Zenon's Game Chapter 143

Trust Zenon to turn that comment into a dare.

His voice sounded amused before he paused. "Look left, Candy."

Confused, I looked at the phone and then around me. Was he here?

It was difficult to see through the crowd. People were hanging out outside the school, talking about the test. Some parents were waiting to pick their kids up, offering that emotional support.

A group of people walked by a black jeep wrangler and that's when I saw him.

He was leaning against the hood of his car, relaxed and carefree. His blue eyes stared right at me, a playful smirk on his lips.

He lowered the phone from his ear and hung up.

"Ready for a road trip?"

"You finished," Zenon told me, kissing me all over my neck and down to my collarbone, "Proud of you."

His words muffled between kisses.

If I get this much attention after every test, then I'll stay in school forever.

I leant towards him and my hand accidentally pressed the window button. It started to roll down, but we were too busy making out to notice.

Until a girl squealed, "Is that Zenon Albert?!"

He looked up, shoving his hair back. A girl was gawking at him and the people around stared.

While Zenon's other hand rested against the seat, he reached out and, as the girl kept talking at him, he pressed the button and the window rolled back up.

"Zenon, can you-"

He waved as the outside voices were drowned out.

I sat up from underneath him, adjusting my shirt. Zenon leaned back into the driver seat of his car and exhaled. He smirked at me.

We'd gotten a bit distracted.

We were still in the school parking lot, though most people had already dispersed to enjoy the weekend after exams.

My duffel bag was in the back seat, and Zenon was about to drive me to the lake house. I decided to leave my car in the school parking lot until Monday.

We would be back by then.

Soon, we would be at his lake house with his parents and brother. Jake, who I haven't really spoken with since Zenon and I started dating.

I couldn't imagine the dinner conversation, let alone what we would all do.

I come from a pretty dysfunctional family. I don't actually know what families do when they hang out. Fish?

But I was excited to see. And I was grateful to be invited. Warm cooked meals and friendly laughter would be a welcome change.

I tried not to look at Zenon too many times. I wanted to pinch myself from dreaming. He looked dreamlike: messy black hair and blue eyes, fringed with black eyelashes. Eyelashes I've kissed a few times now.

And that I intend to kiss again many more times.

The top of his hoodie touched the cape of his neck and it moved ever so slightly when he moved.

"You missed the exit to the highway," I pointed out, as his car turned in the opposite direction.

"We have to make a stop," he told me, "We're picking up Bianca."

Bianca. Did the boy seriously say Bianca?

"Bianca," I repeated, "Like the girl?"

"Yeah," he nodded, giving me a weird look, "Like the girl."

Oh-kay.

I think I've been understanding so far. Bianca threatened me, told me she was destined to be with my boyfriend and that I was a nobody.

Friendly girl, really.

Then she and my boyfriend go for dinner the night before my SAT subject tests and go back to his place after.

Oh, not to mention - he throws a little party there... while I'm across the street... studying.

And now, Bianca is coming to the jake house?! Damn it, I got to stop saying that!

"Why is Bianca coming?" I asked, keeping my cool.

"She asked." He shrugged, his eyes focused on the road ahead, "She's having a tough time at home. Her parents have been arguing a lot lately and we have a spare room."

"Can she not?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he glanced over and saw my expression was serious.

He pulled up to the side of the road. When the car stopped, he turned to give me his full attention.

"You know I care about you more than any other girl. It's not even close," he told me, "But I have friends who are girls and sometimes, they'll need me to be a friend."

"I get that," I said.

I do.

I mean, I don't have many friends, but I get that you need to help them. It's just, this feels like Bianca's trying to get with him. And that's a whole new level of friendly.

"I've known Bianca, Jamie and Oma since we were kids."

"I'm not trying to get between your friendships," I told him.

I knew he was thinking about the incident with Jamie. It almost stopped us from becoming... us.

I had incorrectly thought there could be something going on between them – because Axel called her "Zenon's girl" at his grotto party all those months ago and because she went over to Zenon's house late at night.

I mean, who doesn't run 1,000 scenarios in their head when the boy they're crushing on is hanging out with another girl?

But what Zenon doesn't get, is that he still thinks I was angry about that. In truth, I was angry because he followed her inside his own house right after I told him I liked him. That one hurt.

He basically ended the conversation after I said I was falling for him.

Now I'm not suspicious of him and Bianca. I'm not afraid.

I still have memories of my ex-boyfriend cheating on me, but I'm trying to compartmentalize. That's my word of the day by the way. Compartmentalize.

This is a new relationship, and it's better than any I have ever experienced before. I don't want to ruin that.