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"McCormick... McCormick... McCormick," Kinsey whispers repeatedly, carefully turning the steering wheel right with her hands skillfully overlapping one another. The reflective forest green sign glints upon its exposure to the blinding afternoon sun. It sits atop the thick metal pole, perfectly exposing the white lettering that reads 'McCormick St' for all to see.

The firm expression on Kinsey's face reads one of determination. Her signature apathetic expression is nowhere to be found because pure emotion is splayed across her features like an open book. At this moment, there is pure agitation building up from within Kinsey Scott as she mentally flips through the rolodex of shit that this Zoé girl has done to Jade. Kinsey recalls, quite vividly, the many times in which the light in Jade's face would dim almost instantly whenever something about Zoé came up, somehow. The way her spirit deflated into nothing more than an empty vessel of trepidation. The way her Jade, whom she viewed as so utterly stunning and powerful, became so timid and fragile within a second's time.

Kinsey was quite familiar with the look, enough so that she could notice it in Jade. A look that read, "I've been hurt." Now, that is a look Kinsey was too familiar with.

Those moments gnawed at Kinsey's heartstrings the most. The moments where the blonde was stupidly convinced that she had Jade all to herself. Convinced that Jade was all there when she truly wasn't. Kinsey was reminded countless times that not only did Zoé still hold Jade's heart, but also her mind.

Kinsey's grip tightens on the steering wheel. The tension within her body is all too present as the top row of her teeth uncontrollably grind against the bottom row, her back straightening with unease running up her body, and her chin rising to observe every inch of her surroundings, the same way she would on the field. She is alert. Her attentiveness heightening as she takes in the unfamiliar setting before her.

She attempts to account for everything as her car cruises down the quiet, affluent street. Her eyes flicker from her rear-view mirror to her side-view mirrors promptly. She spots a highly intricate, and most likely expensive playground fenced off across the street with its array of different colored slides and various equipment. Snapping her eyes up the street, she sees a stray cat foraging in and out the forestry area that has yet to be ravaged to make room for more obnoxiously expensive houses. Then, looking over to her right, she spots an older woman taking her afternoon jog with her Bluetooth earphones crammed into her ears.

"327... 327... 327," Kinsey whispers again, repeatedly, as if saying it out loud will help her find it quicker. The whispers seem to be a source of calm for the varying emotions running through her at this moment. Her body can't agree on what to feel, so it's chosen a mashup of anxiety, slight fear, frustration, and confusion. The string of houses rolls by slowly as Kinsey maintains a steady speed of barely 20 miles per hour. Plaques with each unique house number hanging from the bottom of highly intricate mounted mailboxes. The mailboxes reside at the front of each house, but they mean nothing to Kinsey unless they carry the numbers 3, 2, and 7.

"And Bingo," the blonde mutters with her lips barely parting. She draws her gaze upwards, penetrating through the passenger-side window to take in the sight of the large two-story home that appears more like part of an estate than a regular family-sized home. The variations of nude, medium-tone browns to deep rich browns are skillfully distributed throughout the exterior, giving it this chic, European feel. The home looks like a modest mansion.

"So, this is where Jade's ex lives, huh?" Kinsey questions, faltering a bit in her whispery tone. The blonde has never envied others or their money for that matter, but seeing this home makes Kinsey question what she has to offer Jade. Was this crazy bitch able to offer Jade more than I ever could?

Kinsey shakes her head, bringing her focus back to the home. She's found Zoé Abrams' home.

I get involved with one person and this is what I've come to.

Kinsey would've never predicted that she would be doing something like this if you asked her a couple of months ago. But as her exponentially increasing fondness for Jade persists, she can't help but go into protector mode. This over-encompassing need to protect Jade is starting to overwhelm her, especially since it's the first time the two seem to be on the same page. Kinsey feels compelled to prove herself. To prove that she's worth it.

Kinsey taps a button on the door panel to her left, commanding the automatic descent of the passenger side window. The tinted piece of glass disappears gradually, allowing Kinsey a better view of the estate-like home. The warm afternoon air thrusts into her car. The wistful breeze sneaks its way in and permeates the space.

Kinsey cranes her neck over the center console to observe the front lawn and the curved driveway that is unnecessarily long. A good fifty, sixty feet long. There are no cars in the driveway, no residual oil stains left on the pavement, and the grass is perfectly cut as if not even one dog has ever dared to step foot on it to take a shit or something.

It looks like no one lives here.

