Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2015 01:34:38 -0500
From: Zach Pancakes <zachthepancake@gmail.com>
Subject: Rule the World 2 - The Phantom

Disclaimer: There are gays (and said gays will eventually have sex), leave
if you're allergic or sensitive to that kind of thing. This is a ficticious
story, and if someone resembles you that's awesome but unintentional.

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___

Rule the World 2 - The Phantom

By Zach Pancakes

___


Chess is a wonderful thing. One minute it seems you're losing, the next
you've got your playmate in a check they can't seem to get themselves out
of. It's the ultimate satisfaction.

And Addy was feeling a lot of satisfaction right now. Her masterful 17 turn
plan was finally reaching its climax. Just one more move...alas, her phone
rang.

"Hey, Addy here."

"Studmuffin Zach here. Is...is there anywhere you have to go today?"
Confusion filled Addy's features.

"Well, I do have to buy a new calculator. But, um, Zach? We're on a call in
the computer, why are you calling over here too?"

"My dad just told me that if I don't go walk outside and live or whatever
he'll cut my hair down himself! It's the hairmaggeddon!"

"Err. Zach, we're on a call and I didn't hear anythi-"

"Would I lie about my HAIR, woman? How do I get to your place? I'll be
there in five." Zach could hear her sigh over the line.

"Look, just turn to the right when you leave your house and keep
walking. We live on the same street. I'll be outside so you can't get
lost."

"Awesome! See ya there." Wait.

"Wait! What about the chess matc-" Aaaand he hung up. Addy turned her eyes
to the screen and her jaw dropped into the floor. During their call, Addy's
timer had run out, making the game skip her turn, thus passing control over
to Zach. Taking advantage of this, he had placed her on a check mate.

"This is unbelievable!" A few minutes later, when Zach waved at her beaming
in joy, she walked up to him and smacked his head.

_________

"So. Do you need to buy anything? Or did you just need a way to cheat?"
Addy was, if you consulted a dictionary, probably very upset.

"Of course I do, girl. When have I ever lied to you?" Actually, if you
consulted a dictionary, her face would be the example picture for the word.

"It's AMAZING how much you lie to me Zach. And I've known you for like six
days. I made a list. It's a long list!" Zach giggled. Addy frowned harder.

"You did? You gotta let me read it sometime. Where's the mall, anyways? It
must've been like 15 minutes already..." It's not like it was tiring or
anything. The sun was just being particularly nasty that day, and sweat on
a pretty boy's face was only hot under very specific conditions. They
weren't under them, so it was just gross.

"...We are at the mall." And they were. To their left was a fence which
surrounded a huge mall complex. It was only a few more minutes until they
had crossed the entrance, being greeted by a surge of cool air
conditioning.

"We're kinda going to the same place, I bet. I just need to buy a bunch of
pens and pencils. Maybe we can get a smoothie." Zach's parents hadn't
restocked the snack basket yet, and his blood:sugar ratio was dangerously
close to reaching normal levels.

"Really? What house doesn't have those?"

"Legit question. But not every house has an architect dad. He went all King
Kong on them. The guy's kind of bananas, man." Addy rolled her eyes.

"No wonder."

School utensils aside, they did end up getting that smoothie at the food
court. Zach finished his in ten seconds, but he was nice enough to let Addy
sit to drink hers at peace.

At peace. That word suddenly clicked in Addy's head. Peace. Her eyes flew
wide open.

"Wow, Zach. You haven't said a word since we sat down! Are you alright?"
Like snapping from a trance, Zach jolted in his seat. Truth is, his brain
was engaged in the most complex of processes, all gears turning to solve a
crucial yet so ever difficult conundrum.

"Do you think Connor likes smoothies?" There was no tumbleweed, but the
flying napkins probably served the same purpose.

"Seriously? First of all, Zach, everyone likes smoothies." Zach pouted.

"Dad doesn't like smoothies." He crossed his arms and everything.

"Zach. Second of all, Connor is not your dad." As Addy resumed finishing
her smoothie, Zach's face went from whiny to disturbingly infatuated.

"Oooooh I think he is. Y'knowwhatI'msaying?" Addy choked on her drink.

"Zach! Third of all, you haven't even MET him. I barely interact with him!
He could be a jerk, for all you know." But Zach was unwavering.

"He can be a jerk, as long as he jerks me around. If you know what I m-"

And that's the story of how Zach first got slapped. In this city, at
least. Two days later, Monday arrived, marking the beginning of the school
year.

________

It was 6 AM, and Zach had already showered, brushed his teeth, packed his
bags, called Addy just to piss her off, AND cooked breakfast.

"Mom? Dad? Why did you teach me to be a responsible early bird? This
sucks. The bus will arrive at like 7:15 or whatever." Zach's parents were
merrily biting away at the scrambled egg special. They shared a very guilty
look between them. It was his mother who spoke first.

