{ Hello Lovelies! Sorry it takes me so long to update this! I don't quite have everything figured out so it's hard to get anything pieced together and published on time! Also, Little Miss Luna has been taking up a lot of my time so I can't focus on this book like I originally planned to..

Anyways!! The art above belongs to Fukari! I had written stuff for Howl and Fisher but planned for them to be in a different book, but after getting this started, I decided they fit nicely here. And then came along that piece of art and I think it fits Howl and Fisher's relationship/dynamic really well. They don't look like that but if there was fanart of Howl and Fisher, I'd want it to look like that! Oh! Also, there's a video of Chuck cuz I haven't posted anything of him yet.

Thanks for reading! It makes my heart happy! }

The bell was only a minute or two from ringing but Mr. Zander's had already finished his lesson for the day so he allowed everyone to simply mingle. Teddy was in the middle of packing up his things when Zoe turned around in her chair. They didn't meet eyes since Teddy was preoccupied and Zoe was too nervous to speak up. It had been over a week since she had spoken to him. After telling Howl she could get to know him, she started overthinking it.

How should I start a conversation with him? Will he get annoyed if I ask him personal questions? He doesn't seem like the type to open up easily and I don't want him to think I'm interrogating him or anything. How would I even go about starting a conversation with Teddy? He doesn't exactly give off an approachable vibe. Maybe Howl would make a good conversation piece. Howl said him and Teddy knew each other.

"So, I met Howl in detention the other day." Zoe blurted suddenly, her voice as light as her smile.

Teddy glanced up at Zoe from shoving his things in his backpack. He didn't say anything, simply furrowed his eyebrows with annoyance and confusion before he continued what he was doing. Zoe frowned and tapped her nails consistently on his desk as she watched him. She was trying to think of how to branch out from that one statement in order to get a response from Teddy.

"I can see how you two would get along. Were you guys good friends? Still talk?" Zoe continued.

Teddy zipped up his backpack and stood out of his seat so he could throw the bag over his shoulders. "We're just acquaintances."

"Howl said something fairly similar." Zoe smiled and stood up as well. She grabbed her backpack and held it in front of her, bouncing subtly on the ball of her feet. "I think I'm gonna eat with my friends for a minute and then meet you in the library. If you're okay with that, of course."

Teddy was slightly surprised. He didn't understand why he needed that information or why she thought he did. It was odd. He didn't care where she ate and he never expected her to meet him in the library. They hadn't spoken in like four days. Why was she suddenly saying all this now? And here, of all places? Out of the corner of his eye, he realized others were just as shocked and confused. There were only four pairs of eyes on him but it was four too many for his liking. Because of Zoe. Of course.

"Not if you're going to talk to me in class." Teddy spoke under his breath and turned to walk towards the door.

Zoe let out a heavy sigh and watched him walk off. Just as he hit the doorway, the bell rang and everyone stood up to leave. Well, Zoe thought, I guess our relationship strictly exists in the library only.

Zoe started heading out of class and through the halls to get to the cafeteria.

When she found the long line for food, someone threw their arm around her shoulder. "Walking taco or popcorn shrimp?"

Zoe looked up to see Chuck grinning handsomely beside her. She smiled and shrugged, watching her other friends surround her in line. "Maybe just a salad. I can't stay long for lunch."

"Why? Where are you going?" Vanessa pouted as she appeared on the other side of Zoe.

Zoe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought of something to say. From Teddy and Chuck's last encounter, Zoe discovered they didn't get along. She didn't want to mention his name and hear anything negative about him from Chuck. Whether that be because she didn't want to have a reason to stay away from him or she just didn't feel like being filled with negativity.

"I have work to do so I need a quiet space. It's a bit loud in here." Zoe answered.

"Like homework? We do homework during lunch sometimes, it's not that bad." Chuck obliviously countered.

"No, not homework. It's for the next Dior event I have to attend." Zoe replied simply. It wasn't a lie. She did have work to do but she could easily do it at home. It was just an easy excuse to use now.

As everyone gathered food on to their trays, Zoe went to reach for the salads containers next to the special drinks and yogurts. Before she got a hold of one though, Chuck quickly snatched one. As Zoe turned to him in slight surprise, she spotted a playful smirk on his face. He mockingly bowed and presented the salad towards Zoe. She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Chuck, causing him to happily chuckle.

