Chapter 10: a new home

Zach meets up with Lisa and Elle the next day during lunch.

Hello ladies, how is you day going go far?

Lisa gives him a questioning look.

You're in an awfully good mood. Did you and Rebecca finally... you know?

Elle quickly flicks her ear.

Don't be so rude! I think it's charming that he's giving her the time she needs, it shows that he really cares about Rebecca.

He's great I know, I just like busting his balls every once in a while. Seriously, why are you in such a good mood?

Zach doesn't reply and just slides one of the keys over to her.

What's this?

A key to your new room.

New room? what are you talking about?

I went to talk with dean Meyers yesterday and she gave me the keys to josh's mansion, as a reward for getting rid of him and Frank.

For real?!

Yup, you can go pick a room later today. Except for the big one, I'm claiming that one for me and Rebecca.

Awesome! I'm going to disinfect the hell out of my new room though.

That's probably a good idea after what went down in that mansion. There's a room for you too if you want it Elle.

Are you serious?

Of course. We're friends, aren't we?

You know that we are, and I'll gladly accept! My room is pretty small so I can sure use the extra space.

Speaking of extra space, there's a vacant room downstairs that you can use as an office for the charity work you mentioned earlier.

That would be amazing! I haven't had the time to do any charity work with everything that went down.

Lisa is suddenly filled with excitement.

Now that we have a big house, we can adopt a dog!

Elle immediately matches her enthusiasm.

Can we Zach?

Sure, I don't mind as long as the dog is well behaved. Just make sure that Rebecca isn't allergic first.

We'll take care of the preparations, don't worry.

Don't spoil the surprise to Rebecca, I want to be the one to ask her. I was also thinking about asking Marcus and his girlfriend to mov in with us, if you're ok with that?

Lisa nods casually.

Marcus is a nice guy and Nika is a sweetheart, I'm ok with it.

Elle nods in agreement.

I agree, totally fine with it.

Alright, then I'll ask him tomorrow at practice.

Later that day after class Zach heads over to the hospital and waits for Rebecca. A big smile appears on her face as soon as she sees him.

Hey babe, what are you doing here?

I wanted to see you, so I thought we could walk home together.

You're so sweet.

As they're walking back to their dorm Zach reaches into his pocket and hand her one of the keys to the mansion.

I'm confused...

It belongs to the mansion.

How did you get this?

Dean Meyers gave it to me, we can move in this weekend.

She jumps into his arms without hesitation.

That's crazy, I'm so excited!

I already reserved the largest room for us, together. You can have a room of your own if you think it's too fast...

She interrupts Zach with a kiss before he can finish his sentence.

Shh, calm down. I would love to share a room with you. I think it's time we take some more steps forward.

The season starts this Sunday and I get to cuddle with my girlfriend every night, what a time to be alive.

Rebecca giggles at Zach's comment and decides it's time to tease him back a little.

Just cuddling? I was thinking of a bit more than that, but if that's what you want...

I see what you're doing, this is payback for me teasing you when I injured my ribs.

I have no idea what you're talking about...

Be careful now. If you keep teasing me like that, I might just take what I want.

She looks at him with a sly smile.

Nah, you're too nice for that.

Zach quickly takes a look around the hallway of their dorm to see if they're alone and in one swift motion pins Rebecca against the door of her room.

Are you sure about that?

Just as she's about to respond Zach kisses her passionately and holds her tightly against him. When he finally let's go of her, Rebecca lets out a whimper and a deep sigh. It takes her several seconds to regain her composure.

That was.... When are we moving exactly?

Zach can't help but laugh at seeing her so flustered.

So impatient all of a sudden, Friday after school.

Friday... great, I'm going to... goodnight.

Goodnight.

The next day Zach and the rest of the team go through the gameplan for Sunday's game, Lauren gives a speech to end practice.

Good job today everybody, you all worked very hard and I'm proud to be your coach. Everybody knows what to do this Sunday, so give everything you've got and we'll get our first win of the season!

The team cheers and heads to the locker room. after the shower Zach and Marcus are getting dressed.

Me, Lisa, Elle and Rebecca are moving into josh's mansion on Friday.

How did you pull that off?

Meyers gave me the keys and told me that I could move in.

Just like that?

