Ruben Loftus-Cheek chuckles like three times in that video but can we all just imagine him belly laughing his ass off. Teddy does that in this chapter so fucking swoon away because Rubey is cute af!

~

"I still don't get it.." Carmen groaned as she pulled out Malik's carseat from the car and popped the handle. He was still sound asleep. "I stopped caring about everybody's stories, Teddy. A long time ago, actually."

"That doesn't mean I have to let it all go, Carmen." Teddy growled as he leant against the car with Bailey on his hip. "I have to exist in the same building all day with them. All of them. They drive me crazy just doing normal shit- sorry, Bailey- and when they talk about you, and mom, and even dad, I lose it. I can't help it, but honestly, can you blame me?"

"No, I can't blame you.." Carmen sighed as she picked up Malik in his carseat and turned to Teddy. "But, apparently, you can blame Zoe."

"She deserves it."

"Why would she deserve it? That poor, poor girl just wants to get to know you, Teddy. Why are you pushing that away? Why don't you want to be close to someone?" Carmen rambled angrily as she marched to the other side of the car and hopped on the curb with all of her bags and luggage.

Teddy simply rolled his eyes. He didn't want to answer that, nor did he know how. There was no specific reason. It wasn't like he had been betrayed by some past best friend of his. He never really had friends in the first place, so when his entire class turned on him, it wasn't like he really lost anyone. Teddy just didn't feel like welcoming in someone like Zoe. She was innocent and easily corruptible, which he both hated and found amusement in.

"Maybe if Zoe was actually cool, I wouldn't be so ready to get rid of her." Teddy said as he walked around the car to get to Carmen.

"What do you mean by cool, Teddy?" Carmen mumbled as she sorted her things.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure she has a crush on me and I don't like it. If she just wanted to be my friend and talk about normal shit- sorry, Bailey- maybe I wouldn't hate her so much."

"Well, at least you've recognized her feelings. If you didn't, I'd really have to drill a hole through your already thick skull to get something through to that tiny brain of yours." Carmen joked.

"What do you mean, at least, I've recognized her feelings? I spend everyday with the girl, of course, I've noticed. You only spent a couple hours with her and figured it out that easily?"

"Well, yeah." Carmen stood upright and turned to Teddy as she leant against the extended handle of her luggage. "I can tell by the way she looks at you. It's written all over her face. But, to be fair, you look at her the same way."

Teddy scoffed, his expression full of distain and disgust. He didn't like his sister assuming such absurd things for no reason. Sure, Teddy's mind was playing tricks on him, with those fantasies, but it was nothing but sexual frustration. His body wasn't used to being around another female this often. Her hormones, or pheromones, or something, was getting under his skin and haunting his thoughts. It wasn't because he liked Zoe, it was simply a physical response to a not-so-ugly female..

"Can we go back to the fight thing and how all of it happened because of her? Are we really just going to dismiss that?" Teddy pushed.

"I am." Carmen declared.

Teddy grumbled and grimaced to himself. "Why? You hate when I fight and just recently said you were proud of me for being so behaved lately. So, why would you be okay with this girl being the cause of it? If it happened now because of her, it will probably happen again."

"I'm still not convinced the fight is because of Zoe." Teddy glowered at his sister. She was infuriating. He couldn't tell if she meant they or if she was saying it to piss him off. "It's premeditated, Teddy! You just admitted it would happen again! I could maybe see if it was her fault because she pointed at Chuck and your fist involuntarily went flying, but that's not what happened. You're really just mad at Chuck for what he said. Zoe has nothing to do with this."

"Chuck wouldn't have opened his stupid fucking mouth ever again if it weren't for her." Teddy angrily countered.

"God, Teddy!" Carmen shouted as she reached for Bailey and plucked the little girl out of his arms. "Would you watch your language in front of my daughter?"

"I'm sorry, Carmen.." Teddy took a deep breath to calm himself. "And, I'm sorry, Bailey."

"My point is, Teddy, any other girlfriend is going to ask what happened. Any other girlfriend is going to ask you about your family. Any other girlfriend-"

"Stop calling her that!" Teddy was trying to stay calm but arguing with his sister and her twisted logic hit a nerve he couldn't explain. This is why they left this argument for last. "Zoe is not my girlfriend! Zoe will never be my girlfriend! Don't claim I'm in love with her and don't try to push us closer! It's. Not. Happening."

