"oh, a simple complication, miscommunications lead to fall out"
(FOR THE SAKE OF THE STORY, JUST ASSUME THAT THE NEW JERSEY AIRPORT IS NEAR BRADY'S HOUSE (LIKE 20 MINUTES BY WALKING))
BRADY'S POV:
It had been a little over two weeks since I last saw Brady at the cafe. Honestly, I was relieved we hadn't crossed paths again. Seeing him would only reopen wounds I was trying to heal. He hadn't come to visit either, I just assumed that Lily scared him away the first time.
In the meantime, I did audition for a couple of movies. Although Brady didn't feel the same about me, it felt like a BIG burden had been lifted off of my back ever since I told him how I felt. The media had also settled down a little bit. I figured it was about time I went back out there. I had healed and I was better than ever.
"Honey, come downstairs quick!" my mom called out.
"I'm busy, mom, I'll be down in 5," I replied, trying to finish my algebra problem.
"AMY, GET DOWN FAST! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH DAD!" Ryan's voice echoed from downstairs.
I bolted down the stairs, heart racing with worry.
"What happened? What's wrong with Dad?" I asked, my eyes wide with concern.
My parents stood in the living room, holding up a colorful banner that read "CONGRATULATIONS" in bold letters, their faces beaming with excitement.
"What's going on?" I asked, confused.
"YOU GOT SELECTED FOR ZOMBIES 4!" Ryan yelled, barely containing his excitement.
The words sank in slowly. I had auditioned for Zombies 4 just a week ago, and honestly, it was the last movie I expected to get selected for. The rest of the cast were all experienced and successful actors my age. It was pretty much a big deal.
"No fucking way!" I exclaimed, still processing the news.
"Hey, hey, hey, language," Mom reminded me with a smile.
"They're filming in New Zealand. You leave day after tomorrow," Dad explained, looking proud.
"OMG, that's—wait, day after tomorrow?" I stammered.
"Yeah," Dad confirmed.
"Isn't that too soon? I have school, I gotta tell Lily, and I need to pack," I said, feeling overwhelmed.
"It'll be fine, honey. Don't stress. We're all here for you. We'll help," Mom reassured, squeezing my shoulder.
The door suddenly knocked, and when I opened it, there was Lily, all excited.
"Did you—" Lily started.
"I DID!" I burst out, barely containing my excitement.
"OMG, I'm so, so proud of you, bestie!" Lily exclaimed, giving me a big hug.
"Aww, I couldn't have done it without you, Lily," I replied, feeling grateful for her support.
The next day was super stressful. My family, including Lily, helped me pack and get ready for the trip, but New Zealand felt so far away. I knew I'd be spending a lot of time there without my parents, Ryan, or Lily. It was going to be the longest time I'd ever been away from my family. I could visit them at the end of every month, but it just wouldn't be the same.
I spent the last couple of days hoping Brady would call or text me, maybe asking me to stay or just saying he missed me. But there was nothing from him. I fought away all the negative thoughts that came my way as we pulled into the airport.
"Alright, goodbye, honey. Did you pack everything on the list? Remember to eat on time, and call us if there's ANYTHING—" Mom fretted.
"Mom, I'll be fine. Stop worrying," I reassured her, giving her a hug.
"I know, it's just... you're so grown up now, and I just—" Mom started tearing up.
"Mom, I'll be back before you know it," I said, hugging her tightly before turning to my dad.
"Ames, show 'em how it's done! And remember, no matter what you do or where you end up, I'm always proud of my girl," Dad said warmly.
"I will, Dad," I replied, hugging him too, then turned to Ryan.
"Remember, when you see Meg Donnelly, you tell her about me," Ryan said with a mischievous grin.
"Ryan, she's 23," I laughed.
"Age is just a number, Ames," Ryan replied with a shrug.
"Mmmhmm," I chuckled, smiling at him. I was going to miss our banter.
"Oh yeah, and I'll miss you, I guess," Ryan added, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Yeah, I'll miss you too, I guess," I teased back, giving him a final hug.
Looking around, I realized Lily was missing. She said that she'd meet me at the airport on time and disappeared, mentioning something about "unfinished business." She'd asked me not to leave without her, and I waited anxiously, but eventually, I had to walk in when I didn't see her.
I stepped into the airport, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement, and then I saw her - Xochitl. My heart sank. Out of all people, why did it have to be her?
"Shouldn't you be with Brady? What're you doing here?" I asked, my annoyance evident.
"With Brady? And I'm here because I'm part of the cast too," Xochitl replied.
