for fanfic100 : Zoey 101; Zoey Brooks/Chase Matthews; 021: Friends
Title: Everything You Want
Fandom: Zoey 101
Pairing: Zoey Brooks/Chase Matthews
Prompt: 021: Friends
Word Count: 1,771
Rating: PG
Summary: What does Zoey have to tell Chase that's so important that she wakes him up in the middle of the night?
Author's Notes: I used a new style here, so opinions/comments would be nice. :]
“Chase.”
You roll over and pull the covers up over your head, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. You hear the bedsprings creak and you feel extra weight on your bed as someone sits down.
“Chase, are you awake?” the voice whispers. And now you feel a hand on your shoulder and it shakes you, trying to wake you up.
“Go away, I’m sleeping,” you mumble. You hear a heavy sigh, and then the bedsprings creak again and the extra weight is gone.
You roll over again, yawning, and glance at your alarm clock. It’s 2:13 AM. Groaning, you roll onto your back and close your eyes. Silence, and then-
“Chase, was that you?”
You open your eyes and sit bolt upright in bed, completely awake. “Zoey?” you say, much louder than you intended to. “Zoey, is that you? What are you doing here?”
“Shh!” Zoey whispers. “You’ll wake up Michael and Logan!”
“Sorry,” you reply. It’s then that you notice the dark shape of Zoey moving across the room towards your bed.
Zoey sits down next to you and you are suddenly aware that you are only wearing the oldest, rattiest pair of boxers you own. You feel your cheeks burn and you thank the heavens for the cover of darkness. “Uh, hold on a sec,” you say. You lean over the side of the bed and grab your PCA t-shirt, jamming it over your head as you sit back up.
Now that you’re halfway decent, you focus your attention on your best friend. “Zoey. It’s 2:15 in the morning. What are you doing here?”
Your eyes are adjusted to the dark now and you notice how beautiful Zoey is, even in the harsh green glow of your alarm clock. Her short brown hair is tucked behind her ears and she’s biting her lower lip the way she does when she’s nervous. Sitting next to her with your bushy hair, wearing your ratty old boxers and worn-out PCA t-shirt, you feel stupid, like you don’t belong in her presence.
Zoey looks into her lap, unable to meet your eyes. She hasn’t said anything since sitting down. This isn’t like her, and you’re worried. “Zoey?” you say. “Everything alright?”
She meets your eyes for the first time and you’re amazed at how nervous she looks. “Chase, I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” she says.
Your heart skips a beat and you can’t help wondering - could she possibly feel the same way you do?
Absolutely not, the little voice in the back of your head says. There’s no way in hell she likes you like that, Chase Matthews, and you damn well know it.
She looks down at her lap again and bites her lip, looking more nervous than you’ve ever seen her. “It’s just - well, we’re seniors now, and we’re graduating in two months and - I just, I just worry, I just worry all the time…” Zoey’s voice cracks as her eyes fill with tears.
Oh shit, you think. Oh hell, she’s going to cry. What am I supposed to do?
Sure enough, Zoey puts her head in her hands and starts to cry. In the five years that the two of you have been best friends, you’ve never seen her cry. Ever. And you have no idea what to do.
You reach out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Everything’s going to be alright, Zo,” you say, in what you hope is a reassuring voice.
Zoey lifts her head and looks at you. “Oh, Chase!” she says, and then she launches herself at you.
Before you even have a chance to comprehend what’s happening, you’re lying flat on your back and Zoey’s arms are around your neck. Her head is buried in your shoulder and she’s sobbing. You wrap your arms around her and rub her back, trying to calm her down.
“Zo, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong. You can tell me anything, you know,” you say.
“I know,” she responds, still sniffling. She sits up and you frown at the loss of contact. “It’s just - we’re going to different colleges, on opposite sides of the country! We won’t see each other every day, like we do now.” Her voice wavers as her eyes fill with tears again. “We won’t get to eat lunch together. We won’t get to help each other study. We won’t get to stay up late IMing each other. We won’t get to walk on the beach together. We won’t get to do anything together!”
Her tears are falling freely again, but she wipes them away and continues talking. “I just worry that - that we won’t be friends anymore.”
“Don’t be silly, Zo, of course we’ll still-”
“Let’s face it, Chase,” Zoey says, interrupting you. “You’re going to make new friends. I’m going to make new friends. It’s going to happen and we both know it.”
“Well, of course we’re going to make new friends, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t stay friends!”
“When you make new friends, you won’t need me anymore,” Zoey says, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. Her voice is barely audible.