"Chuck and Zoe sitting' in a tree." Courtney sang as she skipped past the two.

Zoe shot Courtney a halfhearted glare. They had been making that joke a lot lately, for some reason. Chuck didn't seem to mind. He was so easygoing that he happily played along in their little game.

"K. I. S. S." Chuck sang and puckered his lips at Zoe.

"Not. Happen. Ing." Zoe sang her words in tune with the rest of the song.

Vanessa bursted out in laughter, causing Zoe to proudly grin as she watched Chuck's puckered lips fall into a frown. Since everyone had grabbed their food so quickly, they all lined up to punch in their pins.

"It's really a waste of time not getting together, you know." Courtney called from the front of the line as she punched in her pin. The lunch lady waved her off.

"No, I don't know." Zoe cocked an eyebrow as Courtney disappeared into the crowded cafeteria to find their usual spot.

Angie then began punching in her pin, finishing Courtney's thought for her. "Because you guys are gonna end up together, anyways. Might as well start now."

It was Angie's turn to disappear into the crowd. Chuck took her spot at the pin, deciding to interject in a conversation partially surrounding him. It was as if the pin machine was the talking stick and everyone had something to say about Chuck and Zoe's relationship. Sounded about right to Zoe.

"I think they're on to something, Zo." Chuck happily punched in his pin and as the lunch lady waved him off, he puckered his lips at Zoe, making kissing noises and backing away so she could take his place. "Date me, Zoe. Please, I'm desperate." He mocked.

Zoe snorted a laugh and kicked in his direction, although he was already too far for her to reach. "Oh, Romeo, how could I ever say no?" Zoe dramatically joked with an old dialect lacing her words.

Chuck laughed and disappeared into the crowd like the rest of them. Zoe shook her head and punched in her pin. Vanessa slid into her place and did the same thing. "You play with that boy too long and you're going to put thoughts in his head."

"It's all jokes." Zoe defended. "You know that. You mock us all the time."

"It might only be a joke to some of us and a fantasy to others.." Vanessa warned. Zoe waved her hand in the air, swatting away Vanessa's claims. There was no way Chuck actually liked her. It was just a game they all played together. He was in on the joke, after all.

Vanessa and Zoe began walking together through the crowd to get to their table. Out of the corner of Zoe's eye, she caught a familiar face walking into the cafeteria. It was Howl. She knew Howl was exceptionally tall but with an underclassman under his arm, he seemed even taller. It didn't take her long to realize that underclassman was Fisher. He was pushing against Howl's side and trying to escape him but Howl only grinned and whispered in his ear. Fisher visibly cringed but when his eyes found Zoe, his eyes went wide.

"Zoe! Vanessa! Please save me from this rabid dog!" Fisher pleaded.

"Oh! Princess!" Howl grinned as he spotted the blonde. Zoe jokingly curtsied. He looked down at Fisher, nearly putting the guy in a chokehold to keep him from struggling. "Your Knight in shining armor is the princess?"

"Your breath smells like cigarettes." Fisher let his tongue fall out of his mouth in disgust as he tried his best to push Howl's face away from his.

"Howl.." Zoe scolded like a disappointed mother. She put one hand on her cocked hip and playfully frowned at Howl. "Let the poor boy go. You know you can't force people to be your friends."

"You don't have to worry about that. We're not exactly friends, per se." Howl purred with a devilish smirk, leaning down to capture Fisher's ear between his teeth.

Fisher jumped at the feeling, goosebumps littering his skin and a strange spark shooting down his spine. He slipped out of Howl's hold, his face visibly red. "Wow! Would you look at that! I gotta go." Fisher blurted nervously before bolting into the crowd.

Zoe and Howl both knowingly chuckled as they watched Fisher disappear like the others. As Zoe's eyes followed Fisher, they landed on Vanessa and she was surprised to see her jaw on the floor as she always followed Fisher. She looked like she had just see an alien crash down into the cafeteria or something.

"You fuck Fisher?" Vanessa blurted as she turned to Howl. Howl glanced between Zoe and Vanessa. All Zoe could do was shrug. Before he could answered, despite it looking like he wasn't going to bother, Vanessa turned to Zoe. "And since when do you talk to Howl? Whatever! That's less important. I have to find Fisher!"

