Zenon's Game Chapter 250

"Have you heard the terrible news?" Mrs Albert asked me, "Someone tried to rob Candace's house last night. Zenon and Jake tried to help her, but they didn't catch the culprit."

Interesting. Zenon never mentioned the Jake part.

"You saw who did it?" I asked Jake, surprised that he and Zenon worked together for once.

"No," Zenon summarized, "He saw me run out of the house at breakneck speed and did nothing after that."

This sounds more like them.

Mrs Albert had really made it seem like some brotherly teamwork was at play.

"How was I supposed to know why you ran over there?" Jake retorted, "You were running so fast, I thought you were getting laid."

"Is that what you think about on your candlelit nights with your guitar?" Zenon fired back.

Damn. I tried so hard not to laugh.

"Muffin?" I offered.

Mrs Albert accepted.

"No means no," Mrs Albert said firmly, "I don't feel comfortable having Candace stay overnight. You two are dating each other, and I can't trust what you'll get up to. I'm sorry but as a parent I'm responsible for your wellbeing and I can only imagine that her parents feel the same."

Zenon didn't respond. He looked mad, but he'd already tried arguing back and she went extra 'parent' on him.

"Don't look at me like that Zenon," Mrs Albert continued to tell him, "You know she told me that you two plan these things."

I sputtered, Jake froze and Zenon looked up.

That sounds exactly like something Candace would say and no one would understand.

"Fine. We'll sleep in my car," Zenon shrugged, "I'm not leaving her."

Jake chipped in, trying a more productive route, "She can't stay at her place tonight. Her parents aren't home, and she doesn't feel safe there anymore. So, if she can't stay here, where will she stay?"

Zenon looked at me.

And then...

I had a genius idea. I phoned a friend.

"Who's going to tell her?"

"You."

"Pass. You do it."

"What's she even doing in there?"

"Math. She probably finds it therapeutic."

Their voices drifted loudly through my bedroom door. I put my pencil down on graph paper and rolled my eyes at the sounds. They were not subtle. And not wrong.

I was doing math.

I swiveled round in my chair and said, "I can hear you."

The doorknob twisted and three teenage boys squeezed sheepishly through the door:

My handsome boyfriend, his musician brother and sweet best friend. A trio with strong distraction capabilities.

"What do none of you want to tell me?" I asked them, waiting patiently.

As I waited oh so patiently, I questioned what's become of my life? My family have disappeared, and three handsome, impulsive boys were acting as their replacements.

Before last year, the only man to enter my room was my dad... and that memory was dusty.

Jake said, "That's a question for the boyfriend."

'The boyfriend' was hot as ever in a shirt that would be huge on me. His features were so chiseled in the daylight of my bedroom as he gazed at me. Zenon seemed almost lost in thought.

He definitely didn't seem to care about the other two in the room. They way he looked at me made me feel like it was only the two of us.

Jake prodded him, "I can step in, but you-"

Axel sighed, knowing exactly where this was going to go next.

"Cool yourself, Jake," Zenon said, "You're f*cking lost here."

"Zenon!" I exclaimed, shocked by his comment and doubly shocked by how calmly he said it.

What's wrong with him?!

Jake let the insult roll over him. "You're still surprised, Candace? This is who you're dating."

"Jake," I sighed, getting so tired of this.

Why couldn't we all get along?

Axel glared at their immaturity. "Mills, we don't want you to stay here alone tonight. Zenon's mom suggested that you stay at a friend's house until your parents come home."

My parents aren't coming home.

One is long gone and the other... there's a 50/50 chance she comes back.

"You can stay at my place or Chadwick's palace," Axel offered, "But we thought you may want to stay with a friend, so we asked Cynthia."

Cynthia was such a good friend, but it wasn't the same as Zenon. I tried to mask my disappointment.

Instinctively, I looked back to him. This explained why he was in such a bad mood.

"Thanks Axel," I said, keeping the emotion out of my face, "Then, uh, can I stay at Bianca's?"

If I couldn't stay with Zenon, I might as well go for full destruction.

"What?" Axel looked confused as he tried to figure out the logic behind my question.

Zenon approached it differently, "Why?"

And then Jake filled in with, "Who? Bianca Rodriguez?"

The one and only.

"Yeah, Bianca. We're starting to get along," I said, trying not to laugh at their comical reactions.

"Can you excuse us for a second?" Zenon said, opening the door and guiding Jake out of it.

Axel followed suit and the door closed, leaving Zenon and me alone. I was itching to kiss him again, but I knew the others were right outside and I could see from Zenon's expression that he was focused on the situation at hand.

So no kiss?

"You don't have to stay with any of them," he told me, "We can both stay here tonight or in my car or-"

"It's OK Zenon," I assured him, reaching out to touch his arm, "I don't want to anger your mom."

I really wanted her to like me. She cared so much for them and that kind of connection was rare.

Zenon asked me bluntly, "Why Bianca?"

"Because if I don't get to stay with you, then I'm focused on my mission," I answered, "I want to find the intruder. I know I injured them yesterday, so I want to hear Bianca's alibi and inspect her leg."