Zoe came out of the changing room with an excited skip as she hopped on to the little platform in front of the three-way mirror. It took a moment but Teddy looked up from his phone, instantly freezing when his eyes landed on her. Her legs were surprisingly long and smooth, her hips and waist tiny, her bare back more exposed than Teddy had ever seen before. She put her hair up, exposing the nap of her neck as well. So much of her was exposed, only a shiny, tight fabric wrapping around her hips.

Teddy heard a moan somewhere in the back of his mind. Not a moan from him, though. It was much more feminine, sultry, dripping with an immense amount of pleasure. Along with that very feminine and beautiful moan, came a very lewd image. Zoe and her skin. All of her fair skin soft under his touch. There were definitely blankets beneath her, the room was dark, he was on top of her. She moaned again, Teddy's heart racing so fast that it leaped into his throat and nearly fell out of his mouth.

"Black looks terrible on me.." Zoe whined as she wrapped an arm around her chest and turned to Teddy. His eyes had drifted off but snapped back up to Zoe when his mind returned to earth. "What do you think?"

Teddy slowly turned his hat backwards so he could see more of her as he took a long and deep breath. Even as his heart and his thoughts raced, he couldn't take his eyes off of that dress. How did that fit her? How did it make her look even smaller than usual? There was hardly any fabric. Zoe's chest was flat, Teddy had noticed that before, but the dip in the neck and the contours from the lighting made everything look very alluring and enticing.

Teddy didn't know how those traits could even cross paths with the file labeled Zoe Yang in his head. And what, he was fantasizing about her now? Just because he was suddenly horny or something? He was a teenager with raging hormones? Why? What was it that was making him fantasize about the one girl he swore he couldn't stand? He felt like every, disgusting, horrible, perverted asshole from their school. Zoe didn't deserve that.

"Does that dress not cover your tits? Why are you hugging yourself?" Teddy snapped with a bit too much frustration in his voice.

Zoe both clinched and blushed at Teddy's crudeness and peaked down at her chest. "It's cold and the fabric is thin." She shyly whispered.

"Then wear a bra!"

"The bra I'm wearing today doesn't go with this dress! It ruins the whole look." Zoe turned back to the mirror and dropped her arm from her chest. "Just tell me how it looks and don't look in my general chest area too closely.."

Teddy relaxed in his seat and took a deep breath as he tried to examine the dress. The zippers on the sides were halfway up her hip, revealing so much skin that it nearly made him bashful. As did the deep dip in the front of the dress. The exposure of her bare back made Teddy shocked to see just how skinny Zoe really was. Her shoulder-blades were protruding from her skin and her spine created an eery pattern down her back.

"Don't you eat?" Teddy's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes focused on Zoe's bare back.

"Don't even bother. I've heard it all. My doctor already says it, my friends here say it, the articles comment on it.." Zoe huffed.

"Well, then, why are you still so skinny?"

Zoe slightly turned her upper body towards Teddy as she frowned at him. "It's harder to gain weight than to lose it, you know. Especially, for someone with metabolism like mine. I can't really complain, though. The comments are annoying but the modeling industry usually aims for girls that have problem gaining weight. It keeps the photos consistent and-"

Teddy's eyes fell to Zoe's chest as she spoke since the odd shape of it caught his attention. Luckily, he only caught the silhouette of Zoe's breast, since it was tucked away in the shadow of the fabric, but it still made him blush and immediately avert his eyes. That was a very, very dangerous dress. Zoe continued to pick and prode at the dress as she stared at herself in the mirror. Even the heels weren't really doing it for her.

Teddy already felt like he was losing his mind. Why couldn't he stop staring? Why did he legs look so fucking soft? Why couldn't he get it all out of his head? That sultry moan pushed through his thoughts again and Teddy threw his head back against the wall. His leg instantly began to rapidly tap against the floor. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.

"Ooh! Sexy Mama!" Carmen sang as she pushed the stroller into the dressing room area.

Teddy and Zoe's heads rose and their eyes averted to Carmen. With slightly flushed cheeks, Zoe offered a flattered smile. She couldn't help but look back at Teddy, though. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes but didn't dare look at her again. His mood had dulled a bit now and he had a clear cut reason to blame that on. It sucked. He hated it. He hated this.