Carmen pulled a flat, unamused expression as she stared back at Teddy. "The student councilor asked you what happened to me. And mom. Do you remember that? Do you remember having to spill it all to him? You didn't fight anyone because he asked. The doctors asked, our aunts and uncles asked. Their questions never made you swing your fists at anybody."

"I told them what happened so they'd stop bugging me about it. Because I have no other option."

"But you didn't tell Zoe? Why? So, she'd come back for more?"

"We're done talking about this." Teddy sighed. "We tried it, we're not getting anywhere, and I'm over it."

"Fine. It's over. Hug me before I leave." Carmen said flatly as she extended her free arm to her younger, yet somehow taller, brother.

Teddy begrudgingly stepped towards his sister and pulled her into his embrace. Carmen held Teddy tightly and rubbed his back as she took a deep breath. They both always hated leaving each other. They never agreed on anything, picked on each other constantly, and argued almost to the point of hating each other, but they were still siblings that had been through a lot together.

It was moments like this that Teddy remembered his desire to take care of Carmen and the babies. He wanted to take them under his wing so he didn't have to say goodbye to them ever again. If only he had any means to support them himself. His sister didn't deserve to live the life she did. Neither did the babies. They were born into unfairness and he wanted to fix that. He wanted to give them a normal childhood. He'd do anything for them.

"No more fighting while I'm gone. Promise me?" Carmen sadly begged as she held Teddy tighter.

"I promise." Teddy reassured. Carmen and Teddy both knew it was an empty promise but they made that promise every time. Even if there was a sliver of truth in that promise, that's all Carmen wanted.

Carmen and Teddy slowly separated, giving each other sad smiles. Carmen let Bailey down so she could grab her small bag herself. Carmen tabbed the other things and headed inside the airport to catch her plane with the babies. Teddy took a couple slow steps back before he got in Zoe's car and drove off. He sulked the entire way back to Zoe's, already missing the company of Carmen, Bailey, and Malik. He didn't typically like people, but he missed how crowded it felt when the four of them were together.

At Zoe's gate, Teddy pressed the button with the gate icon on the screen that was attached to the dashboard. The gate clattered open and Teddy drove up Zoe's driveway as he pressed the button to open the garage. Teddy parked the beautiful Sensation next to the other beautiful Sensation, saying goodbye to them both as he hung up the keys. He was ready to walk off and return home before he suddenly remembered he didn't have his keys on him.

Zoe still had them.

Teddy grumbled in annoyance to himself and dialed Zoe's number. "You have my keys." He quickly blurted when she answered.

"Oh, right!" Zoe faked a surprised voice as she looked behind her to her purse, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. "I just jumped out of the shower so you're going to have to come in and grab them, okay?"

"What? Just bring them to me. I'm not even that far, I'm literally in your garage."

"In my garage?"

"To return your car. Carmen's gone."

"Oh. Well, come inside."

"Zoe, I just said-"

"And I just said, I just hopped out of the shower. Come inside unless you want to wait in the garage for the next half hour while I dry off, get dressed, lotion my legs, put product in my hair-" Zoe purposefully rambled.

Teddy cut Zoe off by hanging up. He begrudgingly stuffed his phone back in his pocket as he made his way to the door in her garage that led to the rest of her house.

Nobody had been in Zoe's house. It was actually some people's mission to get invited into Zoe's house, yet, she just casually called Teddy to enter with no problem. It made Teddy incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin, as well as incredibly frustrated. He didn't know why she treated him differently than others. She should only allow people she's really close with into her house, so why did she choose Teddy? They weren't close.

-

"Zoe's not a bad person." Chuck took a deep breath as he looked anxiously around the cafeteria.

The teachers allowed the students a free period since there was an emergency meeting called. Everyone had already concluded that the meeting must be about Zoe's attempt at damage control. After talking about the fight on that radio show, she gave a whole speech on how wonderful of a school Hudson was. One of the unforeseen side effects involved paparazzi. There had been two suspicious men with camera's lingering around the school the past couple days.

The only part that concerned Chuck right now was that neither Zoe nor Teddy had been spotted here recently. Most of the student body had gathered in the cafeteria during said free period, but Zoe and Teddy were both still missing.

