That night when Zac and Ginger returned from their date, most of the people in the house were already asleep. Taylor seemed to always be awake, but that was just because he slept at the oddest intervals that no one ever knew when he was asleep, and always supposed he was awake. Zac's parents had gone to bed, as well as the younger children. Jess was still up but looking to be dragging butt, trying to stay awake through an episode of her favorite TV show on MTV, and Avery apparently had been asleep for quite a while.
After going to dinner, Zac took Ginger out somewhere so they could be alone, and whenever they were alone time just seemed to disappear. It was eleven-thirty and Zac knew he was going to have problems getting up in the morning, but it was worth it to be out alone with Ginger again. That was something he had missed.
They went upstairs immediately and Ginger followed Zac into his room. Zac shut the door and turned to Ginger, who had made herself comfortable on his bed again. "I think just about everybody is asleep."
"We better be quiet then," she said, giving him a smile. "Come over here." He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She had her bold shock of bright red hair over his white pillow, brightening her face.
"You are so beautiful," he said. She blushed. "No, you are. You have beautiful hair." He ran his fingers through her smooth hair. "And you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen."
"You're too much," she told him. Her voice was hushed; the whole house was quiet. Things were so quiet it was easy to forget that there were other people there. It seemed as though they were the only ones there, this was their house and everything belonged to them. He laid down next to her, his head next to hers as he looked straight into her.
He expected her to say more and she expected the same from him, so they both sat in an anticipating silence, waiting for something. It was comfortable, however. Zac paid close attention to her, the way she looked at him, the way she breathed, how she reacted when he slid his arm around her waist and kissed her. She was just like him but she was so different at the same time. She was everything he wanted her to be, he expected her to be, and more. He was so in love with her, but he was so afraid to tell her that his hands were practically shaking as he held her tightly around the waist. It was the only thing he'd kept from her so far in their both long and short relationship
"Zac, what's wrong?" she asked, looking straight in his eyes.
"I�I want to tell you something."
"Sure, honey, you can tell me anything," she told him, her soft hand reaching up to the side of his face to lovingly brush through his hair. He sighed and closed his eyes, in a moment feeling her soft lips against his forehead. "Tell me."
"I love you," he whispered. He opened his eyes and looked at her, and she was looking back at him, her eyes kind and more loving than they were before.
"I know you do," she whispered. "I know." She kissed him. "I love you too." He couldn't help but smile at her response. She smiled back at him. "This is crazy."
"I know it is."
"How long have we been going out?" she asked. Her head had sunk into his chest as she spoke, overwhelmed by her sudden revelation of emotion.
"Almost two months now," he said, after pausing to think about when they actually started to go out. He didn't remember the exact date, although he had it written down somewhere, but it was sometime towards the end of June. Now it was August and they had already said they loved each other. This didn't surprise Zac at all. He had loved her since the moment he laid eyes on her, and that was way more than two months ago.
"Wow," she said. "Two months already?"
"Yeah�"
Zac didn't know when exactly it happened, but the both of them ended up falling asleep together like that on his bed, laying on top of the covers with everything, including their shoes, still on. Taylor woke up and expected Zac to be up and ready, but upon realizing Zac wasn't, Taylor went into his brother's room.
"Zac!" Zac woke up, looked over, and was relieved to see Taylor there and not anyone else. "Get your ass up, we have to leave in twenty minutes! You're damn lucky I didn't send Mom up here to get you; she would have had a cow."
"Yeah, whatever Taylor," Zac said, getting off the bed and yawning. "Nothing happened."
"Not here, at least."
"Yeah, not here," Zac said. "Get out of my way." Zac brushed past Taylor, who stood in the doorway a bit longer, looking in, as Zac trudged his way to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and got ready for the day. As Taylor's hushed scream sounded again (they were late), Zac kissed Ginger's cheek and ran out of the house.
When Zac came home that evening, Ginger was again in the spare room typing away on her computer. He didn't have time to stare at her like he had the night before; Vinnie's party started in fifteen minutes and Ginger obviously had forgotten than they were going. "Ginger?" he asked.