Zoe looked at Carmen again in the mirror. "Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Carmen folded her arms over her chest and nudged Teddy. "Isn't she sexy, Teddy?"

Teddy laughed once and relaxed against the wall. "Don't be gross. This is Zoe, we're talking about. Whatever you need to have to be sexy- sexuality, allure, libido- she doesn't have it."

Carmen smacked the back of Teddy's head the moment he said that. He luckily caught his hat as it flew off his head and glared up at his sister. She glared even harder at him, daring him to challenge his older sister. Carmen was quick to turn to Zoe and start critiquing the dress with her. All the while, Teddy's eyes scanned Zoe from head to toe. From her blonde strands all tied up to the little toes sticking out of her strappy heels, over and over and over again.

Teddy watched as his sister picked and prodded at the fabric. Apparently, they would like the dress better if it had hugged her figure better. Teddy scoffed and smirked as all of his regular thoughts returned to him. What figure? Why would that dress ever look good on her? He didn't even want her in that dress any longer. It was gross. She was way too innocent for her legs to be looking as long as they did, anyways.

"I think it's cool, I guess... I usually like things that dip low in the front but I never have the courage to wear them." Zoe tilted her head to look at the dress from a new angle.

"Why not wear it tonight?" Carmen asked. "At dinner?"

Zoe turned to Carmen, obviously intrigued. Carmen had invited her out with them but she didn't know she wanted her around for the entire evening. "I'm going with you guys to dinner as well?" Zoe asked as she nervously rubbed her hands on the skirt of the dress.

"I think it would be fun. I've never gotten to meet one of Teddy's friends, and the fact that it's you makes me even more curious." Carmen smirked.

Both Carmen and Zoe expected Teddy to say something crude at the implication that him and Zoe were friends, but nothing came from him. Both of them averted their attention away from each other and towards Teddy. Zoe flinched as she realized Teddy was staring at her dress. She instantly reached to cover her chest as her cheeks flushed. He was staring so intensely, it made her nervous.

Why hadn't he said anything? Teddy always had something snappy to say about everything.

"What?" Zoe anxiously urged, her face warm and body language clearly uncomfortable.

Teddy's eyes finally flickered up to meet Zoe's, and even then, it took him a minute before he remembered where he was. He hadn't even realized how long he was staring. It almost made him laugh. He was staring at Zoe. This girl that was always center of attention, who he purposefully avoided, someone caught his attention for longer than a couple tolerated seconds. He was staring at her again. This sucked.

Very awkwardly, Teddy cleared his throat, furrowed his eyebrows, and adjusted his hat atop his head. "Nothing. I just really hate that dress."

Zoe's nerves fell dead. She wished she was shocked he had said that. Zoe didn't really like the dress all that much, anyways. It would probably look good on a girl with curves, which she unfortunately didn't possess. Besides, it was black. So, Zoe kept her arm glued to her chest as she waltzed back into the girls dressing room. Carmen's jaw fell as she witnesses Zoe let her little brother effect her like that. Her blood instantly boiled.

"Hey, dumbass." Carmen whispered as she slapped Teddy upside the head once more. Teddy groaned as his hat went flying once more. He opened his mouth to yell at her but stopped when he noticed her pointing to the corner of her lips. "You've got something right here. There's a lot of it. It's just dripping down your face."

Teddy slowly put his hat back on and reached for his mouth, wiping the corner of his lips. He was even more confused when nothing appeared on his fingers when he looked. He couldn't even see anything in the mirror. "What are you talking about?"

"Drool!" Carmen pulled a shit-eating grin at her brother. "You look at Zoe and drool just pours from your mouth like a fucking faucet-"

"Shut up!" Teddy growled as he gently pushed his sister away from him so he could stand up. "I have to piss. Don't let Zoe buy that stupid dress."

Carmen knowingly smirked as she watched Teddy trudge away. She couldn't help but feel happy. She was always happy with her brother, but this was different. She was happy because he was happy. He bickered with Zoe, he called her annoying, he was sometimes a little too relentless in his attempt at insulting her, but he was enjoying himself. As was Zoe. He had been smiling more with Zoe now than she had ever seen before.

-

Dinner was nice. For all three of them.

