(DISCLAIMER: I do not own Zoey 101 or any of the characters. I also do not own iPod, Tic Tacs, Aquafina, or The Wizard of Oz, thank you very much.)
This is a oneshot. But its possibly a pretty long one. I've been working on it for a few weeks so I'm hoping it's good. Pairings are: ChasexZoey (obviously) and LoganxLola. I kind of got the idea from one of my favorite books, which is also one of my favorite movies. The ending is sort of sad, I'm sorry. The story starts out kind of slow, and the beginning is kind of humorous, but that changes near the middle.
"Oh, come on Chase, you know that's not true!" Zoey said with a sly smile. She punched him playfully and then took a sip of her Aquafina water.
"Again with the hitting!" Chase rubbed his arm. "And it is totally true. You so cheated on Monster Wars last night, admit it!"
Zoey rolled her eyes. "You only say I cheated because you lost, and you know it!"
Chase opened his mouth to protest, but Lola held up her hand impatiently. "Enough! Zoey, I know you didn't cheat. Chase just sucks at Monster Wars," she said, shrugging her shoulders indifferently.
Zoey glared at Chase victoriously. "Ha ha."
Chase slumped down into the wooden bench and narrowed his eyes. "You may have won this time, Zoey Brooks, but I'll get you, and your little friend too!" Zoey and Lola glanced at each other and then looked back at Chase blankly. Lola raised an eyebrow. Chase groaned loudly. "Oh come on people! It's from the Wizard of Oz!"
Zoey stared at Chase a second longer and then turned to Lola. "So when did you get your nails done?" Lola held out her freshly manicured fingers for Zoey to see. Dean Rivers walked over from the other side of the museum lobby.
"Chase, Zoey, can you two do me a favor?" He asked, reaching into his pocket.
"Sure, Dean Rivers, what is it?" Chase asked, standing up from the bench.
Dean Rivers produced a ten dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to Chase. "Can you two got up to the sixth floor, to the museum gift shop, and get me a Picasso bobblehead?"
Lola supressed a giggle behind her hand. Zoey bit her lip in an effort to stop herself from laughing. "You want me and Chase to go to the museum gift shop and buy you a bobblehead?"
Dean Rivers nodded his head vigorously. "Yes! After Picasso, all I need is Van Gogh and I'll have the whole set of--"
Chase cut him off. "But why do you need us to get it for you? Don't we still have twenty minutes for our lunch break before the museum tour starts again?"
The Dean sighed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Because it would just look silly for a grown man to buy it. Now can you do this or not?" He turned to yell at two kids who were throwing potato chips at each other.
Lola took advantage of this and whispered to Zoey and Chase, "It would look silly for anyone to but one." Zoey and Chase grinned just as Dean Rivers turned back to them.
"Well?" He asked impatiently.
Zoey sighed in defeat. "Sure, Dean Rivers. We'll go buy you a bobblehead."
The Dean nodded briskly and left to go yell at the chip-throwing kids some more. Chase looked at Zoey. "Well, I guess we should go get this over with..." They turned towards the elevator.
Lola grinned at their retreating backs. "Be careful, Zoey! Don't let Chase Oz you!"
Zoey and Chase walked over to the elevator and pressed the up arrow. "I wish we were smart like Michael and Logan," Zoey said with a sigh. "Wait, did I really just say that?" She asked, furrowing her brow.
Chase laughed. "Yeah, you did. But I know what you meant. They faked sick so they wouldn't have to come on this boring field trip."
"Exactly," Zoey said as they walked into the elevator. "Sixth floor, right?" Chase nodded and Zoey pressed the 6 button.
Chase looked away from Zoey and turned a little pink. "Um, Zo?"
"Yeah Chase?" Zoey asked, unscrewing the lid of her water bottle. She took a long sip while Chase was talking.
"I'm sorry I accused you of cheating... you know, at Monster Wars." Chase rubbed the back of his neck.
Zoey smiled as the elevator began to move upwards. "Don't worry about it, Chase."
The elevator doors slid open and the two stepped out. "Gift shop: that-a-way." Chase said, pointing in the direction of the sign. They walked down the hallway, pausing every so often to pose with statues of old guys, snapping pictures on Chase's cell phone. They finally came to a small room with knick-knacks filling every possible area.
"I think I see the bobbleheads over there," Zoey pointed and Chase followed her to the shelf. "God, these things are ugly," Zoey whispered as she picked up one of a fireman.
"Totally. Dean Rivers must be insane if he thinks these things are actually cool." Chase shuddered.
