"Oh my god! She lives!" Vanessa yelled at the sight of Zoe walking down the hallway. Zoe flashed a perky smile and picked up her pace when Vanessa came running to her. Wrapping her arms around Zoe, Vanessa jutted out her bottom lip in a pout. "I missed you! When did you get back?"

Zoe threw her arms around Vanessa as the others congealed into one mob in the hallway. "I got back after lunch."

"Of course, you did. You couldn't come back in the morning when we actually have class together." Vanessa whined.

"Awhh.." Zoe held Vanessa's head against her shoulder as Vanessa squeezed her. "I'm back now, Van."

"Why did you disappear without saying anything, Zo? We thought you got sick of us already." Fisher threw his arm around Zoe's shoulder, shooing Vanessa out of his way by lazily slapping her in the face.

Zoe snorted a laugh and let go of Vanessa so she could escape. She turned to Fisher to see a goofy smirk on his face. "I didn't get sick of you guys. They moved the date of the release event so I had to just jump on a plane and go." Not a lie.

Fisher was suddenly pushed out of the way and replaced by Chuck, who shot an evil glare at his friend. With his hands crossed over his chest, his expression softened as he looked to Zoe. Because Chuck pushed Fisher into Michael, Zoe watched the two push each other around while simultaneously apologizing to those they bumped into. Since school was over, everyone was funneling out of the building so the hallways were extra congested with students.

"Who do you hang out with when you travel?" Chuck asked.

"I knew a couple people that showed up to the event but when it's work, I'm usually too busy to hang out." Zoe shrugged.

"That was work?" Zoe's eyes fell on Jennie and noticed her expression was just as sour as her tone. "Going to France so people can take pictures of you in expensive clothing is work?"

The air grew tense as everyone exchanged awkward glances. Zoe looked to everyone around her, not at all surprised that they were all avoiding eye contact with her. With Jennie staring at her with that hard, sour expression, Zoe forced a smile and shrugged.

"It can be fun, I'm not gonna lie." Zoe spoke positively.

Everyone's eyes returned Zoe, shocked by her sweet response. Jennie was usually the problematic one and more often than not, she caused arguments. Zoe though, had no interest in conflict. She didn't even like when people didn't like her. Maybe, if she was nice to Jennie when Jennie was being crude, that would earn her some friendship points.

Just like always, by the devils will, it seemed, Teddy stepped into Zoe's path. Because the hallways were so packed, he didn't really have much of a choice. He was kind of just shoved trough the crowd as everyone tried to leave now that class was over.

Teddy didn't look back and Zoe didn't get to catch of glimpse of his face due to his hood over his head but they both recognized each other's presence. Zoe instantly felt a bit anxious. Maybe it was butterflies or maybe she just felt awkward being around the only person who had ever seen her at her worse while she was with those she tried her best to impress.

"You know, you're part of a team now. If you're gonna disappear all of a sudden, you have to tell us." Jennie blurted rudely, gaining Zoe's attention again.

Zoe picked up that she was talking about the cheer squad. Zoe held a serious face and nodded to please Jennie and tell her she was listening and absorbing her words. Or more like, threats. Zoe may try to be the nice one and it may come off as naive but she wasn't oblivious. She also didn't want to entertain rudeness by throwing it back at her. That may be what Jennie wants by Zoe was better than that.

Uncomfortable with the amount of tension Jennie was creating, Vanessa hooked her arm around Zoe's with a bright grin. "Did you see all the pictures we put up to celebrate?" Vanessa pointed proudly to all the pictures still stuck to the hallway walls.

"I did..." Zoe internally cringed, her eyes drifting from the pictures to the back of Teddy's head. She wanted to say how she truly felt, which she felt most comfortable expressing to Teddy, for some unknown reason. "I took these photos in France and now they've followed me all the way here..."

"You don't like them?" Chuck slightly panicked. He would never do anything to upset Zoe or make her uncomfortable. The pictures were his idea but only because he genuinely wanted to show her off.

"No! That's not it all! I'm glad you like the photos." Zoe gripped Chuck's arm to reassure him. She held his stare as she tried to come up with something more the convince him.

