Zenon's Game Chapter 136

She was standing by his car in the driveway, reading something on her phone. She often looked up to watch us.

"I'll say a few words," Zenon said.

He was wearing a gray hoodie and navy shorts. Though he hadn't dressed in black for the funeral, he'd at least made zero smart*ss comments during the ceremony – unlike his friends.

"Do I keep sprinkling these petals or we good?" Axel asked, holding up the bucket I'd given him. There were 100 petals on the floor around him.

Maybe we should've rehearsed this.

"We're good. Thanks Axel."

"Sorry to interrupt you, bro," Axel mentioned to Zenon, getting back in line next to Bryce and Cynthia.

Zenon nodded and started his speech: "Cat, we'll find out who did this to you. And they will join you in a very shallow grave."

And that was it.

He did mean a few words. We all stood in silence and a few more seconds passed by...

"I hope you're up there, drinking milk," Cynthia added, "And chasing toy mice."

The next afternoon, I entered Zenon's bedroom with my backpack in my hands.

"Hey Candy," he said, chucking his clothes from the chair into his cupboard to make space for me.

"I have your mom's birthday present," I told him, unzipping my backpack.

He kissed me hello. I pulled out the little box that I'd wrapped during my shift at Lola Rae and presented it to him.

"Her birthday's tomorrow but you don't need to get her anything," he said, letting his hand rest around my waist.

"I know, but it's for you to give to her. Remember, I asked you what favors I can do to repay the cost of the laptop?"

He held the box in his left hand, before placing it on the desk next to his new laptop. Then he sat down and pulled me onto his lap.

I was surprised by the move and my backpack dropped to the floor next to his feet. I wrapped my hands around his neck and my fingers played with the back of his soft hair.

"Candy," he told me, "You're my girlfriend now. We don't play these games anymore."

My fingers froze in his hair. His blue eyes looked up at me. He was relaxed with the full weight of my body on his knees.

His hands rose and locked around my waist, "You feel me?"

Oh, I feel you

"Yes," I closed the space between us and kissed him softly, "But you're the only person I'll ever want to play with."

Our lips were still touching when he replied, "Well that changes the meaning."

Suddenly, he pulled me into the air as he stood up and threw us both on the bed. I screamed at the abrupt movement but laughed when my head brushed the pillow. I reached for it underneath me and hit his shoulder with the pillow.

He turned away so it wouldn't get in his face and laughed.

I loved the sound of his laugh.

"I'm still using the present by the way," he told me, "I forgot to get my mum one."

I smacked him with the pillow again.

"What was that for?!"

"For forgetting your mom's birthday!" I said, right before I hit him again.

"And that one?!" he exclaimed, reaching over me to grab another pillow from the bed.

I inhaled his familiar smell while he did.

"For forgetting to say thank you!"

He smirked and loosened his grip. "Oh, I can very quickly make you say thank you."

"How?"

That's when I realized we were on his bed...

Later that evening, the sun was setting outside his window. The colors of the sunset shone against his desk. Zenon was sitting in front of his new laptop, downloading Microsoft Word.

He had an assignment to write for bio. He wasn't that focused about it. While he waited for it to load, he spun a basketball on his index finger and played with the ball.

Meanwhile, I was sitting on his bed, taking a math quiz on my computer. I was practicing for the mathlete competition coming up. My first one since I rejoined the team.

How times have changed. I was a completely different girl to the one who fled out of rehearsal last year after finding out Kaden had cheated on me.

Now I couldn't give a hoot where he was or who he was with.

Sure, he left me with scars, but I feel more beautiful now. I'm working on my trust issues and my low self-confidence.

Zenon saved me in a way. He popped my bubble of self-pity and I have not looked back since.

I'm still wearing the smile Zenon gave me at summer camp.

I didn't realize I was smiling at him until he called me out on it.

He threw the basketball higher into the air and reached his arm out to catch it, "What are you smiling about, Candace Turner?"

"Nothing," I answered, shifting the laptop on my lap, guilty as ever.

"I smile about us too," he said.

Was I that obvious?

His phone rang, disrupting the moment, and he picked it up. He glanced over at me and rolled his eyes as I could hear it was his Coach on the other end.

I went back to my math equation.

Sometimes I get the urge to multiply both sides by 0 and solve all the world's equations.

"Watch," Zenon disrupted my concentration, "Watch."

I looked up and saw him scrunch his piece of paper into a ball. He threw it at the bin, but it missed.

"Well that's embarrassing," I said.

"She's stone cold," he commented, going back to his bio assignment.

"You should probably focus more on your homework," I joked, "Since basketball might not work out."

Another piece of paper came flying through the air and smacked my shoulder. This time, his aim was right on.

*Next morning*