Zenon's Game Chapter 22

Everyone turned around to find Zenon, walking up the steps to the cabin with Malik beside him.  He was in black shorts and Jordan PSG sneakers.  He had sunglasses and a shirt on - which is a surprise, I was starting to think he was allergic to shirts. 

Malik was bouncing a basketball.  He ran towards me and threw it at me, "Catch!"

I couldn't.  It bounced against my arm and he caught it.  "Haha!  You can't catch!  You also snore when you sleep."

Zenon picked the ball out of Malik's hands and held it out of reach, "We had a deal, remember?  If I played ball with you, you wouldn't give her a hard time anymore."

Malik must have come back early and found us on the lounge chairs.  It was nice of Zenon to take him out so he wouldn't wake me up.

"Yeah, yeah," Malik sulked, "Sorry Candace."

Zenon gave him the ball back and Malik ran into the house, passing by Axel like a whirlwind.  Axel kept his cereal bowl out of harm's way.

"Hey man, when d'you get here?" Zenon asked, surprised to see him.

Apparently, no one invited Axel.  

Tamara cleared her throat, impatient at how everyone was ignoring her.  She was used to being the center of attention.  

She and Zenon might be made for each other after all.

Zenon finally paid attention to her. "Did you forget something?" 

"I didn't come to see you.  I came to see Candace."

"And I still don't understand why," I replied, "Your relationship is between the two of you, not me."

"You've weasled your way into his life so don't pretend like you're little Miss Innocent right now.  The whole camp knows you've been trying to poison his mind against me."

She used the word weasel, just like Stacey and her friends did at the camping trip.  They must have gossiped about me and that this was part of a plan to gang up on me. 

"I really haven't," I said, "It's true I'd like to poison him, but those reasons have nothing to do with you."

Zenon and Axel both smiled at that.  

Tamara got more agitated, "So you admit to trying to-"

I interrupted her again.  I was not willing to be dragged into their drama.  "I'm sorry you two have broken up.  It seemed like you had a... passionate relationship. If you're looking for a counselor or third party mediator-"

"Shut up!  I want you to apologize and undo whatever you've done to make Zenon want to break up with me.  We were perfectly happy without you."

"Don't swear at her," Zenon intervened, ending the argument as she immediately piped down, "Don't blame her for what happened between the two of us.  This was my decision and you can yell at me, but leave her out of it."

His tone was not the usual sarcastic, cocky one.  It was serious.

What happened between the two of them?  What did I miss?

I could see the tears well up in her eyes and it made me sorry for her.  I knew what heartbreak felt like.  I'd experienced it myself before the summer began.

"Counseling isn't such a bad idea," Axel said, "We could elect an ombudsman."

"A what?" I asked.  It sounded like an SAT word.

"Guys, why don't you go inside," Zenon told us, before facing an emotional Tamara by himself. 

I didn't need to be told twice.  I ran in there and only came back out to drag Axel inside.  He was eating cereal like it was popcorn... ready for the drama.

While Tamara and Zenon handled the heavy questions outside, I focused on what really mattered...

"Can you bring more fruit loops next time you come?" I asked Axel, staring at the empty box, "All our visitors keep eating my cereal."

And when I say our visitors, I mean Zenon's.  No one visited me.

"How about you branch out a bit, try something new?"

"Like Special K?"

"Like Zenon."

Whaat?!

I wish I was drinking something just so I could spit it out.  WHAAT.  Since when was cereal a pseudonym for boys?

Axel saw the blood rush out of my head and chuckled, "Just putting it out there.  I haven't seen a girl handle him like you do.  You call him out on his BS.  He's protective around you and mostly he's himself around you."

"You know what else is BS?" I answered my own question right after I asked it, "This whole conversation."

"You think a guy like him could never fall for a girl like you?"

Wow, Axel coming out with all my insecurities.

"I don't think that," I said.  I know that.

"Good.  Otherwise you'd be really discrediting him.  Zenon Albert is a lot of things, but shallow ain't one of them."