"What?" she asked, looking up.
"You do know we're going to my friend's party tonight, right?"
"Yeah�" She looked at the time on the clock across the room. "Oh my God! Where did today go?" She sprung up and ran to her suitcase. "I'll be ready in�give me five minutes. You should change, you look like shit."
"Thanks, Ginger."
"You do!"
"Whatever." He went into his room to change and in seven minutes, Ginger was ready to go. Despite her rushed state, she looked absolutely beautiful. She even put on makeup, which he hardly ever saw her wear lately. She had on heels with her jeans and some kind of movie star tank top that a normal person would never wear. Her hair was brushed and fixed, falling smoothly over her shoulders like normal hair didn't. "Are you trying to draw attention to yourself?" Zac found himself asking as he saw her descend the stairs.
"What?" she asked. "How am I drawing attention to myself?"
"You look so�Hollywood."
"No I don't," she said, blowing it off. "We're going to be late. Let's just go." Zac sighed. He knew the last thing Ginger wanted was to be considered Hollywood at a normal party filled with nobodies, but if she looked the part that was the way it was going to be.
"All right," he said. "Taylor! We're going!"
"Taylor's coming too?" Ginger asked, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.
"Of course!" Zac said. "He's Vinnie's friend too, you know." She sighed and looked away. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Do you not like Taylor or something?" he asked. Ginger looked at him again, a look of fake confusion on her face.
"Why would you think something like that?" she asked, a fake little giggle in her voice. He shrugged.
"Well, it just seems that every time I mention him you act all uppity." Ginger didn't have a chance to answer before Taylor walked down the stairs. Zac looked at Taylor, back at Ginger, and sighed. "Well, let's go." He opened the door and walked out. Ginger followed halfway between Zac and Taylor.
Zac drove to Vinnie's, Ginger sitting in the front next to him with Taylor in the back seat. "Man," Taylor said to break the silence on the ride there. "I haven't seen Vinnie in the longest time�"
"I know," Zac said. "It's been at least a year." Ginger shook her head. "What?"
"I couldn't imagine not seeing a friend for that long," she said.
"Well, when you're busy, you're busy and as much as you want to see your friends, it doesn't happen," Zac said. "I'm sure you had friends that you didn't see while you were out making your movie and all." Ginger paused to think about it.
"Not really," she said. "Kris was with me, Anthony was with me�there wasn't anybody else that I really would have missed while I was gone. Nobody else really seemed worth it."
"Really? Anthony and Kris are all you've got?" Zac asked.
"Well, not so much Anthony. He's more of the kind of person you talk to on occasion. Kris is about it for me. You have to understand that I started that whole movie process way before you think. I started that movie my freshman year. I didn't leave Tampa for a while after that, but I was working on it all the time. Kris was working on it with me and that was about it. I didn't have time for anybody else."
"Oh."
"Yeah, I had more things to think about than making friends. It just wasn't as important." Zac shrugged.
"Well Vinnie is different. We've been friends with Vinnie since�a way long time ago. I can't even remember a time when he wasn't around." Ginger nodded.
"Me and Kris are like that. I've been friends with her since forever ago."
"Whoa, whoa," Taylor said from the back seat. "Kris is a girl?" Ginger looked back at him, a smug smile on her face.
"Yes, Taylor, she is. Kris is short for Kristina."
"Hey," he said, giving her a grin and lifting his eyebrow. She shook her head.
"No way," Ginger said immediately, turning back to the front. "No, Kris is too good for you, Taylor."
"Oh, come on! If she hangs out with you, she's bound to be hot." Ginger let her head fall into her hand in embarrassment for Taylor. "Come on, just introduce me to her."
"We'll see, Taylor," Ginger said, looking back at him again. "We'll see." Taylor smiled. Zac was amused. He'd met Kris before and he knew she was pretty, but she just didn't seem Taylor's type. Sure she'd go for him (there wasn't a girl he knew that wouldn't go out with Taylor), but he wasn't entirely sure if Taylor would establish a nice relationship with her. Taylor was the kind of person who'd just spend a week or two, at the most, with a girl. If Ginger were to relent and let Taylor meet Kris, she'd be hounding Taylor about it forever and possibly not let him break up with her when he inevitably got bored with her.