"Okay, let's just find Bobblehead Picasso and get outta here. I've always hated gift shops, anyway," Zoey said quickly. She leaned in closer to the shelf and started reading all of the names.
"What's your phobia against gift shops?" Chase asked with a laugh.
"Bad experience at one in an amusement park. Don't really wanna talk about it, either." Zoey picked up one at the back of the shelf. "Is this Picasso?" She asked, holding it up for Chase to see.
Chase shrugged. "Close enough." Zoey agreed and they went up to the counter to pay for it. Chase handed the cashier the ten dollar bill. The young woman glanced at the bobblehead and looked up at Chase and Zoey raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on her lips.
Chase's eye's widened. "Oh! No, see, this isn't for us! Our principal, he asked us to buy it for him, I swear!"
"That's what they all say," the cashier said with a grin as she handed him back the souvenir.
"Good, now let's get this ugly thing back to Dean Rivers. As soon as possible." Zoey zipped it inside her backpack. "There."
They walked down to the elevator and pressed the down button. The elevator doors opened, revealing Lola, Logan, and Michael.
"Logan, Michael, I thought you guys were at PCA? Sick in the nurse's office," Zoey asked as she and Chase stepped inside.
"We were. Until the nurse figured out we were faking and then she drove us here." Michael said, crossing his arms. "It's all Logan's fault, too." The elevator doors slid closed and Chase pressed the first floor button. The elevator began to move, but stopped again, unnoticed by the five.
"How is it my fault?" Logan asked, throwing up his hands.
"You went a little overboard on the acting. I told her we had migranes. And then at the same time Logan told her that he thought we had chicken pox. Idiot," Michael said, rolling his eyes.
"Pfft. Whatever," Logan said. "Anyways, Dean Rivers sent us all up here because he said you guys were taking too long."
"Wait, guys?" Lola said in a worried voice.
"What?" Chase asked as he jabbed the first floor button again angrily. "This stupid elevator is taking too long."
"That's what I was going to say.." Lola said quietly. "Do you think it's broken?"
The other four stared at her in disbelief. Zoey spoke up first. "It can't be broken? Can it?"
"Well, there's no law against broken elevators, so I would say it could be," Chase said with a shrug. Zoey smacked him again.
"NOT helping, Chase."
Logan started to pound on the door. "HELP! I can't die in an elevator! I'm too good looking!" He slumped against the back wall and slid down to the floor. "Well this is just great."
"Well, doesn't anybody have a cell phone or something? We could call for help!" Michael suggested.
Chase grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "No signal..." Lola and Logan both check theirs, but no luck.
"I guess the only thing we can do is sit here and wait until someone notices we're missing," Lola said quietly. She slid down the back wall and sat next to Logan. Michael nodded and sat down too. Chase stood while Zoey paced the small area.
"This could take hours..." Zoey groaned. "If people figure out we're in here with Logan, who's gonna want us back?" Logan narrowed his eyes at her. Michael and Lola shook with silent laughter.
"Well," Chase said enthusiastically, "Time flies when you're having fun!"
Logan stared at him blankly. "Oh yeah? Well tell me how we can possibly have any fun in here."
"We can play Would You Rather!" Lola shrugged. The others agreed, glad to have something to get their minds off of the elevator situation.
"Okay, Zoey: would you rather swim with sharks, or... eat a moldy strawberry?" Chase asked. Zoey tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... I'd eat the strawberry."
"Really?"
"Yeah, if I eat a bad strawberry, I throw up once and then it's over. If I swim with sharks and they eat my leg off, I'll be one legged forever." Zoey explained.
"Guys, this game is boring! Only losers think this is fun..." Logan complained. He closed his eyes tightly and began hitting his head on the back wall of the elevator.
Lola's eyes brightened. "Maybe if he hits his head enough times he'll pass out and we won't have to deal with him anymore!" Michael and Chase grinned. Logan opened his eyes and put up his fist menacingly.
"Here, I have something that will shut Pretty Boy up," Zoey said as she stuck her hand inside her backpack. She pulled out a pink iPod. "Here. Listen to it and leave the rest of us alone."
Logan took it but stared at it blankly. "It's pink." Zoey rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll listen to the girly iPod if that's what you want."
"Yes! That's what we want!" Michael said quickly. Logan shrugged and put the earbuds in. After a few seconds he closed his eyes and began tapping his leg to the beat of the song.
"Oh thank God," Chase said wearily. He plopped down across from Michael. Zoey let out a heavy breath and sat next to Chase.
