Zenon's Game Chapter 230

Could they seriously not turn the music down? Private conversations are happening over here.

"We were just at his party," Axel answered, "I saw your aunt there, but I had no idea you were with them. Are your sisters here too?"

Bryce's eyes doubled in size, "She has sisters?"

"Can you stop?" Cynthia asked him.

Bryce was practically drooling over her. Lara was stunning with a confident but not arrogant vibe about her. Her white dress paired and white converses made me regret why I didn't prioritize comfort. My toes were in pain.

"No, it's just me. I'm here with some friends," she answered, waving at a random group in the crowd, "What about you? I can't believe you're here."

Zenon, Bianca and Oma came towards them now, having spent the last thirty minutes on the dance floor. My eyes naturally gravitated to Zenon as he grabbed a bottle of water and twisted the cap open. He's cute.

Bianca, however, headed straight for the new girl. "Hi there. Do you need help? You have a silver bracelet and this area is for gold ones."

She was flaunting our VIP status.

Suddenly, Bryce jumped over the couch, abandoning our identity as the three spying scrooges, and landed on the other side.

"We can get you a gold bracelet!" he exclaimed, almost out of breath, "No issues."

Bryce startled Lara, who bumped into Axel. I could see Cynthia's gaze scrutinize Axel's hands as he steadied her.

"Thank you," Lara said, looking alarmed by his entrance, "But who are you?"

Bryce laughed and I wondered what the joke was.

He rolled his shoulders back and extended his hand for a handshake, grandly saying, "I... am Roland Chadwick the Third."

Axel glanced back at Zenon like it was a cry for help.

Meanwhile, Lara shook Bryce's hand, "Thank you, but this bracelet is for backstage access so it's all good."

She just owned us and our "VIP status" and I'm so here for it.

Bianca's expression turned green with envy. "How do you have that?"

Lara started to look annoyed by the interrogation. Her emerald green eyes flickered back to Axel, "The DJ invited us."

We all looked at the DJ with his headphones on stage, headlining the entire party. The time was ticking to midnight on a giant screen behind him.

"He looks forty," Axel said. "How well do you know him?"

Axel was behaving like a protective older brother, even though I knew he was an only child. He hadn't seen her in years, so they couldn't be that close. So who was Lara?

Just before Axel went full 'concerned parent', Zenon walked up to cool down the situation. The unexpected reunion had been disrupted by our game of 101 questions.

"I'm Zenon," he introduced himself.

I knew what Zenon was doing; turning on the charm and expecting everyone to bend to his will. We've all seen that playbook.

I've fallen for it.

"Hi," she smiled at him, "I definitely remember you. Do you still like basketball?"

He nodded, trying to remember, "Did we meet when..."

"When Axel dated my older sister, yes," Lara nodded, finishing his sentence, "It's a sore subject. You should be glad she's not here right now though."

Cynthia pinched my hand.

"I need to go," Lara told us, "It's almost midnight and we're celebrating the ball drop back there."

She hugged Axel and they said something that we couldn't hear. Then she smiled at us before leaving.

We'd been hanging onto her every word. She'd dropped in with so much mystery and now she was dropping out. I had so many questions.

Bianca turned on Axel, "Who was she?"

Direct, but OK. It's what we all want to know.

"She's a family friend I haven't seen in years," Axel said, changing subject, "Who else is feeling weird about this DJ situation? I don't like the idea of Lara and that DJ backstage. She's way too young."

"Didn't she say she was our age?" Cynthia asked, speaking to him for the first time since this whole thing happened.

I had a question for him too: How old were you when you dated her sister?

Zenon pulled me away from everyone with a knowing look on his face. He was starting to sense that I had an acute interest in Axel's love life, though he didn't know about my plot for #Austerra just yet.

"What are you up to?" he asked me, his smile showing me that he was partly amused by my antics, "Your expressions were all over the place."

"I'm just curious about Axel's ex-girlfriend. It sounds like she was older than him?" I asked, trying to keep my innocent act going.

Zenon laughed and shook his head, "You're not going to reel me in with that act and pry out information on my best friend."

I exhaled, "Why not? You're my boyfriend?"

"And you're my girlfriend using me to get to my best friend," Zenon repeated slowly, folding his arms across his chest, "It's heartbreaking."

I unfolded his crossed arms and he scooped me up in them.

"After midnight, let's get out of here," Zenon suggested.

"OK," I squeaked.

*23.59 PM*

My own countdown to my first kiss of the new year. A kiss with someone I loved. I haven't told him yet. I was scared he'd run away, I was looking for the right time, I was wondering if he felt the same...

Once you say words, you can never take them back. What's said can never be unsaid.

The timer on stage flickered to a double-digit countdown. The DJ took his giant headphones off and stopped the music. The lights honed in on him and his spiky blue hair with pink tips.

I stared at the timer on the big screen as a chant started to rise out of the crowd. Like they were possessed.

This felt like a fun math test

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