To say that Kinsey is on some stalker shit is an understatement. The blonde found a way to use Zoé's phone number to find her address, of course not without the help of some kid named Ray from her computer science class last year, whom she befriended after James tripped him during lunch just because he felt like it. Kinsey apologized during class, dealing with James later that day by greeting the quarterback with a solid punch to the gut right before practice. She and Ray's acquaintanceship grew from then on. That alone is enough to prove that Kinsey Scott doesn't hate everyone at school, or that's at least the example she uses to convince people when they question her character.

With Ray's help, Kinsey found out how scary the internet truly is. It didn't take Ray too long to find Zoé's address. It took five minutes to be exact.

With the home in Kinsey's sight, a greater sense of apprehension consumes her. Certainly, the blonde has had many badass confrontational scenarios played out in her mind, but with the home being this close before her she isn't too sure if those imaginations will become reality. I doubt they don't have security here. By the looks of it, Kinsey feels like she'll be tackled by someone from the FBI if she even steps foot on the grass.

The blonde nibbles on her bottom lip as she pulls the gear into park just off the side of the street, parking near the mailbox that belongs to what should be Zoé's home. The tires of her car stray about five inches away from touching the curb.

Her intentions are blurred at this moment. She doesn't know what she planned on doing when she decided to come here after practice today. Ironically enough, while dropping Jade home before she came here, the brunette joked, "Don't get yourself into trouble." before shutting the car door behind her. At the moment, the joking words did make Kinsey wonder if Jade had any idea that she was going to track down her psycho ex-girlfriend and possibly confront her.

Even though this quite obviously comes across as extremely idiotic and possibly dangerous, Kinsey couldn't overlook her possession of the address for nearly a week. Especially, the address of someone that has potentially harmed Jade in the past. It was worth the almost forty-five-minute drive.

She glances down at her phone in her lap, illuminating the page of her notes that has the address: 327 McCormick Street written down. The address that's been saved in her notes for the last week has pervaded her conscience constantly, mocking her almost. Daring her to use it for her personal gain. To quell her grievances with a stranger.

Kinsey isn't one for ignoring an opportunity, especially when it involves someone that makes her as uncomfortable as Zoé. Someone whom she's never met. The girl who is bold enough to have half-naked pictures of Jade in her possession. Even though Jade is technically an adult now, Kinsey knows that that picture she saw on Jade's birthday wasn't taken recently. Or could it have been?

It's been two weeks.

Kinsey shakes her head, sighing out. She drops her forehead against the steering wheel. Jade wouldn't. No matter how hard she wants to believe that, if there is one thing the blonde has learned in her very short time on this Earth, is that trusting people is a luxury that very few are allowed to experience without getting fucked over at least once or twice.

Memories of him and his fucking face come crashing into Kinsey's mind, clouding her thoughts. She tightly shuts both of her eyes. Her eyeballs shake beneath her wrinkled eyelids as she fights to gain her sanity back. The nightmarish images flash in her mind like a horribly edited early 2000s horror film.

Kinsey takes in a solid breathe, regaining most of her sanity. Her eyes gradually open to glare down at her lap, staring at her unraveled callused hands, spotting the new purple bruise developing in between her index and middle finger.

"Hey, I only got 75 on me now."

The blunt statement startles Kinsey. The blonde jolts her head up to the sound of the obnoxiously grating voice.

Her eyes dart over to the rolled-down passenger side window that she forgot to pull up. In the opening, a smug-looking redhead is cracking the most irritating smirk Kinsey has ever seen. Half of her short scarlet red hair is pulled back into a ponytail, creating this half-up, half-down style with the growth in her roots being all too visible. The roots expose her medium-brown natural hair color.

Stray strands fall messily around the nape of her neck. Her narrow, almond-shaped eyes latch onto Kinsey. Her dark brows rise charismatically with a slight curve. Her small button nose perfectly aligns with the shrewd curl in her full, heart-shaped lips.

There seems to be no room for cordialities since the girl already gives Kinsey the heebie-jeebies.

"Ah," the girl heavily sighs, "and here I thought you were my dealer." Her squinting eyes tease Kinsey's, staring straight into the blue orbs dauntlessly.

Kinsey feels the intensity of the stare but refuses to allow the stranger to have any control over her. She resorts to rolling her eyes away with a scoff.

"I'd invite you in for a smoke cause you look like my type, but with that constipated look on your face, I'm thinking otherwise. You don't look too fun." She cocks her head to the side mockingly. Her tone is almost sultry, like a temptress luring in who she perceives to be easily impressionable prey.

