#riley jackson

“Your situation isn’t like it was for me and Eli. I was barely more than a kid,” he shivered remembering how hard it was to scrape together enough to pay the bills. The times he had to choose which bill to pay and which one could wait. Did he buy milk or diapers? The times his stomach was so empty it hurt. The times he cried alone in the dark because the urge to drink the milk in the fridge to fill his own stomach instead of giving it to Eli was so great. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

        “I should’ve known you two could pull off something like this,” Alex approaches them over at the DJ deck with a drink in hand, thanks to Matt’s handy bartending skills. He takes a moment to look around at their stand, and the ever growing crowd with sheer wonder and amazement. It was quite the turnout, he concluded, taking a sip of whatever concoction had been pulled together. Damn, it was strong. “I mean, after all the shit you’ve pulled in the past, why am I even surprised?!” A smirk grows on his features as he turns back to Riley, giving them an assured smile. “Your taste in music has always been a winner.” 

“Wait for me?”

                                                        “Always”

Riley Jackson and Rocky Douglas Crossroads by @raging-violets​ (riley) 

@pinacoladaranger

A/N: So…I’m cheating a little here, as it’s a re-write of a scene I’ve already done. Basially just another way for Zack and Riley to get together in my Can’t Help It series for Suite Life which encompasses Save Me From Myself, Help Me Save Me, and Intuition. It’s a little angsty, especially at the end, but it’s fine, they get together just after this, talking through their insecurities and history and whatever.

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Zack looked up when the door to the roomopened, letting in a waterfall of loud music and conversation of the partyhappening around him. He shifted his gaze away from Riley when she closed thedoor behind her and moved closer. He hugged his arms around his knees, pullinghis feet back so she could join him on the window sill.

“You’ve been hiding in here the whole time?”She asked. She reached up and brushed her hair back from her eyes. Dressed upin that ‘smokey’ style he’d heard girls talk about before. It made her eyesstand out, shine bright, even in the darkened room. He hated that he’d noticed.“One minute you were the center of attention and the next you’re gone.”

Zack shrugged. “I just needed to sit down.” Heneeded to rest, actually. He hadn’t realized how winded he’d become. Justwanted to be normal for once, go to a party and have a good time dancing and playingvideo games and hanging out with his friends. And he got winded within fifteenminutes. He was sicker than he thought. He gestured toward his head. “The musicwasn’t helping either.”

“You know Max, anything with music and she hasto have it loud,” Riley replied with a half-smile.

“So, what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.”

“Should I be amazed or scared that youfound me that easily?” Zack gave a small smile, indicating the question wasn’tbe to taken seriously. He knew she’d noticed that he was gone. As much as shetoted that she didn’t care about him, when pressed, she seemed to be the onlyone who was able to tell when he was and wasn’t putting on a show. Wheneveryone’s comparisons of him to Cody started to get to him, when he was tiredof being seen as second best…

That’s what gotyou in this mess in the first place, Zackthought. He brought up his hand to rub at his temples, letting out a quietsigh. Great, just the moment for him to show some introspection again.

“Were you hoping it was Sadie?”

A loaded question.

Zack could feel tension build a wall betweenthem, brick by brick as the seconds passed. The question was innocent, Riley’seyebrows twitched upwards and her lips pulled back into her infamous smirk-smile,but he knew the question wasn’t so innocent. Sadie bothered her more than she’dlet on, he’d noticed. At least hoped.

“Sadie has been flirting with almost everyguy here, she can’t be too devoted to me.” He grinned, making Rileychuckle to herself. Sadie was a bombshell, knew exactly what she wanted, andwanted Zack as soon as he and Max had broken up. She was never shy about it…andthat was the problem. “I prefer low maintenance girls, anyway.“

Riley gently rolled her eyes, turned her headaway. She reached up to scratch her forehead, hiding whatever expression hadcome to her face. "Why’d you come find me? You should be having fun, notletting me bring you down.”

She shook her head, dropped her hand to herlap. “You’re not bringing me down, Zack.”

He snorted. Unconvinced. “Okay, so you wantedto see how much I was eating.” He brought his hands out form the pocket of hissweatshirt and waved his hands back and forth. “I’m not hoarding anything. Ihaven’t thrown anything up.” He gestured toward the door. “You’ve done Cody’sdirty work you can leave now.”

Now Riley’s eyebrows pinched together inannoyance. “I didn’t come here because of Cody, boofhead.”