Just as Chuck went to speak up again, their pile of friends bumped into the main intersections where all the hallways joined in front of the school. It took a moment for everyone to merge and decide which direction they were going in without losing their friends in the process. Chuck protectively placed his hand on the small of Zoe's back and guided her through the crowd to get to the main doors like everyone else.

Just as Chuck reached for the main door, Teddy shoved the door open himself. As he did so, he grabbed one of the photos of Zoe's Dior shoot that was taped to the glass and tore it off. He crinkled it in his palm and shoved it in his hoody pocket. Everyone took note of it and gasped in shock at him as they all funneled into the open air. Chuck was the first one to speak up.

"What the fuck, Mutt?!" Chuck shouted.

"Hey!" Zoe blurted instantly in protest, shocking Teddy into turning around. She sounded very offended just then. She sounded like she had something to say. That was quite off brand for the shining angel she was. "That's a rude nickname."

"Did you see what that fuck just did, Zoe? He tore down your picture like an asshole!" Chuck exclaimed, gesturing towards Teddy.

"That's no reason to call him names, Chuck." Zoe let go of Chuck and continued walking, Vanessa's arm slipping from around hers. She sauntered towards Teddy and met him shoulder to shoulder, or head to shoulder since she was so short compared to him. "Thank you.." She whispered, her eyelashes fluttering as she peered innocently up at him.

"I didn't do it for you. If you don't like the pictures up, take them down yourself." Teddy muttered under his breath for only Zoe to hear.

Zoe dropped her gaze with guilt now on her shoulders and continued forward and passed Teddy. Vanessa was quick to catch up with her, along with three others whose houses were in the same direction as Zoe. Chuck went to follow but stopped in front of Teddy, who hadn't moved yet. He shot the guy a glare, his jaw tensing as he tried not to get angry and disappoint Zoe.

He never liked Teddy and he would do something about this if Zoe hadn't scolded him already.

"Watch yourself, Mutt. Don't go tearing apart other people's things." Chuck warned between gritted teeth.

Teddy stared down at the man just a few inches shorter than himself. "It was one photoshoot, Chuck. She's not a world famous supermodel. And you might wanna ask her if she's okay with it before you put her face on every wall in the building."

"Don't act like you know Zoe or anything about social norms, alright? You have no friends and she'll never be one of them so don't worry about her." Chuck looked Teddy up and down, trying to present himself as a threat or an attempt at intimidation.

All Teddy could do was roll his eyes as the blonde boy jogged to catch up with his friends. Despite having half the school funneling around him, Teddy stuck up his middle finger as Chuck walked off. Chuck didn't even get the point he was trying to make, he was so stupid.

Teddy hated that Zoe and the others lived nearby because now, every morning and every evening, he had to walk with them. He tried not to stay too close and sometimes they left at different times so he didn't see them. Today wasn't one of those glorious days.

"If you continue to disappear into thin air, you might lose your spot on the squad. There are other girls that wanna cheer, you know." Jennie continued to terrorize Zoe as she walked beside everyone on the sidewalk.

"Cut it out, Jenn." Chuck growled, already annoyed thanks to Teddy. "So, she was gone for a couple days. She was working. Cut her some slack."

"Cheering is work." Jennie sassily tilted her head with a sour smirk.

"If you're gonna be negative, go home. You don't even live this way." Vanessa stated with some venom dripping off her tongue as she stayed attached to Zoe's arm.

"Whatever." Jennie rolled her bright blue eyes and turned on her heels to walk back to the school.

Like Chuck, she usually walked home with them to chat until they reached Zoe's house and then went back to her car in the school parking lot to drive home. Vanessa, Fisher, and Lauren were the only ones that actually lived down this street.

Well, and Teddy. But when Zoe glanced back, he was walking down the middle of the street as usual. His hood was still over his head and headphone strings dangled from his ears inside his hood. His fingers slipped over the hoods of cars that drove by as his arms dangled lazily on either side of him.

There was something about Teddy that was drawing Zoe in. She was convincing herself it was his air of confidence. He was literally walking in the middle of the street and never faltered, even when they honked at him. It was either arrogance or confidence but Zoe liked the latter. He was really handsome, too. His hood blocked the sun from his eyes but his cheekbones and jaw still glowed in the sunlight.

He looked so casual. So unbothered. Zoe admired it.