"I know that." Vanessa retorted as her fingers typed away on her phone. She hadn't pulled her attention from that thing since they sat down.

"I shouldn't have been such a dick to her... Do you think that's why she's not here today?" Chuck stressed.

"Because you were a dick?" Vanessa pulled her attention away from her phone for a split second to cock her eyebrow at Chuck. "You're all being dicks. That fight wasn't Zoe's fault. You're the one that threw the first punch, Chuck."

"I know that! But she's been defending him!" Chuck nearly exploded, causing Vanessa to flinch in her seat. She watched as Chuck dramatically sighed and ran his hands through his curly blonde locks. "I just can't tell if she defends him because she's a saint or... if, maybe, there's something between them.."

Vanessa couldn't help but wonder the same thing sometimes. After seeing her in the library with Teddy, and realizing that's where she always disappeared to during lunch, she was admittedly suspicious. Why would Zoe sneak off if they weren't hiding something worth hiding? Zoe only just started attending this school. Could she have really developed feelings for him that quickly? Maybe she came to a dumb public school looking for trouble and didn't hesitate to jump on it when she found it.

"I think you're overthinking things." Vanessa casually admitted as she went back to feverishly texting Abigail. No matter what was going on, Vanessa wanted to stick by Zoe's side, even while the others were reluctant to. "Zoe's a simple girl. That's what makes her a saint. She wants to be good to everyone."

"Even to people like that mutt?" Chuck hissed between gritted teeth. "He's just a fucking asshole! He's nothing! He's literally a huge, irritable waste of space! He doesn't deserve an ounce of Zoe's kindness."

Vanessa didn't say anything but simply rolled her eyes. Teddy and Chuck had been at each other's throats since middle school, back when Brett and Chuck were closer than they were now. Ever since Chuck gave up football, they had drifted apart a bit. But, that didn't change Chuck's, sometimes toxic, personality. He was usually really fun to be around, but he had a history of being obsessive and jealous and impulsive. That's why nobody was surprised when Chuck fell in love with Zoe or when he snapped on Teddy.

"Zoe wants to know if she's still invited to that Halloween party this Friday, by the way.." Vanessa slightly changed the subject to distract Chuck from his anger towards Teddy.

Chuck turned to Vanessa, his eyes shifting to her phone that she still had propped up in front of her. Chuck reached for the phone but Vanessa quickly pulled away, her eyes wide with shock.

"You're texting her, aren't you? Let me talk to her. She hasn't responded to me today." Chuck demanded, obviously a bit too frustrated.

"It's not Zoe. Chill, Chuck.." Vanessa grabbed her backpack and threw it over her shoulder as she glared at him. "You like her so much, it's getting out of control, Chuck.."

Chuck's jaw tensed as he stared at Vanessa until she turned and rushed off. His leg instantly started tapping over and over again against the floor. Where was Zoe today? Was she still on damage control duty? Was she avoiding the lingering paparazzi? Chuck would happily believe that if Teddy wasn't gone too. He never missed school. He was at the top of the class with his grades and attendance. Where was he?

As Chuck's mind wondered, he started mindlessly looking around the cafeteria again. He was lost in thought. Thinking, contemplating, suspecting. And then his eyes landed on a very familiar, and possibly helpful face. It was Howl. He was sauntering up to a table with a cocky smirk on his face. Chuck wasn't surprised to see him lean over the table and get quixotically close to Fisher's ear, as always.

Chuck got too antsy for his own good a little too quickly and pushed out of his seat. He jogged across the cafeteria to get to Howl. When he was right behind him, he grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to stand up. Howl whipped around, his eyebrows knitted together in the middle as he stared at Chuck. They didn't talk often. This was odd.

"You're friends with Teddy, right?" Chuck asked, his voice gruff with pushed back anger.

Howl straightened out his posture as his hands sunk into the pockets of his jeans. He was taller than Chuck. Even Teddy was taller than Chuck. "Nope."

Chuck's expression hardened even further. "Don't lie! I see you guys talking and walking around together."

"Teddy doesn't have friends. Thanks to you, actually. And the rest of the assholes stuffing their faces all around us. And, you know what, I respect Teddy's decision to not have friends." Howl shrugged.

Chuck gritted his teeth, his eyes twitching. "I can't fucking stand him.. Or you! Where is he?"