It felt so weird for Zoe to talk about the people from New York and Los Angeles and not feel pressured to say nice things. Carmen knew everybody, but she never entered the fray, which meant Zoe was allowed to speak however she'd like. Zoe asked Carmen how she knew all the same people Zoe knew, even though they had never met. How could they have so many mutual connections and never meet?

Turns out, Carmen shamelessly revealed to Zoe that Ezra liked to keep her hidden. Teddy tried to butt in and change the subject but Carmen pushed on. She wasn't embarrassed by her situation, or ashamed, or shy. She had made some questionable decisions a couple years ago and she could own up to them and accept that those very decisions shaped her entire life now. She even got two amazing gifts out of those very questionable decisions.

Zoe could tell Teddy was extra protective of Carmen, because every time Carmen called Ezra her husband, Teddy groaned and rolled his eyes. He begged her not to call him that but she simply waved him off.

"He's the father of my children, isn't he?" Carmen challenged.

"God, I wish he wasn't." Teddy bitterly retorted. "Why don't we just call him a sperm donor, then? Huh? That sounds a lot more appropriate to me."

"Yes, because when I'm talking about my husband to you, my little brother," Carmen put her hands over Bailey's ears. "I always want to remind you that he's the one that came inside me." Carmen knowingly smirked.

Teddy cried out in disgust as he turned from the booth so he could sit at the edge and escape from this conversation as far as he could. Zoe choked on her drink when Carmen said that, uncontrollably coughing and punching her chest so she didn't drown. Teddy buried his face in his hands as he sat doubled over so dramatically. Zoe chuckled at Teddy when she collected herself and patted his back in a lazy attempt to comfort him.

"You're the worse, Carmen. The absolute worse." Teddy rubbed his fingers into his eyes as he whined.

Zoe grabbed Teddy's shoulder and pulled him back up so he would sit properly in the booth with her. Since Carmen was on one side with Bailey and Malik, Teddy had to sit beside Zoe. For a moment, he figured his sister did that to him on purpose, until he realized she had kids she needed to keep close to her. Still, Teddy was uneasy going out to eat with Zoe Yang, the girl he had been trying to keep his distance from for two months.

"Wait, what? There's a Halloween party this weekend?" Carmen gasped when the subject was brought up by Zoe.

Teddy groaned for the millionth time since they sat down to eat. "Seriously, Zoe? The one thing I wished you wouldn't bring up tonight."

"Huh? Why?" Zoe innocently perked up.

"You should go!" Carmen reached over the table to grip Teddy's arm, her brown eyes bright dark and smile etched on her face. "Go mingle with your classmates and dress up scary! Sneak some liquor... You're suppose to do those things in high school, Teddy."

"No. Absolutely not. I totally despite my pupils. I wouldn't last a minute at a Halloween party filled with them before I slit my own throat open." Teddy grumbled.

"Sounds like you're getting into the Halloween spirit to me." Zoe smugly chimed in, earning a flat glare from Teddy. Zoe then looked to Carmen. "I told him to go as a vampire but he said no to me too."

"You know, you could go dressed up like this, Bozo. Your face is scary enough." Teddy evilly grinned.

"Oh, real mature, Teddy."

"Thank you, Zoe. I'm glad you've finally recognized how much more intelligent I am than you."

Zoe's jaw dropped as she searched some kind of comeback in her head. She had nothing. She wasn't good at friendly banter sine she had never done it before. Teddy flipped the script on her and she didn't know what to do with it. All Zoe could do was punch him in the arm again. Teddy chuckled to himself as he continued eating. Whenever Zoe punched him, he knew he won.

Carmen was happy that Zoe was asking Teddy to go to high school parties. Just like Carmen had predicted, Zoe was good for Teddy. If she succeeded in breaking all the walls he had built up over the years, Teddy would finally allow himself to be happy and have fun. Even now, just talking during dinner, Teddy had talked more with Carmen than he ever had the previous times that they had gotten together.

Whenever Zoe said something, Teddy was right behind her with a snarky comment. And whenever Carmen said something, Teddy was fully engaged. It was a relief to Carmen. They always liked seeing each other whenever they could, but they never really talked. Teddy was always too pissed about something to really talk. If Ezra was mentioned, he'd immediately shut down. Just like with everything else, really. But Zoe brought a smile to Teddy's face.

