Chapter 286
At least the two love birds will talk it out away from everyone else. When they're alone, just the two of them, they always work through their problems.
"Zenon," a girl tried to intersect his path, "Zenon!"
He kept walking and she followed him, jogging to keep up with his fast walk. She had these funny bracelets that jangled, making her sound like a bell.
"That btch is trying to stop Zenon!" Cynthia's voice spoke up as she rushed past me, on her way to stop the walking bell.
Bryce pulled her back, "Let them talk. She has something important to say."
"What's more important to Zenon than Candace right now?" Cynthia asked, spinning round to confront Bryce, "Julia's a nutcase! And please don't tell me what to do, Bryce."
"I won't," Bryce said, unbothered by her anger, "Just remember why Zenon did this whole thing. He show was to force answers out of the weasel on the chair or that girl over there."
Cynthia raised an eyebrow.
The weasel may not have talked, but watching the public humiliation may have made Julia want to.
Suddenly, Zenon stopped walking and turned to the girl. She must've said something that caught his attention. Her expression was frazzled as she started speaking very fast and raising her hands in all kinds of gestures. Zenon was standing still in contrast.
We were all watching this unfold and Cynthia admitted to Bryce, "I guess you're actually making sense."
"Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?" Bryce replied.
I was not going to answer that.
"Axel?" Bryce asked me, looking for some back up.
I bent down to tie my shoelace and avoid the question.
"Should I go after Candace then?" Cynthia asked, "Zenon doesn't look like he's going anytime soon."
I looked up from tying my laces and saw her foot tapping against the floor in nervousness.
"What's wrong with Candace?" Bryce asked, "I thought she was just heading to class."
Cynthia raised her hands in the air, "For a second there, Bryce, I almost thought you were a genius."
"This attitude..." Bryce replied, "Two months ago you were too nervous to speak around us. Those were good times."
Cynthia huffed, but she didn't argue, "Candace's not happy with how Zenon handled this situation."
"Why not? He did a great job with Kaden," Bryce replied, "I mean, he could've done more, sure. He could've beat the guy up, but Zenon's gone soft now. We all know that."
Bryce bringing that new perspective.
Zenon was listening intently to whatever this Julia was saying. She must be spilling something big to keep his attention for this long.
Zenon has a hard-to-read expression. People never ask how he's doing. They think he's tough and the kind of guy who has nothing to complain about. They're wrong.
I think he's breaking.
Cynthia came to stand beside me and watch him. After a few seconds, I noticed her start to bite her nails out of nervousness. It was cute. She was worried for her friend.
"Why did Candace have to do that in public?" Cynthia gasped, unable to keep it in, "Zenon was doing this for her. Couldn't she just accept that? He was being a hero."
"Isn't that Candace though?" I asked, wondering what Cynthia was seeing differently. "This is exactly what she would do. Candace struck me as a quiet girl at first, but Zenon seems to bring out the loud in her. In the beginning, everything he did annoyed her."
That's why I liked her. She was goofy, innocent and she didn't take Zenon's sht. What I didn't expect to see over time though, was a sadness and a loneliness inside her that I connected with.
She was also insanely good at math.
I get why Candace interrupted him. It's like that time she threw herself into the middle of our fight outside the surfside shack – when she was meant to be in the getaway car.
She's passionate. And if she wants something to stop, she'll get involved and stop it herself.
"What do you think, Axel?" Cynthia asked me, "You can't blame Zenon for hurting someone who hurt the girl he loves. But if someone you loved violently tries to hurt the guy who hurt you, would you stop them?"
Was that a riddle?
I won't even try to understand her question. Cynthia was already thinking three levels above me.
I didn't want to think about this or comment about them. They deserve us all taking a step back to let them breathe.
Zenon is my brother. I won't turn my back on him.
Cynthia sighed, reaching her own conclusion, "Zenon needs a ride or die."
I lost interest in everything I had to do today. My motivation was below ground level and my happiness was a level beneath that. What's that level called? Underground sewage.
Sounds about right.
I buried my head in my locker, wishing I could hide here until the last bell rang. If this is what ostriches do all day, I've found my crew.
No, I can't betray raccoons like that.
Why do I have to be so weird? If I was normal, I wouldn't be packing 8am alcohol in my backpack or calling my boyfriend out in front of the entire basketball team.
If I was normal, maybe my parents would come home, and the heating would switch on again.
Ten seconds passed by, and I was starting to really believe my plan of hiding inside my locker could work...
"Excuse you."
A female voice spoke so close to me that I jumped, banging my head against the inside of the locker.
For the love of raccoons
Ow. I pulled my head out of my locker, wondering if I should pretend like I was looking for something in there or just own up to the truth. I ended up doing neither.
"Can I help you?" I asked the girl standing directly in front of me.