"Please don't tell me that's your best pick-up line?" The blonde questions pleadingly. There is a visible cringe on Kinsey's face as her brows scrunch together and the corners of her lips draw downwards in disgust. "This is how you get people to give you the time of day?" Kinsey pauses, turning her burning gaze over to Zoé. "Pretty weak-ass strategy if you ask me, but I'm sure it's worked for you in the past." Kinsey delivers a most condescending smile.

Zoé's face barely flinches at the jab, maintaining a shit-eating grin on her face.

"Huh?" Zoé expels inquisitively, drawing her eyes off to the side, catching a glimpse of her neighbor pulling into their driveway. She bites her bottom lip before sucking her teeth unpleasantly loud, "Now that I think about it. You do look a little familiar." Zoé squints, leaning further into the opening in the car door.

Kinsey instinctively leans back, catching a whiff of the burnt cannabis scent emanating from her body. Kinsey's instincts heighten and her eyes squint at the redhead's oddly forward behavior, especially towards a stranger.

"Ah!" The redhead excitedly exasperates, tapping the tip of her finger against her chin, "You must be Jade's new bitch." Her voice darkens as the last word leaves her mouth.

"I'm no one's bitch," Kinsey nearly snarls back, straightening out her shoulders with her eyes glaring ahead at the street as she refuses to look at the girl who is already starting to piss her off. She feels Zoé's gaze burn into the side of her head.

"Come on, I'm harmless. I don't know what is with all the tension, Kinsey," Zoé hisses, almost as if coaxing the blonde. She maintains what appears to be a lighthearted smirk on her face as her crossed arms rest on the base of the windowless door. Her collected composure contrasts the hostile tension brewing between the two. Instead of looking like she is confronting a foe, she appears to be catching up with an old friend. Particularly with the way she is leaning into the car so casually.

Kinsey bites her bottom lip. She would have something to say but what can she say when she is quite obviously somewhere she has no place being. "So... you're the infamous, Zoé?" Kinsey grits, drawing her critical but deathly eyes back over to the girl barely a foot away from her.

Their eyes latch onto one another.

Her eyes are almost as blue as mine. Is this what Jade sees when she sees me?

"Wow," Zoé drawls, widening her eyes, "I'm infamous now? I wonder what else my baby has told you about me." Zoé sighs reminiscently as she draws her eyes away and her lips form a pout, "I really do miss my kitten, she was so fun to play with."

"Watch it," Kinsey warms, tightening her jaw.

"What? I just wanted to tell you how fun it was to have her wrapped around my fingers." Zoé smirks deviously at Kinsey, running her tongue over the top row of her teeth.

"Cut the shit, or I swear in one second every one of my fingers will be wrapped around your fucking throat." The words are aggressive but are delivered in a more passive and undisturbed voice. Kinsey doesn't raise her voice one bit but the gravity of her emotions is communicated by the way she enunciates every syllable harshly.

Zoé's demeanor changes almost instantly. Her smirk vanishes from her face as her lips tighten into a straight line. Her unsteady lackadaisical stare sharpens into a gaze so strong that it makes Kinsey's jaw tense again. At this point, the blonde isn't sure if she'll leave here without being in handcuffs.

"That's a tempting offer, but I'll make sure you won't have to go through the trouble, Kins." She smizes almost maniacally, "Can I call you that?"

"No."

Zoé chuckles dryly, "It's honestly cute how you're willing to go this far to protect a girl who's just using you."

Kinsey would like to believe that she can be stronger than this. Stronger than to even entertain the idea. To automatically trash all of the words coming from Zoé's mouth. But the truth is... she isn't.

"I'm curious by what you mean when you say that?" Kinsey pulls in her bottom lip, gnawing on the plump piece of flesh as she steadies her gaze onto Zoé once again, vulnerably searching the redhead's empty eyes for an answer.

Zoé chuckles devilishly low now, backing away from the car for a brief moment. "She's using you to get me back. Do you think she would really care for some random small-town jock like you if it wasn't for me? You think she would "fall" for someone who chooses to bash their head into others for fun... to be honest, I'm not even sure you could keep up with her intellectually with the number of concussions you've probably had. Have you even read a book? I'm sure you know what that is, right?" The stickiness in Zoé's gritty voice is so pervasive. It intrudes Kinsey's ears and her mind, getting stuck in the blonde's thoughts.

The way the smile on Zoé's face amasses with every jab is already indicative of the type of person she is. A person that thrives on bringing others down, watching them falter beneath her.