And with that Vanessa bee-lined through the crowd to go after Fisher. Zoe smiled with amusement and looked to Howl, who was inching closer as his eyes followed Vanessa. He grew even taller the closer he got. His eye was still slightly discolored but it looked like it was getting better. That same smirk still danced on his face and it seemed like it stayed there no matter what situation he was in.

"You smoke?" Zoe asked, drawing Howl's attention back to her.

Howl nodded and tapped the pocket on his chest. Zoe could hear a hollow thud that revealed the cigarette box was there. His eyes drifted to something over Zoe's head as he spoke up. "And it looks like your friend Teddy will be joining me."

"What?" Zoe was taken aback by Howl's sudden claim. She turned around to see where Howl was looking. All the way across the cafeteria was a door to the practice fields and Teddy Morgan was currently pushing it open to leave the building. "Teddy smokes?"

"Only occasionally." Howl appeared in Zoe's line of sight as he also made his way towards the door. He walked backwards a couple steps to add one last comment with that same playful smirk on his face. "I'm convinced it's because he won't spend money on his own packs since he's always gotta mooch off me."

Zoe wanted to smile at Howl's little joke but she wasn't really comfortable with the idea of smoking cigarettes. She was surprised to hear Teddy smoked, not so much about Howl given his personality and apparent lifestyle, but she still didn't like it. They were high schoolers after all. How did Howl even get cigarettes? He was only a year older than them so it should be just as hard for him to get a hold of them as Teddy. It seemed so odd.

Taking a step forward, Zoe wanted to follow Howl and see if they were truly going to smoke behind the school during lunch. If they did, she wanted to maybe scold them or something. But before she got too far, Vanessa reappeared in her path and grabbed her shoulder with wide eyes.

"Howl fucks Fisher!" Vanessa was lit up like a Christmas tree as the thought processed in her head.

"Did you find him and ask?" Zoe asked.

"Well, no... But oh my god! It was so obvious! I wonder if any of the gang knew.." Vanessa exclaimed, her eyes glazed over as she delved into her thoughts.

"You might want to check with Fisher before you go spouting his business to everyone..." Zoe awkwardly cringed as she started through the cafeteria to join the everyone she was referring to.

"That's true." Vanessa frowned and fell into step with Zoe. "Fisher did run away so he probably doesn't want to draw attention to it. It's less fun when you can't gossip about it."

Zoe giggled and nudged Vanessa just as they reached their lunch table. Before Zoe got the chance to pick her seat, Chuck raised his foot and pushed Daniel a couple inches away from him to make room. Zoe scolded Chuck and playfully pushed him but took the spot anyways since Daniel moved his tray down to make room for her. The teasing of Zoe and Chuck's relationship continued as they sat together and joked around. Zoe didn't mind. She just liked joking around and it seemed like Chuck did too.

Zoe almost got so caught up in conversation with her friends that she nearly forgot she was going to see Teddy in the library. That's why it had been a couple days since she last went. But when Zoe saw Howl walk into the cafeteria from outside, it was a convenient reminder. She gathered her things as she said goodbye to her friends, keeping an eye on the door Teddy disappeared through and Howl as he leant against a different lunch table. Zoe hurried to catch up once Teddy walked into the cafeteria.

Teddy grabbed the collar of Howl's shirt and dragged him away from the table, but not before Howl grabbed someone and forced them out of their seat. Zoe dumped the last of her salad and jogged down the hallway after the three boys. The hallways were completely emptied since some classes were still going and everyone else was eating in the cafeteria. That made it a lot harder for Zoe to stay under the radar since her clicking heels echoed all the way down the hallway.

At the sound of said heels, Teddy turned to see the blonde casually trotting behind them. She flashed a pearly smile at Teddy and sweetly waved. Howl also turned and spotted her, his eyes glancing at Teddy to carefully study his expression. Howl was intrigued by their sudden relationship. After knowing Teddy for so long, it was weird that he would have someone on his tail. But Teddy was such a closed book, he couldn't even read him as he stared at Zoe coming his way.

Once Zoe got close enough, Teddy opened his mouth to say something snarky but then he realized that she wasn't stopping. His mouth shut and suddenly Zoe grabbed a fistful of his shirt. His eyes widened as she yanked him down and sniffed his shirt. He did smell a bit like cigarette smoke. It wasn't an overwhelming smell but it still didn't smell good. Zoe let him go and frowned up at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You smoke?" Zoe glared.

