FicWad

"Are you ready yet woman! We gotta get moving!" Zack called to me as he entered my bedroom.

"Yeah I was just doubled checking everything." I said grabbing my bags.

"Only three bags?" Zack asked a bit surprised.

"Yeah! Two are for my clothes and the third is my makeup kits and camera." I explained.

"Maddie has like ten bags! I thought it was just a woman thing." He shrugged as he followed behind me making sure everything was turned off and locked up. I made sure my car was locked up in the garage making sure I had all my keys.

"I guess I'm just a simple kind of gal." I teased with a wink. I followed him to the end of the pathway where the huge bus was waiting. I followed him up and was met with everyone else who was already there.

"I'll show you to your quarters m'lady." Zack said with a funny accent that made me giggle. I followed him down the small hallway to the bunk area. "Here ya go. I'm right across from you." He said with a satisfied smile.

"Awesome." I grinned.

"Zackary, I thought you were giving her the back bunk." Maddie complained suddenly poking her head from behind the bunk curtain.

"It's too small, plus we need it for storage since some of us have a lot of luggage." He said giving her a look.

"Whatever. I don't feel comfortable sleeping so close to her. She'll probably cut my throat while I'm sleeping." She growled glaring at me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Don't tempt me." I shot back. She gasped in surprise and roughly pulled the curtain back. Zack gave me an apologetic look.

"So you want to see the grand tour?" He asked quickly changing the subject.

"Sure." I replied happily. I followed him around where he showed me the main living area that consisted of two large built in couches and a small booth behind the driver's area. It was equipped with a microwave, stove, and a mini fridge. Then he showed me the small bathroom that had just the basic sink and toilet and shower. After that I followed him back through the bunk area to the back room.

"This is my favorite room." Zack said as he opened the door. It had a very comfortable vibe. There was a full sized bed, a computer desk where all the guys done their recording on the road and where I can upload photos. There was a tv and several different video games. "Obviously we use this room alot, and it's great to have when one of us needs a break from everyone. That's what this is for." He explained showing me a 'Do Not Disturb' sign that hung on the door.

"Sweet." I replied as I looked around in awe.

"Plus I've got a secret stash in here." He said dropping his voice down low so only I could hear. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Stash? I didn't think you'd bring it with you on the road." I whispered back. He walked over to the bed motioning me to follow. He knelt down in front of it and reached underneath the frame where suddenly he pulled a small drawer out. It was so inconspicuous. If he hadn't showed me I never would've known it was there.

"I got us some good shit babe." He whispered excitedly as he pulled out a large ziplock bag of beautiful green. He opened it up and we both inhaled deeply.

"Mmmm." We both groaned.

"That's amazing." I said grinning excitedly.

"I know! Keep it quiet though. I don't want Maddie to find out." He whispered as he put his stash back.

"She doesn't know you smoke?" I asked surprised.

"No. I brought the subject up before and she freaked. She's totally straight edge. She doesn't even like it when I drink." He explained.

"Well I don't know if she's noticed that we all tend to drink alot. Just because she's straight edge doesn't mean you have to be." I pointed out.

"Yeah I know. I'd just rather her not know. She says green makes it too easy to make dumb decisions." He added. I gave him an odd look.

"Ummm..." I began but we both burst out laughing as we remembered alot of dumb decisions we made while stoned out of our minds.

"Okay, so maybe there is some truth to that." He laughed.

"Maybe." I replied trying to control my giggles. It didn't work. Every time we looked at each other we would start laughing all over again.

"What's so funny?" Zack and I both jumped when we heard Maddie's voice.

"Nothing babe. Just goofing off." He shrugged. She looked between the two of us, glaring at me of course.

"Well we're fixing to stop at the beach before we make our first stop. I was wondering if you wanted to help me pick out my swimsuit?" She said shooting him a provocative look. Yuck.

"Mmm yeah." He grinned devilishly. "I'll see ya in a bit Addz." He said as he followed her out of the room. I sighed heavily and went to my bunk to pull out a swimsuit. I could hear noises coming from Zack's bunk so I quickly headed back to the back room to change. I had picked my red and black plaid bikini my favorite one since the bottoms were cut like boy shorts.

