Zenon's Game Chapter 196

I turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction of my car.

"Axel!" Zenon's voice called out across the parking lot, "Where you going?"

He pointed towards my car next to his with a questioning look on his face.

"Oh!" I pretended like I just noticed them, "I didn't see my car there."

He's got to know that's a lie. How can I forget where I park my car every day? My initials are painted on the concrete.

But if he knew, he didn't question it. Zenon doesn't interrogate. He's the kind of friend who lets secrets lay.

They were with some guys from the basketball team and a few girls as well. I didn't want this conversation with spectators.

"Free to talk?" I told Zenon as I approached them, "You, me and Bryce."

"Now?"

I nodded.

Zenon shrugged, turning to Bryce who was in the middle of a conversation, "Bryce."

Bryce looked over in mid hand gesture and Zenon moved his head in a subtle 'let's go' gesture. Without questioning, Bryce peeled himself away from the others and joined us.

We walked out of earshot and past Zenon's car, where a candy cane and envelope stuck out from under the windshield wiper.

"I'm guessing that's not from Candace," Bryce said, picking up the love letter.

I picked up the candy cane. Festive.

"It's the holidays," Zenon answered, shrugging off the attention, "Axel gets more chocolate."

"I ask for it," I deflected.

We get distracted too easily.

Bryce leaned against Zenon's car, ready to open a love letter that wasn't addressed to him, "What did you want to talk about? We're heading to mine in a little-"

"Have we thought through Dubai?" I asked them.

Bryce and Zenon looked at each other and said:

"No."

"What about?"

I didn't want to say this, but I had to. I kept the talking to a minimum:

"Bianca isn't bringing peace to the house."

"This trip isn't a spiritual retreat," Bryce said, "It's New Years. We want to get fu-"

"OK," I said, "But the F we don't want is a fight."

I sound like someone's grandma. F is for friends who do stuff together-

Or is that Spongebob? Candace keeps sending me Spongebob videos and it's gotten to my head.

"Bianca's spicy but she means well," Bryce defended and looked to Zenon for support, "Zenon, you know her better than me."

"No, I don't," Zenon passed it back. "I know my girlfriend's not feeling Bianca."

That's an understatement.

I told Bryce, "It's your house, man. Your call."

And I guess we're going to let it slide that Bryce just called Bianca 'spicy'. Makes her sound like chili.

"Well what do you want me to do with that information? Bianca and I are having a good time right now, so I'd like her to come," Bryce said, annoyed by the situation.

He looked back and forth between me and Zenon.

I didn't have anything else to say. I wasn't going to change my opinion and I didn't like what I saw in the hallway earlier. But now that he's mentioned chili, I should really ask Gloria what's for dinner.

I opened my phone.

"Did she do something to Candace?" Zenon asked, trying to figure out why I was bringing this up now.

I put my phone away. I guess we weren't done with this conversation yet. "The girls don't get along. Let's take it at face value."

I didn't share details. I didn't like to gossip.

Bryce laughed, "You think that's enough to spoil the trip?"

"Are you going to talk to Bianca, or should I?" Zenon asked Bryce directly. He didn't look like he was messing around.

I'm guessing this wasn't the first time he's had a Candace-Bianca problem.

"Fine. I'll do it," Bryce said reluctantly, "Because from your body language, I can tell you're ready to chew her out."

Zenon didn't disagree. "Pass on a message from me that one step out of line and I'll drag her back in."

"That's a bit aggressive," I said.

I thought the whole point of this was to de-escalate the aggression and not throw ourselves into the mix.

~Zenon's POV~

I was tired of hearing Bianca's name.

Today, I planned to spend a total of 0 time thinking about her. I'm already in deficit.

"Tell me if Bianca doesn't understand," I told Bryce.

Bryce was hooking up with her now so I couldn't stop him from inviting her to Dubai.

I won't interfere with their situation, but I know the way Bianca looks at me and it's not healthy to have her close to Candace. I've never looked at her the way I look at Candace.

"Let me handle Bianca. You're both obviously biased against her and I think a calm conversation with her will settle all of this," Bryce told us.

He obviously doesn't know Bianca.

"Keep it under control," I warned Bryce.

Bryce was as subtle as a flying brick. His conversation with Bianca could go wrong in so many ways, he won't know what hit him.

I started to leave, not wanting to waste more time on the subject. This Bianca story was getting too long, and I can think of a swifter ending.

"Don't you want your love letter?" Bryce teased, waving the envelope in his hand.

"Your girlfriend's behind you," Axel pointed out.

I looked to see Candace walk out the front doors of the school. She skipped down the steps, her backpack bouncing on her back. She was reading something on her phone and stumbled over the last step.

Suspender boy ran after her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around at the same time as he tried to overtake her, so they almost missed each other.

He fumbled before handing her a pen and she thanked him. After that, suspender boy headed off.

"What a weird interaction," Bryce commented.

I disagree.

Axel stood beside me and said, "And our boy's fallen."