"I still can't believe you gave that little gremlin my phone number." Teddy bitterly muttered beside Howl, his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets and chin hidden past the tall collar of the jacket.

Howl snorted a laugh. "I actually forgot about that. How did that go? Did she call you?"

"Of course, she called me. What did you think she'd do?" Teddy snapped.

Howl chuckled and brought his cigarette up to his lips. When the girls walking on the other side of the street started laughing, Teddy and Howl both turned their eyes in their direction. Zoe was happily hopping up the steep sidewalk with her friends, all of them trying to get in front of the other but not using their hands since they were hidden in their pockets. Even if they were all cold, they still managed to make their trip home from school fun.

It was quickly starting to get cold out but the temperature still fluctuated dramatically throughout the day. It was cold and dewy in the early morning, warm when the sun was high, and then got windy and chilly again towards the afternoon, just so it could get freezing at night and start the cycle all over again. Halloween was just around the corner so it bound to only get colder around here.

Even if it was windy and cold outside, all of Zoe's friends still walked her home after school. Chuck offered his jacket to be a gentleman, but since Zoe was already wearing one, that nice gesture turned out to be a waste. Vanessa and Lauren kept close to Zoe for warmth, when they weren't bouncing around, while Fisher walked behind them with Chuck. The others that usually walked Zoe home, by didn't live in the neighborhood, didn't even bother since it was cold.

"You guys are gonna trip over each other." Chuck laughed as he watched the girl hop in front of one another. He reflexively grabbed Zoe's arm when she got pushed. "Careful! Watch it!"

"Sorry, dad.." Lauren mockingly whined as she turned back to Chuck, who was less than amused by her jokes.

While the others were busy laughing and talking, Fisher instinctually looked over his shoulder. A couple feet back, across the street, and further down the hill, Howl and Teddy were walking beside each other. Howl was already staring as Teddy watched his feet, which meant he caught Fisher looking back at him. Fisher blushed, deepening the already red tint to his cheeks from the cold, as his head whipped forward again. Howl smirked and shook his head at Fisher's shyness.

Fisher couldn't help but be hyper aware of Howl's presence whenever he was near, but it was even worse now. Howl never walked in this direction. He didn't even live in this neighborhood. But, unbeknownst to Fisher, Howl was actually walking to Teddy's house to hang out and smoke. Teddy had his own little spot by the river, which ran along side his apartment complex, and was bringing Howl there to chill.

"What'd you guys talk about?" Howl asked, using the question to cover up how distracted he was by the boy across the street. Teddy still knew he was distracted. Howl wasn't a very discreet guy, in any form of that word.

"Nothing. We didn't talk." Teddy shrugged, his eyebrows permanently knitting together in the middle of his forehead as he thought about it. "She talked for two straight hours. About absolutely nothing too. She just went on and on about this and that. It was obnoxious really. Put me right to sleep."

Howl's attention was obviously still on Fisher, even when the younger boy wasn't looking back at him. Teddy didn't want to mention it, even though Howl wouldn't hear him right now, but Zoe had been crying while they were in the phone. He asked her why but she never explained herself. Zoe already knew she'd be called dramatic and spoiled so she didn't even dare to bring it up. She just wanted Teddy to distract her and take her mind off of things as she casually sniffled through her rambling.

"You can see Zoe's house from yours?" Howl asked as he stopped on the sidewalk when Teddy turned left.

Teddy stopped on the first step down and looked back at Howl. He followed Howl's gaze up the street and towards Zoe's house, where she was punching in her code to unlock the gate. When it stuttered and pulled back, Zoe turned to her friends with a big smile and waved goodbye. Since she was turned towards the road, she could see Howl standing across the street. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before her friends stepped out of the way and she spotted Teddy. Why were they both staring at her?

"That's a fucking monster house." Howl marveled as he waved once at Zoe, who shyly waved back.

"Don't! She's going to think you're inviting her over or something!" Teddy tried to be quiet as he scolded Howl, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him down the steps. Teddy quickly fished his keys out of his pocket. "Let me check my mail first. Sometimes my check gets here early."

Zoe slowly walked backwards towards her house as her friends continued up the sidewalk and into the rest of the neighborhood. She waved to them one last time when Chuck looked back. But once they had disappeared past the big hedges surrounding her house, she ran back to the gate. She tried not to make any noise with her heels as she skipped across the street and towards Teddy's house.