"We're here," Zac announced, having parked near Vinnie's house. There were already a number of cars there and the sounds of good party music coming from the inside. Taylor got out immediately and he had disappeared before Zac even got out of the car with Ginger.
"Wow," Ginger said. "Where'd he go?"
"That's Taylor for you," Zac explained. "We'll find him later when we need him. I don't think we'll even see him until then."
"All right," she said. She took his hand and held it tightly. She was noticeably nervous and he kissed her temple reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Ging." He walked with her to the front door and rang the doorbell. He normally didn't bother when it came to Vinnie's house, but he didn't want to risk being seen by other people with Ginger before he saw Vinnie. They were waiting for barely a moment when Vinnie opened the door. He looked like Zac, which didn't surprise Ginger in the least. He had long blonde hair. He was skinny like Taylor but had big brown eyes and his skin was tanned. He held himself like Zac and Ginger was sure the better she knew him, the more he would look like her boyfriend.
"Zac!!" Vinnie yelled. "Wow, look at you!" The two embraced and Ginger watched, a smile on her movie star face. Vinnie turned to her. "And this must be Ginger."
"As if you didn't already know," Zac said. Ginger gave him a look. "Well, Vinnie, this is Ginger my girlfriend. Ging, this is my best friend Vinnie." Ginger turned to Vinnie, her smile plastered almost genuinely on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Vinnie," she said, shaking his hand.
"Likewise," he said. "Well, don't stand out there all night! Come on in! I think I saw Taylor, did he come with you?"
"Yeah, he did," Zac said, walking with Ginger into the house. Vinnie closed the door behind them. "He's good at disappearing when he wants to. I'm sure he's already found a girl and is off nailing her somewhere."
"Probably," Vinnie said. "Anyway, just about everyone you know is here, and there's a lot of people you don't know, but I'm sure they'd like to get to know you. I'll come by later and catch up, but right now there are a few things I have to tend to."
"All right," Zac said. Vinnie gave Ginger a broad smile and left as quickly as he showed up, swerving through people. There weren't a lot of people there, but they all seemed to be crowded in the front room. Some of them Zac knew but a lot of them Zac didn't, and they seemed to be paying more attention to Ginger than to anything else.
"Can we go sit down?" Ginger asked, looking nervously around at the people who were trying not to stare.
"Sure, babe," he said. He took her hand and led her into the living room, where they sat down. There were less people in this room and a lot of open space to sit down. Zac immediately recognized one of his other friends. He introduced Ginger, and the guy didn't seem to mind who she was. This was obviously one of Zac's older friends who knew a little bit more about what people were like before they became celebrities. Ginger appreciated it. "Do you want a drink, babe?" Zac asked.
"I don't know," Ginger told him. "Are you driving home?"
"It depends," he explained. "I don't have to work tomorrow so we both drink and stay the night here, then drive home in the morning when we're sober, one of us could not drink, or we can find Taylor and go home tonight. I can tell you already that he's going to stay the night whether we do or not."
"We can stay," Ginger said, looking around. "It'll give you time to talk to Vinnie."
"All right. So you want a drink?"
"Sure."
Zac got up and left her there with his friend, Todd. "So," Todd said to her. He was a plain kid with short brown hair and bright blue eyes. "You're Zac's girlfriend, eh?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling.
"How long?"
"Two months." He nodded.
"Seems about right," Todd said. "That's about the time he broke up with that last girl he was with." Ginger raised an eyebrow. "I think you're much prettier than her, to tell you the truth. Just with the five minutes that you've been sitting here, I can already tell Zac likes you more than he ever liked her."
"That's nice to know," Ginger said. Zac came back with two cups and handed one to Ginger. She took a long sip and looked away. Zac noticed immediately.
"Todd�you didn't say anything I wouldn't want you to say, did you?" he asked.
"No!"