"Can I ask you something?" Zoe turned to Vanessa, her voice low and head leaned in close so she wasn't speaking to the whole group as they chatted amongst themselves.

"Anything." Vanessa answered.

"Have you ever... found Teddy.." Zoe hesitated to continue. Vanessa searched her eyes as the blonde trapped her bottom lip in her mouth.

"Extremely rude? Yes." Vanessa cocked an eyebrow with a disgusted expression sat on her face. "Don't worry about him. He's like that to everyone, not just you."

Zoe wanted to correct Vanessa. It wasn't that she was worried that he was targeting her or anything. She wanted to know if Vanessa ever found him attractive or if she was just crazy and delusional. He was tall, broad shouldered, mysterious, clever. He was handsome. Zoe couldn't deny it even if she wanted to.

Teddy was also secretly very caring. He gave Zoe tissues twice when she was crying. He also just tore down the picture, which Zoe was convinced he did because he overheard her, not because he was mean like he tried to be. There was just something in her gut telling her that he wasn't mean. She wasn't convinced he would even hurt a fly.

"Maybe I'll ask him myself." Zoe looked back at Teddy. He was still in the middle of the road.

"No. Don't talk to him. He's going to eat you alive. You're too sweet to be bullied by him." Vanessa quietly protested.

Ignoring Vanessa completely, Zoe broke away from her and her crowd of friends. They all turned back to her as she ended up at the back of the group. "I'll catch up with you guys in a minute. Go on without me."

"Wait, what?" Chuck turned completely to Zoe. "But I always drop you off at home. I have no reason to go on if you're not."

"I'll catch up with you. Wait for me in front of my house." Zoe gestured for them to go on. She started walking backwards down the slanted sidewalk despite Chuck's protest.

When she turned towards the street, Zoe looked up and down the hill to see if any cars were coming. Across the street were two take-out places, a dry cleaners, and a convenient store at the end. Zoe hurriedly skipped across the street, catching Teddy's arm and dragging him across with her.

Teddy's eyes widened as he followed the blonde on to the sidewalk. He wondered why he could never escape her. That's all he wanted. He wanted to go home and leave behind the school and all it's insufferable students that worshiped the ground she walked on.

When they both stood on the other side of the street, Zoe gestured for Teddy to take out his headphones. "I can hear you." Teddy stated, his tone slightly annoyed.

Zoe huffed at his claim and plucked out his headphones herself. He tried to jerk away from her reach but that only helped in the process of removal. Teddy stared down at the blonde as she stared back up at him. Neither of them said a word. Zoe was simply admiring his dark features while Teddy tried to comprehend why she looked so bright and joyous for no apparent reason. It bothered him.

"What did you mean earlier?" Zoe fidgeted with her fingers behind her back, her eyelashes fluttered and bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

"What? When?" Teddy's eyes narrowed. He was preparing himself to not answer a question he didn't want to hear. He didn't know what she meant yet but he knew he wasn't interested by the glint in her eyes.

"When you said, That. Do that more often." Zoe attempted to mimic Teddy's low voice, causing his eyebrows to furrow.

"Nothing." Teddy shrugged.

Zoe's smile fell and her pink lips parted. "What do you mean nothing? What did you mean by that?"

Teddy groaned and sidestepped Zoe to continue up the sidewalk. He could hear Zoe's heels click against the pavement as she trailed behind him. Letting out a groan, Teddy decided to give Zoe what she wanted in hopes that it would make her disappear quicker.

"You gave me a smartass remark when I told you I don't like pity parties. You said you would cry if you wanted to, as in, I can't tell you what to do." Teddy explained, his eyes forward and long legs in long strides while Zoe scurried to keep up. "You obviously lack a backbone so to hear that from you was pretty amusing. I told you to do that more often because Jennie just threatened your spot on the cheer squad and all you did was smile. You should've snatched that bitches wig."

Zoe snorted a laugh, catching Teddy's attention. He watched the blonde giggle to herself as she tried to keep up with him. He suddenly stopped and Zoe did a couple steps ahead. Her smile remained after her laughter, her teeth pearly white and lips a glossy pink. She stared back at Teddy and blinked her long eyelashes innocently at him, wondering why he had suddenly stopped.