"What the fuck! Sorry, Bailey.. You have your own food, Zoe! Keep your fingers on your own plate." Teddy pushed Zoe's arm out of his way, but not before she got one of Teddy's hot wings.

"I don't remember if I like this sauce. I want to try it and make sure." Zoe said before she bit into the hot wing.

Teddy stared with his mouth agape as he watched Zoe eat his food. "Why would you steal my food if you don't even know if you like it? That's a waste of food, Bozo!"

Zoe blocked her mouth with her hand, like a lady, as he gestured her fingers towards her own plate. "You can try one of mine, if you want."

Teddy didn't hesitate to reach for her plate, but to Zoe's shock, Teddy simply grabbed her entire plate and put it right next to his. Zoe gasped through her mouthful of food and reached for her plate but Teddy instantly blocked her hand. Zoe reached again and again, dipping her arms under and over his to get her food back. Teddy laughed as Zoe fought him. He thought he was pretty funny, and Zoe couldn't deny she was smiling too.

Carmen shook her head with a chuckle as the two sat across from her fought and bickered. Bailey gently tugged on her mother's shirt and Carmen looked down at her little girl. Bailey quietly whispered that she had to go potty and Carmen quickly jumped up from her seat and raised Bailey into her arms. Before she left Teddy and Zoe alone with Malik, she snapped at them both, causing them both to look up at her.

"Pay attention to Malik while I go to the bathroom with Bailey, please. And don't fight so much. You're going to knock over your drinks or something." Carmen firmly warned before she left with Bailey.

Teddy lifted the visor of the stroller to see if Malik was still asleep and smiled when he found the sleeping baby inside. While Teddy was busy with Malik, Zoe snatched her plate back from Teddy but left one of her wings on his plate as payment for the one she took. Teddy still fussed with Malik, though, moving his blanket so he was warm and fixing his twisted clothes so he was comfortable.

Zoe, again, swooned as Teddy took care of something so small and innocent. He really was good to Bailey and Malik. Whenever Bailey asked to be held, wanted to see something in a store, or was talking to Teddy, he never failed to give her everything she wanted. Bailey didn't always make sense but Teddy listened and communicated as best as he could. He catered to her like she was his own child. It made Zoe start daydreaming every time she looked at Bailey and Teddy.

"Do you want kids?" Zoe asked Teddy as he pet Malik's puffy cheeks with his thumb.

Teddy froze and peeked curiously over his shoulder. He was hesitant to answer. "Why are you asking?"

"Because you're so good with them. Bailey adores you. She's obsessed with you. I can only imagine your own little girl would be like that too." Zoe confessed.

Teddy looked back at Malik and pulled the visor back over him to shield him from the bright restaurant lights. "Kids are a big thing to think about at sixteen, Zoe. Cool it a little. Besides, I hardly have enough money to support myself. How the hell would I raise a child?"

"Well, I'm not asking if you want one now. Just.. in the future?"

Teddy shrugged. "Sure. Maybe. But I don't want a kid until I have a job that has good enough pay that I can take care of Carmen, Bailey, and Malik first."

"Really? You want to take care of them yourself?" Teddy casually nodded as Zoe tilted her head to study him. "Carmen already has the money. The kids are taken care of."

Teddy shot Zoe a frustrated look. She still didn't seem to fully get it. He couldn't really blame her. Carmen was open about her life, but never brought up the bad stuff unless she was asked about it.

"Carmen doesn't have money, she has an allowance. That prick, Ezra, watches how she spends money like a hawk. I already asked her to borrow me one of her cards to pay a couple bills and he nearly beat her to death when he found out she was 'handing his money out.' Bailey never gets to see her father, either. She barely knows the guy, and I imagine, it's going to be the same for Malik. If I get the chance, I'm going to take care of my sister, my niece, and my nephew by myself, if I have to." Teddy explained.

Zoe sat silently as she absorbed all of that. Ideas popped into her head one after the other as Zoe's mind raced. "I bet I could help."

"Jesus, would you stop with that?" Teddy growled. "I already told you I'm not a charity case, Zoe. Neither is Carmen. We don't need your help."

"I'm just saying-" Zoe started but was cut off by Teddy's annoyance.