"So..." Michael said slowly, in a tone that was obviously supposed to be cheerful, "How's it goin'?"
"Just swell, Michael," Lola said sarcastically. "Why, there has never been anything in my life that I have wanted more than to be trapped in an elevator."
Zoey smiled and began rummaging through her backpack once more. Her smile changed to a grimace as she pulled out the Picasso bobblehead.
"What in the world is that?" Michael asked, staring at the plastic toy, it's head swinging from side to side, as if it were mocking them.
"This is the reason we're stuck here." Zoey said monotonously, balancing the souvenir in her palm.
The four sat, watching the little toy's head bob and sway. Lola pulled something out of her pocket after a few moments. "Tic Tac anyone?" She poured two white pill-shaped mints into everyone's outstretched hands.
"You know," Chase said thoughtfully, as he sucked on the mints, "If Quinn was here, she could probably come up with some insane invention to get us outta here."
"Yeah, where is Quinn anyway?" Michael asked.
"She and Mark made some project for the science club. Apparently it was really good, and so they got to fly out to New York to show it off," Zoey explained.
"They're at a Nerd Convention," Lola said as she began to shake the Tic Tac container. Zoey gave her a look. Lola got the picture. "Sorry," she mumbled and she blushed. She stuck the mints back in her pocket.
Chase and Michael began playing Hangman on the back of the receipt for the bobblehead. Lola and Zoey played catch with a bouncy ball Michael had in his pocket.
"Hey," Lola said after a while, "Is Logan asleep?" Chase nudged Logan in the side with his foot, but Logan didn't stir.
"Guess so," Zoey said as she tossed the red ball to Lola.
- - - -
About an hour had passed. Michael and Chase had ran out of room on the reciept for Hangman, and Lola and Zoey became bored with the bouncy ball. Lola had since fallen asleep on Logan's shoulder, her arm intertwined with his. Zoey saw this and smiled softly, knowing that it didn't just happen, it was meant to be.
Michael was asleep as well, but he was sitting up, his head lolling to the side. Every once in a while he would jolt awake and mumble nonsense such as "That zombie stole my grandma's yo-yo!", leaving Chase and Zoey in a silent fit of giggles.
Due to the small size of the elevator, Chase and Zoey were sitting rather close and their shoulders were touching. Chase couldn't help but think that he was lucky to be trapped in an elevator with Zoey. Zoey, on the other hand, found herself thinking about what Dustin had been doing at PCA all day, and if in his wildest dreams he could imagine that Zoey and her friends were stuck in a broken elevator.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, not bothering to talk to each other. Chase's thoughts chased each other in his mind, each more absurd than the next. Strangely, he heard Michael's voice in most of them. Now is the perfect opportunity! Tell her! Tell Zoey how much you like her!
Chase took in a deep breath and his heart started racing faster. He turned his head to the side and stared at Zoey. She saw him looking and gave him a smile. Chase smiled back nervously. "Uh, Zo?"
"Chase.." Zoey grinned back at him.
"Zoey, there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time..."
"Okay, so tell me." Zoey shrugged.
"Well, I just..." Chase paused. He couldn't make himself say the words he was thinking. C'mon, dude. She's sitting right there! "Um, well, I just... Zoey, if I tell you something, do you promise you won't laugh at me?"
"Of course, why would I laugh at you?" Zoey asked, giving a confused laugh.
"Okay. Well, I just want to let you know exactly how I feel about you," Chase said quickly before he could change his mind. Zoey just stared at him, her mouth turned upward a little at the corners. She gave him a little nod, telling him to go on. "Okay, Zoey, I like you. As more than a friend."
"Chase, I-"
"No, Zoey, don't say anything yet. I just need to finish. You remember that day I stole your TeckMate? Well, I sent Michael a message. Actually, I thought I sent it to Michael, but really it was sent to you. It said that I wan't going to tell you how much I liked you. And I got freaked out, and I didn't want you to find out. But really, I've liked you since your first day at PCA. I've just never told you because I didn't want to ruin our friendship if you didn't feel the same way."
Zoey blushed a little. She stared at her hands. "Can I say something now?" Chase nodded. Zoey took in a deep breath and looked straight into Chase's eyes. "Before I do, I need you to promise me something."
"Anything," Chase said quietly.
"I need you to promise that you won't regret anything."
"But, why would I regret anything?"
"Chase, just promise."
"Okay, I promise."