The sound of her heels clicking against the sidewalk still caught his ears, though, causing Teddy to freeze with his mail in hand. "Speak of the devil." Howl grinned, his eyes glued to the petite girl at the top of the steps.

"Shit.." Teddy muttered under his breath.

"What are you guys up to?" Zoe excitedly asked as she started down the steps.

Teddy tossed all his junk mail into the garbage outside his apartment. All grocery coupons, store deals, and restaurant advertisements were all thrown out. Not that Teddy had ever really kept any of them. All he really cared about was the envelope sent to his father. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Zoe as he ripped it open and continued through the alleyway to get to the river.

"We're going to smoke." Howl gestured his pack of cigarettes towards Zoe. "Want one?"

Zoe's small face scrunched up in disgust as she reared back her head from the cigarette pack. "No, thank you." Her eyes flickered up to Howl's as her expression softened. "Can I still hang out with you guys?"

"No." Teddy said at the same time that Howl said, "Sure."

Teddy looked back at Howl, outraged that Howl would even think of inviting the one girl in school that he couldn't stand. Howl simply shrugged and nodded his head in Teddy's direction, silently signaling for Zoe to follow him. Zoe's heels excitedly clicked against the crumbling pavement steps as she followed Teddy and Howl through the alleyway and towards the river. She had never hung out with ether of them outside of school so she was excited.

Teddy begrudgingly led the two across the street, through a hole in the fence in front of the river, and down the big boulders keeping the city from the river. Zoe took her heels off and waved Howl off when he offered to help. She hopped down from one big boulder to the next, carefully sitting and sliding down ones that didn't safely lead to another. Teddy made it down first and watched Zoe maneuver her way down each rock.

It was almost comical how slowly Zoe moved. With one hand occupied by her high heels, her other trying to keep her short skirt down, and her legs waving desperately to find ground, he couldn't help but snort a laugh under his breath. At least, Teddy thought, she was entertaining in some way. She looked like a little kid that really wanted to hang out with the big kids, even if she couldn't quite keep up.

But, as she slid off a boulder on her butt to the much smaller stones that Teddy and Howl were stood on, her skirt caught on the edge of the rock. By the time she landed, Teddy had already gotten a full view of her pink panties that had a little white bow at the waistband. His instantly flushed, the color visible in his dark complexion, as he averted his eyes. Zoe nervously fixed her skirt as she looks up at the two boys waiting for her, both of them looking in other directions.

"Took you long enough.." Teddy bitterly chastised.

"I thought you didn't want me to come but you're telling me to hurry?" Zoe reluctantly questioned.

Teddy's blood boiled at Zoe's audacity to ask that. He hadn't looked at her yet, and now that she was right in front of him, he instinctively flinched at how much she shrunk. But, he still glared at her. "Keep up or get lost."

Zoe pouted as Teddy turned and stormed towards his spot. The stones under Zoe's feet were cold and made her violently shiver as she walked but she didn't say anything. She wished she had dressed warmer but fashion came before comfort. Besides, it had gotten so cold so quickly and she only moved here recently, which meant she didn't have a lot of winter clothing.

"You're going to freeze to death, Zoe." Howl pointed out as he sat beside Teddy, both of them leant against the cement pillar that held the road above them up over the river.

Zoe sat against a boulder and crossed her legs under her, only her knees showing past her skirt. "I'm fine. I'll only be here a minute."

"Gimme." Teddy turned to Howl with an open palm.

"You lack manners, you know that?"

"Whatever."

Howl gave Teddy a cigarette, despite his lack of manners. He leant over to lit it and stuck the lighter back into his pocket. Zoe watched in silence. A couple minutes went by where nobody said anything. Teddy and Howl smoked, Zoe scrolled through her social media pages on her phone, and the world continued to move around them as the three took a moment to relax. Although Zoe was freezing, she was comfortable.

After so long, Zoe had learned a couple things with her new friends here. She learned not to pull out her phone unless it was completely necessary. The moment her phone came out, people crowded her just to get a follow on Instagram or Twitter. If they weren't asking for attention online, they were asking for her number or her Snapchat. It was overwhelming every time. She hated it.