"I know what you're saying and I don't want to hear it. Just leave it be. When I'm rich, I'm taking Carmen and the kids in my care and destroying everything Ezra has ever built with his money. I've already made up my mind. I have a plan."

Zoe sat even more stiff and even more silent than she did a moment ago. Teddy wanted to be rich? He wanted to destroy those with more power than him? That sounded a bit familiar.. Although, to be fair, it sounded like Ezra deserved it. But, how could she really say if anyone did or didn't? Zoe felt her bones rattle under skin as her blood ran cold at the information swirling in her head. The sudden feeling of the hot wings in her stomach rising was the most alarming.

Zoe quickly excused herself and rushed to the bathroom. She burst into the ladies room just as Carmen left, causing Carmen to look back with worry. "Are you alright, Zoe?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." Zoe called from a stall as she bent over the toilet and held her own hair back. Luckily, nothing came up until Carmen had left the bathroom. Still, it didn't feel good.

"So, are you going to that Halloween party or not?" Carmen asked as she sat down across from Teddy and shuffled Bailey off her hip so she could sit too.

Teddy snorted a laugh and shook his head. "No chance."

"Oh, come on! What are you going to do when you're in the real world and wishing you actually had a fun high school experience?"

"Don't worry. When I'm out of there, I'll thank the gods every single day." Teddy flashed a cocky grin.

Carmen huffed in annoyance and started enjoying her food again. "Zoe really wants you to go."

"And?"

"And I think you should spend more time with her."

"See, you don't realize just how much time I already do spend with her. She follows me around all the time, Carmen. The times that she's with her real friends is when I finally get to relax. I cherish those moments."

"You're such a brat." Carmen scowled at her little brother. "And a liar."

"How am I a liar? Because you think I'm in love with her, that makes me a liar?"

"I never said you were in love with her." Carmen cockily smirked. She was happy Teddy's brain had made that up itself. Teddy simply rolled his eyes. Talking to Carmen was like talking to Howl. It was exhausting. "What's Zoe dressing up as, anyways? I'm sure she's told you."

"Her friends want her to go to the party as a playboy bunny, like the rest of them. Every guy in our school already has wet dreams about her, I can't imagine what would happen if she dressed up like that." Teddy chuckled.

"A playboy bunny? That's very sexy for such a cute girl like her."

"I know.." Teddy mumbled as he grabbed the piece of sushi that Zoe put on his plate.

"So you admit it? You think she's cute?" A giddy smile danced on Carmen's lips as Teddy shot her another evil glare. He was really getting sick of this game.

"Hey, quick little secret.." Teddy quietly spoke as he meant closer, his expression hard with anger. "Zoe's the one that got me into that whole fight thing you heard about this morning."

Carmen's eyebrows perked up in curiosity. So, so many thoughts popped into her head. Crossing her arms and hardening her expression, Carmen relaxed in her seat. "How? Tell me."

Teddy sighed as he also relaxed in his seat. If they were going to do this, he wouldn't hold back. It was his sister, after all. He was a lot less reserved around her than others. "Zoe found out I had a sister, and since I wouldn't tell her anything about you, she started asking around. I, then, heard some wonderful rumors from Chuck-"

"Chuck, again? Seriously? I thought you two dealt with your drama in middle school?" Carmen groaned.

"Well, guess what? That dumb blonde psychopath is obsessed with Zoe, the one girl in the entire fucking school that won't stop following me around. Do you see how this could be an issue?" Teddy gritted his teeth with anger.

Suddenly, while confessing all of this to his sister, all of the reasons he despised Zoe and his classmates came flooding back in one little package. Up until now, it had all come in pieces. Zoe appearing, Chuck's obsession, Zoe crying, Zoe clinging, the everyday annoyance, the rumors. Zoe was the center of all of this. And Teddy didn't think it would get better any time soon. For gods sake, he was just in a viral video for getting in a fight because of her.

And what was he doing a couple hours ago? Fantasizing about having sex with her? Just because he saw a bit of skin? Absolutely not!

"What else? How did the fight happen? What did Zoe do?" Carmen pushed.

"We're not doing this yet.." Teddy sighed. "If we talk about this, we're going to argue."

"We don't have to argue, if you keep your temper in check." Carmen retorted.

