Zenon's Game Chapter 333

It felt incredible being out here, just the two of us.

"Shoes! Phone! And I'm coming!" I called out, putting on one shoe as I hopped to the front door.

Zenon had been waiting for me for a while now. He leaned calmly against the door frame, now fully dressed after his shower.

"You got a text from Jake," he said in a bored tone, holding my phone for me while he waited.

"Can you tell him we're at the lake house for a few days?" I asked, digging into my backpack for a pair of gloves.

I yanked the gloves on and walked over to Zenon, finally ready. He handed me my phone and I looked at the text he'd sent Jake from my phone:

We're at the lake house. He added a watermelon emoji.

Why the random emoji? I thought that was a weird touch, but didn't mention it.

Zenon held the door open for me and I stepped outside. The sky was clear, but the air was cold. We walked across the hard ground. The rain from last night had frozen into a thin layer of ice so we had to be careful not to slip.

My phone buzzed with Jake's response:

F*ck you Zenon

I looked up at Zenon, expecting him to explain himself.

Zenon peered down at the text and whistled, "He's so aggressive, isn't he?"

I can see why Zenon likes this whole nature thing. The air smells so fresh and the sounds are even better in real life than the nature playlists I listen to. I felt at one with the world. Like the birds were conversing with us and-

"My sister has a bunch of hiking shoes. We have extra for guests as well," Zenon said, punching in the code to the shed.

"What do you mean shoes?" I asked, looking down at my sneakers, "What's wrong with these?"

"They have no grip," he replied, pushing the door open.

"So this doesn't count as part of our forest walk?" I asked, referring to the eternity we just spent walking.

"You mean the five minutes from the house to the shed?" Zenon asked, staring at me like I was crazy, "No, that doesn't count as our forest walk."

I kept quiet, regretting my decision to suggest this activity already.

Zenon's phone was buzzing with notifications as he led me to the area where all the raincoats, ski jackets, wetsuits and hiking boots were. I sat on a bench while he dropped a few pairs in front of me to try.

I kept seeing him ignore phone calls.

I shoved my feet into a pair of shoes, trying on a couple pairs until one fit. I started to lace them up.

Zenon finally answered his phone, "What is it?"

The caller shouted from the other end, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! COACH SAID YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP TODAY AND I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU SINCE YESTERDAY!"

Mr Albert's yelling struck fear in my soul. I sat on the bench, with my hiking shoes all laced up, looking terrified.

Zenon, however, seemed unphased. He pointed at my shoes and gave me a questioning thumbs-up. I gave him a thumbs-up back and he nodded, leading us out.

"I'll be gone for a few days, dad," Zenon replied, locking the shed, "Taking a break."

"A BREAK?! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE A BREAK?! YOU HAVE A TEAM TO CAPTAIN!"

"Dad we can't hear you so well," Zenon said in a calm voice, "The connection's breaking."

I could still hear him perfectly.

"WE?! WHO IS WE?! ARE YOU WITH HER?!"

"Actually, I think there's been an accident," Zenon said, "We have to go. There's a raccoon stuck in the driveway."

The yelling at the other end was immediately halted with the 'beep' of the conversation ending. He hung up.

"A raccoon in the driveway?" I asked Zenon.

"Yeah, isn't that the story you always tell to convince me you know what you're doing?" he smirked, knowing the outrage that would pour out of me.

Breathe Candace

"It's a true story! You can't just claim my story as your own. There was never even an accident because I saved the raccoon! Accident diverted. How many times do I have to tell you the story before you actually remember it correctly?"

"Maybe a hundred times more."

We walked into the forest and were immediately engulfed by the tall trees. I was enjoying the comfort of my new hiking shoes while Zenon checked his phone a couple times.

"Fortunately, we lost signal now," he muttered.

I'm sure he was thinking about his dad.

I hadn't heard Mr Albert yell at Zenon like that, but from the way Zenon handled the call, it didn't seem like the first time. I could see how much his father affected him. The contagious smile Zenon had from this morning was gone.

I asked, "Why does your father hate me so much?"

Zenon glanced at me and put his phone away, breathing out. "He doesn't hate you. He thinks you're a distraction. I train five days a week and, with school on top of that, there isn't much room for anything else."

"Have I been a distraction?" I asked him, seeking his honest opinion.

We walked across the rough terrain, stepping over a log that had fallen in the path.

"Yes," he admitted, "But you're also my motivation. Can we change subject? I want to forget basketball today."

I nodded. We all have our problems and sometimes we need to go through them alone.

I was relieved we were ok again. He looked at me and his blue eyes had that sparkle to them. He was wearing a winter jacket with a black beanie over his head. He looked so handsome, but then again, I always thought that.

"I'm sorry about my dad," he said, unable to change the conversation entirely, "You don't deserve the way he's treated you."

"That's ok."