Take Me By The Hand

Thir13en

Zacky and I skip the rest of the day, instead going back to my house. My parents are both at work so I figure it's safe enough to take Zacky there. I cling to his body, arms wrapped around his waist in a desperate attempt to not fly off the back of his speeding motorcycle as we take off. It's calming really, the wind whipping around me and nearly taking my breath away. But the serenity only lasts for about a block before my thoughts are racing through my head as fast as the trees are whirring by.

I just attacked one of my best friends. What the hell was I thinking? I was never really one to be violent unless someone else started it; I didn't go out looking for fights and I certainly didn't punch my best friends because of some rumor. So what happened? Why was I suddenly treating Josh like he had thrown the first punch? 

Because he did, a little nagging voice in the back of my head tells me. He started the rumor. He deserved so much worse than he got. He did throw the first punch, even if it wasn't physical...

The thoughts bother me all the way home, even when I silently climb off of Zacky's bike and lead him inside the vacant  house. I skip the tour, pulling him past the framed family photos and straight toward the stairs. He's quiet, too, until we get to my bedroom. I push the door shut, though we have the house to ourselves. But just the gesture seems to help my attitude a little bit, like I'm closing Zacky and I off away from the rest of the world. Zacky sits down on my bed, cocking an eyebrow at me as he shoots me an amused expression. "Batman sheets?" He teases and I feel myself blush. But the sensation doesn't last for long. I bite my lip, crossing my arms and studying Zacky.

"Did I overreact?" I ask. "I mean, you said that Josh started the rumor. But he acted like he had no idea what I was even accusing him of."

Zacky rolls his eyes and reaches out to grab my hand. Our fingers twist together and he pulls me toward him, making me sit down across from him on the bed. "Forget about Josh," Zacky mumbles and he closes the distance between us. Just like that, Zacky changes the topic at hand, shifting the focus away from Josh and back onto us. But the nagging parts of my mind don't seem to take the hint when Zacky pulls me into his lap. I straddle his legs, which hang off the edge of the bed, my knees tucked under myself.

"What if he was telling the truth?" I ask, putting a little distance between Zacky's mouth and my own, my eyes darting around the untidy room as the though occurs to me. "Who told you that Josh started the rumor?"

Zacky rolls his eyes and tries to kiss me again, but I dodge the movement and slide off of his lap, pacing the length of the floor instead. I tug absently at my lip ring and fold my arms across my chest. "I mean, on the one hand; He could be lying. He could be covering his own ass because he doesn't want me to be mad. But I was already mad. If he doesn't like you, he can just tell me that. Which he did. So why would he lie about starting the rumor?" I look to Zacky for some sort of affirmation, but he just leans back slightly, watching me with a raised eyebrow. I immediately look back down to the ground, walking again. "On the other hand; You told me he started the rumor. I believe you. But what if you got it wrong somehow? Maybe somebody lied to you so that it would piss me off. But why would somebody want me to be mad at Josh?" I look back up at Zacky. "Who did you say told you that Josh started the rumor?"

Zacky just rolls his eyes again and stands up. He stops in front of me and takes both of my hands in his, looking down at me. "It doesn't matter, okay?" He says. "All that matters is that it's not true. It's just a rumor, okay?"

He leans in to kiss me again, wrapping one hand around the back of my neck, but once again I dodge the kiss. "But it does matter!" I say, exasperated. "I punched one of my best friends because of that rumor. I deserve to know who started it!"