"To be completely honest, Zachary, my dear...you making breakfast for us
everyday was the main reason." Hurt. Betrayal. Ire. One look at Zach
portrayed these strong emotions. He slammed his hands against the desk in
indignation.

"Mom!? No...Was this your plan too, Dad!?" His dad just looked down on his
cup of coffee.

"Ya've never seen me cook now, have ya? You're a godsend, son. It went just
as planned." His words were sealed by the sound of him sipping his
mug. Zach felt this was even worse than the pillow incident. It was
horrible.

"You two have no shame! Pancakes for a month!" The arguing that ensued made
the wait for the bus pass in the blink of an eye. When Zach stepped in, he
spotted Addy all the way on the last seat, listening to music. He waved at
her, but she didn't notice.

"'Sup girl. Why're ya sitting all the way back?" She didn't even turn back
to look at him.

"So I can sleep just a few more minutes, dunce. SOMEONE woke me up at
5:30."

"Aww don't be like that, Addy. I brought you cookies!" Now she turns. Sugar
really does create world peace. Addy stared at the little bag of cookies
for some brief moments.

"...Hmph. I'm not forgiving you just like that." Yeah right.

"Yeah right. I made those yesterday, you know? They're magical. I'm sorry
for pranking you so much, so try them out. Please?" Addy WAS considering
eating her first one before she heard his words.

"Ugh. Now I'm not sure if I can even eat these. They're not drugged, are
they?" Zach reached into the bag and ate one of the cookies himself.

"Nope." That seemed to be enough, and she dared to start eating them. They
had just the perfect mix of butter and sugar. Zach was the anti-christ, of
the diet religion.

"...They're good. I forgive you." Zach broke out his gentleman grin, and
Addy couldn't help but smile a little herself.

"I'm still pranking you, though." And then her smile and optimism were all
gone.

Their bus trip was a blur. Mostly small talk, and a little bit of Zach
whining that Connor wasn't on the bus. Actually, 90% was definitely Zach
whining about Connor. No matter what topic Addy brought up, it eventually
returned to Connor. Somehow. After Zach began wondering about Connor's
choice of toothpaste she just gave up.

They were assigned to the same class, in a small showing of the universe
not being a snob. But then Connor wasn't in class B, which meant Addy had
to endure more whining.

"Zach! I get it, you like the dude. You need to calm down. Seriously!
You're going to scare him off."

"Well, Addy. You're a young lady I respect very much, so I'm going to try
and take your advice." There was a small moment of silence. Addy was almost
flattered. Sometimes Zach's words came out like musical notes, striking all
the correct tones.

"Wow, really? Tha-"

"I'll probably fail, though." Just then, their homeroom teacher walked
in. And that was the end of that discussion.

"Wow Addy, that teacher has a huge rack." It was true, her chest was
bouncing as she walked.

"Shh. That's one woman you don't want to piss off." The teacher cleared her
throat before addressing the class. Everyone went silent, Zach even heard
some swallow in anxiety.

"Good Morning, students. As a few of you may have noticed, this class has
been assigned to receive a new student. It's no more than a formality, but
would that student please stand up and introduce himself to the class? Full
name, talents, whatever. We have a lot to cover today, so make it quick."
The pen holding the brunette teacher's hairbun together had this red ribbon
sprouting from its tip, and the teacher couldn't seem to stop fondling it
as she spoke.

Nothing happened for a while. Addy sighed and poked Zach's sides with a
pencil.

"Ow! Oh! Oh. That's me. Oops." Zach decided there was no point to keep the
class waiting any further, so he decided not to expand on his incredible
curriculum.

"'Sup guys! I'm Zachary Russell. Call me Zach, though. I cook things. Oh!
Oh! I can totally tell you the first fifty digits of Pi, if you want." Zach
shot puppy eyes at the teacher, almost begging her to let him do so. The
teacher debated the issue with herself for some seconds.

"...Is that so? Let me get my calculator out, and...go." Zach grinned and
took in a huge gulp of air.

"3.1415926535897932384..." The teacher's face was filled with incredulity.

"Holy shit." Someone gasped. His name forever lost to the ages.

"...626433832795028841971693993751!" Zach took in another huge surge of
oxygen into his lungs. Addy's jaw went through the desk, and the teacher
was visibly shocked. The entire class was silent.

"Dang. Did I get the 24th digit right? I always mess up that one." Zach's
words broke the trance, and the teacher cleared her throat one again.

"That was correct, Russell. Please sit down, would you? For those who don't
know me, call me Miss Souza. Let's get started." Zach went back into his
seat. He was beaming.

"Dude." Were all the words Addy's shivering lips could blurt out. Zach
turned, giving her a very judging look.

"Shh. Addy, we're in class! Come on, girl. Dun make me look bad." With
that, he swiftly turned around. Addy just didn't get him, sometimes.