"Hey Addy you back here?" I heard Kayte ask from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, come in." I called. She opened the door and came inside. I slipped on some jean shorts and my flip flops.

"We're here. I've got all the towels." She said.

"Okay cool. Let's go." I said following her out and off the bus. The beach was beautiful. One of the reasons I love California so much. The golden sand and the clear waters was breathtaking. I helped everyone pack the coolers and volleyball set as well as the chairs down to a secluded area and set everything up. Zack and Maddie had yet to join us. I shuddered at the thought. Kayte and I got comfortable and laughed as the guys started doing catcalls when they noticed our attire.

"Looking good ladies!" Jackson called as he helped the others fix the volleyball net. Kayte and I laughed at his silly compliment.

"Hey who wants to help me with my sunblock?" I called over to the boys giving them a sly wink. They all began running towards me with the exception of Mark who made his way over to Kayte. "Whoever catches the bottle is the winner!" I laughed and tossed the bottle into the air. They dove for it and I couldn't help but laugh at their determination.

"They're like bridesmaids at a wedding!" Mark laughed. Jackson suddenly jumped up from the dog pile holding the bottle high in the air.

"Ahahaha! I win losers!" He exclaimed and ran over to me. Ash and Todd flipped him off. "Don't hate that I get to rub on the beautiful lady!" He teased. They finished setting up the net that had fallen down during their antics. Jackson squeezed the shimmery lotion onto his hands and began skillfully rubbing it into my skin.

"Mmm." I groaned as I rested my head on my knees.

"Feel good?" He said into my ear as his hands made their way down my back.

"Mmmhmm." I mumbled.

"Better watch them hands Reed. You won't be much good with that guitar if I have to break your fingers." Zack said suddenly appearing beside us.

"Don't worry dude, I'm not gonna molest your precious...unless she wants me to." Jackson said with a wink. We all laughed except for Zack who glared at Jackson which just made us laugh harder.

"Not funny." He grumbled as he grabbed a beer then stalked over to Maddie who was barely wearing anything. Gross.

"The sad thing is he's probably dead serious." Mark said as he wrapped his arms around Kayte.

"I know dude." Jackson laughed as he continued applying lotion on me.

"What? No way, Zack would never hurt one of you guys." I said surprised they would even suggest that.

"Actually the only way Zack probably would hurt one of us is if we really did try something with you." Mark answered.

"Yeah God forbid somebody tries to take away his girl." Jackson added his tone taking on a more serious note.

"I think you guys mean Maddie." I said as I shared a confused look with Kayte.

"No, we mean you. It doesn't matter who he's with. To Zack you're his territory and guys don't like their territory being messed with by any other dude. It's simple guy code. Why do you think none of us have ever tried getting with you in like the ten years we've been friends?" Mark asked.

"Uhh, because you guys are like brothers to me. Plus you've been with Kayte since sophmore year." I pointed out.

"Well excluding me, it's not just because of how close we all are. It's because we know you're off limits. Always have been, always will be." Mark explained. I sat there dumb founded looking between Mark and Jackson. Kayte looked just as surprised as me.

"That's not really fair to me. What if I decide I want a boyfriend?" I asked. Both men laughed.

"Well nobody would stop you of course, but I feel bad for the guy who's brave enough to try. Zack would flip shit and probably beat them up just like he has all your past boyfriends." Mark explained. Now that I think about it Zack always did get in fights with my exes. Was it really because he doesn't want me with anyone? What does that even mean?

"I know it's confusing, no point in questioning it. That's why it's called [i]guy[/i] code. Girls don't understand. Come on, let's play some ball." Mark said standing up. We followed suit and headed over to Ash and Todd who were playing one on one.

"Just so you know, I'm not afraid of Zack." Jackson whispered into my ear. I smiled widely and giggled a bit. I glanced over at Zack who was eying us both suspiciously. I suddenly felt a sense of empowerment. Is it possible to make him jealous? Wouldn't he have to like me to get jealous though? I don't know. It's confusing. Pshht, men. Idiots.