"Yeah, that's true. We don't have to argue. It's just your pretentious, know-it-all attitude that pushes us to that point." Teddy smirked.

Carmen snarled at her little brother. She loved him to death, but he was such a dick sometimes. Carmen didn't let it ruin her mood, though. It was just her brother, after all, his insults did very little to her ego. It was only a couple seconds before they were both talking about Bailey going to school. Zoe was soon to return, like nothing happened, and Carmen didn't mention anything. She simply glanced at Zoe, and then at Teddy, his mind wondering.

Did these two really have zero relationship with one another?

~

"It is way past their bedtime. Looks like we're not going to a movie.." Carmen groaned as she pulled Bailey into her arms. She wouldn't stop bawling her eyes out and reaching for her mother, despite being in Teddy's arm.

"She doesn't love me anymore so something is obviously wrong." Teddy proclaimed as he passed Bailey over to Carmen.

"You guys can head back to the hotel in my car and I'll call a cab. I think it's about time I stop being in the way." Zoe looked at the time on her phone and opened it to call for a ride.

"I don't want to take your car if you're not in it." Carmen frowned.

"It's fine, Carmen. I never drive it so, I won't even know it's gone. Besides, you've got car seats and bags and babies. Just keep it til you leave." Zoe casually suggested.

Carmen looked to Teddy, who simply shrugged. If he was being honest, he had no reason to say no. He was spending the next two days with Carmen so, it only made sense that they had their own car to travel in. And he couldn't deny that he wanted to keep the Sensation for a little longer. It was so pretty.

"Well.. Thank you, Zoe. That's very sweet of you."

"It's no problem." Zoe smiled and stepped aside to call a cab.

Teddy's attention was fully glued to the small blonde as Carmen buckled Bailey into her car seat. Carmen fought Bailey a bit since she was so tired that she had an attitude, but she was eventually safely buckled in. Carmen stood upright with a sigh and turned to Teddy, about to ask him to move when she noticed he was in a trance. He was just staring, and staring, and staring, his expression unreadable.

"Someone's coming?" Teddy asked Zoe when she ended the call. Zoe turned to Teddy and nodded.

Carmen's eyes shifted back and forth between Teddy and Zoe, her mind racing and racing. She had ideas, so many ideas. And Carmen was way too impulsive to not make her move. So, when Teddy had loaded the stroller and shopping bags into the trunk, and Carmen had Malik buckled into the car, she jumped in front of him. Teddy flinched and stared at her in confusion.

"Take her home." Carmen whispered, her eyes wide and smile coy.

Teddy stared at his sister with wide eyes. "What? No! I'm staying at the hotel with you. Why would I drive all the way home just to come back?"

"It's dark outside, she's getting in a cab with a stranger, and I want her home safe."

Teddy rolled his eyes and shook his head. "She's a big girl. She can handle herself. You, on the other hand, have two kids, car seats, a stroller, shopping bags, and have to get all of it into a hotel room. You're priority."

"Well, guess what?" Carmen mischievously smiled. "I'm a big girl too. I'm so big, actually, that I can take care of myself and two kids. I take care of them by myself every day of my life, Teddy. I don't need your help."

"Carmen, seriously-"

Carmen shot Teddy a firm look, one that replicated the one their mother gave them when they were in trouble, and pointed towards Zoe. "Don't argue with me and take her home."

"Fine.." Teddy seethed and slammed the trunk closed. He glanced briefly at Zoe as she stared into the street.

Carmen decided to leave first since Bailey's whining and crying was waking up Malik, causing them both to get extra fussy. Teddy debated just hopping in the car and leaving with Carmen, anyways, but he knew she'd hit him and be pissed for the rest of the night if he didn't listen to her. So, when Carmen was in the car and waving goodbye to Zoe, Teddy stood on the curb with the blonde.

"Are you going home?" Zoe asked Teddy before Carmen left. "Don't you have to go with Carmen?"

"I have to grab something from home and then I'll go back to the hotel." Teddy casually lied.

Zoe nodded and waved goodbye to Carmen one last time before she took off and Zoe's cab arrived. Teddy pulled open the door and gestured for Zoe to go in first. She did and Teddy reluctantly followed. Teddy and Zoe sat silently in the car, mostly because they were both tired. It had been a long day.