Zack shook his head. Hated that she called himthat. Hated that she called him that then.It was something she said to him, almost a term of endearment, he’d noticedbut she probably hadn’t. Would immediately deny it if it was pointed out. Lessinsistently as the years went on.

“I came to see if you were okay.”

“Really?” She nodded. He paused. Had to ask thequestion he’d been unable to ask since he’d arrived back at school. “Then whydidn’t you come see me in the hospital?”

Something passed over Riley’s face. Hereyebrows twitched upwards. Her expression went blank. She lowered her chin, seemedto turn in on herself. “You know why, yeah?” She murmured.

And he supposed he did. She’d always hatedhospitals, had spent too many times in them because of what Robert had done toher and her siblings. Didn’t trust them anymore than those who saw what washappening an didn’t look for help. Hated feeling so weak to be in one…just ashe hated for people to see him when he wasin the hospital.

It was embarrassing. He didn’t like that hisbrother was becoming more popular, was ‘taking over his turf’ so to speak, andso stopped eating to lose weight to get better at basketball. To be on top again.And he’d had a heart attack. And everyone made a big deal about it. Zack hadalways been a little vain, so being seen in the hospital like that, sovulnerable, was painful. He got it.

"Was I really that hideous?” Zack asked. Helooked at his hands, bony and almost skeletal when he was really sick, strongnow. Though it wouldn’t take much to turn him back. The curse of being moresensitive than he let on. Sticks and stones…

Riley glared at him. “Do you ever bloody stop?”

“Well, I clearly don’t have my looks anymore,I need to keep my sense of humor.” Zack noticed Riley’s incredulous stare andsat up. He ripped his beanie off his head, motioning to his thinning hair. “Myhair is falling out, I can hardly keep things down, the sight of food makes mesick, I can’t play basketball or workout without people thinking I’m going to keelover, I have people asking me how I’m doing all the time! People have to watchme eat and constantly ask about it. It’s never how I’m doing, it’s always aboutwhat I’m eating. It’s all anyone wants to talk about!” His eyes flashed. “I’m tired of talking about it! I’m tired ofit being the only thing people care about!”

“That’s not all they care about. They careabout you!”

“Really?” He leaned back against the wallbehind him. “When was the last time you and I had an actual conversation thatdidn’t have anything to do with this?” He gestured vaguely.

“I’m trying to have a fucking conversation withyou, now!”

“Because you feel sorry for me.” She looked offended,her lips pulling up into a sneer. He leaned toward her, looked her in the eye. “Youknow how I feel about you,” he said with an intensity that even surprised him. “AndI don’t need you to pay attention to me because you feel sorry for me.”

Riley shook her head. A half smile came to herlips, amused. Almost laughing at him and his poor choice of words. She tiltedher head, leaned forward, brushed his lips with hers.

Zack’s eyes immediately fell shut at thefeeling. Sparks shot through him. He opened his eyes and looked back at her,looked into her dark blue eyes, which in the years he’d known her she’d dismissas dull and uninteresting but he’d always become lost in. He stared at her,stared into her eyes. Riley tilted her head, her eyes roving over his face,then kissed him again. This time a more passionate kiss.

He felt his shoulders, which had been stiffwith apprehension, loosen and he leaned back into her. Riley slipped her armsaround his neck, taking in a deep breath before kissing again. Zack focusedonly on his lips on hers, blocked out everything else but the feeling of herlips parting his, to gently run the tip of her tongue against his. The kiss gotdeeper, hungrier as they leaned into each other. Then it came to be too much, laughterheard outside the door caught Zack’s attention.

He pulled back. Blinked. Watched her.

She looked back at him, gently chewing herlower lip. Worried, nervous.

Blinking up at him “you don’t expect me to cook do you? I’m a guest.”

“Some guest,” Jordan grunted, “more like the house guest from hell.”

“That’s enough,” Jackson snapped.

“So I can have the bigger room?” Raelyn stated more than asked.

“No you cannot,” Julian cried. “Why does everything have to be done your way?”

“Do you think I want to live here? With my parents like some loser?” she glared at him, eyes snapping with wounded pride. 

“Then why don’t you do something about it?” he challenged glaring at her.

“It’s not like I have a choice,” she eyes welled up with tears. “You don’t know what it’s like to be me. To have your husband leave you. To take your children from you.”

“Oh please,” Julian rolled his eyes. “Hideaki did the only thing he could do to protect himself and his kids.”

Gasping “you make it sound like I’m sort of a monster.”