You sit up and stare at her in disbelief. “Of course I’ll need you. You’re my best friend, Zoey. I could never not need you.” This just makes Zoey cry harder. “Oh, come here,” you say, and you pull her into a hug. She buries her face in your shoulder and sobs. You stroke her hair and wait for her to calm down.
You break away from the hug and put your hands on her shoulders. “Zoey,” you say, and she looks up at you, still sniffling. “Do you remember that time in ninth grade when we both ran for class president?”
She nods.
“So you also remember how we both ended up dropping out of the race?”
More nodding.
“Tell me why we both dropped out.”
Zoey hesitates and then says, “Because we didn’t want to let anything as stupid as an election get in the way of our friendship.”
“Exactly. Now you tell me: Do you really think that we’re going to let something as stupid as being in different colleges affect our friendship?”
“No.” She starts to hang her head, but you put your hand under her chin and force her to look you in the eye.
“Zoey, I promise you that I we’ll still be friends. I promise you that I won’t let anything get in the way of our friendship. Ever.”
Zoey smiles at you. “Oh Chase, you always know how to make me feel better.” You smile back at her, and then she launches herself at you again. Once more, you’re lying flat on your back and Zoey’s arms are around your neck.
Only this time, she’s not crying. You feel her smile into your shoulder. Then Zoey props herself up on her elbows so that she’s looking down at you. Her face is inches from yours and you can feel her breath tickling your cheek. You put your hands on her waist and wish you could stay like this forever.
“Chase, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for the longest time,” she begins, looking into your eyes. Your heartbeat speeds up and you feel butterflies in your stomach. “I’ve never said this to anyone before, so I don’t know how stupid it sounds, but I think it’s really important and I really want to tell you.”
Your heart is beating out of control now. She doesn’t like you like that, so get over it, the voice in your head says. There’s no use getting your hopes up for nothing.
Zoey bites her lip and looks into your eyes for reassurance. “Go on,” you tell her.
She takes a deep breath and prepares to speak. Your brain goes into overdrive. This is it oh this is really it she’s going to tell you she loves you that she’s loved you all along this is really it-
“Chase, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had - ever. I’ve never had a friend as good as you and I know I’ll never have another who even comes close to you. I’m so glad we met on that day back in eighth grade and I can honestly say that I don’t think I would be who I am today if I had never met you. You’re like a brother to me.”
She loves you she really loves you she said - hold on, what did she say? You feel your heart constrict as her words sink in.
You’re like a brother to me.
She thinks of you as a brother. And girls don’t love their brothers. Not the way you love Zoey.
“Chase?” Zoey says and you snap back to reality. She’s staring down at you and you realize that she’s waiting for you to respond. She’s biting her lower lip again.
You swallow and say what you had been planning to say all along: “I feel the same way.” Zoey smiles in relief, but you can’t stop yourself. “Except, well, I don’t think of you like a brother, obviously, since you’re a girl, not a guy, so you’re like a sister to me.” You’ve always hated how you ramble when you’re upset.
Zoey laughs and you force yourself to smile, even though you feel like dying.
“I’m so tired,” she says, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”
You try to say no, you don’t mind, but you can’t seem to find your voice. You shake your head instead.
“Thanks.” She lies her head on your chest and you wrap your arms around her. “Goodnight, Chase,” she whispers.
“Goodnight, Zoey.”
You hear her breathing deepen as she falls asleep. You’re left alone with your thoughts.
You can’t seem to get her words out of your head. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Chase. You’re like a brother to me. How wrong you were.
Hate to say it, buddy, but I told you so. That damn voice again.
Brother to me. You’re like a brother to me. Chase. Best friend I’ve ever had. Like a brother to me.
Zoey’s breathing is deep and slow, and you know that she’s fast asleep. You think that you should get some sleep, too.
Best friend I’ve ever had, Chase. Like a brother to me.
But as you lie in your bed, Zoey asleep in your arms, your hearts beating in time, you don’t want to sleep. You only want to cry.
A/N: So yeah, that's the first fanfiction (or anything, really) I've ever written in second person or present tense, so any comments or suggestions or anything you have would be really great.
And I felt so bad doing that to Chase, but the idea just came to me, so I went with it. The majority of my fics are going to have Chase&Zoey together, so don't worry.
Last thing, I swear. If anyone who reads this is a Vertical Horizon fan, you might recognize the title. It's from the Vertical Horizon song Everything You Want, but I didn't write this fic about the song. I was listening to it in the car on the way to my dance class one night, and I realized that the last few lines of the song kind of fit with the story. Here they are, in case you were wondering:
I am everything you want
I am everything you need
I am everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
I say all the right things
At exactly the right time
But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why
And I don't know why
Why
I don't know
Okay, that's it. Please comment, review, etc! All comments are greatly appreciated. :D
Fandom: Zoey 101
Pairing: Zoey Brooks/Chase Matthews
Prompt: 021: Friends
Word Count: 1,771
Rating: PG
Summary: What does Zoey have to tell Chase that's so important that she wakes him up in the middle of the night?
