CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
( BOOK )

     CARMEN MOVES AHEAD of the boys. With her eyes dead-set on the many book shelves of the store, a wide smile spreads across her lips. Zach's heart pounds as her eyes light up, that same familiar smile still setting butterflies off in his stomach.

Daniel nudges him, wiggling his eyebrows. Zach ignores the boy though, following Carmen with a smile of his own.

"Don't you already have that book?" Daniel questions as Carmen picks up a copy of The Fault In Our Stars. "That's the one that Zach blackmailed you with."

"I think I'm gonna get Zach a copy," Carmen chuckles. "He seemed to like it. But he has my copy at the moment, so . . . "

"I may already have a copy," Zach mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks heat up.

Daniel snorts, holding back his laughter. Carmen only grins, placing the book back on the shelf. "Okay, then. I wasn't expecting that, but I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to buy a copy other than mine."

"Where are we going after this?" Daniel asks Zach, checking the time on his phone as Carmen sits down at a table, reading the summary of a book she was drawn to.

"Wherever Carmen wants," Zach shrugs, his eyes on the girl.

"Why can't I choose?"

"Because I said so," Zach sticks his tongue out.

"Why do you guys have to argue so much?" Carmen rolls her eyes, poking Zach in the side. "We should be having fun, not arguing."

"Where do you want to go next?" Zach questions the girl, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Halloween Express, please," Carmen grins, before glancing down at the book in her hands. "Hold on, let me go pay for this really quick. Then we'll talk."

Carmen turns to the direction of the book store checkout, before walking away and leaving the two boys alone.

"Zach, go pay for her," Daniel rushes out, shoving Zach towards Carmen.

"What-?"

"It's something a good boyfriend would do, you idiot!" Daniel says. "And, by the way that cashier is eyeing Carmen, I think he sees something he likes."

Without another word, Zach stiffens, before moving quickly in front of Carmen.

"You know what?" Zach asks, pushing Carmen in Daniel's direction. "Why don't you and Daniel be discussing where you want to go next? I've got this."

"Sure," Carmen furrows her eyebrows, but nods, complying to his words. "Thanks."

---

"Your addiction to Halloween is extreme," Daniel comments as Carmen smiles widely. "I don't think anyone else has as much of an addiction as you do."

"I've always loved it," Carmen says, lacing her fingers in Zach's as the three walk into Halloween Express. "For some reason, I like it even more than my birthday. I don't know, it's weird."

"Do we have a budget?" Daniel asks Zach, looking over to the boy.

"Not really," Zach shrugs. "We need stuff for the Halloween party, so go wild."

"You really shouldn't have said that," Carmen sighs. "I warn you- I may buy the whole store. So I'd like a budget."

"I'm serious," Zach states, stepping in front of Carmen to stare down at her. "Go have fun, don't worry about it."

"Awww," Daniel coos as Zach leans down, pressing his lips against Carmen's. "That's so cute!"

Carmen chuckles as Daniel jumps up and down, sparks still running through her after the kiss had ended. Like Zach, she still got butterflies every time they kissed or even touched.

This was real. She wasn't dreaming- that was something she couldn't quite get through her head. Carmen had found the love of her life, and Zach had found his. It was unbelievable for the two because their dreams had became reality.

"Okay, now I'm stealing her from you," Daniel says, taking Carmen's hand to pull her next to him. "You can go get . . . well anything, really. But start with a fog machine and strobe lights."

"Why can't Carmen come with me?"

"Because I said so," Daniel winks, mocking Zach's earlier statement as he drags Carmen. "Now go. We have things to buy."

Carmen waves at Zach as Daniel drags her away to one of the two candy aisles. The girl immediately gasps, her jaw dropping.

"Look at all this candy," She says in amazement.

"I say we get it all," Daniel shrugs. "He gave us no budget."

Lined on the shelves ahead of them are all types of candy, all shining with bright orange, red, or just plain black. The aisle was decorated with small pumpkins and paper streamers. It was something Carmen hadn't seen before- something she loved.

"I could seriously live here," She murmers. "I'm seriously ditching you and Zach. I'm staying here forever. This is amazing."

"You can't live here," Daniel rolls his eyes dramatically. "We'd all die without you."

"I'm sure you did just fine before you met me."

"That was fine," He leans back on a shelf. "But now that Aurora lives with us, I'm not so sure anyone could hold her back. Seriously- if you weren't at the house, I'm sure she'd bomb us."

"What?" Carmen laughs, shaking her head. "Daniel, that's not something to joke about."

"You know she bought tiny bomb fireworks? Yeah. I have no idea where she got them or who allowed her to buy them. But she could literally bomb us. While we're sleeping she could just drop one in our bedroom."

"How do they even work?"

"You light them and it goes off like a gunfire. The worst thing about it is that ink explodes from it," Daniel shivers. "It's not easy to clean up."

"We need to focus," Carmen giggles, rubbing at the cast on her arm. "Did you happen to get a shopping cart while we were at the front?"

"No, but I did," Zach says from behind the girl, bumping her back with the cart. "Sorry Daniel, she's mine."

"I seriously just need a cart," Carmen says clearly, reaching up to grab three large bags of candy. "No fighting please."

Daniel mutters incoherent words under his breath before grabbing more candy, and dumping it into the cart.

"How much candy are we getting?" Zach asks his girlfriend, standing behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.

"A lot." Carmen states, struggling to reach a bag of Kit Kats that rest on the very top shelf. "Zach, can you grab that bag for me?"

"Of course."

Before the boy can react, Carmen yanks an airhorn from the backpack on her shoulder, pressing the button. The siren echoes across the room, scaring both Zach and Daniel.

Zach shrieks, tripping over the shopping cart as he tumbles to the floor- but not before he grabbed Daniel's arm. Daniel falls to the floor along with Zach, faceplanting as Carmen laughs.

"Why did you do that?" Zach whines, shoving Daniel away from him. "I was just trying to help."

"Because I miss Aurora," Carmen puckers out her bottom lip. "I had to."

Zach steadies himself onto his feet and moves over to Carmen's side. Daniel groans, pushing himself up off of the floor. Zach sighs, shaking his head as he chuckles down at the girl.

"You're lucky I love you."

_____