Expect the Unexpected (Zack Merrick/All Time Low)

Chapter Fifteen

here is an update, more or less a filler but once again kind of has importance. thank you all you beautiful people for reading this by the way. as usual let me know what you think, how you feel. do we need to change anything? maybe add a few things?

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Shortly after Halloween, which had been an event in itself, things started to really change for everybody in one way or another. Alex and Erika had gone back to their casual, easy going personalities with one another. Rian and Codi were pretty much attached at the hip and never apart. Jack was still Jack, but with a more protective streak in him never letting Erika get too far without him. It was almost like having a brother.

It was early afternoon, Alex was out on business with Flyzik while Rian had decided to take Codi for a trip to a friend's beach house, Erika could imagine how cold that would be, but Jack had said it wouldn't matter because they'd probably never leave the bedroom. He was right no doubt. This left Jack and Erika to hang out by themselves for a few hours, doing whatever they pleased.

"You heard Nicole left Zack?" Jack spoke, as Erika helped him finish making their lunch. Erika probably didn't care, but Jack felt the need to inform her. "I had a few beers with him the other night."

"Oh." Erika said quietly, shuffling the grilled cheese onto a plate and handing it to Jack.

She always felt bad when Jack or Rian would talk about Zack, he was their best friend and she had managed to come between that. Alex still refused to talk to Zack, until he stopped being a dick about the situation. Sooner or later something was going to have to change, whether Erika changed it or Zack. Alex kept holding hope that the change would be Zack accepting his mistake and taking charge.

"H-how is he?" she asked walking over to the table and taking a seat.

Erika was curious about his well being; even though she felt Zack and Nicole were never emotionally attached break ups were tough.

"Still a jerk." Jack chuckled taking a bite of his lunch.

During their visit, Jack had openly told his band mate how he felt, Zack didn't seem to care, but Jack wanted him to know it was affecting a lot more people than Zack cared to notice. Jack wasn't going to force Zack into anything he didn't want to do, he only wanted him to stop and think about his actions and how it was tearing everything apart. As usual Zack got snappy, told Jack where to go and left.

"Jack." Erika spoke up, breaking the silence as they sat eating.

"Yes?" Jack asked glancing up from his phone to give Erika his full attention.

"Do you think I should just give up?" Erika asked biting her bottom lip nervously, picking at the crust on her sandwich.

"No." Jack shook his head, shoving almost an entire half of his sandwich in his mouth. Once he was finished, he sighed. "I mean, why give up now?"

"Because this is hopeless." Erika replied glancing at the table top instead of Jack. "I should just go home."

"No it isn't. Nothing is ever hopeless, you just need to have some faith and things will work out." Jack said giving her a small smile. "Besides, what can you do at home that you can't do here?"

"Well, um..." Erika tried to think.

Jack laughed. "See!"

"I have to go home sometime, I can't live here forever." Erika tried to reason with the dark haired man at the other end of the table.

"Wouldn't it be way cooler raising Baby M here though, with us? You know Rian, Alex and I are going to be the coolest uncles ever." Jack beamed rubbing his scruffy chin in thought. His big brown eyes lit up whenever he got to talk about the baby. Alex was right; nobody was more excited than Jack Barakat.