The Zodiac ✓

bonus ⁴³

alternate ending—occurs before chapter 19

❝ Sometimes when things are falling apart,
they may actually be falling into place ❞

LIGHTNING STREAKED across the bleak night sky as rain poured buckets outside of my bedroom window. The wind howled wildly and slapped violently against the sturdy walls, quickly interrupting my deep sleep.

I opened one eye and squinted at the digital clock on my nightstand, which read two nineteen. After rolling around in my cushy bed for another hour, I was just about to drift off.

CRASH.

My eyes snapped open. That was definitely not thunder. Was someone breaking in? Should I do something?

I dragged myself out of bed to investigate.

"Hello?" I whispered in the dark but there was no reply. I found nothing upstairs so I walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

Light flashed through the windows and I saw Mars by the fridge with a broom in his hands.

"Mars?" I walked over quietly and he looked back over his shoulder to meet my eyes.

"Watch out, there's some glass." His voice was scratchy. He started to sweep at the broken glass and I grabbed a trash bag to put it in.

"What are you doing? It's three in the morning." I couldn't help but yawn.

"I was getting some water."

He looked completely disheveled—wrinkled clothes, bloodshot eyes, and hair sticking up everywhere. He was usually so conscious of his appearance that it was so out of character for him.

After he dumped the rest of the glass into the trash, we kind of just stood there.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I drop things all the time."

"No, I mean—" Was it weird to ask? "Do you want to talk?" He hadn't spoken one word about what had happened this month and I found that concerning. If I were him, I would have been an emotional rollercoaster yet he seemed normal.

And that wasn't normal.

"About what?" He seemed caught off guard.

"Anything. For one, why you're getting water at three in the morning when I know for a fact that you never wake up in the middle of the night." He wasn't the type of person to get up during the night because he always had football practice early in the morning.

"I haven't been able to sleep since my dad died. . ." He trailed off.

I nodded, "I know." All I could do was sympathize with him but I wished I could do more for him.

"It's my fault. I should've been there." He said angrily. "I should've been there." He repeated and my heart hurt for him.

"Mars, it's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything." I reached out to touch his hand but he recoiled like I burned him.

"Don't."

"It's okay."

"My mom's a mess. She thinks I don't see but I do. She fakes everything these days and my siblings are even worse." He admitted. "Everyone here is so fake. I just want someone to be honest."

"Tell me about him—your dad, what was he like?" I changed the subject and tried to inspire positive emotions about his dad.

"He loved football. He taught me everything I know. My mom used to say I could throw a football before I could even walk," he said proudly and I could tell he really loved him, "He would always come to my games, too. Every single one."

"What else?"

"He loved to cook. And he was good at it, too. My siblings and I would always get into burger eating contests just for fun." A ghost of a smile nearly graced his face but he cleared his throat and remained stoic.

"That sounds fun. What did he do for a living?"

"He was the CEO of a real estate company." He paused before saying, "He originally wanted to be an actor or a musician."

"What made him change his mind?" I asked.

"My mom. He knew he needed to support her so he gave up his dreams for something more practical. But he still performed at bars and lounges on the side."

"That's good. I wish I could've heard him on stage." It really was a tragedy that I never got to meet him.

"I remembering him wanting to meet you but he was just too busy with work."

"It's okay. I get it."

I reached for his hand and this time, he let me.

"Life sucks sometimes."

The conversation came to a slow stop and it was so quiet that I realized the rain had stopped.

He glanced at me and said, "We better get some sleep, the funeral's tomorrow." I tried to hide my disappointment that the conversation was over.

We walked up the stairs to our rooms in complete darkness. The night was calm once again though his mind must've been racing. He needed all of the support he could get.

"Goodnight, Mars." I said softly as I was about to close my door.

"Wait, Char," he grabbed my chin and kissed me. There was still passion in this kiss but it was different. . . though I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't a kiss just to kiss, if that made sense. It was the first one I felt he actually meant. "Thanks," He let go of my chin immediately after and disappeared down the hall.

My lips tingled from his. I would stay awake the whole night until sunrise just thinking about it. About him.

Had everybody been right? Was I being impatient and unrealistic about the process? Would he really prove that he was the one for me if I gave him more time?

Maybe he didn't have to be the most perfect guy in the world. It wasn't fair to ask so much of him, my standards were pretty high to be frank, and I had my flaws, too.

The stars matched us together. Out of all the people in the universe, they chose us. There had to be a reason. I just couldn't see it yet.

That was the turning point—the moment I knew I'd made the right choice. To let the past die and set sights for the future.

➷

This was an alternate scene where Char ultimately chooses Mars over Cade. She starts to see that he can open up to her so she abandons all hope that her and Cade could be a possibility

This would then change the rest of the story; Char would live in Regulus until graduation and later move with him to jumpstart his football career. Although it sounds so boring compared to the real ending haha