Kinsey feels her face involuntarily warm. Embarrassment never came to her easily, but when it did, it came at full force. It isn't a matter of Zoé saying these words but it's the possibility of Jade feeling this way about her. Thinking of her as some unintelligent, sub-par person.

She never gave a fuck about what anyone thought about her, but now she gives a fuck about what Jade thinks of her.

Kinsey hasn't always been the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but football was her way out. Football has been her only option, her only way of having a chance at a scholarship for university. From when she was young, Kinsey had built insecurity surrounding how "smart" she was. Since elementary school, it had always seemed like she was the only one lacking. From then on, she refused to ask anybody for help in regards to schoolwork because allowing people to see that she was inadequate in that aspect of her life was a weakness that Kinsey never wanted to present to anyone.

Until, she did with Jade.

Zoé carefully scans the blonde's face, almost reveling in the fact that the blonde's eyes are blinking excessively to fight back the subtle watering in her eyes. "Y'know," Zoé starts perkily, lifting her chin, "I admire that you're going all vigilante justice for her, but just know that she's mine at the end of the day. She'll always come running back to me. That's for sure, Princess." Zoé rolls her eyes, pulling herself away from the car.

"And why would that be? Is it because you have illicit photos of her on your phone? I'm just curious, Zoé, how recent are those photos? Was she fifteen... sixteen, maybe? Did she give you consent to take those pictures?" Kinsey pressures on, staring at Zoé with glossy eyes. With her excessive blinking, she is eventually able to keep the tears from ultimately falling from the corners of her eyes.

Zoé starts to open her mouth, but the slight frown building at the corners of her lips and the lines forming between her eyebrows already tell Kinsey that she is unsure of how to answer the question.

"Yeah," Kinsey persists, nodding, "I'm gonna assume that's a no. So, if you don't want to face charges, I'd advise you to leave her the fuck alone. It doesn't take a lawyer, or even a cop to give you that fucking advice." Kinsey narrows her eyes, into the eyes that resemble her own. She combats the deathly glare pointed at her by boring her own icy blue eyes into the redhead's.

The stare maintains itself for a while, appearing as if the two are having the world's most intense staring contest right here, right now on the side of the street. They resemble hungry wolves snarling at one another, competing for some sort of territory.

"Get the fuck off my property or I won't hesitate to call the fucking cops and report you for trespassing."

"Zoé," Kinsey chuckles humorlessly, "I'm starting to put together that maybe you need to spend more time reading the law instead of smoking blunts because I'm not sure you even know what trespassing means. I may not read books, but I damn sure know the law." Kinsey flashes a wide, sarcastic smile, "For all you know, I was driving around and I so happened to have parked my car here because my engine overheated."

Kinsey has taken note of the pungent smell of weed starting to invade the interior of her precious car. "Now... will you get the fuck away from my car before your stench fucks up my new car smell. I'd appreciate it." Kinsey tightens her lips.

"Fuck you," Zoé spits, holding Kinsey's gaze for nearly five seconds before letting go.

Zoé raises herself from the door and starts strutting away with her back turned to the blonde. The loose navy blue satin spaghetti strap top she is wearing flutters in the wind as she trudges through the grass carelessly. She raises her middle finger back at the blonde as she strolls across the front lawn, her footsteps crunching the fresh, healthy grass beneath her feet.

Once the redhead is far enough, Kinsey drops her cold stare and proceeds to stomp her foot against the plastic floor mat. Her breathing becomes more noticeable with her chest rising dramatically. Each breath is filled with heaviness as she slouches over and slams her fist against the center console, enough to have her hand shaking as a result.

The exhaustion of the moment is finally able to weigh down on her. Everything happened so fast, leading the blonde to forget to even breathe.

She doesn't know what to make of this. She didn't plan on blowing her cover like that, but she can only hope that this is enough to have Zoé disappear from Jade's life forever.

A girl can only hope.

_________

The door slams shut harshly behind her. Her UGG slide slippers shuffle against the polished marble floors as she stomps down the three steps of stairs to exit the foyer. The foyer with a tremendous glass chandelier hanging at its center.

"Z, you good?" A voice questions hazily, echoing through the walls of the large, spacious home.

Zoé's string of steps continues around the corner where the scent of cannabis lures her. Her face is tense, with her lips wringing together tightly and her brows still furrowing. With her frustrations, she unconsciously starts grating the top and bottom rows of her teeth together.

