a/n: endings are always sad D: i personally hate endings, whether happy or sad. i dislike saying goodbye :/ but this is the final, final, final chapter. i can't thank you enough for reading/reviewing/alerting/favoriting this story. and especially those lovelies who promoted it onto their own stories (didn't expect that, but it just proves that there are crazy nice people out there xD). this chapter is going to be pretty lengthy (well, i noticed most of my chapters are xD) so, um, yeah, this is the last chapter, *throws confetti*

so as of this week, i kinda am more in love with Faber Drive than i used to be :)

keep calm & read on:

Cammie laid in bed, comfortably under her covers with her body facing the west window of her room. Sun streams seeped through her purple curtains, welcoming the new day. She hugged a pillow to her chest, not making the effort to get out of bed and get ready for school. It was officially two days and seven hours since she and Zach last spoke, which was kind of a world record considering the two were inseparable. Cammie placed her left cheek on the pillow she was hugging. She felt ...odd, she wasn't depressed because when she was depressed she usually cried. She hasn't leaked a single tear since the incident with Zach. She was more of... empty.

She could feel her heart beating inside her chest and her lungs move with breath, but sometimes, she could swear, she felt nothing at all. No emotions; no happiness, no pain. It's like a part of her has died, but not completely.

"Cammie!" a voice called from downstairs. Cammie just covered her face with a pillow, drowning out the sounds of her home. A moment later, footsteps were stomping down the hall and the sound of a creak came from the opening door. "Sweetie?" It was her mom.

Cammie kept the pillow over her face, shutting her eyes. She could hear her mom's loafers walking on top of Cammie's all-carpeted room. The weight of her mother sat on the edge of Cammie's bed, then she spoke, "Cammie? Do you not feel well?"

Cammie threw the pillow off her, looking at her mom, "I'm.. just tired of all sudden."

Her mom nodded, stroking her daughter's hair, "do you want to stay home?"

Cammie bit her bottom lip, deciding. Skipping out on school would be easier, she wouldn't have to see Zach. But the last thing Cammie was, was afraid. She found it pointless to be avoiding Zach, it's not like she or Zach did anything wrong. They were acting as if they were already together and then broke up. Cammie looked at her mom then shook her head, "Um, of course not, I'll be ready in 20 minutes." She threw the covers off her body, ready to face the day.

/ /

Zach walked through the halls of school on Monday morning. It's been exactly 57 hours since he last spoke to Cammie. He spent his whole weekend trying not to think about her and what a complete idiot he was. Although, he spent most of his time thinking, not exactly about her, but just thinking. Thinking about who he was, what went wrong, and where his mind was going.

Per usual, girls all smiled his direction, batting their thick with mascara eyelashes and pouting their heavily glossed lips. They all sent flirtatious remarks his way, but for the first time ever, Zach Goode shot them down and continued walking. Most people saw Zach as this big shot player who got all the girls and always had some crazy good action going on. But in all reality, Zach was just a guy -just like everyone else- who feared love and was worried of being forever alone. That was the truth, that was Zach's realization.

"Hey Zach," Tina Walters came walking up to him, she smiled sweetly. "So, I didn't see you at all this weekend."

Zach just shrugged, running a hand through his hair.

"Well, do you maybe, want to hang out tonight?" She asked, still smiling. She reached out to touch his arm lightly, hugging a book to her chest. Zach pulled his arm away gently, "Thanks Tina, but no thanks. I don't think I'll be going out anytime soon, not just with you but with everyone." He shrugged carelessly, "I'll see you around, Tina." He walked off.

Tina just stood there, mouth agape.

Zach continued walking, nodding at a couple of his classmates and friends, still thinking. Maybe change was what he needed. He needed a different perspective, a different lifestyle. Something to prove to Cammie and to himself that he was ...different. Just then, Cammie came walking towards him with a definite expression on her face. Zach walked up towards her, meeting her half way.

"Hey," Cammie replied, not meeting his eyes. She looked down at her shoes then looked at him, but not exactly at him.

"Hey," Zach said back, wanting so badly to erase whatever mistake he made to cause the awkwardness between them.

"So," Cammie said looking over his shoulder. "How are you?" She asked as if it's been years that separated them instead of a couple of days. Zach looked at her then raised an eyebrow. In the same moment, they both broke into laughter.