Even around people like Chuck and Vanessa, she didn't want to pull her phone out. She felt like she was ignoring the people around her when she did that. Chuck, especially, whined when Zoe took too long to manage her social media. But sometimes, she just couldn't help it. Her work relied heavily on media influence and it kept her in touch with those that could give her work so she couldn't ignore it for seven plus hours out of her day.

But with Howl and Teddy, she didn't think they minded much. Zoe was on her phone in the library sometimes and Teddy never said anything. Even Howl now was scrolling through his phone. There was a silent agreement among the three of them that they didn't have to talk to hang out. That was a rather foreign concept to Zoe but she tried it with Teddy a couple times in library. It was much more comfortable than she expected it to be.

"Didn't you say your sister is flying in soon?" Howl suddenly asked in the silence.

Zoe's fingers froze over her phone. Teddy has a sister?

Teddy instantly shoved Howl with his elbow, silently mouthing for Howl to shut his mouth. He didn't want Zoe to know these things about him. He hardly even wanted Howl to know. He only mentioned it because Howl was begging him to take the costume again and he had to explain that he'd be spending the evening with his sister. It was a passing comment, not anything that either of them should absorb.

Teddy sighed. "Yeah. What of it?"

"I haven't seen her since.. middle school..? What she doing back?"

"She's not back, she's just visiting. And she's staying downtown so it's not like you're going to see her again." Teddy retorted.

"You have a sister?" Zoe perked up, her eyes locking with Teddy's. "Is she older than you? What's her name? Where's she flying in from?"

The coldness in Teddy's expression only deepened at Zoe's anxious questioning. Without answering her, he flicked his cigarette into the river and pushed off the cement pillar to stand up. Zoe watched him walk off with his hands in his pockets and half his face hidden past the collar of his jacket again. Howl took a long drag of his cigarette to finish it off before he called out for Teddy.

"Where you goin', fool?" Howl yelled.

"I have to piss!" Teddy grabbed on to a boulder and hoisted himself up before he turned back to Howl and Zoe. "Can I trust you to keep your mouth shut while I'm gone?"

An evil grin spread across Howl's face, his tongue moving to play with his lip piercings. "Not a chance."

Teddy lowly growled to himself and flipped Howl his middle finger before he began his ascent up the boulders and back to his house. Zoe watched Teddy leave, her eyes carefully examining him. She liked the way his joggers fit his long legs and his track jacket hugged his broad shoulders. He looked warm and comfy. And handsome. She would never forget to admire how handsome he was.

"Carmen is a bit of a sore subject for him." Howl announced once Teddy was out of sight. Zoe turned to Howl with curiosity so he went on. "It's kind of a long story, I guess, and I don't know all the details. Nobody really does so, if you asked around, you'd probably get a different story every time."

"What's the story you know?" Zoe asked.

"Teddy's mom got sick, Carmen ran off with some rich guy, their mom died, and his dad turned into a raging alcoholic." Howl answered bluntly, shocking Zoe. "Teddy doesn't like talking about Carmen because you can't really talk about her without talking about their parents. It all kinda fits together like one fucked up puzzle."

Zoe instantly felt a bit sullen at that information. She didn't know there was that much that happened in Teddy's life. She didn't even know he had a sister and didn't have a mother. This was definitely stuff she wanted to know, though. She wanted to know lot of things about Teddy. She wanted to know everything about Teddy, if she were being blatantly honest. If she was going to share all the bad stuff in her life with Teddy, she wanted him to do the same.

"So, you don't know if Teddy is upset with her or anything? If she ran off before his mother died, is he angry at her? Or, is he lonely without her?" Zoe pushed curiously.

"I think they like each other, as much as any brother and sister do. I remember her teasing him a lot when we were younger but I haven't seen her in years. But he's definitely, definitely, lonely." Howl exaggerated, taking a moment to study the way Zoe processed that. He could see her absorbing it like a sponge. And later, hopefully, she'd act on it.

"That's all really terrible. It makes me feel bad.." Zoe stared at the slowly moving river as she zoned out for a moment. "Maybe I'll ask him about it later.."

"Oh, you really shouldn't do that." Howl chuckled. "It's a sore subject, Zoe. Teddy got suspended for a week the last time someone brought up Carmen."

"What? What'd he get suspended for?"