Author's Notes: I used a new style here, so opinions/comments would be nice. :]
“Chase.”
You roll over and pull the covers up over your head, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep. You hear the bedsprings creak and you feel extra weight on your bed as someone sits down.
“Chase, are you awake?” the voice whispers. And now you feel a hand on your shoulder and it shakes you, trying to wake you up.
“Go away, I’m sleeping,” you mumble. You hear a heavy sigh, and then the bedsprings creak again and the extra weight is gone.
You roll over again, yawning, and glance at your alarm clock. It’s 2:13 AM. Groaning, you roll onto your back and close your eyes. Silence, and then-
“Chase, was that you?”
You open your eyes and sit bolt upright in bed, completely awake. “Zoey?” you say, much louder than you intended to. “Zoey, is that you? What are you doing here?”
“Shh!” Zoey whispers. “You’ll wake up Michael and Logan!”
“Sorry,” you reply. It’s then that you notice the dark shape of Zoey moving across the room towards your bed.
Zoey sits down next to you and you are suddenly aware that you are only wearing the oldest, rattiest pair of boxers you own. You feel your cheeks burn and you thank the heavens for the cover of darkness. “Uh, hold on a sec,” you say. You lean over the side of the bed and grab your PCA t-shirt, jamming it over your head as you sit back up.
Now that you’re halfway decent, you focus your attention on your best friend. “Zoey. It’s 2:15 in the morning. What are you doing here?”
Your eyes are adjusted to the dark now and you notice how beautiful Zoey is, even in the harsh green glow of your alarm clock. Her short brown hair is tucked behind her ears and she’s biting her lower lip the way she does when she’s nervous. Sitting next to her with your bushy hair, wearing your ratty old boxers and worn-out PCA t-shirt, you feel stupid, like you don’t belong in her presence.
Zoey looks into her lap, unable to meet your eyes. She hasn’t said anything since sitting down. This isn’t like her, and you’re worried. “Zoey?” you say. “Everything alright?”
She meets your eyes for the first time and you’re amazed at how nervous she looks. “Chase, I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about,” she says.
Your heart skips a beat and you can’t help wondering - could she possibly feel the same way you do?
Absolutely not, the little voice in the back of your head says. There’s no way in hell she likes you like that, Chase Matthews, and you damn well know it.
She looks down at her lap again and bites her lip, looking more nervous than you’ve ever seen her. “It’s just - well, we’re seniors now, and we’re graduating in two months and - I just, I just worry, I just worry all the time…” Zoey’s voice cracks as her eyes fill with tears.
Oh shit, you think. Oh hell, she’s going to cry. What am I supposed to do?
Sure enough, Zoey puts her head in her hands and starts to cry. In the five years that the two of you have been best friends, you’ve never seen her cry. Ever. And you have no idea what to do.
You reach out and put a hand on her shoulder. “Everything’s going to be alright, Zo,” you say, in what you hope is a reassuring voice.
Zoey lifts her head and looks at you. “Oh, Chase!” she says, and then she launches herself at you.
Before you even have a chance to comprehend what’s happening, you’re lying flat on your back and Zoey’s arms are around your neck. Her head is buried in your shoulder and she’s sobbing. You wrap your arms around her and rub her back, trying to calm her down.
“Zo, what’s wrong? Tell me what’s wrong. You can tell me anything, you know,” you say.
“I know,” she responds, still sniffling. She sits up and you frown at the loss of contact. “It’s just - we’re going to different colleges, on opposite sides of the country! We won’t see each other every day, like we do now.” Her voice wavers as her eyes fill with tears again. “We won’t get to eat lunch together. We won’t get to help each other study. We won’t get to stay up late IMing each other. We won’t get to walk on the beach together. We won’t get to do anything together!”
Her tears are falling freely again, but she wipes them away and continues talking. “I just worry that - that we won’t be friends anymore.”
“Don’t be silly, Zo, of course we’ll still-”
“Let’s face it, Chase,” Zoey says, interrupting you. “You’re going to make new friends. I’m going to make new friends. It’s going to happen and we both know it.”
“Well, of course we’re going to make new friends, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t stay friends!”
“When you make new friends, you won’t need me anymore,” Zoey says, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. Her voice is barely audible.
You sit up and stare at her in disbelief. “Of course I’ll need you. You’re my best friend, Zoey. I could never not need you.” This just makes Zoey cry harder. “Oh, come here,” you say, and you pull her into a hug. She buries her face in your shoulder and sobs. You stroke her hair and wait for her to calm down.