She steps around the corner to face the entrance of the Sun Room and spots Ramesh through the glass, blowing smoke from his lips. His umber skin stands up against the blaring sun coming in through the glass walls of the smaller room. The tall young man lounges in the metal patio chair as his gaze follows nothing in particular. His amber-colored eyes absorb the sun's rays, illuminating to their fullest potential.

The even tone of his brown skin basks in the sunlight as the smoke flows endlessly from his lips. His lengthy locks fall just at his shoulders. The deep wavy strands split at the middle of his head, allowing the hair to fall messily on both sides of his face. Distressed jeans cover his outstretched legs, while his oversized Jimi Hendrix t-shirt hides the definition in his muscled arms. A solid gold, 18k fallen angel pendant secures to a thin gold link chain hanging around his neck.

"Shut the fuck up and pass me the blunt, Ram," the redhead snaps, putting her hand out in front of Ramesh's face to where the amateur, imperfectly rolled blunt lies in between his dried, cracking lips. His eyes glance up at Zoé, hesitantly. His wide eyes read, what the fuck do you think you're doing?

The redhead scoffs and snatches the blunt right from his mouth and fiddles with it until it fits right into her long, narrow fingers. She pouts her lips and situates the stick of cannabis in between her lips, taking a big puff and allowing the smoke to fill her with an incomparable bliss.

Her eyes shut in momentary euphoria as some of the smoke tickles her uvula before she decides to release it. Of course, some of the smoke that doesn't get blown out rolls down the back of her throat. She coughs slightly from the tingle but is delighted even more with how free her mind feels.

Making her forget about why she needed to smoke in the first place. Her mind becomes blissful and all of her worries are gone with the wind.

Until, her phone sounds. Her state of ecstasy is interrupted by the irritating sound of her ringtone. She despises the sound. The sound that signifies that someone whom she, most likely, doesn't want to talk to right now is calling for her. She slips her phone from the back pocket of her satin shorts and catches a glimpse at the contact on the screen.

She sighs, tilting her head sharply to the left to crack it. She passes the blunt wrapped in between her forefingers back to a patient Ramesh sprawled out on the armchair. His half-opened eyes catch the sight of the blunt and immediately takes hold of it and pops it into his mouth.

Zoé stalks out of the sunroom, pulling one of the French doors shut behind her as the phone settles in her other hand. Once the door is shut, she wraps her other arm across her stomach. She swipes right and brings the phone up to her ear, slowly.

"Mom?" The single word comes out awkwardly with a strained crack in her voice.

"Hey hon, how's it going?" The woman on the other end responds enthusiastically.

"Fine." The tone in Zoé's voice is hushed and small, but not at all trying to conceal the apathy in her voice.

"Aw, well that's great to hear!"

"I guess."

"Well, um... hon, I'm calling because your father and I are gonna have to be out of town for another two weeks. They delayed the conference and we decided we'd get some work done over here in the meantime. Y'know, look at some other properties an-"

"I get it," Zoé cuts off, knowing the drill.

"You think you'll be fine?"

"I'm not sure if I have a choice," Zoé replies in a biting tone. Her free-hand rises to scratch behind her ear.

"Is your friend Richie there? Have him keep you company. We won't be long. Just another two weeks."

"It's Ramesh," She corrects procedurally as if such a mistake was a regular occurrence. "And yeah, just another two weeks like last time and the time before that and, oh wait, the time before that." Zoé starts, finding herself getting a bit riled up. She bites back the more that she wants to say.

"Are you sur-"

"I'm fine, mom. You and dad enjoy yourselves, alright? Don't worry about me... at all."

"Well, okay hon. If that's what you want. I love you!"

"Love you, t-"

The line cuts before Zoé can get the rest out. The redhead pulls her bottom lip into her mouth and bites down on it. She takes the phone away from her ear and abruptly chucks it across the living room. The phone lands somewhere on the living room couch.

Her breathing is labored with her chest slowly rising and slowly deflating. Her body feels numb, weightless almost. Like this isn't real, like she is a stranger in this body of hers. She wants to finish the job and have her mind feel as numb as her body.

She smiles widely as she makes her way back into the sunroom with more pep in her step. She yanks the door open and strolls towards the small coffee table, bypassing Ramesh with not even a glance. He is too busy relishing in his high anyways.

She kneels down at the table and starts to split the pile of weed lingering on the small coffee table, spilling out of ripped open plastic baggie. She takes a hold of a fresh tobacco leaf wrap and starts to make herself another blunt.

_________<~>_________

So... Zoé? What do you make of that interaction?

...

What do you think of Zoé as a character? What vibes is she giving you?