Howl chuckled once more at Zoe's naive, ignorant bliss as he finished another cigarette. His eyes flickered up for just a moment to see Teddy slip through the hole in the fence again. "For exuding physical violence on school grounds."

Zoe's eyes slighty widened. She didn't know it was that big of a deal. Teddy got suspended for fighting someone that mentioned Carmen, his sister. Zoe assumed Carmen was older, but Teddy was still protective of her? How long had it been since Teddy saw Carmen? How long ago did their mother die? Was there life good before all of that happened? Was Teddy doing alright now?

Just by looking at him, Zoe knew the answer to that. The bags under Teddy's eyes were usually always prominent and noticeable. He had two different scars on his face, both of which didn't look like old, childhood scars. She had also noticed the scars on his knuckles before, as well. Teddy looked rough, it made sense that he acted rough. But it still saddened her. He was only like this because of what the world did to him. That wasn't fair. There was more to him. Zoe was sure of it.

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the look on Zoe's face as she stared at him. The look in her eyes was similar to something of pity and guilt, which he didn't like, but he didn't know what her deal was. Had Howl spilled everything while he was gone? Of course, he had. But still, Zoe was looking at him funny. It wasn't just sadness. There was something else, and it was making him uncomfortable.

"Hey, Rudolph, your nose is running." Teddy blurted as he passed Zoe.

Zoe lifted her hand from her pocket and swiftly wiped her nose. Her finger glistened with clear snot, which made her sniff to gather whatever was dripping. Zoe wiped her hand on her skirt and wiped her nose again to clean up her top lip so she didn't look gross. She couldn't help it. It was cold out. That's why she was shivering so badly. And the breeze definitely wasn't helping. But, Zoe had yet to grow tired of this calm, relaxed atmosphere.

Teddy reached down and gestured for Howl to give him another cigarette. Howl reluctantly raised his pack to Teddy. "Don't get addicted to these. I'm too far gone but I don't want to be the cause of your downfall."

"Shut the fuck up." Teddy scoffed and snatched a cigarette from the pack.

"What are you dressing up as for Halloween, Howl?" Zoe asked, Teddy also drawing his attention towards him.

"A sexy cop." Howl smirked haughtily. "Gonna wear the uniform to school and rip it off at Stacy's party. There's gonna be garters, nipple clamps, and my baton is actually gonna be a slut paddle."

"A slut paddle?" Zoe curiously tilted her head.

Teddy and Howl exchanged awkward glances, a grin broadening across both of their faces. Teddy didn't say anything as he brought his cigarette to his lips again. Howl rested both his arms over his bent knees as he grinned at Zoe.

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain it to you when you're older." Howl teased.

Zoe awkwardly blushed. Her eyes flickered up to Teddy, who was still chuckling to himself as his eyes strayed towards the river. "So, you're going to Stacy's party for sure? And Teddy's not."

Howl glanced up at his friend. "Teddy doesn't do parties. Never has, never will."

"Really, Teddy? You really won't go?" Zoe whined.

Teddy shook his head as smoke evaded his body through his mouth. "Fuck that. I can't stand being in the same building as those fucks for seven hours a day. I'm not gonna spend my night socializing with them."

Zoe pouted but Howl quickly caught her attention. "What are you dressing as? Sexy or scary?"

Zoe pondered for a moment. "I-I don't know.. I was thinking maybe playboy bunny, cute bunny, haunted doll, something like that."

"Haunted doll would fit you well. Especially, if you wore a pink dress and pigtails with blood all over you."

"That's kinda what I was thinking.. But Stacy really wants a bunch of us to be playboy bunnies so I'm not sure yet. Teddy says that's a dumb idea, though."

"I didn't say that." Teddy spoke matter-of-factly. He didn't even bother to turn to Howl or Zoe. "But yeah, I think it's dumb."

"I think you should do playboy bunny for sure." Howl interjected, causing Zoe to curiously perk up as Teddy turned to him in shock. "You're a really cute girl but it'd be cool to see you look sexy for once. It'd be refreshing. And besides, you should show a little diversity and duality, you know? The party is your runway and we're all judging you, Zoe."

Zoe giggled at Howl's exaggerations and understandably nodded. He was right. She liked having a brand and a look that she could rely on, but even when applying for modeling gigs, she had to throw in some pictures of her in black and smoldering so she didn't look twelve in every picture. Diversity and duality was important, even on Halloween. It was a good thing she asked for Howl opinion.