Surprisingly, though, Teddy wasn't as sick of Zoe as he thought he'd be. He sometimes had fun messing around with her but there was still something keeping him distant. Luckily, it had been over twelve hours and he didn't want to strangle her yet. It didn't help that he got angry all over again trying to explain a little bit of the fight thing to Carmen today.. It definitely helped that they were sat in silence, though. He was too tired to handle anymore of her constant questions.

As they sat in the cab in silence, Zoe stared out the window and let her mind wonder. She watched each streetlight pass them and light up the car every other seconds. She thought about Carmen, and Ezra. If she had never seen Carmen, but Carmen knew everyone because of Ezra, then she must've seen or met Ezra at some point, right? But she didn't recognize his name. Although, she didn't know his last name.

Zoe wasn't going to ask Teddy either, though. He obviously hated Ezra and she didn't want to end their night on a bad note. And besides, Zoe was too tired to talk. As was Teddy. It wasn't until they were halfway home that Teddy realized Zoe was falling asleep. Her long eyelashes fluttered in the passing lights as her head rested against the window. He watched her slowly drift away into unconsciousness. Moment by moment, she was falling deeper into the darkness.

Time always seemed to move faster when Teddy was watching Zoe. Probably because he was zoning out when he stared. There was no sexual fantasy, no hatred. He simply looked at her. They were in front of Zoe's house in no time as the cab driver looked in the rear view mirror to alert Teddy. Teddy cleared his throat to try and get Zoe's attention but she didn't move a muscle. He didn't want to wake her. She was so quiet and peaceful.

When Teddy was stood on Zoe's side of the car, he grabbed the handle of her door and yanked it open. "Whoa!" Zoe yelped as she nearly fell out of the car.

Teddy chuckled and grabbed Zoe's arm to make sure she didn't fall out of the car. She was asleep before he yanked it open. She didn't really have the reflex to save herself that quickly. Zoe tiredly laughed and unbuckled herself to stumble out of the car. Teddy helped her up and leant against the car as Zoe put the code into the padlock on the brick wall beside the gate.

When the gate shuttered and started pulling open, Zoe turned back to Teddy as she yawned behind her manicured fingers. "So, are you going to school tomorrow?" Teddy shook his head. "What about Friday?"

Teddy squeezed the bill of his hat as he adjusted it atop his hat. He still looked so cute in that hat. "Carmen leaves for the airport when I leave for school so probably. Unless, Bailey begs me to go to the airport with them. Then I'll probably skip."

"Wow.. Skipping school, not doing homework, not studying 24/7..." Zoe cockily grinned as she hugged herself to keep warm in the cold breeze of the night. "I knew you were bad, I just didn't think you were that bad."

"Shut up." Teddy chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to the cab.

"And the Halloween party?" Zoe shouted before Teddy could get a step too far.

"Goodnight, Zoe." Teddy yanked the back door of the cab open again.

"Wait, Teddy!" Zoe rushed back to the cab and caught Teddy's arm before he slipped inside. They both stood in the door, inches from one another so Teddy had to look down and Zoe had to look up. "Is it really okay that I was with you guys today?"

Teddy's eyebrows furrowed. "It's a little late to be asking that. Our day is over, you know."

"No, I know. I just.. don't want you mad at me after everything else that happened. It's not like I'll say anything. You can trust me. But-"

"Then, don't say anything and we're good." Teddy firmly warned and then slid into the cab. Zoe stepped back and waved at the window as the car engine sputtered on.

"Goodnight, Teddy!" Zoe yelled once she was at her gate again. "Tell Carmen I'm thankful that she let me join you guys today! Say goodnight to Bailey and Malik for me too!"

Teddy gave a thumbs up on the other side of the window just before the car pulled off. Zoe stood at her gate for a moment as she watched the car do a U-Turn and drive down the hill. She didn't even notice it until she was halfway up her driveway. The car didn't stop at Teddy's house. But didn't he say he needed to pick something up?

Zoe slowly began to check her purse. She fumbled around inside of it until she heard some jingling. Zoe grabbed the strap attached to the keys and pulled them out. These were definitely Teddy's. He locked the door to his apartment with these this morning.

Zoe couldn't help but smirk. She could do something with this, right?