FicWad

Disclaimer: It's probably obvious, but I don't own any of the HSM characters or the cast or their related stuff. Also, though this story involves the names of real people, it is a complete work of fiction in terms of characterization and plot.

Author Note: Wow. I believe we are now two installments away from the end of the story. I can't believe how soon it will all be over...

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Chapter 13 - Tearing It Down

Breathing hard, Zac stared at Ashley with wild eyes, his hand held to his mouth.

"Ashley." He spit the words out sharply. "What are you /doing/?"

She stood before him in the hall, a trembling look of dismay growing on her face. "Zac... I thought..."

"Ash." He felt like his head was spinning. "I'm not---I never was into you. I don't know what else to say. But... I've got to go."

His attention had frantically snapped away, focused at the end of the corridor where Vanessa's figure had just disappeared. He started to run in her direction, but Monique stepped into his path, emerging toward him from near Lucas.

"Zac." She looked him in the eye seriously. "I know you want to... but I think you need to be here right now. I think... Ashley needs to tell you some things."

His voice was filled with frustration. "What things?"

Monique's eyes darted over to Lucas. "Like... what she's been saying about you and Vanessa."

What?

He turned and looked at Ashley. From behind, he heard another pair of footsteps and a voice suddenly break in.

"Hey, I just saw Nessa run out to the van, and she looked really upset. What's..."

Corbin trailed off, staring at the three of them in the hallway. "Uh... what's going on?"

"Ashley was just going to tell us something," said Monique grimly. "Everything, actually."

There was a silence, and in the middle of the hallway, Zac thought he saw Ashley's shoulders slump slightly. But then she straightened, turning slowly and lifting her eyes to meet theirs---though flickering quickly past Zac's. And her voice was strong when it rang out.

"Monique. What are you talking about?"

She stared at Monique with defiance. But Lucas spoke up instead.

"Ash..." His voice was quiet. "You told me Zac was on the rebound from Danielle Panabaker. You told me Zac was just going after Vanessa as a distraction. Before he went back home to sort it out." His eyes darted quickly to Zac. "And then... I told Vanessa before that rehearsal. That she should watch out. And then they broke up, hard."

Zac felt as though he had been winded. That's why Nessa took it so easily. And why... I saw her crying that day.

But softly, Lucas was still speaking. "And then Corbin said that none of it was true." His voice sounded hesitant. "Ash... you lied to me."

Zac looked over at Ashley. Her face had frozen in a look of panic and terror. She clutched her bag closer to her body, and her eyes flashed briefly at Zac before they turned slowly back to Lucas.

It's true. Oh God... it's true.

Ashley began to stammer. "Lucas... I..."

Monique broke in, her voice determined. "You wanted Zac for yourself, so you tried to ruin any chance he had with Nessa. And you used Lucas to get your way."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Suddenly Corbin spoke up, looking uncertainly at Monique. "Mo... don't say anything you can't take back." He seemed to be trying to choose his words carefully. "Because... as far as I know, Ashley's always looked out for Zac. Trying to protect him when he thought Nessa was stringing guys along. Maybe she ... had a good reason for all this."

Monique turned. "Corbin. She just tried to kiss Zac. We all saw it."

Corbin looked up at Ashley, shocked. "You..."

And suddenly Zac found his voice.

"Ash... you were the one who told me that Nessa was a player in the first place."

And it seemed as though he was seeing her for the very first time. Everything seemed to fall into place. The look on her face in the classroom. The trips around the city. Her soft catch of breath when he hugged her in the hallway. And in the back of his head, he raced through all the time he had spent fighting for Vanessa---every moment he had spent wishing he could be with her, trying to win her back again, being caught in the agony of being apart from her. He caught a flash of Vanessa's lips on his after the wedding, pressed tightly against him in the hotel corridor, the soft look in her eyes when they broke apart. And suddenly, a fierceness leapt up inside.

"I guess Lucas was never into Nessa at all." His voice was bitter.

"Never." Lucas blurted out the word immediately.

Zac's voice cracked with disbelief. "So you... lied to all of us."

Ashley seemed to deflate with every word he spoke.

"Zac..." Her face crumpled. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She brushed a hand to her eyes, looking desperately up at the ceiling. "I have liked you for so long... and then we came here... and there was you and Vanessa. I just couldn't... stop trying to be with you. And then it got out of hand so fast..." The back of her hand kept brushing her eyes, uselessly trying to stop her tears. "And then the past few weeks, I thought you guys were done..."

"Well, Ash... we weren't done."

He stared at her coldly. "And you know what? I don't think we were ever done. Despite everything that you might have tried to do. Not even after... this."

At least... I hope we're not. His heart twinged slightly. God, Ashley. Why did you have to do this?

"I thought we were friends, Ash." His face began to contort with anger. "I guess... you had feelings for me. But you let that get in the way of everything. You didn't think about anything anybody else wanted. You didn't think about what you were doing to me. Or Nessa. You just thought about you. Some friendship."

His words echoed in the hallway. Ashley's tear-filled eyes connected with his again, widening with a growing horror. She began to whimper. "Zac... I didn't mean to..."

"Yeah, you did." He scoffed bitterly. The words kept rolling out. "Ash... I know you. You did mean to. But you know, after all this, I don't know how you were going to keep me around. Because if you were going to lie and manipulate everyone to get me to be with you... well, I'm sorry, Ash. Because that's not a person I want to be with." He paused, staring at her with a sense of revulsion. "Ever."

And looking at Ashley, he could see a realization snap into place. Her whole body seemed to fold, and the tears began to fall in a great gush. She stood there, gripping the length of her bag tightly, her sobs filling the spreading silence.

But Zac tore his eyes away and turned, heading rapidly to the end of the hallway. A cold shot of nervous adrenalin had overtaken his body. Already, all thoughts of Ashley had slipped away, and just one priority began to flash in his head. Vanessa.

His heart racing, he prayed she hadn't gone far. Because there was so much he suddenly wanted to say to her.