Teddy was still frozen in shock, staring down at the blonde in front of him. Howl fought a grin and stepped away as slowly and quietly as possible. When Fisher tried to protest, Howl clapped his hand over his mouth and continued dragging him down the hallway. Teddy and Zoe were left in the middle of the empty hallway, staring intensely at each other. Teddy couldn't get over how different she seemed to be with him compared to the others. It was strange.

"What's it to you?" Teddy rolled his shoulders to find comfort in his own skin again. He turned towards the stairs and walked off to get to the library.

Zoe went to follow him but with Teddy's body no longer in the way, she could see Howl and Fisher again. Howl pushed Fisher into a bathroom but Fisher stopped in the doorway and began pestering him, which Zoe couldn't hear. Howl only entertained Fisher's rant for a moment, with a smug smirk, before shutting him up by kissing him. Fisher dropped his hands from the bathroom doorway and Howl effectively pushed him further into the bathroom, they're lips still locked.

Zoe caught the whole thing and with a girly squeal, Zoe rushed up the stairs after Teddy. Teddy curiously peaked over the second set of stairs to see Zoe marching up every step. He couldn't hold back his laughter as she tripped up the last step and slapped her hands against the landing to save herself.

"Shut up!" Zoe cried as she pushed to her feet again.

Teddy could hear Zoe's heels clicking behind him but he didn't bother to turn around. When she had finally matched his long strides, Zoe tried to stick her foot out and trip Teddy. That plan horribly backfired as Teddy's leg continued forward, completely unfazed by hers. The tables had suddenly turned, and instead of tripping Teddy forwards, Teddy was kicking Zoe's foot right out from under her.

Zoe completely lost her balance and her body toppled over. Luckily, Teddy was fast enough to catch Zoe's arm and slow her fall enough for her to land on her butt. With her free arm, Zoe tossed back all her wild blonde strands and shot another glare at Teddy. But her glare instantly softened at the giant grin on his face. He looked so amused, happy, bright. The usual frown he wore through the halls and in class was nowhere to be found.

"You're the clumsiest person I've ever met." Teddy grabbed Zoe's arm with his other hand and helped her to her feet again.

Zoe patted down her skirt and fixed her twisted shirt. She was mostly fussing with her outfit so much because she didn't want to look up and have Teddy witness her flaming red cheeks. "I'm not clumsy on my own. It was your fault."

"It was my fault once." Zoe's eyes finally fell on Teddy and she tried her best to mask her flustered feelings. "You trip over yourself all the time."

"All the time? You watch me that often? Are you secretly a fan?" Zoe teased.

Teddy rolled his eyes and turned to continue down the hallway. Zoe followed, her eyes glued to that grin plastered on his face. "I don't watch you. You're always the center of attention so I can't help it."

"It's okay to say you like me." Zoe cutely batted her eyelashes up at Teddy.

"You wish, Bozo."

"Hey!"

Teddy's grin broadened as he took in Zoe's satisfying expression. She looked completely offended and shocked by his nickname. He was surprised himself to have come up with that fun play-on-words nickname, himself.

"I'm keeping that." Teddy stated proudly.

"No, you're not!" Zoe whined. "That's a terrible nickname."

"I like it. I'm keeping it, Bozo." Teddy teased and slipped into the library.

"Teddy!" Zoe cried in protest as she followed him in. The librarian instantly shushed her, even though there was nobody in the library. Teddy shot her a silent, smug expression that Zoe responded with a quick jut of her tongue. "And what if I started calling you Teddy Bear or Mutt like the others?" Zoe whispered.

"I would never speak to you again." Teddy countered as he shuffled his bag off his shoulders and sat it at the table in the back of the library.

"Why do you get to use that? What if I never spoke to you again?" Zoe sunk into the seat beside Teddy as he pulled it his textbooks and notebooks.

"It'd be a blessing." Teddy teased.

Zoe snorted a laugh and playfully pushed Teddy's arm. "You're such a bully." Zoe whispered before reaching for her own things.

Teddy couldn't help but stare. He didn't mean to. He didn't even realize he was. The only thing he was thinking about was her statement, that he was a bully. Teddy heard so many people say that to him. Nearly half the school called him a bully almost regularly. But hearing it from Zoe, there was a different feel to it. She didn't mean it. She was just joking. She didn't actually think he was mean and she never took him too seriously.

He liked that.