*Unedited*

*Incompleted*

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There's times in life where everything slows down. When you're just floating there, in your own bubble, away from the world. There are times where you're completely lost and have no clue what is happening around you. There are times when reality stops, and you are left only hearing your own thoughts.

Now was not one of those times.

My ears rang loudly, sending waves of sharp pain into my head. You would think you would be stunned by a gun shot, confused, frozen, even in shock.

But one thing I new about my father? He wasn't a good shot.

Although I knew he missed, I couldn't push myself to move out of my position against the wall. Eyes shut tight, arms around my knees, tears streaming down my beaten face.

It could have been hours, minutes, or seconds that had passed before I felt familiar warm arms surround me. Before I heard a deep frantic voice push through the ringing of my ears.

Zack pried my head up but I kept my eyes down. I didn't want to see his face. I didn't want to see the guilt or sadness. I didn't want to see his eyes skimming over the bruises on my face. I didn't want to see what he felt, what he thought. I couldn't.

After a second, I was pulled to his chest. My body shook as I cried, as he whispered into my hair. I heard cops enter and talk to Eric who I guess was with Zack when he came.

From that moment on, everything passed in a blur. After a brief interview with the police, I was taken to the hospital to treat all my injuries, to take pictures and X-rays, to log every scar and broken bone, past and present.

I had passed the crying stage and instead stared ahead with a blank look as I waited in a doctor's office. I had been told the boys had been being interviewed, questioned for all the possible information they could. Anything that might help find my father who had slipped right through their fingers.

It was 4 in the morning by the time I was allowed to change back into my clothes and finally get out of there.

I met Zack with tired eyes as I stepped into the waiting room. he immediately jumped up and wrapped his arms around me. Neither of us said a word as I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tight, never wanting to let him go again.

"Come on, lets go." He whispered pulling back and I nodded.

I laid my head on the chilly window as Zack drove is to his house in the dark. The roads were empty, silent. They made my eyes droop, exhaustion almost overpowering me. When we pulled up to the house, I unbuckled and walked in with Zack. I knew all of the boys were in the living room awake but we went straight up to Zacks room.

As soon as my head hit the pillow and Zacks arms wrapped round me, I was out and surprisingly, not a single thought or dream entered my mind as I slept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I pried my eyes open with a yawn. It took me a second to remember but when I did, my heart dropped. I twisted and looked up at Zack to see him already looking down at me. It surprised me slightly and I think he noticed by his lips twitching up the slightest bit.

"Hey." He whispered looking down at me.

"Hey." I said back softly.

His eye trailed down my face and when I realized what he was looking at, I looked down.

"Zoe-" he said softly and I already knew what was coming.

"I'm so sorry- if I would have-" his voice cracked and I looked back up to him shaking my head.

"Its not your fault, I pushed you away. I didn't want to bring you into everything." I said and his face dropped.

"If you would have just told me, I could have helped." He said and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"I know I-" I stopped talking, not wanting my voice to break. His hand came up and started to play with my hair. We laid there in silence for a minute before I started talking.

"He left over a year ago. I thought he was gone for good. Thought he was finally done with my mother and I. She left shortly after. Found someone else to occupy her time and has been traveling the world since." I started and let out a shaky breath.

"He wasn't always like that. When I was little, he was all I could ever ask for. But then he started drinking. Came home every night drunk and angry. I remember hiding in my room listening to my parents scream at each other. Eventually he started hitting her-" I paused, my voice cracking "and then me." I finished and I felt a finger tilt my head up. My eyes met Zack's to see them welled up with tears.

"I'm so sorry." He said and I let out a breathy laugh.

"You couldn't have done anything about it, its not your fault Zack." I said and he shook his head slowly.

"I wish I could." He said and I nodded.

"I know." Is all I replied with.

"Do you remember our deal?" he asked and my eyebrows scrunched up slightly.

"You would tell me about your parent when I told you about mine." He said and my mouth dropped open slightly.

"Zack no, you don't have to do that." I argued sitting up, holding in my wince when a sharp pain zipped through my back. He sat up too and looked at me worriedly.

"I'm fine." I said as I folded my legs under me.

"I don't plan on breaking our deal, and I want to tell you." He said and I nodded slowly. He took a deep breath before starting his story.

