(Grace’s POV)

“Callaghan, you better stay in check or I will kill you. Good luck with your marriage,” I toasted before taking a drink of champagne and sitting down. I can’t believe Nelly was married, but I was happy for her more than anyone else. But I was also sort of nervous.

The wedding included Zac and Angel, of course. His version of “doing the right thing” involved him re-enrolling as a Sniper in the army without telling anyone—not even Archer until he found him ready to be deployed. I was pissed when I found out, but I still forgave him. It was just…awkward when I’d visit Nelly in the house she shared with Angel and Brian. How was I supposed to address Angel? We were…friends now, but come on. My bond with Zac was something she no longer had and whenever Nelly asked about Callaghan, the topic always got switched to Zac.

It was even more awkward when we were sitting across from her and Brian, who were—right now—messing with each other alongside Lulu & Archer, who were making out from lack of seeing each other—not even caring that her ex was sitting here with me.

Suddenly, Princess of China started playing and the couples hit the dance floor. Zac nudged me and I gave him a look.

“You think that I’m gonna dance with you?” I scoffed. He started to smile, but then kept it to himself.

“No,” he admitted, but then stood up. He held his hand out. “I expect you to.”

I rolled my eyes, playfully, and then stood up to dance with him.

***

“Can I tell you something?” Zac whispered to me, five minutes later when we were still managing to dance together.

“Sure.”

“I’m sorry for not listening to you,” he apologized.

“When?” I asked.

“Every time you told me something,” he answered. It made me smile. He laughed as well, but then his face dropped as his green and blue eyes looked into mine. “And…I’m sorry for this…”

What? He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I immediately pulled back and pushed away from him, wiping my lips. I started to leave the dance floor, but bumped into Angel and Brian. Angel gave me a confused look.

“Sorry,” I hissed before continuing out into the back patio of the party room.

(Angel’s POV)

I saw Grace rush off of the dance floor in a hurry after bumping into Brian and me. I looked at where she came from and saw Zac standing there with a doubtful look on his face. He did something that she didn’t like or approve of, probably.

“Hey, are you alright?” I asked Grace when she was outside. She turned around and, unlike normal people, she wasn’t crying or anything. “What happened back there?”

“Like you don’t know,” she scoffed. What?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” I expressed. She smirked and shook her head.

“He kissed me,” she informed. Alright? And? He’s kissed a lot of people before. So what? She was his girlfriend, what did she expect?

“And…?” I asked, more confused than when I came here. She frowned and then her face relaxed.

“Wait…you expected this?” she asked. I nodded.

“Well yeah…”

“I’m not Tyler’s girlfriend, you know,” she laughed. Yeah right. Alright. So if they weren’t together, he’d make it to where they were and he’d do so in the way he wanted.

“Well maybe that’s what he wants,” I shrugged. Why was I helping her? Oh right, because I wanted her—no, Zac—to be happy.

“But we can’t be together,” she reasoned.

“Yes you can. Just because you’re in different places, or your reputation is—”

“I’m lesbian.”

***

Even though I stayed through the entire reception, I was pissed. Not because of Grace being gay, but because this whole time I thought they were together, when she clearly expressed that she had no romantic intentions with him. She didn’t recall showing any vibes, either. I was mad because now there was no reason for Zac to move on and in that time, I had because of him.

“How’s it feel?” Lulu asked Nelly. I was at the doorway of the reception venue, sipping from the wine glass full of champagne.

“It feels…right,” Nelly smiled. I was happy that she was content with, not only herself, but her love and life. She had transformed into someone new when she was with Callaghan; like her negativity that connected her and Grace was…forgotten when he was around because he could mimic her perfectly.

“Well I sure hope so,” Callaghan smiled before sneaking up on Nelly, wrapping his arms around her waist and then kissed her shoulder. That’s all it took before he was shouting at the DJ to play them a fast song to dance to. Although loads of people left already, the main group of people I knew was here, having the time of their lives. Nelly had Callaghan, obviously. Mia was slowly trying to get Streeter more out of his awkward comfort zone. Lulu was busy soaking up all the attention with Archer. Grace was chatting it up with a couple of friends she and Nelly had known when they grew up here. Brian and Zac couldn’t be found, but I didn’t really care. I just wanted to be alone right now.

The arms that coiled around my waist proved to me that my alone time wouldn’t continue as if had for an ongoing three hours.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” Brian asked, placing me against the nearest wall and grabbing my wine. “You’re not legal.”