You break away from the hug and put your hands on her shoulders. “Zoey,” you say, and she looks up at you, still sniffling. “Do you remember that time in ninth grade when we both ran for class president?”
She nods.
“So you also remember how we both ended up dropping out of the race?”
More nodding.
“Tell me why we both dropped out.”
Zoey hesitates and then says, “Because we didn’t want to let anything as stupid as an election get in the way of our friendship.”
“Exactly. Now you tell me: Do you really think that we’re going to let something as stupid as being in different colleges affect our friendship?”
“No.” She starts to hang her head, but you put your hand under her chin and force her to look you in the eye.
“Zoey, I promise you that I we’ll still be friends. I promise you that I won’t let anything get in the way of our friendship. Ever.”
Zoey smiles at you. “Oh Chase, you always know how to make me feel better.” You smile back at her, and then she launches herself at you again. Once more, you’re lying flat on your back and Zoey’s arms are around your neck.
Only this time, she’s not crying. You feel her smile into your shoulder. Then Zoey props herself up on her elbows so that she’s looking down at you. Her face is inches from yours and you can feel her breath tickling your cheek. You put your hands on her waist and wish you could stay like this forever.
“Chase, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you for the longest time,” she begins, looking into your eyes. Your heartbeat speeds up and you feel butterflies in your stomach. “I’ve never said this to anyone before, so I don’t know how stupid it sounds, but I think it’s really important and I really want to tell you.”
Your heart is beating out of control now. She doesn’t like you like that, so get over it, the voice in your head says. There’s no use getting your hopes up for nothing.
Zoey bites her lip and looks into your eyes for reassurance. “Go on,” you tell her.
She takes a deep breath and prepares to speak. Your brain goes into overdrive. This is it oh this is really it she’s going to tell you she loves you that she’s loved you all along this is really it-
“Chase, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had - ever. I’ve never had a friend as good as you and I know I’ll never have another who even comes close to you. I’m so glad we met on that day back in eighth grade and I can honestly say that I don’t think I would be who I am today if I had never met you. You’re like a brother to me.”
She loves you she really loves you she said - hold on, what did she say? You feel your heart constrict as her words sink in.
You’re like a brother to me.
She thinks of you as a brother. And girls don’t love their brothers. Not the way you love Zoey.
“Chase?” Zoey says and you snap back to reality. She’s staring down at you and you realize that she’s waiting for you to respond. She’s biting her lower lip again.
You swallow and say what you had been planning to say all along: “I feel the same way.” Zoey smiles in relief, but you can’t stop yourself. “Except, well, I don’t think of you like a brother, obviously, since you’re a girl, not a guy, so you’re like a sister to me.” You’ve always hated how you ramble when you’re upset.
Zoey laughs and you force yourself to smile, even though you feel like dying.
“I’m so tired,” she says, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”
You try to say no, you don’t mind, but you can’t seem to find your voice. You shake your head instead.
“Thanks.” She lies her head on your chest and you wrap your arms around her. “Goodnight, Chase,” she whispers.
“Goodnight, Zoey.”
You hear her breathing deepen as she falls asleep. You’re left alone with your thoughts.
You can’t seem to get her words out of your head. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Chase. You’re like a brother to me. How wrong you were.
Hate to say it, buddy, but I told you so. That damn voice again.
Brother to me. You’re like a brother to me. Chase. Best friend I’ve ever had. Like a brother to me.
Zoey’s breathing is deep and slow, and you know that she’s fast asleep. You think that you should get some sleep, too.
Best friend I’ve ever had, Chase. Like a brother to me.
But as you lie in your bed, Zoey asleep in your arms, your hearts beating in time, you don’t want to sleep. You only want to cry.
A/N: So yeah, that's the first fanfiction (or anything, really) I've ever written in second person or present tense, so any comments or suggestions or anything you have would be really great.
And I felt so bad doing that to Chase, but the idea just came to me, so I went with it. The majority of my fics are going to have Chase&Zoey together, so don't worry.
Last thing, I swear. If anyone who reads this is a Vertical Horizon fan, you might recognize the title. It's from the Vertical Horizon song Everything You Want, but I didn't write this fic about the song. I was listening to it in the car on the way to my dance class one night, and I realized that the last few lines of the song kind of fit with the story. Here they are, in case you were wondering:
I am everything you want
I am everything you need
I am everything inside of you
That you wish you could be
I say all the right things
At exactly the right time
But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why
And I don't know why
Why
I don't know
Okay, that's it. Please comment, review, etc! All comments are greatly appreciated. :D