Zoë

"Is someone going through an attention withdrawal?" Amber teased at lunch as she slid into the seat across from Zoë where her anxiety was slowly climbing.

Zoë put a hand to her bouncing leg, ignoring Amber's snarky comment, and glanced longingly over at the table when the jocks sat. Cam was there laughing with Derek and Aaron but there was an empty seat next to him.

She turned her gaze to meet Amber's. "Okay, I'm officially worried."

"About?" Dean asked as he slid into the seat across from her, eyes flashing with confusion.

He'd officially started to get the drift that her and Carden were a thing. She didn't need to be in a love triangle and he'd agreed to just be her friend for the time being.

"She's suffering from withdrawal," Cal explained with a smirk. "Car isn't here for lunch and she's freaking out. It's pretty pathetic."

Andrew and Dean laughed as Zoë shot Cal a death glare. "Um, excuse me?! It is not pathetic that I want to know where my boyfriend is! Something could be wrong! He never skips school!"

Amber raised an eyebrow. "You seem to forget that he's a football player. He can skip school whenever he wants and nobody bats an eye. Plus wasn't he in your first hour? He's probably out at lunch with his parents or something." She paused to brush back a strand of hair. "Stop worrying, Zo. He's fine."

"But what if he's not?"

"He is," Andrew promised with a smile. "I swear."

She glanced around the room. "But Cora isn't here either."

Amber rolled her eyes as she bit into a slice of pineapple. "Would you stop worrying about her? I'm pretty sure everything's fine. Remember, she's your friend."

"But she also asked how I got him to fall for me!"

"She's a bit paranoid," Andrew whispered to Dean, who held back a laugh.

"No I am not!" She rolled her eyes and rested her chin in her palm. "You guys are the worst."

"Oh but you know you like us." He high fived Amber. "And you're never gonna get rid of us."

"Well, you can throw Dean overboard." Dean gawked at Amber. "I'm sticking around for the rest of your life. No way you're getting rid of me. Dean, well, he's dead weight."

"Amber!"

Zoë tuned out of their playful arguing and sighed, turning her gaze back to the table far across the room where most of the noise was coming from. She caught Chloe giving the table the same longing look and when their gazes passed over each other, Chloe tipped her head toward the track above the commons or, better known as, the make shift cafeteria.

She nodded and slipped away from her friends, quickly running up the stairs to where Chloe was tapping her light blue flats against the track

"Umm...hey."

Chloe puffed out a loud sigh. "Where is he?"

That took Zoë by surprise. She twisted her fingers gently, silently hoping that Chloe was messing with her. "You...don't know where he is?"

"Do I look like I know?! You are his," her face contorted into a look of disgust, green eyes scrunching together, "girlfriend. You should know these types of things. If I was-"

"Okay, note taken." Zoë glanced down at the tables as if Carden would miraculously appear with that adorable smirk. "So what do we do now?"

Chloe tapped her fingers restlessly against the banister. "Not sure." She gave Zoë a side eye. "I got an idea but I don't think you'll like it."

Zoë raised an eyebrow. "Okay...?"

"We skip third hour. If he's not here, he's probably somewhere else like-"

"Starbucks on the boardwalk!" Both girls exclaimed at the same time, excitement and surprise lacing both of their tones.

Chloe's nose scrunched again. "How did you know that?"

"That's where we go when I'm tutoring him. How do you know that?"

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "No reason. Let's go!" And without another word, she raced down the steps and out the commons doors.

Zoë sighed and ran a hand down her face. The things she did for Carden Ash.

*****

"Can you not lean so close to me?!" Chloe hissed under her breath and shoving Zoë over a bit. The two girls had slipped into the Starbucks with two textbooks set up in front of them to cover their faces. In one of the open tables sat Carden, who was looking around nervously.

"Sorry." Zoë scooted over and ducked even lower when his eyes passed over them. Her tone was cold and wavering when she whispered, "What do you think he's doing here?"

"No clue."

The bell rang out and none other than Cora Hood walked into the restaurant in jeans and hoodie that was two sizes too big. When she headed in the general direction of Carden, Chloe sucked in a breath. "Oh no."

No, no, no, no. Please no. Carden, please no.

Cora walked toward him and lifted to hoodie over her head when she got to him. He held his hand out impatiently as she put the fabric into his hand.

Zoë's heart was pounding inside her chest as she watched the scene in front of her happen.

Just walk away. Please, just walk away.

But Cora offered a smirk and kissed his cheek gently. His eyes widened and he shook his head, heat building on his face. He glanced around awkwardly again before nodding at her and rushing out of the Starbucks.

Cora smiled to herself and went to the line to order.

"Zoë." She jumped when Chloe spoke. "Don't do it. Don't go after him. It's not worth it."

"But-"

Chloe reached over and gently took her hand. "Don't do anything stupid. I'm not sure if this is Carden's fault at all."

Zoë blinked at her. "Did you see what I just saw or are you blind?! CARDEN IS CHEATING ON ME!"

"We can't be sure of that though!"

"ARGH!" She stormed out of the coffee shop and towards the beach. She stared out over the waves, wishing they could take her problems away with them.

They were, had been, happy. But of course the moment when she was finally thinking about letting down the walls she kept up, the universe just had to come and ruin it. Why couldn't she just get a break in life? First Alec ruining her life by being himself, Mom nearly dying because of a stupid sickness, and now Carden?

She kicked at a shell angrily. She never should've trusted him. He was just like every single football player out there. A guy who messed with girl's hearts for sport.

"Zoë?" Chloe stood beside her awkwardly.

"What?"

She grabbed a strand of her hair and began to twirl it around her pointer finger. "I know we aren't the best of friends-"

"Are we even friends? Because it seems like all you are about is your social life and being with Carden! Do you even think about the people you've hurt over the years?!"

"Zoë, I-"

"Chloe, I really don't want pity right now. Especially from someone like you. It's fake pity. Pity that's all an act because I know your trying to act like a saint right now. I'm guessing after you're done hurting a broken girl, you'll go chase after Carden." She glared hard at the blonde. "You know I'm right."

Chloe wrapped her arms around herself. "Is that what you really think about me?"

"It's what the entire school thinks about you."

Silence followed Zoë's snap. Anger seethed inside of her as she stared angrily at the water. To be fair, she wasn't mad at Chloe, she just happened to be the closest living thing she could yell at. Disappointment was more what she was feeling. She had hoped, prayed even, that Carden wouldn't turn out to be the type of guy he was stereotyped as.

But he was. There was no way you could escape High School stereotypes.

Just like he was a jock and she was a nerd. A forbidden romance.

"Well, if that's what you think." Chloe buried part of her shoe in the sand. "I'm just trying to help."

Say sorry. She didn't do anything wrong.

Zoë groaned and ran her fingers through her hair so hard a couple knots were ripped out and small strands of hair hung from her fingers. When she turned around to tell Chloe she was sorry, she found no one there.

She was alone. Just like she would be for the rest of her life.