Zenon's Game Chapter 256

Zenon and I walked side by side into school. My arm bumped against his and he calmly took my hand in his. The hallway was packed with excited energy.

I was so tired that the sound of lockers banging shut startled me.

"Keep an eye out for anyone limping," I mumbled, thinking of the blackmailer.

"Did you spear the guy?" Zenon asked, "Chucking a record at him is not going to take him out. He's probably fine by now."

"We don't know they're a he," I reminded him.

Zenon's basketball teammates found us first. They surrounded us, talking about some upcoming game until, finally, Bryce caught up to us. He was the one player on the basketball team who probably knew less about the game than me.

Bryce gave me a side hug and greeted the others.

"You got a haircut," I noticed.

"Usual trim," Bryce nodded, running his hand through his shampooed hair, "Where's Axel? I swear he was here a second ago."

"Speaking of coffee..." I said.

Zenon glanced at me, "No one was speaking about coffee."

"So what are we speaking about right now?"

I was too shy to kiss him in front of his friends, so I discretely squeezed his hand before heading off. I wanted to speak to my math teacher before class started.

I didn't get far when I heard Axel's voice in the crowd. "Is that toilet sign a modern symbol of urgency?"

I spun round and saw him leaning against his locker with Oma, already smiling. They waved me over.

The bell rang just as she was pulling out her phone.

Axel said, "I'm not going to miss that sound after we graduate."

~Afternoon~

I waited outside my math teacher's office, waiting to hear back about my tutoring application. I was hoping to become a paid tutor this semester, but there weren't many of those positions to go around.

My SAT subject tests had come back with mixed results: high on math and low on English. I hoped the English results wouldn't hurt me.

"Candy," Zenon called out to me.

It's still a rush of excitement to see Zenon at school. He appeared by the corner of the hallway, wearing his basketball jersey and shorts. I'd almost forgotten that he was captain of the school's basketball team, I hadn't seen him dressed like that in so long.

"You're going to have to give me better directions next time," he said, after trying too long to find me in the math department.

I don't know how he got lost after four years here - I knew this place like the back of my hands.

"I'm going to be training tonight, but Axel said he'd drop you off at home after school," Zenon told me, "I'll come see you after."

"OK, I'll wait up for you," I said, pretending like I actually sleep at night.

Zenon brushed the cape of my neck before he kissed me there. His fingers circled over my skin, relaxing my body. Why does he make me feel like this? We're at school, outside my teacher's office, and all I wanted was to wrap myself around him.

Zenon acts on impulse and I by structure, but he's really rubbing off on me – in more ways than one.

The door behind us opened and my teacher stepped out, catching us in an embrace, our lips so close to one another's, our arms wrapped around each other.

"I'm surprised to see you in such a compromising position, Candace Turner," the teacher said, "A tutor is a respected position at Preston Oakes. We look at both grades and behavior."

I stepped away from Zenon, feeling embarrassed at being caught like this, "Sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Why do you need to apologize?" Zenon asked, "Sounds like this application process is a joke."

"Zenon," I scowled at him.

I need this job.

"Zenon Albert," the teacher addressed him by full name, "I know who you are and that you think you run the school because you can hold a ball. But that doesn't hold much weight amongst us academics. Candace, maybe we'll see each other another time."

The door closed shut. Did he say maybe?!

"Zenon!" I shoved him, "Why did you have to speak for me?!"

"Did you see the way he was speaking to you?"

This little showdown cost me the only chance I had at becoming a tutor.

"Sometimes, you just..." I didn't want to finish my sentence. It wasn't my intention to get into an argument. I was way too tired for that.

"Go on."

"We're different, that's all," I sighed.

He can talk back and get away with things that I can't.

Zenon and I walked back to the cafeteria, still arguing about the conversation in the math department. I didn't want to tell him how much I needed this job, but he could see my disappointment.

"Fine," he grudgingly admitted, "I won't interfere in your math-"

"Cynthia!" I exclaimed, spotting her walking alongside Yoona in the hallway. "Where's Axel?"

The question to Zenon slipped out of my mouth, without thinking twice.

"What?" Zenon asked. Axel was the furthest from his mind right now. "I don't keep a tracker on him."

"Let's find him," I suggested, watching Cynthia walk into the cafeteria. She hadn't heard me.

I'd promised her to push for Austerra, and completely forgot about it while focusing on my own issues.

"I'm sure he's fine," Zenon said. Confused with my concern, he followed my gaze.

And then he clocked it. "No, Candy."

"What?"

"Axel and Cearrra are not going to be a thing."

"Says who?"

"I just said it," he answered.

And my question had confirmed his suspicion – I was trying to play Cupid with our best friends.

"Candace, you don't know Axel," Zenon told me, walking towards the cafeteria himself, "He's not interested in Cynthia."

"What do you mean? They get along so well."