"I'm good," He nodded with a smile. Suddenly, the awkwardness disappeared and both of them could talk without holding their breath. They fell into step, walking to Cammie's locker. Zach looked over at her, as she began talking about Madame Dabney's next music project. He studied her, the way her eyes widened whenever her expressions changed and the way her face broke into a smile when got excited. She was beautiful in Zach's eyes.

Cammie turned to look at Zach, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Zach blinked out of the trance he was in, "Oh, nothing, I'm just thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

Zach didn't reply, instead he shrugged. "Just.. stuff."

Cammie looked at him, then frowned, "Zach, I really don't want things to be different or awkward. I just want us to forget about Saturday and go back to the way it was, okay?" She stopped walking to look him in the eyes.

Zach looked back, noticing how scared they actually were. "Cam..." He started, "I can't forget it."

"Why not?" Cammie asked, "Why can't we just overlook it? Why can't we just forget it happened because you and I both know that we would never work out!" She shut her eyes after her sentence, feeling a sudden headache in the corners of her mind.

Zach leaned forward a little, saying in a low quiet voice, "We don't know that, we don't know that it won't work. It could, Cam. Believe me, it could." He looked in her eyes, looking into her soul. She looked up at him, her face emotionless but her eyes revealing it all. She liked him. Probably not as much as he liked her, but she liked him. She just wouldn't admit it.

"What if it doesn't?" She whispered, her eyes crystallizing with wet tears.

"Listen," Zach said and pulled her aside, noticing how they were drawing attention to themselves. He led her to the back staircase leading up to the second floor. A few people were walking up and down the steps, having places to go and people to see. Zach took Cammie's hand and sat her on the fifth step. He sat down next to her, looking down at the bottoms of his sneakers. Cammie fiddled with the bracelet dangling from her small wrist.

Zach spoke up, continuing his previous thought, "Cammie, listen, if we don't work out.. don't think I won't be there for you, I will. I always will, even if you're married to some other guy living in some other state with two kids and your pet flamingo. Believe me, just say you need me and I will be there."

Cammie frowned a little, looking over at him, "I know that."

"You do?" Zach raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Cammie nodded, "yeah... you're a great friend, Zach."

"But you only see me as a friend?" Zach guessed, hoping it wasn't true. The idea of Cammie being with someone else because she didn't like him, literally pained him. His chest felt heavy like something was knotting itself in it.

Cammie shook her head, "no, it's not that... I do like you, Zach." She felt her cheeks heat up as she spoke the truth. "I just.."

"Just what?"

"You'll get bored! Sooner or later, you'll get bored and you'll move on to another girl, I know, I see it happen all the time!" Cammie replied, scowling a little at him.

Zach smirked a little then shook his head, "Cam, no. I know you think that, but no, okay? I... don't want some one night fling with you. I don't want to have sex with you! No offense or anything, but your dad would kill me. I'm not trying to get with you, I just... I just.. want to hold your hand."

Cammie looked at him, listening to every word he spoke. He continued, "I want to make you smile, to be able to have deep conversations about life, to bring you flowers on Valentine's Day even though I think it's really corny. I want to be your boyfriend and I know that's crazy and you still won't believe me but, I do. I swear this time I mean it." He ran a hand through his hair then continued on, "I think we can work because I know no one will understand you like I do. I know that I'm the only one who knows you love playing your guitar in the middle of the night, eating rocky road ice cream when you're down, and watching bad teenage dramas from the 80s. I know you and you know me. No one gets me like you do and I... really like you. I know you might think it's stupid because I've only seen you as a best friend since ...the dawn of time but I do like you. Really. I just think... you're really cool."

Cammie sat there for a moment, thinking it over. She didn't know how it happened or when it happened but she just knew. She did like Zach. A lot. She didn't know how it happened, but it happened. It was probably because of the way he defended her at Connor Ryan's party, or when he sang that duet with her for Madame Dabney's class, or how he saved all his money to get her that one necklace, or maybe it was just the way she and him always spent their days just being lazy and singing songs they both knew the words too.

