Zenon's Game Chapter 64

"You're not tagged, but I'm pretty sure that's you," Cynthia zoomed in for me, "It's amazing. I don't know how you started hanging out with that group of seniors, but people are talking."

I stared at the photo of me sitting on a lounger next to Zenon.  I shuddered at the thought of he-who-will-not-be-named-again.

"Candace!" a male voice called my name.

I turned to see Jake walking through the hall towards me. At this rate, I was never getting to the bathroom.

He greeted Oma as he passed by and then a smile lit up his handsome face when he saw me.

I brightened up at seeing him too. "Jake!"

Jake was always a comforting sight. The one friend who acted like a friend and didn't care what anyone else thought. Cynthia stayed next to me, too curious to leave now.

"Have you picked up the new English lit book? We're reading Taming of the Shrew now. From tragedy to comedy," he joked, referencing the time we both stuck our foot in it with our teacher, "Anyway, I picked up your copy for you."

He extended a paperback copy of the Shakespeare play towards me. I looked down at it and counted my blessings.

"Thank you," I took the book out of his hands and he stayed there.

I didn't know what he was waiting for. Did he want a parting gift?

Now I'm an awkward person. So, I awkwardly stared at my feet and then checked to see if he was still standing there. Yep. I went back to looking at my feet.

I should clean my shoes more often.

"Do you want to open it?" he suggested.

"Do I?" I looked up at him while my fingers dissociated themselves from my frozen brain. Thankfully at least one part of my body was working. He looked so at ease...

I cracked the book open. It had that new book smell. A rectangular shaped paper fell out of the book.

I tried to catch it but failed. It fell to the floor and I crouched down to pick it up.

"It's a ticket?" Cynthia asked curiously. She was nosily leaning over me to get a better view.

"I think so," I said, still not getting it.

The ticket said: Shakespeare– Live Performance at the Rockford Theater.

Jake helped me out, since I clearly had fewer brain cells than I thought. "I scored us some theater tickets to Taming of the Shrew next week. I figured it'd be way more fun than reading the actual play. Want to go?"

"With you?"

I almost pinched myself. Obviously with him. What am I even saying??

Jake took it well. He smiled, still relaxed, "Yes. With me."

He said the words slowly, letting them sink in. They sunk in to Cynthia behind me and Oma nearby, who both gaped in shock. Not sure it sunk in with me.

I stared awkwardly obvious. This time, Cynthia pinched me.

"Yes, like a date," Jake answered. He didn't know why I wasn't acting normal.

Some girl passing by gasped. I looked into the bathroom and found every girl standing outside the stalls watching me.

No one had seen Jake ask a girl out yet. He was the hot new boy. The mysterious half-brother of Zenon Albert. So why did he choose me?

"The reviews haven't been great, but I thought we could make fun of it," Jake continued, filling the space my silence left, "Better than reading the book."

He was helping me buy time as my mind processed what was happening. Surely this couldn't be for me. Jake and I were obviously getting along but there is no way that he was interested in dating me. 

My mind thought of Zenon.  I've been through a lot with Zenon and I like him.  I'll be the first to admit it. I. Like. Zenon.

I was hanging on to this dream that Zenon and I could maybe... 

But then yesterday he said 'we barely knew each other.' Yesterday, he acted immature at dinner and was rude to his brother and me. Just because a guy's hot, doesn't mean he get away with being a d*ck sometimes. 

And if Zenon decides today that he likes me, am I meant to be fine with that?  Am I meant to just live for those highs and forget the lows?  Maybe we both need to mature a bit.  Maybe I need to take my mind off him for a second.

I mean, a girl showed up at his house at 10PM yesterday night.  I remember how my ex-boyfriend used to lie and say 'we're just friends' while he cheated on me.  

I trust Zenon way more than my ex-boyfriend.  But the truth is that having a girl over at night is not a good look.  Not if he cares about my feelings.

Especially since I vocalized it to him.  I literally told him I was falling for him - and he just let me go.  And invited the other girl into his house.

Cynthia prodded me in the back to react.

"Are you sure this is for me?" I asked.

Jake sighed, though he remained patient with the questions. Sometimes, I can be my own enemy. I have so little confidence that the boy needed to tell me four times before I could believe it. Maybe I was standing in the way of my own happiness.

I finally got my act together. "Yes, I'm free!"

Maybe instead of chasing a roller-coaster, I should try standing still for a moment.  Going to the theater with Jake doesn't have to be a lifelong commitment or anything like that.  He's being polite and kind.  Maybe that's not a bad thing?  

When you don't have a social life, it's pretty easy to confirm without checking your calendar. I'm free.

"Sweet," his smile widened into a cheesy grin, "Cool, well I can pick you up. It's not that far from our home. This is awesome Candace, really awesome," he repeated himself, almost in disbelief, "I'm glad you said yes."

"Hey Jake," Cynthia interrupted us, "this has been really sweet, but you're in line for the girls' bathroom."

"Oh, sorry."

He stepped out of the way and Cynthia grabbed me, yanking me into the girl's bathroom. I had the biggest smile on my face.