Zenon's Game Chapter 317

I couldn't believe we were about to walk into daylight together like this.

"You may want to, uh," I pointed at his face.

He looked like an Avatar with blue paint all over his face.

"Oh! My facial mask," he exclaimed and went to the sink to scrub the paint off.

This was taking much longer than I thought. I didn't expect Bryce to be having a spa day.

Finally, Bryce and I went down to the basement where his cars were parked in their garage. He flicked a switch and the metallic lights came on with a 'zoom' sound.

I stared at the incredible line up of sports cars. A blue Chevrolet Corvette, a black Mercedes-Benz SL550, a Tesla next to its charging station...

"Stop drooling," Bryce told me, "Do you remember which car it was?"

I pointed at the one. Bryce looked at a dashboard of all the keys and plucked an orange key. He handed it to me, and I walked straight to the car, hearing it beep open as I unlocked it.

"Seriously man, there's a strong chance what you're looking for won't be in there," Bryce reminded me, "They cleaned out the whole thing. I don't want your hopes to get too high. You look like a man on a mission."

I scanned the area under the driver and passenger seats. It was sparkling clean. I leant my knee on the leather seat and felt the floor under it for any circular object.

"Maybe it'll help if you tell me what you're looking for?" Bryce offered, standing behind me in his purple robe and slippers.

I sighed and stood up, feeling like he may be right. It might not be here anymore.

"Remember when we walked back to the car, there was a small tube under the windshield," I said, "It had Candace's necklace in it."

"Oh yeah!" Bryce sighed and clicked his fingers, "Oh, that's what you're looking for! Don't worry, man. You must've forgotten this, but we gave it back to her. It was kind of epic actually. She caught it during the fight-"

"I'm not looking for the necklace. I'm looking for the tube."

Bryce's face looked like he was now the one ready to murder me. "You got me out of my bathtub to help you find a plastic tube? I thought the necklace was already a cheap thing we could've replaced, and now you're searching for the tube?"

"It was a prescription bottle," I said.

I leaned back into the car and started checking the map pockets. Nothing. I checked the glove compartment in the driver seat, finding actual leather gloves, gum, a notepad, sunglasses.

Bryce sighed, mumbling about how much pain he and his car had to go through for this necklace.

A few seconds later, Bryce was in the back seat checking his cooler. "Hey, there's still beer in here. Want one?"

I ignored him and walked around to check the glove compartment in the passenger seat. I found a lint roller, nail clippers and then... all the way in the back... my fingers touched something that rolled.

I pulled it out.

"This is it," I said, holding the orange tube in my hand.

This was the prescription bottle that we found Candace's necklace in. I turned it around to read the label: medication, provider and who it was prescribed to.

The name on it.

I knew it would be a clue. It was exactly who I suspected.

"What does it say?" Bryce asked.

When I didn't respond, he came over to read it himself.

~Candace's POV~

Backstage was buzzing with the excitement of performers waiting to go on stage and the thrill of those who had finished, ready to unwind.  I returned to the artists' room, still claiming to be Jake's lyricist.

The room was a lot messier than the last time I saw it.  Clothing, make up, glitter, empty cups and beer bottles were all over the place.  I saw Jake's guitar on a seat.

He was standing by the free drinks, talking to the rock band that went on stage before him.  Their outfits were as different as blue cheese and broccoli, which is a weird comparison I know.  Jake was casually dressed, while the others were in sparkling bell bottoms.

Blue cheese and broccoli, it's what comes to mind.

"Jake?" I said, awkwardly interrupting their conversation.

"Hey!" he greeted me with an excited smile, grabbing two beers off the table and saying goodbye to the other singers, "See you on the dance floor.  Come on, Mills, let's roll."

That rock band really got into his head quickly.

He led the way out of the backstage area.  I couldn't get a word in, because the music was so loud, and strangers kept calling out to him.  Jake's song has made him popular tonight.

He handed me another beer and tried to lead me into the crowd on the dance floor.  I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"What was that song about?!" I exclaimed.

"You should know.  You inspired it."

"So it was about me?" I confirmed, dreading the answer.  I didn't want that to be the answer.

"First verse was inspired by our families and the second one was inspired by you," he said.

"I thought we moved on from this.  Why are you singing about me like there's an us?" I asked, feeling upset that our friendship was getting between my relationship... again.

Zenon left because of it.

"Why are you upset?" he asked, lowering his beer when he realized how distressed I was, "I thought the lyrics sounded nice."

"But they create more tension between the three of us.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could all get along?  Now Zenon's-"