She needed Zach in her life, as cheesy as that sounded. But she did. She needed him to be around, to keep her feet on the ground when her head was in the clouds, to make her smile when she was feeling down, and to be her voice of reason when things got out of hand. There's always going to be that one person you need by your side when things get too crazy and that person for Cammie... was Zach. It always has been and always will be.

She looked at him and spoke gently, "Well, what do we do now?"

Zach just replied, not meeting her eyes, "do you think you might want to go on a date with me this weekend?"

"A date?"

"Yeah..." Zach nodded, "That's what those young kids are calling it, aren't they?" He smirked while she laughed.

/ /

"So, yes or no?" Zach asked as the two walked into Madame Dabeny's class. They took their usual seats, waiting for class to officially start. Zach had his drum sticks and he was already tapping a rhythmic beat on the tables. Cammie watched as each stick moved quickly creating an intense beat. Zach continued drumming while Cammie said, "I'll let you know." She smiled calmly, but inside her was an avalanche of emotions.

"Good afternoon class," Madame Dabney came into the class with a stack of music notes. She passed a stack to the front rows to they could take one and pass it behind them. Once everyone had a copy, Madame Dabney spoke up, "Okay, so before we finish up our duet's project does anyone want to share something they've been working on?" She looked around the class with eager eyes.

Zach stood up, raising a drum stick in the air, "Me! Me! Me!" He walked over to the front of the room, whispering something to the music class's band. After a nod of agreement from everyone, they all began playing with the guitarist in the lead. Zach stepped up to the microphone, holding it in his hands, then he began singing, "Going back to the corner, where I first saw you. Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move. Got some words on cardboard, got your picture in my head. Saying. 'if you see this girl, can you tell her where I am?'" The drummer joined in, followed by the bass, forming a whole beat. Zach continued singing, "Some try to hand me money, they don't understand I'm not brooke, I'm just a broken hearted man. I know it makes no sense, what else can I do? How can I move on when I'm still in love with you?"

Zach took the microphone out of it's stand, walking around the stage area of the class, "Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth could I be. Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet and see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. So I'm not mooooving, I'm not moving." The beat of the music slowed down as Zach continued singing, "Police man say 'son you can't stay here' I said, 'there's someone I'm waiting for, if it's a day, month, or year.' Gotta stand my ground even if it rains or snows, if she changes her mind this is the first place she will go."

He jumped onto a chair then threw an arm in the air as the music built up again, "Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be." Zach jumped off the seat and looked Cammie's direction, "Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet and see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. So I'm not mooooving, I'm not moooving, I'm not moving. Cause if one day you wake up and find that you're missing me, and your heart starts to wonder where on this earth I could be. Thinking maybe you'll come back here to the place that we'd meet and see me waiting for you on the corner of the street. I'm not mooooving, I'm not moving."

The music slowed down, Zach singing into the microphone clearly, "going back to the corner where I first saw you, gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move." The music ended finally, the room breaking into applause. Zach smiled and placed the microphone back into it's stand. Madame Dabney clapped her delicate hands together, "fantastic job, Zach."

Zach smiled again, "Thanks." He nodded and slid into his seat, next to Cammie. Cammie looked over at him with a small smile, "Great job."

He nodded, lost in thought. Then he looked over at her, "I meant every word."

/ /

"So, will you go on that date with me or what?" Zach asked as they listened to one of their classmates, Jonas sing a song for his girlfriend, Liz.

Cammie was still looking forward as she spoke, "Zach, I told you, I'd think about it."

"Well, you're doing a lot of thinking," Zach commented with an indifferent face, as he tapped his fingers against his table. Cammie, who was about to say something, was interrupted when Madame Dabney spoke up, "Zach, Cammie? Why don't you give us an impromptu duo?"

"A duo?" Cammie said, making a face, "but we didn't prepare a song."

"Hence impromptu, dude," Zach smiled and placed an arm around her, leading her to the small stage area of the room. Cammie elbowed Zach lightly, "what are we singing?" Zach whispered something to the band then looked over at Cammie, "Just follow my lead." He took her hand and led her to the center of the room. Cammie looked at Zach, panicked. She wasn't ready for an impromptu performance. The two were seated on stools in front of the class.