________

When you actually pay attention in class, it somehow goes past in
flash. Addy had never felt like -she'd- be a bad influence, but Zach was
like a bull. You seriously could not talk to him about anything mid
class. The moment the bell rang, he swiftly went back to his usual self.

"Are you bipolar or something?" Sometimes some questions have to be made
twice.

"Nah. I'm classpolar. Mom taught me the key to success is knowing the time
and the place." And right now, it was lunch time. The place was booming, as
was to be expected.

"That's such bullshit, Zach. You woke me up at 5:30!" Zach sheepishly
played around with his hair.

"Aww. Addy. With friends there's always time for fun. Let's skip the bad
cafeteria food, I brought lunch." Zach was also extremely impatient, and
that gigantic line just for awful tasting food was a definite no.

"Oh, you did?" Then again, he had brought a bag of cookies.

"Duh. I have standards, girl. No way I'm eating school food. Do you like
apples? I do, and I've got two!" Addy shrugged. Free food was free food.

They spotted a free table and sat down to eat. Well, Addy was going to
eat. Zach was already finished.

"Eating that fast is seriously unhealthy, you know." Zach ignored her. He
was biting his lower lip. He was getting ready to make the big question,
and Addy could feel it. Damn it, it was like watching a train about to
crash.

"No, Zach! I haven't seen Connor!" Zach's forehead hit the desk, and Addy
kept eating.

"This sucks. How can he not be here?"

"I don't know, man. Maybe he j-OH GOD IT'S HIM!"  Zach's eyes flew open and
he spinned around like a toy top. His head was jolting in all
directions. He looked back at Addy, almost in tears.

"I...I don't see h-"

"GOT YOU, SUCKER." Glass broke. Actually, that was just Zach's heart.

"...You monster. I gave you food. I Gave You Food!" Addy was just
giggling. Karma was a bitch.

"S-Sorry Zach. I just...I just had to." Zach just sulked as Addy finished
eating.

"That's weird, though. If he's not here, where is he?"

"I know! Addy, why don't I ask someone from the other class? They should
know." Addy shrugged.

"Those dudes in that table over there are from the other class. Give it a
shot." She'd take the two minutes of non-Connor talk. Zach nodded. It was
time. No great story starts with silence. That Zach knew of, at least. He
stood up and gallantly made his way to the table of talkative jocks.

"Oh man, I immediately regret this." Addy was sure the jocks in her grade
weren't mass murderers, but it wasn't like Zach was their type of man.

"'Sup Guys. Have any of you seen Connor? He has red hair, so you can't miss
'im." The table's chatter just halted. All eyes were on the new kid, asking
for the non-new kid.

"That loser? Who cares, man." It was like a pile of bricks. These people
were super rude. Although teenagers being rude isn't exactly new. Zach
couldn't be distracted by poor manners, though.

"Thanks rudebros, I'll keep looking~" Zach waved bye to them and walked
back to Addy. His shoulders slumped and he sat down.

"Ugh. They're ruder than you when you wake up, and they don't know. They
called him a loser and everything." Addy ignored the jab, and took the last
bite from her food before speaking up.

"I figure he doesn't eat lunch here, then..." The air around them had
changed. It was weird, almost like a dead end. Zach's face lit up after a
little while, though.

"Addy! Where do losers eat lunch?"

"...The kids' table?" Zach frowned.

"Come on, Addy. We're in highschool, there's no kids' table!" Addy
sighed. She ran her hands through the bangs over her right eye. Oh no, she
was looking like Zach's mother now.

"Maybe he doesn't even eat. You know what, Zach? He's probably not even
real." Zach's eyes sparkled, and Addy swore she saw glitter.

"Addy, you're a genius! Connor's a ghost! And we all know ghosts live in
the library, so he must be there! Let's go, girl." No comment.

"You're not actually this stupi-UGH!?" Her phrase was interrupted by Zach
flying out of his seat and yanking her out her seat. Never mind that the
whole cafeteria looked at them like a bunch of circus animals, their
destination was clear.

"Actually. Addy, where's the library?" Addy groaned in frustration. This
was the most unpaid chauffeur job in history. The library was on the top
floor, and they walked towards it. Zach was running, but he got shouted
at. Several times.

"Look, Zach. Lunch's over in 15 minutes, so if you don't see him there, can
we just relax?" Zach was almost shaking, his body was holding way too much
excitement.

"Sure thing. He's totally in there, though. Aren't you excited to meet a
ghost?" Zach's mouth went up, Addy's went down.

"He's not a ghost! I was kidding!" And Zach's last name was pancakes.

"Sure you were, Addy. Sure you were." Zach lead the way, and they both went
into the library. It was dead silent. Addy had to remind Zach that
libraries are, indeed, places with very little noise.

And then they saw the familiar sight of red, sitting by himself in one of
the tables. As he read a book, his face was so very serious, incredibly
focused. Zach noticed as they got nearer to him, that he could see a clear
ocean in his eyes.

Zach gulped. He was real. And he made Zach's chest flutter.

_____

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