"Good." Zoey bit her lip and looked away from Chase. "I like you too, Chase. But... I can't be anything more than friends with you. I'm sorry." A small tear drop came to her eye. She brushed it away impatiently.
Chase's stomach dropped. The combination of hearing her say that and watching her cry was all too much for him to handle. "But.. why?" His instincts took over and he grabbed her hand. He stood up as well.
"I'm leaving PCA at the end of this semester. For good. My parents want me to be at home when it happens."
"When what happens?" Chase asked, raising his voice slightly. He was getting worried, even though he didn't know what was going on.
Zoey let out a small sob and looked back at Chase. "When I die, Chase."
Chase let go of her hand. His heart began to beat faster. "When you die? Zoey, what are you talking about?"
Zoey crossed her arms. "Chase, I have cancer. I've known since the summer before I first came to PCA. The doctors gave me two years. Those two years are almost up. I have to go home."
"But we're just kids. You can't die!"
"Everyone dies, Chase."
Logan stirred over in the corner. He opened his eyes and looked around. "Did I just hear that correctly, or was it a dream? You're dying?" He asked, staring at Zoey. Zoey closed her eyes tightly and the tears began to flow. She nodded a few times.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Chase asked, a few tears coming to his own eyes.
"I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want you to be weird around me. And I didn't want to make it any harder on you when I.. go," Zoey said faintly.
"But Zoey, we're your friends, you should tell us when something's wrong," Logan said, his voice shaking. He stood up, carefully placing Lola's arm in her lap so he wouldn't wake her. He went over to Zoey and put his hand on her shoulder. Zoey buried her face in his chest and cried some more. The elevator gave a sudden jerk. Lola and Michael awoke with a start.
"Are we moving?' Lola asked excitedly, not noticing Zoey crying.
"Yeah," Zoey said, wiping her tears away immediately. "We are."
Michael and Lola cheered and hugged, unaware of the tension of the other three. The elevator doors slid open and the crowd of PCA students cheered. Dean Rivers walked over to them briskly and saw Zoey crying.
"Is everything alright?" He asked, concerned.
Zoey took a deep breath. "I want to tell everyone something..." She began, stepping out in the crowd. Chase nudged her in the side.
"Zoey wants to tell everyone how happy she is to be out of that elevator!" Chase said, forcing a smile. Dean Rivers laughed appreciatively and teh rest of them joined in.
Zoey stared at Chase, awestruck. Chase shrugged. "Well, Zoey, give the Dean his bobblehead!"
- - - -
One Month Later
"Thanks for another great semester, students. See you next year!" The intercom clicked off. Zoey stood in her room at her bed, packing up her clothes and other belongings. A knock at the door made her jump a little.
"Come in," she called over her shoulder. The door creaked open and Chase walked in, his hands behind his back.
"Hey, Zo," he said, giving a little wave. Zoey smiled at him and turned back to her suitcase. "Uh, where's Lola and Quinn?"
Zoey folded her PCA sweatshirt and tucked it on top of her t shirts. She closed the suitcase and zipped it up slowly. "Quinn's with Mark and Lola's with Logan, I think."
"Oh. Have... have you told them yet?"
Zoey shook her head. "You and Logan are the only ones who know. I haven't even told Dustin yet. But... I think it's probably better this way," Zoey said, forcing a smile. She went over to the now-empty desk and ran her hand over it slowly. "I'm gonna miss this place."
Something about watching Zoey made Chase's stomach hurt. She's so brave and calm about the whole thing... And I'm scared out of my mind. I'm not even the one who's going to die. "Zoey, I want to give you something, okay?"
"Okay," Zoey said, her face brightening. She walked closer to Chase, who brought his hands out from behind his back, revealing a boquet of white roses. "Chase! These are beautiful!" she squealed. "Thank you so much!"
"There's something else, too," Chase said, taking Zoey's free hand. He leaned in a gave her a gentle kiss. They broke apart after a few moments.
Zoey's face fell. "Chase..."
"Zoey, I'm sorry, but, I can't just let you go with out doing that at least once. I can't go through life wondering what it would have been like."
Zoey got a far off look in her eye. She smiled serenely. "Chase, do you remember when we were all stuck in the elevator?"
Chase nodded, unsure of where Zoey was going with this. "How could I forget?"
"Well, you know how right after I told you and Logan about my cancer, the elevator started moving, and when we got out, Dean Rivers and everyone was waiting for us?" Chase nodded again. "And when they saw me crying, they asked if we were alright? Well, when I was about to tell everyone about my cancer, you stopped me. Why?"