The music began playing, starting off with the piano. Zach began singing, letting go of Cammie's hand. "There was a new girl in town, she had it all figured out," Cammie realized what song it was, then echoed him, "Had it all figured it." Zach glanced at her with a smile then continued, "I'll state something rash, she had the most amazing... smile. I bet you didn't expect that, but she made me change my ways." Cammie followed, "She made me change my ways." Together they sang, "With eyes like sunsets, baby. And legs that went on for days."

The band began playing all together, going into the chorus, "I'm falling in love, but it's falling apart. I need to find my way back to the start, when were in love, things were better than they are. Let me back into... into your aaaaarms. Into your aaaarms." Zach and Cammie looked at each other as they sang those words. Cammie reached out to take his hand.

When their song ended, everyone applauded the two knowing the chemistry they had was undeniable. It always was. Madame Dabney stood up, "Well excellent job. Everyone should have something to show us tomorrow. Have a nice day, class dismissed."

Everyone stood up, pushing moved desks back into their places and exiting the room. Cammie and Zach stayed seated on the black rotating stools they were on. Cammie looked over at Zach with a full smile on her face, her heart beating hard, and a twinkle in her eyes. "Yes." She said and squeezed his hand gently.

.

.

/ C r e s c e n d o /

a/n: COMPLETE! finally, it's complete :) done. over. finished. concluded. closed. wrap up. terminate. it's over, loves :) and i'm sad it is because i did work on this story really, really hard and enjoyed the reviews and writing it all together :D i'm kind of sad :/ but like, happy you know?

NOTE: i know some of you wanted a big dramatic scene (why, i have no idea xD you guys are too cool) and wanted an "i love you" (btw, have you noticed i DID NOT include a kiss between Z and C? -i bet you didn't notice xD-) but Zach and Cammie are bffffs first, so awkwardness couldn't defeat the strong walls they built with their friendship :D and an "i love you" is risky business, i personally don't throw that word around (except to my lovely reviewerrrrs!) and Cammie and Zach may have been best friends since the beginning of time, but that doesn't mean they can throw an "i love you" like hot cakes, you know? (hot cakes mean pancakes, right?) and why did they not kiss? because unlike Zach's relationships with those OCs i randomly through in, his attraction towards Cammie is more than physical. (i think those are the best kinds of relationships, though xD) i hope you liked the ending either way though xD i mean, i included TWO SONG PERFORMANCES. the only thing that could have made it better is if Tom Felton randmly showed up xD

AGAIN: i'm sorry this is only five chapters :/ i wanted to extend it, but i planned out the plot in five chapters, yo :/ but THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING, OHMYGOSH, I LOVE YOU ALL!

disclaimer: i didn't own Gallagher Girls to begin with and I still don't :/ aha. and also the songs (in order of presented) are: Thinking of You by Katy Perry, Good to You by Marianas Trench, The Man Who Can't Be Moved by the script, and Into Your Arms by the Maine. btw, i love The Man Who Can't Be Moved, it's my favorite song ever, ever and i'm always mind blown with the lines "and if your heart starts to wonder where on this earth i could be" teehee. okay, i'm just ranting now xD

thanks again for everyone who read and reviewed, alerted and favorited, you guys make my daaaay, always *hearts* um, so yeah. current projects are still My Escape (which i plan on completing before May :D hopefully) and i was thinking about doing this REALLY REALLY REALLY long story after that, a non-spy story. and i also want to do a fun three-shot that came into my head recently xD hmm, i feel like these are the credits of a movie or something. heh, sorry if this is lengthy :/

but just one more thing; I'D LOVELOVELOVE TO THANK THESE AMAZING PEOPLE: lindsey311; MissPradaPrincess; Peppermintrina; darkrose101; Ilovezammie; Gallaghergirl530; cupcakecorruptionxD; skyeblue221; samcheese1; GalnKay; clarinetto14; Allie Goode; meganooch; Brunette. That. Should. Be. Blonde.; jess02131; nerds. spy. vamps. yudith; wolfergirl; cookie-pocky-strawberry-love; GallagherGirlForever; xJETx; chellygoesrawr; freefallingup; Megan-Winter; Bree-Shavay; GGGirlADDICT; & everyone else who read this story.

so yeah, thanks again and please leave a review (preferably with your favorite part of this story? xD)