Zenon's Game Chapter 219

I watched Zenon speak to Axel and he reached for the towel in his back pocket to dry his hands. His tone seemed softer, that much I could tell.

A few minutes later, Axel put his hand against Zenon's shoulder.

"They're going to be alright," Oma observed.

"It's kind of hot watching them talk," Cynthia commented, chucking the forks into their compartment.

I chucked all the napkins into the small washing machine that was only for napkins and tablecloths. Oma handed me the detergent and we set this machine going as well.

"I saw Bianca go to her room," Cynthia told us, "Being a b*tch sounds exhausting."

I looked around and saw Bryce fake dusting a photo frame. He had barely helped clean up. But then again, it was Bryce. At least he was trying.

Finally, this vacation was starting to feel better. We had all come out of this with a few wounds, but I felt closer to the group. Axel, Cynthia and Oma had all come to my defense. Zenon was back to being... well, Zenon.

And Bryce? At least he was trying.

~8AM~

"Wake up, b*tches!" the door to my room burst open, "It's New Year's Eve!"

Cynthia went running down the hallway to wake Oma next, yelling out the exact same thing.

I stared at the time in disbelief. 8.01AM?!

I held onto my bed sheets in self-defense.

I hadn't moved an inch when Cynthia came back to my room. She popped her head across the doorway and said, "I know you missed the memo on the last couple events, so dress sporty for this one."

"It's 8AM," I croaked, holding tightly onto my pillow.

Thirty minutes later, I was in runner shorts and a t-shirt. I tied my hair up, put sunglasses on my head and black sneakers onto my feet. I was so prepared, it's like that time I wore a safari hat and full camo for our summer camp hiking trip. Zenon had called me Crocodile Dundee.

Those were the days.

Little does he know, I brought the same fanny pack with me.

I sat down to a filling breakfast of eggs and toast, greeting Bryce who was sitting by a coffee table, reading a magazine.

I heard Cynthia's voice outside trying to connect to her mom on the phone. I'm not sure if she fully figured out the time difference. There was no way her mom was awake right now.

But it felt nice having so many people in the same house. I enjoyed the company, even if they weren't talking directly to me.

I sprinkled some crushed chilli flakes onto the eggs and continued to eat. I heard Zenon and Axel's voices grow louder as they approached the kitchen area.

"I like the orange ones too, but I don't want to get sand in them," I heard Axel say.

"These ones are good though," Zenon responded.

"Yeah, that's what makes this so hard. It's a sacrifice either way."

The boys walked into the kitchen and by now I knew they were talking about sneakers. They way Axel and Zenon talk about their shoes, is how parents talk about their kids. Except for the sacrifice part.

Zenon chucked his snapback cap onto the seat next to mine and kissed me on the top of my head.

Then his eyes landed on my fanny pack, lying unzipped on the table. He could see the compass and lip balm inside...

"Why does this feel familiar?" he asked.

While he stood behind me, he reached for the compass and the movement meant that he pressed his upper body against my back. He felt familiar.

"Google maps not accurate enough for you?" Zenon asked me, holding the bronze compass in his hand.

"We might get lost," I answered, reaching for it, "We might already be lost."

He opened the palm of his hand so I could take the compass back, but then he closed his fingers around mine.

"You're getting deep, Candace," he warned me with a small smile. He leant down and kissed me again.

Aren't we all lost in a way?

"I know where I am, but I might already be lost," I tried to communicate it, but I was getting lost in his gaze.

Our hands were still locked around the compass. Standing behind me, he wrapped his free arm around my waist and hooked his fingers over my belt buckle.

I felt myself become distracted. The thoughts in my mind evaporated and all I could think about were where his hands were at this moment and where they were going next.

"GUYS!" Bryce slammed a magazine against the kitchen counter, "It's 8 in the morning!"

I jumped at the noise and Zenon smirked, releasing my hand and the compass with it. I packed it in my fanny pack as he grabbed his cap from the table.

He started to walk out and, without looking back, he called out, "Don't pack honey."

At 8.30AM we piled into a white minivan.

After Bryce's dad had forbidden the driver to take us anywhere, we had to rent a car for the day. I was impressed that Bryce had managed to pull that together so quickly.

"Where's Bianca?" I whispered to Cynthia as we were about to get in.

"She's not coming," she answered, while she checked if her phone and some cash were in her bag.

"What?"

"Ask your boyfriend," Cynthia responded, nudging me to get into the van, "He was with her in the gym this morning."

"They went to the gym?!" I asked incredulously, hopping into the van and finding a free seat, "Aren't we about to exercise now? It's 8.30!"

Bryce took the passenger seat up front.

After handing out bottles of water to everyone and, he realized he had one left over. "Where's Bianca?"

Zenon was in the back, checking his phone. He looked up, "We agreed that she should sit this one out. Tensions need to cool down."