Zenon's Game Chapter 108

Recap

A message had been written on the side of a stuffed raccoon:

You may be the world's worst driver, but you know how to drive me crazy.

He'd planted these chicken scratch messages all across the pasture, with the expectation that I would get here. Eventually.

The wind rustled the bare branches of the trees around us, but I felt warm.

"You were the first person I could stand up to," I said, "I never realized that until now. Somehow, I was always comfortable with you."

"I loved that," Zenon confessed, "And I loved watching how your confidence grew. You faced the school down, a gang, my friends and even your own. You're strong, Candace."

I shook my head, hoping he wouldn't notice the emotion in the tears that clouded my eyes. "If I'm strong, it's only because I've been weak."

I stared at the strong, handsome boy in front of me. So many people had walked away from me. So many people had never bothered to get to know me. How is it possible that the one person who did was Zenon Albert?

The friend I never asked for, but the one I always needed.

"Zenon," I gasped, suddenly realizing where we were. "I know where you're taking me now! I recognize the road."

His arms were wrapped around my waist and my hands were on his chest. He smiled, his stunning smile that revealed perfect white teeth, and leaned his head down over my mouth. He didn't stifle my words, but he let his lips hover over mine, enjoying the moment.

"Yes, you do, Candy," he whispered, "It's to the place we met. I'm taking you back to the beginning."

"No," I smiled mischievously, "The beginning started with a raccoon."

Saturday evening

An ice cube could have melted over him and it wouldn't have changed a damn thing.

He was smoking hot. And the heat intensified the closer I got.

Oh that rhymes. I like to give myself mental high-fives for poetic wording. Sometimes, I really think I deserve a better grade in English-

Focus!

His hot breath was on my skin and my name on his lips.

"Candace," he whispered.

The double "l" rolled off the top of the tongue. I was melting in his arms and he held me closer. His closed eyes hiding the blueness beneath. The warmth of his body heat engulfed me.

That's when I knew.

I've peaked in high school.

Sunday morning

It's easy to lose yourself when someone else is letting you go.

That's something my mother used to say... back to her psychiatrist while they downed shots on a Monday. Mum always gave great advice to her shot glass.

She was a presence in my life, unlike my dad, who walked out one morning and never came back. Longest game of hide and seek I've ever played.

These memories were flooding back now. I promised myself I would never end up here...

And yet here I was.

The police station was quiet this Sunday morning. An officer was typing my information into the system and I could hear the click clack of the keys while I looked around for the snack station.

"Are you listening to me, Miss Turner?"

"No, I was thinking about donuts," I blurted out and immediately clapped my hands over my mouth.

Donuts were probably not the right food to mention to a cop. But I'm hungry.

I didn't want to mess around with the police. Not after they had me in handcuffs at the Laughing Heads bar. It was thanks to the biker gang that I didn't end up here.

Well, I still ended up here.

"Pay attention if you want to be taken seriously," the officer said, cracking his fingers by habit. "My advice to you is to avoid attracting attention from now on."

My stomach grumbled. Like I said, I'm hungry.

"That's it, sir? Aren't you going to investigate?" I grumbled.

My stomach and I are on the same level.

He disagreed. "If we were to get involved in every teenage drama, it would consume department resources and it's not in my job description."

"But my house was vandalized with graffiti, my necklace was stolen and I'm receiving threatening letters. That's blackmail, petty theft and libel-"

Yes, I googled those before I came in this morning.

"No one was hurt," he said, "and you are not the first teenager to be bullied in this country."

"My friends were hurt," I argued, "A gang attacked them for my stolen necklace after it was planted on Bryce's car."

"Gang violence we take very seriously, which is why I have recorded your statement about that incident into the system."

"Ok but recording it doesn't do anything!"

"Are you related to Rosalie Turner?" he asked, swiveling his chair around so that the computer wasn't between us any longer.

I stared at his bushy eyebrows and nodded. "She's my mother."

"I thought so. Your mother was a regular at the station over a decade ago. We have many files on her, all at her request. She used to come in here with tales not too different to yours."

Tales?

I remembered that. My sister and I would come with my mum when she was trying to find my father and, at the same time, accuse him of all kinds of crimes.

It was a dark time for us.

"I am not making this up," I said, sticking to the present. He didn't believe me.

He was judging me for my background. So I stuck to the present. I want to focus on the future...

Because I want it to be brighter than the past.

Random sentimental moment there.