After several competitive rounds of volleyball we all decided to swim for a while and relax. Jackson and I were having a dunking war. It was quite hilarious actually.

"Hey babe, are you coming in?" Zack asked Maddie who sat laid out on the shore baking herself in the sun.

"No way, salt water will destroy my hair." She said as she leaned her head back against the chair. Jackson and I snickered. What a priss. I was too caught up in our making fun of her to realize that somebody was behind me. Before I knew it I was being hoisted up in the air then came crashing down underwater. When I resurfaced I was met with a hysterically laughing Zack.

"You're gonna pay for that!" I yelled then lunged at him. We both submerged underwater, wrestling around. He managed to get a good grip on me and before I knew it I was being hoisted up in the air again.

"Jackson! Catch!" Zack called. I shook my head quickly.

"No! No Addy-ball! No, no, no!" I cried feigning panic. Addy-ball was something the guys thought was hilarious when they decided to throw me around like a rag doll. Sometimes it is funny though when it's Kayte-ball. She really gets freaked out when they do it to her. I screamed as I felt myself being thrown through the air and landed in Jackson's arms causing us to crash underwater. When we resurfaced I tried to make a break for the shore but Jackson was too quick and grabbed me before I had a chance and hurled me through the air. Zack caught me, and him being more stout was able to keep us above water this time. "Okay! No more please!" I pleaded.

"Alright fine party pooper." Zack teased as he sat me down in the water. We began playfully shoving each other around trying to dunk each other when Maddie's voice suddenly rang our alerting us she was apparently becoming very upset. Shocker.

"Zackary! Hello! Did you forget about your [i]girlfriend[/i]!!?? I'm not gonna sit here and watch you flirt with her anymore!" She yelled angrily.

"What the fuck are you talking about? I'm not flirting with anybody!" He yelled suddenly becoming angry. It didn't usually take much to make Zack mad, but the number one sure fire way of pissing him off is yelling at him. He hates being yelled at.

"Yes you are! I can't believe you would actually do that in front of me!" She screeched. Everyone including myself was now getting out of the water and packing everything up so we could head back to the bus. Nobody wanted to stand around and hear this shit. She ruins everything. "Stay the fuck away from my boyfriend bitch!" She snarled as I walked past her.

"Excuse me?" I seethed ready to give her a piece of my mind when Zack stepped in between us.

"Addy please. Just go." He pleaded, an apologetic look on his face. I sighed and trudged to the bus. The screaming match increasing as I walked away.

"I swear that bitch ruins everything! I hate her! The last thing Zack needs is to be stressed out the day before the kickoff for the tour." Jackson said angrily.

"I know. He's gonna have to keep her in check. She's always trippin' over something." Todd piped in.

"Not to mention she's way to jealous of you." Kayte pointed out. Well no shit.

"I know. I mean Zack and I have always been this way. What am I supposed to do avoid him like the plague? That's the only way she wouldn't get pissed off every five seconds." I sighed frustratedly.

"It's not your fault. If she can't accept the relationship between you two, then they will never work out." Ash said. Jackson suddenly laughed.

"It's like whoever dates one of you pretty much dates the other one as well!" He laughed causing us to join in as well. [i]If we could just be together there would never be these problems...[/i]

Later that night everyone was settled down playing cards while I sat in my bunk listening to some music. As much as I hate Maddie, I really don't want to be the reason they fight all the time. I hate seeing Zack upset.

"Hey Addz, we're fixing to play poker. You coming?" Zack asked poking his head in my bunk.

"Nah, I think I'll just chill in here. Thanks though." I said giving him a half hearted smile.

"What why? Come on, poker is your favorite." He pouted.

"Not tonight Zee. Okay?" I said really just wanting to be alone right now.

"Is this because of earlier? Forget her Addy, please come out here with me." He begged.

"No Zack. I don't feel like being the root of yet another fight between the two of you. I just want to cool it right now alright." I said firmly. He sighed heavily.

"Fine...love you." He pouted.

"Love you more." I answered. He smiled. Aww.

He grinned then disappeared from my bunk. I put in my headphones and laid down. Thoughts of him swirling my mind. Looks like I'm in for another sleepless night.