(If you didn't see this on the new Beyond the Barrier story - I'm probably gonna start updating the collections daily, Beyond the Barrier on even numbered days and Another Girl, Another Zombie on odd. I might take a break here and there if I need to, but hopefully I can stick to it
Not too much to say on this one, really. Bonzo and Bree both get their someday...)
"Seabrook's up next!"
Bonzo's head snapped up at the sound of Bree's voice. He didn't have time to let her distract him right now, though, and he followed the others out from under the bleachers.
No sabotage. That was a good thing, but he didn't expect that to be the end of it. And it certainly wasn't. The cheer squad, quite literally, fell apart with only half their members and when it seemed like all hope was lost, their little zombie angel appeared. Zoey waved her makeshift pom-poms and jumped and shouted but it wasn't enough.
Bree's heart sank. This sweet little girl was trying her hardest to help. She didn't deserve to be booed like that. Still, she was persistent.
"What is she doing?"
"She's changing things," Addison mused, "... By cheering."
It sounded like a good idea. In theory, at least.
"Like they'll ever see us as normal."
"They won't. Because we're not normal."
Bonzo gave a small nod of agreement and looked down to where Bree stood. She also turned from Zed with an assured smile. Their eyes met and for once, neither of them looked away.
"You guys in?"
"Za!"
Bree's smile grew wider.
Bucky or no Bucky, they were going to cheer, no matter what. With Captain Zoey at the forefront, this was going to be Seabrook High School's legacy.
Eliza, with nothing but a quick nudge to Bonzo's arm, rushed back to her sabotage setup. He followed behind her, giving her a confused look.
"Elizaka, gozig...?"
"Here," she unplugged a few cords and handed them over, along with her laptop, "Hook this up to the sound system. You saw where it was, right?"
He nodded and took them from her without another word.
The other zombies were being run through the routine. They only had however long it took Bonzo to get the music started. Scanning the crowd, his eyes fell on the one who started it all.
"Zoeka!"
Zoey turned to him, fiddling with the whistle around her neck. He leaned down, handing her one of Eliza's cords, and pointed to the sound technician. More specifically, to his equipment. Zoey nodded, understanding immediately, and took the cord from him, sneaking under the table with ease. Bonzo, trusting her to take care of it, turned to the group.
"Geh," the zombies turned to him, prompting the humans to stop and look, too, "Goro zu gruzic?"
Who's got the music?
After some muttered translations, a hand came up.
"Oh! I do, here!"
It was Bree. Bonzo swallowed.
She walked over to him way too eagerly for someone just giving him the track to play. Clearly, the situation was giving her something of a confidence boost. It was working on Bonzo as well.
He had sworn to himself he would talk to her someday. It looked like this was it.
"Breeska..."
"Yeah, uh," she let out a surprised laugh, "That's... You know my name?"
He nodded, glancing over to Zed briefly, "Zedka... ag egrall." Zed told me.
She could guess what he'd said. He must have asked about her, and just the thought made Bree giddy. For a moment, she couldn't help but just smile up at him – wow, was he tall– but she quickly remembered what they were doing here and shook herself out of it. Bonzo hardly noticed; he was as entranced as she was. He was stirred out of his own daze by Bree handing him her phone.
"They said we're using Fired Up," she reached across and opened the music app to show him, "This one. It might be a little long for the time limit though so-"
Bonzo held up a hand.
"Grag ag grep." I'll handle it.
She didn't know what he said, but Bree watched him connect the phone up to the computer and open up a couple of programs. She knew she should probably get back to the others, they'd need help teaching the zombies the routine in what time they had, but... she was intrigued. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he wanted to do. With Bree guiding him in where to cut and edit, Bonzo remixed the track into a more acceptable length, and in record time. At some point, Zoey reappeared and Bonzo handed her another cord, this time pointing to the speakers and sending her off again.
Focused on the screen now, Bonzo didn't see Bree step back and lean against the wall behind her, content to watch him work. More than content, in fact. She was amazed by how easy he made it look. Her hand came to her heart and she sighed softly. He glanced back at her and she froze. A second passed.
He smirked and turned back to the computer.
It took everything Bree had in her not to giggle or melt into a puddle or just... die right there on the spot. Luckily, a welcome distraction came when Addison placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.
"Bree, I think this is your chance. We need another flyer."
Bree's face broke out into an ecstatic grin. She hadn't expected the someday Addy had promised her not even half an hour ago would come this quick. She clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. He didn't say anything, but Bonzo heard and felt a surge of happiness for her. He heard something else too, in Addison's hushed voice, that made him blush.
"You having fun over here?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow and nodding at Bonzo. Bree's eyes bulged, and she shot her friend a look of 'don't you dare!'. Still, her anger didn't last long. She could finally be about to fly, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She linked her fingers with Addison's and they bounced together excitedly.
Bree, facing away from him now, didn't see the way Bonzo turned and gazed up at her. It was just like when he first saw her, a glimpse at her joy from behind, only a much shorter distance apart. She called out a goodbye to him, which he didn't even get a chance to respond to, and ran off to join the group. Before following her, Addison gave him a knowing look, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms. She wore a devious smile.
"What was all that about, huh?"
Bonzo tried, and failed, to brush it off, avoiding her eyes and rubbing the back of his neck.
"Gozig?"
"Oh, you know what."
Her smile didn't waver and Bonzo chose to take that as a good sign. Addison hurried away and he returned to the music, feeling oddly light. The final touches were made, and he knew Bree would let the team know about the changes. Zed shot him a glance and gave him a thumbs-up.
Ready.
He hit play, the stage came to life and Bonzo edged closer to get a better look. He was proud of his friends, of Zed, of Eliza, of Zoey and Addison. But his eyes kept drifting back to Bree.
He was shocked, to say the least, when he saw Bucky join in as zombies somersaulted across the stage. Like he wanted to be part of them. Like he was one of them. Maybe things were getting better after all. He was sure of it once he saw Bucky take Bree's pom-poms from her and literally give up his spotlight to her. The look on her face was everything.
This was it. This was her chance.
And, he realised, his chance.
As she was pulled to the back of the stage and lifted up, Bonzo found it practically impossible to let this moment go. He ran out.
And caught her.
Bree's hand flew to her chest when she saw him, still feeling his arms around her. Neither one of them could look away. It didn't matter that everyone around them was cheering, as far as Bonzo and Bree knew, it was just them.
"... Graceful... Breeska..."
"Aw...!" she really felt like she was about to melt, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!"
Bonzo took Bree's hand, twirled her around and, suddenly feeling bold, blew her a kiss. With a gasp, she pretended to catch it, like she wanted to keep it forever. In an instant, they remembered where they were and separated, running off.
On opposite sides of the stage, a zombie and a cheerleader took a second or two to catch their breath, both thinking to themselves, I can't believe that just happened.