Chase let out a heavy breath. "Zoey, I wanted exactly what you wanted. You didn't want people to be weird around you. And neither did I."
A tear dripped down Zoey's cheek as she moved forward into Chase's arms. "Chase, you're the best friend I have ever had."
- - - -
Six Months Later
"Chase, are you coming in?" Lola asked, her long black dress blowing in the wind. Logan's arm was wrapped around her. Chase looked up from the picture he was holding in his hand. "The service is about to start," Lola told him. Chase nodded and Lola and Logan turned and went inside the brick building.
Chase sighed deeply, breathing in the ocean air. It didn't smell as sweet as it used to, but maybe that's because everything was sweeter when Chase had Zoey. He looked down at the picture in his hands once more. It was one he printed off of his camera phone, from the day at the museum. Zoey was posing with a statue of an old man with a top hat. Chase smiled lightly, remembering that day fondly.
"Chase?"
Chase turned around to find that Michael was standing behind him. Chase turned back around and rested his elbows on the fence overlooking the ocean.
"You doing okay, man?" Michael asked, coming up beside Chase.
Chase nodded slowly, though he felt tears stinging behind his eyes. "It's just not fair," he said finally.
Michael put his head down and said, "I know, man, I know." He patted Chase on the shoulder gently. "Listen, we gotta get in there, the service has already started." Chase stared numbly out into the waves. "Chase, everyone's in there. Dana and Nicole came back, and Dustin's in there crying his eyes out. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks wanted to talk to you too."
"I'll be there in a minute," Chase promised. Michael stood staring at him for a minute, and then nodded and went inside. Chase looked over his shoulder to make sure Michael was gone. And then he ran.
- - - -
It was after dark by the time Chase finally arrived back at the funeral home. Michael, Lola, and Logan were all sitting on the front steps waiting for him. Chase walked up to them, his hands in his pockets. Lola stood up, an angry expression on her face. "Chase, how could you miss Zoey's funeral? How could do that? Everyone was worried sick about you!" Logan and Michael stared at him expectantly.
"I just couldn't do it, guys. I'm sorry if you were worried, but... there was no way I could stand being in that room. Not a chance."
"Chase, you should have been there. Zoey would have wanted you to be there," Logan told him. Chase shook his head wildly, tears flowing freely.
"Don't you get it? I loved her, and now she's gone forever. Do you have any idea how that feels? Zoey is gone and she barely had a chance to live!" Chase fumed, his face reddening.
"We loved her too, you know," Michael said faintly. "Maybe not in the same way that you did, but just as much."
"Listen, we have to get back to PCA. Dana and Nicole had to get to the airport to catch their flights back, but they said to tell you how sorry they are..." Lola said, a tear running down her own cheek. Logan put his arm around Lola and the two walked off to PCA, Michael trailing slightly behind.
Chase watched them disappear into the distance. He took a deep breath and walked inside the building, every part of his body shaking. They room was long and dark, except for two lights shining over the casket. Chase walked towards it, knowing exactly what he was doing. The lid was closed, but it didn't matter to Chase, he knew she was there. He knelt down infront of it, his head bowed.
"Zoey, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you, but I just couldn't do it. You were such a big part of my life... now that you're gone there's like a hole in my heart. I just wish we could go back to the first day I met you. If I would have told you then exactly how I felt, we could have had a long time to be together..." Chase said, running his hand over the wood. Then something Zoey said echoed in his mind. I need you to promise me that you won't regret anything. When Chase first heard those words, they seemed so innocent, so harmless.
Chase took a deep breath and continued. "I miss you so much, Zoey, more than you can possibly imagine. That day in the elevator was the beginning of the rest of my life. And I have to say, if that day is of any indication, my life is going to suck. It's going to be so weird going back to classes tomorrow and not having you there with me..." Chase's voice trailed off, his mind racing. "Actually, you'll always be with me... Always, Zoey, I promise. In my heart, in my mind, in my thoughts. And I guess the truth is that I don't regret anything. Sure, I didn't tell you how I felt until that day in the elevator, but it's not like we didn't have a good relationship, right? We were friends, best friends. I definately don't regret that..."
Chase took a deep breath and wiped his eyes. He couldn't think of anything else to say. Chase stood up slowly and began to walk down away when he suddenly stopped. He turned back to the casket and placed his hand on top of it gently. "No regrets, Zoey, I promise."
Oh my. Okay, I'm about to cry. I know the beginning started out kind of slow, and the story turned from funny to sad, but I think it worked, do you? Reviews please!
Wish