"Whatever, Todd."
Vinnie found them about a half an hour later and sat across from the couch that Zac and Ginger were sitting on. He looked between Zac and Ginger immediately. Zac had his arm draped around his girlfriend, who was resting back on his shoulder as they sat, completely comfortable. "So Zac," Vinnie said. "How have you been?" It wasn't a formality; Vinnie was actually interested.
"I have been absolutely wonderful, Vin," Zac said. He glanced at Ginger. "Absolutely wonderful."
"You look like you've been wonderful," Vinnie said. He looked at Ginger. "You're bringing it out in him."
"Whatever," Ginger said.
"No, I'm serious," Vinnie said. "I've never seen Zac like this before."
"Stop it, Vin," Zac said. Vin put up his hands in defense and backed away. Zac kissed Ginger's forehead anyway. She smiled. Zac looked out across the room and his eyes directly locked with a pair of deep brown eyes, the pair that Zac knew he would never forget for the rest of his life. "Oh my God, Vin, what the HELL is she doing here?" Vinnie, confused, turned around and saw her He turned back around quickly.
"I don't know," Vinnie said, honestly. "I didn't invite her. She must have just shown up."
"Oh my God," Zac repeated.
"What?" Ginger asked, sitting up. "Who?"
"Nothing, dear," Zac said. To his great chagrin, the girl across the room stood up and walked over. She had dark brown hair, a deep tan and had one of those bodies the airbrushed Victoria's Secret models paled in comparison to. She was hot. She was more than hot, she was Hollywood hot and she didn't need special lighting or airbrushing to point that out, either. As she walked over, Ginger was overshadowed.
"Hello Zac," she said. She had a hint of a Spanish accent in her voice. "I had no idea you would be here." She ignored Ginger as if she weren't even there and stared directly at Zac.
"Hello Gwendolyn," Zac said, quietly. "It goes the same for you."
"Yes," Gwendolyn said, eyeing Vinnie sharply. "I didn't even know about this party until a few of my friends said they were coming this morning. Somebody must have forgotten to invite me." Vinnie took a drink from his cup and looked away innocently. Gwendolyn looked back at Zac and seemed to notice Ginger for the first time. "Who is she?" It was practically an insult, the way it seethed out of Gwendolyn's sharp but still immaculately white teeth.
"Gwen, this is my girlfriend Ginger Stevens."
"Ginger Stevens? Well I've heard whispers but I guess this proves it, doesn't it? Miss Hollywood right in our own little neighborhood. How�expected of you, Zac." Ginger pursed her lips, trying not to retort. Zac noticed and gave a panicked look to Vinnie, who stood up immediately.
"Gwen, there was a reason you didn't know about this party. You weren't invited. Now if you don't mind, I think it'd be best if you just left."
"I see how it is," Gwendolyn spat at Vinnie, her accent clearer as she grew angrier. "We break up and only one of us can be invited to all the parties now. I hadn't seen him in a while; I wanted to say hello."
"You wanted to say more than hello, Gwen," Vinnie said. "We all know what you wanted. Don't try to be innocent; we all know how much of a slut you really are. Now if you'll please�"
"Ugh! I don't have to take this shit from you! I don't have to take it from any of you!" she yelled. She turned to Zac. "Have fun with your movie star girlfriend, Zac. Everybody knows the moment the two of you break up you'll be crawling back to me and I'll be there to point and laugh." She spun on her stiletto heel and clicked out of the room.
"That was lovely," Zac said, turning his head away from Ginger's gaze.
"Who was that?" Ginger asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"No one worth thinking about," Zac said. He stood up. "I'll get you another drink." Zac walked out of the room and Ginger sighed. She turned to Vinnie.
"Will you tell me who that was?"
"That was Gwendolyn Garcia, Zac's ex-girlfriend. She's kind of a bitch."
"What, did he dump her or something?"
"From what I've heard," Vinnie said. "She dumped him. Zac refuses to talk about it so I've only heard her side of the story. Maybe you can get it out of him." Ginger looked in the direction Zac had just been.
"I hope so."