Zenon's Game Chapter 267

I was careful in handling the saw. My hands wrapped around the grip and I picked it up cautiously, staring at the long blade and its sharp teeth.

Slowly, I whispered to myself as I slowly turned around. One wrong move and I...

I didn't want to think about it.

Jake had said something about an old lady, so I was careful not to make any sudden movements. I looked behind me and saw a woman in a long brown shawl and green skirt shuffling down the street. She had glasses perched on top of her head and a cane that led the way.

She was the old lady who lived at number 34 Dupont Avenue and who used to take care of Winnifred. But when she saw me, her expression changed to terror.

I tried to lower the saw, thinking that might be the reason why she looked terrified.

"YOU AGAIN!" she screamed.

Oh, no.

I glanced over at Zenon at the exact same time as he turned towards me. He was across the street, standing next to his family, but I could see his expression so clearly.

He saw me holding a giant saw in front of the angry old lady.

And I saw his lips move: "Not again."

This doesn't look good, I'll admit.

"MURDERER!" the lady screamed at me, waving her cane, "IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO KILL MY CAT, NOW YOU STALK ME DOWN THE STREET! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!"

I couldn't imagine how anyone else was interpreting this.

The old lady inhaled sharply to catch her breath, and in the silence, Jake laughed.

Thrown off guard, the old lady glared at him. Her cane found its new focus.

Jake continued to cackle, "I'm sorry but this situation... is too absurd for me. I..." he doubled over in laughter.

I handed over the saw to the gambler's friend who took it to his pickup truck. I then backed away, off the pavement so she didn't feel any kind of threat from me. Attention moved away from us and the old lady shuffled along, cursing profanities in my general direction.

Jake controlled his laughter.

And in all this commotion, Axel stared down at the clear plastic bag by his feet. "Is no one going to talk about the pound of weed?"

My mom had dropped the breadbasket and the weed had tumbled out, landing in front of him.

Curiosity killed the cat.

But if you ask the old lady down the street, I did it.

I watched my mom drive off in her boyfriend's car with his pound of weed. She left behind the broken breadbasket.

And me. She also left me.

Randomly, Bryce and his father walked out of the party and into their chauffeur driven car, not even questioning why we were all on the street. Even the gambler's friend drove off in his pick-up truck. It created a little traffic jam on our small street.

I looked back at my house and oddly felt a sense of pride amidst this adversity:

No parents, no lock on the front door and, after the break-in, a broken window also. Now we had a padlock and a boarded-up window but still no parents, though.

Glass was an expensive replacement, and so was an actual lock on the front door. This was the best we could do, and I felt proud we did it.

Zenon returned to my side, swinging his arm over my shoulder, and enveloping me in his familiar scent. He squeezed me against him, and the soft fabric of his shirt rubbed the makeup on my face. He kissed the top of my head and told me:

"You're so crazy," his deep voice murmured, "I love you."

My heart skipped a beat hearing him say it like that. His skin against mine was what I needed right now. I wrapped my arms around his waist as well and murmured the same thing into the soft fabric of his shirt, "I love you."

I breathed in that familiar musky scent that most of my stolen sweaters smell like now. I wanted to stay in this position forever.

Axel and Jake approached us, watching my mom drive off into the distance.

"Meet the parents didn't go down too well, did it?" Axel commented, ignoring the intimate moment we were trying to have.

It seemed like everyone watched her leave. Even Zenon's parents were staring after my mom's car. And it made me remember what my mom had said.

"Actually," I mumbled, my mind retracing the last few minutes, "That reminds me..."

I had something to say to Mr Albert.

Parents hide things sometimes when they're not hiding themselves. My dad plays such an amazing game of hide & seek, that he's still out there – hiding.

Do I trust my boyfriend's father? Not at all.

And my mother may not be getting a 'mother of the year' award anytime soon, but there was obviously more to the story than she was letting on. Maybe this was my way of holding on to the hope that she didn't just leave for no reason. I wanted there to be a reason. I almost needed there to be.

And all signs were pointing to Mr D.

I walked slowly across the street, my head spinning with the words I wanted to say to him.

I knew Mr D was occupied, and I knew he didn't like me interrupting him. I mean, the guy didn't like me period. But I couldn't shake off the feeling...

It was the way my mom kept looking at him and the way she freaked out when I mentioned his name...

The Dawsons were huddled in an intimate conversation with Zenon's coach next to Mrs Albert's flower display. As I approached them, I overheard:

"I'm worried about Zenon," Mrs Albert said in a hushed voice, "He's overestimating his strength and not being careful with his knee. I spoke to the doctor and-"