I might have had a hand in getting rid of Josh and Frank.

Now it makes sense why you went to one of his parties all of a sudden.

It's a long story. To explain it in a simple way, I was the distraction so Lisa could get us remote access to the security camera footage.

Clever, big house though.

That's what I wanted to talk to you about. There's still a room left, if you and Nika want it it's yours.

I'll happily take you up on that offer, Nika is going to lose her mind.

Great, see you Friday after class then.

As planned Zach heads to the mansion Friday after school. He's the first to arrive and is greeted by Claudia.

Hey there, if it isn't my favorite teacher.

What a coincidence, you're also my favorite student. In all seriousness, I had the whole mansion thoroughly cleaned.

Thanks, we were joking about that with Josh's debauchery.

Would you like me to hold on to my key for emergencies?

Sure, I don't mind. Are you sure its just for emergencies? How do I know that you're not going to use it to spy on me while I'm in the shower?

Claudia acts shocked.

Do I really come across as that much of a degenerate?

Yes.

She bursts out laughing.

that's the last time I drink wine when you're around.

For the record, I'm not shy so I would min you sneaking a peak. Rebecca on the other hand...

Boy if you keep teasing me like this, I'll have no choice but to give you detention.

You'd like that wouldn't you? I don't know how I would explain it to Rebecca though...

All of a sudden Zach hears her voice behind him.

Explain what to me?

Nothing... we were just joking around. Miss Meyers had everything cleaned for us.

That's so nice, thank you.

You're welcome. So this is the lucky girl that managed to tie you down huh?

Zach puts his arms around Rebecca and gives her a quick kiss.

This is my Rebecca, isn't she cute?

Rebecca starts blushing.

You can be so embarrassing at times...

And you love that about me.

She reluctantly nods.

Yes I do.

Claudia can't help but smile at their adorable chemistry.

Looks like you two really found each other. Anyways, I'm going to head home. Have fun!

They start taking their things inside and once they get settled in, they lay down on their bed together. Rebecca puts her arm around Zach's chest an nuzzles his neck.

No regrets?

She confidently shakes her head.

Of course not.

What would your parents say if they knew that you were moving in with your boyfriend?

I dont know. But I think they would be fine with it once they met you and see who you are as a person.

You sound confident in that.

You're a nice guy, my mom will definitely like you. My dad loves football, so he'll give you his blessing eventually too.

Now that we've taken the next step in our relationship, I think it's time to tell my mom about us. I'll give her a call on Monday, the day after the game.

Do you want me to bet here...?

Zach notices the hint of anxiety in her voice.

No need to be scared. My mom is really nice, she'll love you.

Shouldn't we facetime her then? It's been a long time since she's seen you after all.

That's a good idea. We're going to have to figure out the right time to do it though, the time difference between here and there is significant.

You're from New York, right?

Yup, about an hour north of the city. I don't think I've asked you where you're from yet?

No, I'm from a small town two hours to the east of here.

So you're a Californian.

Yes, but the image that people have of Californians is usually the Los Angeles types. When you're from a smaller town like me it's not relatable at all.

I judge people based on who they are as a person, not where they're from.

Good, because I lied. I'm secretly from Mars.

Zach rolls on top of Rebecca and starts playfully kissing her neck.

Hottest alien in the galaxy.

Lisa swings open their bedroom door without knocking as the passion starts to rise and she immediately looks away.

Sorry... I didn't know you two were "getting it on".

We were just fooling around, do you need something?

Yes, the couch is a bit heavy. Me and Elle have been struggling with it...

On my way, but knock next time.

Of course, my bad.

Once they manage to put everything where they want it and get settled into their new room, they all sit down for dinner together.

This is nice. All of us together like this, almost feels like we're a family.

Marcus pats Zach on the shoulder.

Good job convincing Meyers to let us live here.

I didn't convince her at all, she kinda just gave it to me.

Lisa starts giggling.

That's because Meyers has the hots for you. you should see the way she looks at Zach in class, major cougar vibes.

Rebecca takes a seat on Zach's lap and puts her arms around him.

Do I need to be worried?

No, I'm loyal to my girl. But maybe you should step up you game, just to be safe.

She playfully saps him on the chest.

You are terrible! Do you want to spend our first night here on the couch?

Fine, I'll behave.