"Oh, goody," I muttered sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
"What's your deal? What's your problem?" Xochitl questioned, clearly confused.
"My problem? I'm not the one who stole the one boy I've ever loved," I retorted.
"Amy, what are you talking about?" Xochitl seemed genuinely puzzled.
"You and Brady, you guys are a thing now," I accused.
"What? No, that's not what happened. I thought Brady texted you," Xochitl explained, sounding surprised.
"I'm so confused right now. Brady's in love with you, right?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.
"Hell, no, Amy. Brady came over, but he only thought he was in love with me because he gaslighted himself into thinking that," Xochitl clarified.
"What?" I was taken aback.
"Yeah, he came over and tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away because I do not see Brady that way. And I helped him realize his true feelings - that he was in love with you," Xochitl explained further.
"Then why didn't he..." I trailed off, feeling a rush of emotions.
"He texted you, telling you everything he felt. I assumed you got the text," Xochitl said, sensing my confusion.
"I... I don't know what to say," I murmured, feeling overwhelmed.
And before I knew it, I was running as fast as I could, leaving everything behind. There was only one thought in my mind right now - the boy I'm in love with loves me back. I ran and ran, hoping that I wasn't too late.
(THIS ENTIRE PART IS FROM A THIRD PERSON POV)
Lily marched up to Brady's house before meeting Amy at the airport, her mind set on giving him a piece of her mind for everything he had done to her best friend. She knocked on the door, more than ready to confront him.
"YOUUU, YOU HAVE SOME NERVE FOR DOING EVERYTHING YOU DID AFTER EVERYTHING AMY SAID. YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE DECENCY TO GO BACK TO HER!" Lily shouted as Brady (or so she thought) answered the door, pushing him back with her words.
"YOU KNOW I THOUGHT-" she went on but was interrupted, by get this- Brady.
Brady, confused, looked at Lily. "What's going on?" he asked, coming down from the stairs.
Lily tried to figure out what just happened. "Wait - you - I..." she stumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"Ohhh, you're the twin," she said, her face turning slightly red with embarrassment.
"Yeah," Connor replied with a smirk.
Lily then faced Brady and went on. "I get not having feelings for somebody, you can't force yourself to like her. But admit it, you've had feelings for her at some point ever since you met her. I've seen the way you look at her. She's in the airport right now wondering what she did wrong and waiting for a call or a text from you asking her to stay or at least telling her that you miss her. But then you go off and claim that you have feelings for another one of your friends, and worst of all, you didn't even show the basic decency to respond to her text telling you everything she felt after meeting you, and-"
"Wait, what text?" Brady interrupted, turning to Lily.
Lily paused, trying to make sense of it all. "WHAT TEXT, LILY?" Brady demanded.
"The text she sent you, telling you that she loves you," Lily explained, surprised at his response.
"I DIDN'T GET ANY TEXT," Brady exclaimed, his eyes widening in realization.
"She's at the airport right now?" Brady asked.
"Yeah" Lily responded. Without another word, he grabbed his coat and ran as fast as he could, leaving Lily standing there, stunned.
She peeked out the door as Brady bolted toward the airport, a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside her. Turning back to face Connor, who stood there with a smirk, she felt a mix of lingering frustration and curiosity.
"You know, you kinda hurt my feelings when you came at me like that," Connor remarked coolly, his tone tinged with amusement.
Lily sighed, feeling a hint of regret. "Right, my bad, I'm so sorry."
A mischievous grin spread across Connor's face. "Well, you can make it up to me, I guess."
Lily raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "With what?"
Connor shrugged casually. "You could watch a movie with me. I got snacks."
A playful smirk played on Lily's lips. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Connor chuckled. "No, I'm asking you to make it up to me."
Lily grinned, enjoying the banter. "With a date?"
"Call it what you want," Connor replied with a smirk.
"Alright. But how will I get home after dark?" Lily asked, trying to play it cool.
"I'll drop you," Connor offered.
"Fine," Lily said, unable to hold back a smile.
evangeline:
guys the zombies 4 cast has been FLODDING my fyp that's why I decided to cast Amy for zombies specifically.
im also thinking of including Malachi Barton as one of the main characters (sort of like a love triangle between Amy, Malachi and Brady) in the next fic im going to write that's a continuation of this one.
this fic is almost coming to an end, its got like 2 to 3 chapters left, thank you guys so much for reading so far!! ilysm!!
(i also updated the intro in the beginning because I didn't like the old one, so if you want, you can go check it out 🫶🏼🫶🏼)