Rules were made to break

Zach

When I woke up the next morning, my phone was blowing up. Pictures of Lana, Taylor, and I were everywhere and the fans loved it. Taylor had already left for her next tour location. There were a few missed calls from my brothers so I called them both. Only Travis answered. "Hey, what's going on?" I asked when I picked up the phone.

Since when did you know Taylor Swift?

I laughed and I could hear Jason laughing trough the phone. Sorry that you don't know every single person I talk to.

That is not what I meant. Pretty sure meeting Taylor Swift is something that you would mention.

"Keep it down, I am trying to sleep," I heard Lana growl from her bed.

"Sorry Travis is grilling me about Taylor," I apologized and Lana sat up. I put the phone on speaker.

I am not grilling. I just wanted to know why you wouldn't tell your own brother.

I am in no way obligated to inform you of the people I meet.

So you met her last night then?

Sure.

You don't sound very sure.

Sorry I gotta go. Training and all. I could hear Jason failing at holding in a laugh as I hung up on them. I looked at Lana and we both broke down laughing.

"What the heck was that about?" Lana asked me after she regained composure.

"Travis is obsessed with her music. It is so funny sometimes but I honestly didn't recognize her when we first met and it didn't really click until she told me about the tour," I explained.

"Are you going to set them up?" Lana asked me and I laughed.

"No way. Travis is a player and I will not be putting Taylor through that," I forced. It was true, he didn't make commitments and I don't have a problem with that but I don't want Taylor to be involved in that. Also if they broke up, it could strain Taylor and I's friendship and I would never let that happen.

Later that day we hosted the training camp and when we were leaving, I saw Zachary. "Hey Firefly. I didn't know you would be here," he mused walking with Lana and I.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you stalking me now?" I asked him and he just smiled.

"Pretty sure half of the world is. I actually just have one question," he paused and looked at me most likely to see how I reacted. "Do you want to get dinner with me tonight?" he asked without even skipping a beat.

"How many different signs to I have to give you to get you to go away?" I asked rhetorically and he laughed a little.

"That wasn't a no," he pointed out and Lana started laughing.

"Fine, whatever but I am saying right now: I don't do long distance," I stated. He paused while Lana and I continued walking. She was talking about it for hours before there was a knock on the dorm door and there was Zachary. He looked annoying good and I still can't figure out why I agreed to this.

The date was bad. Or at least the dinner was. On the way back to the campus, he pulled over and I noticed we were at a park and I smiled. "Come on, Firefly," Zach stated as he opened my side of the car door. I hadn't even noticed that he got out of the car.

"How could you have possibly known that this would be perfect?" I asked him and he smirked.

"Lucky guess," he stated but before I had a chance to call him on it he started talking again. "I love going to the parks in every city I go to. It really gives you an insight into the culture because it shows you how they treat their children."

"And it gives you a chance to look back on your own childhood. My brothers and I only really spent time together, all three of us, at playgrounds or a gym I guess," I reminisced.

"Checks out considering you are basically always at the gym," Zach joked. We were sitting on the swings and watching the stars, it was perfect. "I never really have had a family but I know that I used to imagine what it would be like." I froze because I did not understand what he just said. "My parents died when I was really young and I spent my entire childhood in foster homes. I have no siblings so football became my life," he explained.

"Sorry. I can't even imagine where I would be if I didn't have Travis and Jason," I considered. His story broke my heart but it showed me how much determination he had.

"You would be exactly where you are now, Firefly. Ambition and determination are not something you can learn, its something you are born with. That's why I like you. You already are the best but you are still striving to be better," Zach explained. I smiled and looked at him.

"I hate to kill the mood but I really don't do long distance dating," I stated again and he stood up. He stood in front of my swing and kissed me.

"I know, Firefly. But that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy this right now and we will find our way back to each other. Eventually," he said. I searched his features for even a int of doubt but he didn't have any. I just smiled and kissed him, again. This was too good to be true.

We headed back to the campus and he dropped me off. We didn't exchange numbers or follow each other anywhere. It was a clean break but we both knew eventually we would be together again and there was a good chance that it would last a lot longer than a day.

Zach POV

It broke my heart to let her just walk away but we both need no distractions. Next year, is my senior year and I am set to be drafted into the NFL, I can't handle any distractions. She hasn't even started her career yet and she deserves a chance to get herself steady before she has to deal with someone else.