Saturday morning, Ness pulled up at Zach's house and let herself through the side gate to the back door, she knocked lightly before pushing it open.
"Hi Mrs. Greene, is Zach awake yet?" She said as she stepped into the kitchen
"Not a sound out of him, do you want to take a coffee up, I know he was drinking last night so he'll probably need it." His mom replied
"You are such a cool mom, yeah I'll take a coffee up and wake him, maybe some Advil too?"
"I'm a realistic mom, I know kids your age drink, I was a kid of your age once myself and I sure drank at parties, I'm glad he had someone to get him home though, I'm guessing it was you?"
"Yep, it was me, I don't drink much yet and by being Des nobody looks at me weird"
Mrs. Greene nodded and handed Ness two coffees, "The Advil is in the bathroom upstairs if he needs it"
"Thanks, I'll make him human again." Ness grinned and headed up to Zach's room. She knocked lightly as she had downstairs and gently pushed the door open, Zach was sprawled face down across his bed, he was still fully dressed, even his shoes. Ness sighed and put the coffees down on his desk then walked round to stand right next to his head,
"WAKE UP!" She yelled and scooted out of range as he jumped violently awake, arms and legs flailing for a moment before the pounding head and spinning room caused him to groan and collapse again
"What the fuck, Ness?" He mumbled into the duvet
"Rise and shine jerk, I have brought you coffee and can grab the Advil if you need them" she waved the mug of coffee under his nose and put it back on the desk, sat down and took a sip of hers.
"Urgh! How much did I drink?" He asked, slowly raising his head and trying to roll into an upright position
"You just kept sending Heather to get you more beer then you were mean to her and she slapped you, then you drank some more and then I took your keys off you and drove you home. I'm here to remind you what I said last night, do you remember that?" Zach peered at her, trying to make his mind focus,
"Let me drink the coffee and then ask me" He said
"Come and get it" she grinned
"Ness!" Zach whined
"You get your pathetic drunk ass to the coffee, it ain't coming to you." Zach groaned and tried again to sit up, he failed again so decided it was easier to just crawl off the bed and across the room, it was more of a commando shuffle than a crawl, but he got his coffee.
Twenty minutes later, the coffee had begun to do its work,
"You told me last night that if I was ever too drunk to drive, I should call you." He finally recalled
"You got it, now promise me that you will call if you need a ride, I don't care how late, promise." Ness said, Zach looked her straight in the eyes
"I promise." He said.
Life continued in its usual manner for them both, nothing exciting but it wasn't exactly boring, Zach continued to work his way through all the girls, adding to his appeal with each one; those that had dated him trying to figure out what they had done wrong, those that hadn't yet been chosen convinced that they were the one he would stop with.
"I don't want to have the hassle of asking one of the other girls to prom, they all read something more into it, so can we go together? As friends" Zach asked Ness a few weeks before the terrifying night that was junior prom,
"Well, since I've scared all the guys at this school, none of them have dared ask me, so I guess this time we are helping each other out of an awkward situation." Ness replied.
"What would I do without you?" He asked
"Stumble from one fuck-up to the next" She answered, a little too quickly,
"Yeah, probably" They both grinned.
"You look pretty" Zach said as Ness stepped out onto the porch, "girly even" he added as he offered his arm
"Your charming techniques won't work on me Zachary Greene, I'm not just any girl." Ness retaliated
"Nope, you are Ness Godwin, the bestest, most badass girl I've ever met, you'll always be my friend because, as stupid as I am, I'm not so stupid as to make an enemy of you."
"So smooth, still not falling for it" Ness laughed, Zach pretended to take a fatal shot to the heart
"Argh! I'm dead, my heart is destroyed, shattered by her cruel words!"
"Shut up and drive already, fucking drama queen" a grin spread across Ness's face and an identical one was on Zach's as he drove them to the prom.
It was late in the evening when Kelly Riven reappeared in Ness's life, spewing more bullshit than a bull with diarrhoea; Ness's fist closed as she turned to face the cause of the annoying noise
"Will you give your vocal chords a rest already, nobody here cares" she said through gritted teeth
"I'm not scared of you; you wouldn't dare hit me here at prom." Kelly asserted, pushing her flat chest out in a vain attempt to look busty.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" her fist clenched further, and she spread her weight squarely across both feet "just keep pushing Kelly, I don't need much excuse to smash you" she added. Kelly continued to bluster, and Ness was just shifting her weight to fly at her when two arms wrapped around her waist and arms, pinning them to her sides,
"Jerks" Zach whispered in her ear
"Get the fuck off me Zach, I'm sick of this stupid ho and her fucking bullshit, I only need one punch"
"No," he said, then added softly so only Ness could hear "not here" Ness struggled but Zach was not letting go; Kelly laughed, and Zach glared straight at her
"Go away Kelly, now, or she will get loose and you will regret goading her, you should know by now that she will break your bones." His tone of voice had the desired effect and she backed off, disappearing into the crowd, Zach relaxed his grip
"What the fuck, Zach?" Ness spun round and pushed him away "just one punch, that's all it needed, she would be out cold, no more problem"
"Not at prom, Ness"
"Why not? She gets to spew her bullshit at prom so why can't I punch her at prom? Maybe I should punch you"
"If it would make you feel better, then do it, I'm not going to make a scene." Ness growled and cracked her knuckles
"One day Zach, you will push me too far."
"Come on Ness, you know I'm right"
"I hate you, leave me alone" she finished, pushing past him. He let her go but he watched where she went, then headed towards the band to see if they would take a request.
Ten minutes later he stood in front of Ness again
"May I have this dance?"
"No."
"Oh, come on, Ness, it's our favorite song! Please?"
"Fine." She stood, and Zach pulled her to the center of the dancefloor before she could change her mind, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear
"I'm sorry" Ness looked at him, sighed, and put her arms around him
"I forgive you, Jerk" Zach just squeezed tighter for a moment
"Best friends, together forever" he mumbled into her hair
"Best friends forever" she replied. In Zach's mind he added 'I swear, I'll never let you go' but he kept that to himself.