this long without him and she can go longer.”

“And I’m sure that if I went my whole life hating him, I can do a few more years without associating myself with him,” Angel muttered. I looked over her with an incredulous look.

It took a strong hatred from kindergarten to make her love him for even less than a year. Why would a year apart ruin that? Oh right. Because Angel wasn’t the type to cling on to sh!t like that and let her emotions flare out. Neither was Zac. Maybe that proved how much more they needed each other, but of course Joey would prevent that as much as possible. Fine.

“Whatever,” I stated and then stood to leave. They wanted to be ridiculous, then fine.

***

“I don’t know who you think you are, but this isn’t Zac’s phone so stop calling here

,” a female voice demanded in the voicemail. Great. I was back to square one. Right when I was about to call Brian to tell him that he messed up whatever number he messaged me, “Zac’s number” was calling me.

“Look, I get it. You’re not Zac. Sorry for all the calls,” I said immediately.

“Lulu,” Zac’s voice addressed. Zac? ZAC! I had to contain my squeal of accomplishment.

“Zac,” I managed to reply. I expected him to respond with: “Yeah. That’s still my name” or “I see that you still know how to blow up someone’s phone”, but all he said was:

“I know that Devin’s sick.”

“Then why are you playing hide-and-seek with everyone, but yet telling Brian to go check on him when you should do it yourself?” I asked. It was silent for a moment. “Zac…?”

“What does Devin need from me?” he asked.

“I don’t know?” I answered first. “I think Joey said that he needed to mix everyone’s powers.”

“It’s called a match and friction. There’s my power. I’m sure Devin can handle it,” he answered with a monotone voice full of sarcasm. I rolled my eyes.

“You know what I mean,” I replied.

“I think that he can handle all of that for himself,” he expressed.

“Obviously not!” I exclaimed. He’s being a jerk right now. A selfish, arrogant jerk.

“Where are you?” he asked, randomly.

“Sitting outside of Angel’s house,” I answered. Wait. “Why does that matter?”

“As I see it, you assumed I didn’t want to be in contact with anyone and I wanted you to be aware of how loud you are,” he stated. He sounded like he was the mature one (which was wrong). He changed. Big time. Normally, he’d say “because you’re yelling like a huge b!tch when it’s not even your business!”

“I’m being loud because you’re being…weird and stupid,” I reasoned. “And plus, it’s not like anyone’s gonna hear me.”

“I’m not even going to argue with you about the hydrokinetic boy with super hearing,” he commented. Hydrokinetic? What was he now? A walking-talking dictionary for super powers!?

“Joey can suck it. He’s not making anything for better or worse,” I hissed, reminding myself of some kind of wedding speech. Ew. Joey and Angel getting married? Not a chance. As the thought even occurred to me, it was as if I expected Zac to think the same and that could be the reason to his current silence.

“What’s Devin’s address?” he asked as if it was a cover. Why was he being so emotionless? Did he not hate Joey or give a d4mn about Angel—he didn’t even ask how she was. Nonetheless, he was asking for Devin’s address. That’s the main thing in the situation…right?

“I’ll text it to you.”

“Okay. That’s it right?” he asked. That’s it?

“Yeah…” I mumbled.

“Well…nice talking to you, Lulu. Bye—”

“Don’t you love Angel?” I blurted out.

“Excuse me?” he asked. Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew that he was frowning on the other side of the phone.

“Angel,” I huffed. “Did you just forget about her?”

“No.”

“Are you sure? Because it seems to me like you’re being a douche bag to her for absolutely no reason and acting like she doesn’t exist!” I said. Much to everyone’s beliefs of being the “crazy and obsessed ex-girlfriend”, that side failed in triumph against my best friend side to defend Angel.

“Actually, I wanted to act like no one I knew existed,” he admitted. My jaw dropped. “But you, Devin, and Brian and even fu**ing Lacy ruin that chance for me.”

“When you move on from someone, at least make it evident instead of dropping off the face of the planet,” I rushed, even though it was hypocritical in a way. I never made it evident to him. He could be up there—wherever “there” was—sitting like he was a God with me under his never ending love spell, but to his surprise and even mine, I was free of him. He belonged to be with Angel and I accepted that. Just as I took this time to accept that once you cheat on someone, you’ll never earn their full trust again and without trust, there’s no relationship; without a foundation for a relationship, then what’s the point of trying?

“I didn’t move on

,” he denied. So...then why was he being different? “I grew up. Maybe you and everyone else can do the same.”

I literally could not believe this right now.

“Just text me where Devin is,” he ordered.

“So apparently Zac Tyler isn’t completely different—considering he still gives a d4mn about someone,” I sneered.

“Or do I?” he asked in a pissed off voice. “Look. Text me the information and don’t ever call this phone again.”

“Why? Girlfriend got pissed about the fact that people are actually trying to find you?” I shouted.

“Godd4mmit, just don’t, Lulu!” he yelled. I heard a “Tyler!” in the background as if some guy was about to ask him if he was alright or if something happened. It only sent me images of him causing some fire in his anger. But after that addressing, he hung up.