There was something about her that made him uncomfortable. That made him want to run. She was like a porcelain doll and it made him feel like a shitty middle school clay bowl.

"So you're telling me I should be rude to those that are rude to me?" Zoe tilted her head slightly, some loose strands of blonde hair following.

"I'm saying you should stick up for yourself. And be more honest with people because you look like a pathological liar from here." Teddy stated honestly with an unbothered shrug.

"I'm not." Zoe corrected, her smile fading into a frown. She didn't lie to be sneaky or evil. It was just... easier. Her lies were better received than her truths.

"Well, you look like one."

"How do I be honest when people get mad at me for it? People don't like the truth."

Teddy let out a long sigh and continued a couple steps forward. Even in heels and on the higher point of this slanted sidewalk, Zoe still didn't meet his height. She was close tho. Teddy watched the blonde bat her eyelashes up at him, not even cowering back when he got closer, which admittedly surprised him.

"I'm not your therapist." Teddy's pitch black eyes bored into Zoe's as he tried his best to get his point through her thick skull. "And I don't care."

With that, Teddy sidestepped the blonde and continued up the hill. His house was so close. He could finally relax and decompress before he had to go to work. If only he could get this bubblegum fairy off his back.

"I won't lie to you." Zoe's heels clicked behind him again. Teddy dropped his head into his hands as he stopped once again. He could hear Zoe's heels pitter-patter to a stop in front of him and he looked up at her. "I promise, I'll never lie to you. You've already seen me cry. You're the only one that has seen me cry. I'll try to be honest and practice on you."

"No, no, no!" Teddy waved his hands in between them, a nervous grin pulling at the corner of his lips. Zoe's eyes lit up at the sight as she examined his handsome features. He got ten times as attractive when he was smiling. "That's not what I meant, at all. Don't use me as practice. I want nothing to do with it. Be honest with Vanessa. She's like your new best friend, right? Or even Chuck! That prick would cum seeing you cry."

Zoe's face contorted in disgust at his last comment. She had no idea what that meant but she didn't like it. "No, I choose you." Zoe's pearly whites reappeared as she happily swayed. "I like your attitude. You're honest, brutally honest, and you don't care how people perceive you. I want to learn from you."

Teddy looked up at the sky with his eyes closed and stuffed his hands in his hoody pocket as he took a moment to think. She was a porcelain doll. He'd break her for sure. Looking back to Zoe, he couldn't help but grow tense. "I would ruin you."

Zoe slowly nodded, her eyes drifting as she thought about it. "I'm okay with that."

"You shouldn't be." Teddy stated.

Their eyes locked and a silent couple seconds passed. And suddenly, Zoe was smiling like a big idiot again because all she could think about was how handsome he was. If she was a dog, her tail would be wagging back and forth like crazy. She was like an actual puppy and Teddy felt guilty knowing she had the desire to suddenly follow him around instead of someone who was actually a good influence on her.

Teddy groaned in annoyance and grabbed Zoe's shoulders, forcefully facing her towards the road. "Go home, Zoe." Teddy commanded and walked up the sidewalk.

Teddy has big, strong hands. Zoe thought to herself as her cheeks warmed.

Zoe watched Teddy walk off. He reached the end of the small strip and stepped down into an alley way. Curious as to where he disappeared to, Zoe continued up the sidewalk. At the end of the strip, at the edge of the Chinese take-out place, was an alleyway. There were a couple steep steps leading towards it. To the left was the edge of the Chinese take-out place and to the right were a set of apartments hidden in the ground. Zoe had never seen anything like this.

The apartments looked unkept, some crumbling and trash littered around the buildings. Teddy made his way to the third one in and took out his keys from his back pocket. He violently jiggled the handle and shoved the door open before disappearing inside.

Zoe was surprised. She didn't imagine Teddy living in such a bad place like this. He literally lived in an alleyway that was out of sight from the public. It was so dark and dirty.

It did, however, explain why he always walked in the same direction as Zoe and her friends but then would suddenly disappear. Her neighborhood was expensive so it was surprising to her that Teddy's apartment, at the edge of the neighborhood, looked like they were in such poor condition. It's not like Zoe really cared that much. Not when she just remembered she told her friends to wait for her in front of her house.

Luckily, walking uphill was much easier in heels than any other angle.