“The legal age is eighteen here,” I reminded. I was nineteen and my birthday was very near. I didn’t even want to think about it, really. “And plus, I’ve drank before and you know it.”

“Whatever,” he smiled as if he’d drunken a glass too many, himself. “Why are you all alone?”

I shrugged.

“You know Zac left, right?” he said.

“What?” I asked, turning to him. “Why?”

I didn’t care because I wanted to scold him for falling for a lesbian—or even making me believe they’d been together all this time—it’s just that he was Best Man. I was planning on finishing out the reception, and seeing the couple off to their honeymoon, before having to carry out the dreaded task of shipping each and every one of their wedding gifts back home to Rhode Island. I was also planning on giving that job to Zac so I could just go back to my hotel and sleep.

And better yet, Brian (of all respectable people) already knew this. That’s why, unlike Lulu, he didn’t insinuate it meaning any different…even though part of me feels as though it should.

“I don’t know. I didn’t even notice he left until Archer pried himself away from Lulu in order to tell me,” he answered. His face stroke confusion after that. “Even though I don’t really know why…”

I groaned and leaned my head on his shoulder. Suddenly, my purse started vibrating and I answered when I saw it to be Joey’s name.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Hi. Still at the wedding?” he asked immediately.

“Yeah.”

“I know that Nelly still hates me, but tell her congrats,” he ordered. He was right; Nelly always despised him. They always clashed and the only thing they had in common was the same bright blue colored eyes as if they both derived from the Caribbean Sea as a paired set.

“Alright, I’ll do that,” I smiled. “So what’s up? It’s late there.”

I’d learned over the years that if someone randomly calls in the middle of the night or morning, it’s probably important. That’s not why I answered, though. I answered because he was Joey.

“So as soon as you left, the news was buzzing,” he started.

“What?” I frowned. Then, Brian started to mirror my expression and I put the phone on speaker.

“Some dude named Dale Allen went through the Military files and found out the real reason why Zac was discharged the first time…and then why he was readmitted,” he finished.

“Alright, so?” I asked. So what? Zac’s story was: he got shot in major places and they didn’t think he’d heal. Obviously he’s healed—probably a day after it happened—and he went back. So what? That’s what’s been circulating the USA’s news media?

“He was lying,” Joey said. Who was? “Zac may have gotten shot, but that’s not what kept him out. He got out for falsifying his health form.”

“What do you mean?” Zac was as healthy—healthier than an ox. Why would that stop him in the Military of all places?

“In that year away, when we got his DNA that first time, it was changed, right? Well his insulin levels were probably wavering more and more in his body throughout that year—”

“Get to the point,” I growled.

“His diabetes came back and it held back from his duty. When he got shot all those times, it was from his blood sugar being too high for him and it made him dizzy for the split second,” he finished.

Zac was a liar then. A changed liar. Not to mention how the h3ll he got back in. I hated to accuse him—because I’d done it so well before—but it was right at this point…right?

“Wait, how do you know all this?” I asked. He wasn’t there. Media sh!t got altered easier than an aging Hollywood star’s plastic surgery-friendly face.

“It was all in the file that this Dale guy got,” he answered.

“And so what if he has this file?” I was going to try to give Zac the benefit of the doubt.

“The reason he got back into the Military was because he confessed about using the Diabetes’ cure years before. Considering it was just released, basically, is saying that he was the first test dummy,” Joey explained. “That Dale guy figured it out.”

This made no sense. Why would Zac risk that? I know the Military had more confidentiality than that, but why would he risk it just to take another two-year journey shooting people? Why exactly did he go back to that life?

“The only thing is…he hasn’t really told anyone because he’s trying to blackmail us,” Joey added. Oh, so it wasn’t in the actual news yet? Just gossiping news to us. “His threats are no joke, though.”

“Well what does he want?” If he was going to blackmail…what was it for?

“Devin won’t tell me,” he answered. Great. This, now required action to this Dale guy, and also to Zac. As if I wasn’t dealing with enough already. I had a feeling that this Dale guy wasn’t going to go away with a lawsuit or anything like it. “But you’ll never believe this…when Zac told, he also got re-checked out for a physical and then turned out healthy.”

“Meaning…”

“He should be back to normal.”

Only, Zac Tyler was far from my version of his “normal”.