"When I was 12, my parents died in a car crash. My mother was an angel to me. The most loving person I had met. My father didn't deserve her. He had a bit of a drinking problem. Never laid a hand on either one of us and my mother tried her hardest to keep it from me." he paused, biting his lip slightly. I grabbed his hand and he looked up to me, giving me a small grateful smile.

"One night when my mother and I were visiting my uncle, her car wouldn't start and she called my dad to pick us up. He came but he had been drinking. My mother didn't know until we were already on the highway. They started fighting, her telling him to pull over but he wouldn't. He ended up drifting into the rail. Our car rolled. My father died on impact and my mother died on the way to the hospital." A knot formed in my stomach as he looked up to me, my eyes filling with tears.

"Were you hurt?" I asked and he nodded.

He sat up straighter and pulled up his shirt to revel a thick ragged scar that ran from the bottom of his ribcage around his right side. I reached forward and trailed my fingers over it.

"That's the biggest one. I got it pretty easy." He said and I pulled back looking to him.

"I'm so sorry Zack." I whispered and he nodded.

"Not your fault." He said with a sad smile.

"My uncle is my legal guardian, he lives about an hour away. Moved about a year and a half ago for his job. All of my parent's money Is in trust fund for me when I turn 18 along with all of my grandfather's money that he left to me when he passed a few months before my parents." He said before looking up to me, his lips turning up slightly.

"Guess were both a little fucked up huh?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the day was pretty uninteresting for me. Zack had to spend quite a bit of it on the phone with the police. They wanted me to go in tomorrow to give my full statement. Apparently I was given today to 'rest' and 'heal'.

Late afternoon I made my way downstairs. When the rest of the boys saw me, they didn't quite know what to say or do. I knew they all felt guilty and I hated myself for it. Eventually we started hanging out like normal except for the fact that I hung to the back more and just listened to them messing around. It was nice even just being around them. It kept my mind off everything. They seemed to understand and acted like nothing was different which I appreciated more than words could ever describe.

"Hey Zoe?" Cody asked when the boys had winded down a little.

"Hm?" I hummed a response looking to him right as Zack walking into the room behind him.

"I just wanted to say that we'll all be here for you and we won't let your father get anywhere near you." He said sincerely and a warm feeling seeped through my chest.

"Thank you guys, for everything." I said looking to the rest of the boys who were all looking towards me.

"Well you're part of our family now, albeit a fucked-up family, still a family." Kyle said and the group let out laughs and nods.

"Our family of batmans." Sam grinned and my eyebrows scrunched up, a humorous look in my eyes as some of the boys groaned playfully.

"Batmans?" I asked and Eric shook his head.

"We've all got fucked up parents, Sammy came up with it a while ago and its become our little joke." Eric said and I laughed.

"Yep, My parents were hippy stoners who left me in an empty house to go travel and 'find the poupous of life' in their van when I was 3" Cody said putting air quotes with a laugh.

"Did they find it?" I asked with a smile and he shrugged.

"Maybe, who knows." He said and the rest of the boys laughed. Zack came and sat down on the couch next to me as Sam piped up.

"I've got no idea what my parents were like. Teen mother who practically threw me to the foster system like a hot potato as soon as I shot out." Sam said and Cody gagged.

"God, bad picture, bad picture." He said shaking his head.

"My father died in a car crash before I was born and my mother overdosed before I was even old enough to remember." Kyle said and I looked to Eric as he started speaking.

"Gas leak, lit up the house like a Christmas tree." He said and and I nodded slowly.

"At least you weren't found by a dumpster." Kyle sang and the boys laughed.

"Explains why I'm so dirty." Kyle said winking at me making my lips turn up.

"How did you all meet?" I asked curiously and Zack answered for me.

"Mostly in the system. I was there for a little bit until they could get everything settled with my uncle and met Eric and Sam. We we're practically inseparable. My uncle adopted them two to 'keep me busy' but we all knew he had a soft spot for them. Then a few months later, we met Cody and Kyle at school. We were friends and one day Cody said something about his parents and we all know how that turned out. My uncle adopted them too and viola." he said motioning to the group as everybody laughed.

Somehow, Cody and Eric started wrestling as Kyle and Sam cheered them on. How it even started? No clue.

I watched them, a warm feeling in my chest and a small smile on my face.

"You sure you want to be a part of this?" Zack asked lightly bumping my shoulder with a grin. My lips turned up and I slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

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Long chapter to make up for the past couple super short ones.

Also, what do you think?

XoXo

~awkwardpenguin3