When Howl didn't notice Teddy's glare, he leant back against the cement pillar to sulk. Howl just continued talking. "And Fisher's going to that party, right? What's he dressing up as?"

"I think he's going as Spider-Man." Zoe shrugged. "Lauren said she's be his Qwen Stacy and he got really awkward. Is that because you guys are together?"

Teddy snorted a laugh under his breath and Howl shot him a glare that he didn't even catch. "We're not together. I just like to fuck with him. He insists he's straight but he turns to putty when I touch him so I like to call him out on his bullshit."

Zoe understandably nodded. Teddy and Howl were interesting characters. Howl must've had some skeletons in his closet, but he was so interesting now that she hadn't gotten to that part yet. Teddy, though, was constantly hiding whatever was in his past and she wanted to find out. Unfortunately, Zoe was right in the middle. She had so many skeletons packed into her closest that they were pouring out even today. She couldn't fit anymore of them. That's probably why she felt so comfortable around Teddy and Howl.

"It's freaking freezing out here. I'm gonna head home, if that's alright." Zoe said as she rose to her feet and brushed off the back of her skirt. She didn't want to leave but she couldn't feel her toes any longer and it worried her.

"Please." Teddy said at the same time that Howl said, "Sure."

"Can one of you boys please help me up these rocks?" Zoe nervously asked as she pointed at the boulders with one cold finger, her other hand holding her high heels again.

Teddy put his cigarette between his lips and sauntered towards Zoe without hesitation. Howl watched with amusement as Zoe's face lit up when Teddy grew closer. He couldn't help but root for those two. Teddy needed a girl like Zoe. She was so sweet, bubbly, optimistic, and caring. Teddy had lost all of that a long, long time ago. It was about time something good showed up in his life. Teddy just didn't see it yet.

"I'm gonna count to three and you're gonna jump. Turn around." Teddy instructed simply.

Zoe nervously turned towards the big boulders so Teddy was behind her. He had to bend down in order to grab her waist, and when he did, Zoe instantly flinched and furiously blushed. Teddy began counting, the numbers slightly muffled since his face was cold and he had a cigarette in his mouth. Zoe was so flustered by the feeling of his big hands that were holding her that she could feel her heart pounding against her chest.

"Three!" Teddy called and lifted Zoe at the same time that she jumped.

Zoe squealed as she was lifted effortlessly into the air. Her feet hit the top of a boulder and she quickly tried to stable herself before Teddy let go of her. Again, as if the universe was mocking him, Teddy got another glimpse of Zoe's pink panties under her skirt. She was stood above him and was slightly crouched, so it couldn't be helped, but it still made him furiously blush. He fully didn't intend on having that happen in the first place. Or ever.

Why did that keep happening? Didn't she wear little spandex shorts under her skirts? Wasn't that a safer thing to do than flash your panties at any unsuspecting victim? Was she that shameless that she didn't care even if someone saw? Or was she naive enough to figure her skirt would never misbehave throughout the day? How many people had caught a glimpse? Had all those perverts at school that lusted over her all day seen?

"Thanks, Teddy." Zoe turned to Teddy on her hands and knees, a big smile on her face. Her eyes seemed huge when she was this close to him. This might've been the first time they ever spoke to each other eye to eye.

"Go before you change your mind. It's too cold." Teddy grumbled and turned to walk back to Howl, his hands finding their way into his pockets again.

Zoe giggled as she bit down on her bottom lip, admiring Teddy's broad shoulders once more as he walked away. She carefully stood up and hopped up the big boulders until she reached the fence. Teddy was leaning against the cement pillar by the time she was through the hole in the fence. He watched her put her heels back on and listened to her heels click against the road as she slipped back into her neighborhood.

Even when she was gone, he still stared at that hole in the fence, as if she'd come back at any moment.

"Miss her already?" Howl playfully teased.

Teddy threw his foot into Howl's leg, causing Howl to laugh. Teddy leant down with the cigarette between his lips and Howl lit it. They both stood in silence again, the sound of the river and cars above them being the only sound around them. Both of them were cold but neither really cared to go home. Teddy couldn't help but stare at that hole in fence, the corner of his lips turning upwards just once before he wiped it away for the rest of the evening.