Fisher stared up at Chuck and Howl, conflicted on what he was suppose to be doing. He had an odd impulse to stop Chuck from gripping Howl's shoulder like he was. But, on the other hand, Chuck was his friend. Fisher didn't know what he had with Howl but they definitely weren't friends. He felt a bit trapped in the middle here. And as someone that was a grade below them, he felt too inferior to really intervene.

"Hey, guys.." Fisher slowly stood from his seat but Howl put his hand up to silence him, not even turning back as he kept his eyes glued to Chuck.

"Why do you wanna know where Teddy is? You wanna attack him again? For what? Giving you what you deserve?" Howl challenged.

Chuck's grip tightened on Howl's shoulder, but he didn't flinch. "I'll give you what you deserve." He seethed, his voice low and gruff. "How about Brett and I shove you in a locker again and pound on it until you cry wolf?"

A cryptic smirk crawled on to Howl's pierced face at that threat. He took a step towards Chuck, getting uncomfortably close to the curly headed blonde. "I dare you to try that again. I'll get payback on you just like I do with Brett. I'll pound you just like I love to pound him. Again and again and again.."

Chuck's eyes widened as his brain processed that threat. He meant that sexually, right? Howl wasn't a fighter, despite how intimidating he looked nowadays. He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. Brett wouldn't dare let Howl lay a finger on him. Brett wasn't gay. Still, Chuck didn't want anything more to do with Howl than he already did. They didn't have anything to do with each other anymore and Chuck wanted to keep it that way for a long, long time. He wasn't gay.

Howl triumphed grinned as he held his chin up high. Howl was tortured for being gay for a really, really long time around here. It was nice to know that he could turn it around on everybody nowadays. It worked like a charm. He was getting revenge on Brett one day at a time, slowly driving him mad as he resisted the animalistic urge to tear Howl's clothes off and admit he liked it. Howl would do that to Chuck too. He deserved it since he was an accomplice to the whole Howl nickname thing...

Howl enjoyed this whole evil revenge thing. That was, until, it hurt one of the few people he actually felt any emotion towards. Because, when he turned around, Fisher had a look on his face that made Howl's happiness and triumph instantly sink into oblivion. If what Howl just said was true, that meant Howl was sleeping with Brett. But, what Fisher couldn't understand was, if Howl was sleeping with Brett, why was he constantly be hounding him?

Why would Howl be playing with Fisher if he was playing with Brett behind his back?

"Fish.." Howl reluctantly said as he stared down at the boy.

Fisher's expression twisted in hurt and anger as he stared right back at Howl. He wanted to hit him. He wanted to hit him so badly. Fisher was never gay. Fisher was normal, and functional, until Howl showed up. Now everything was upside down. He was sexually attracted to Howl, but Howl never made their relationship anything more than make out and jerk off sessions.

Fisher knew he was being played with but he didn't know what to do about it. Howl had a way with words. He had become a master of manipulation after the way people had treated him. At first, Fisher took that manipulation without hesitation because he knew what Howl had been through. He knew how fucked up he was. Fisher assumed Howl needed an outlet, and even if he didn't know why he had been chosen, he didn't fight it. It was nothing more than sexual frustration.

But now, Howl was fucking him up. Fisher was always in his head. Always, always, always in his wonder. Does Howl like me-like me or is he just a sex addict? Did he have sex with guys that Fisher didn't even know? Like, from gay bars or dating apps? What was it about Fisher that made Howl fish for him in the first place? Was he serious about taking Fisher's virginity? Fisher couldn't tell where Howl's humor started and ended. It was so confusing and cruel.

Fisher didn't even want to uncover any of those questions anymore. He didn't want anything to do with a guy that was sleeping with Brett. Fisher wasn't gay, and if he was, he wouldn't want to be on the same scale as Brett, of all people. He didn't want to know if Howl had feelings for him. Now, all he hoped was that Howl had no feelings at all. Fisher would much rather be one of many playthings than a boyfriend who just got cheated on.

"Don't, Howl. Just don't..." Fisher lowly hissed as he got up and grabbed his backpack to storm off.

Howl didn't move but simply closed his eyes and heavily sighed. He didn't even think about it when he said it. It all just came out. He didn't like people threatening him. Howl spent the last couple years shutting out all that hate and that awfully traumatic moment so he could be confident and strong. He wanted to make his ego immortal, and so far, it was working. Until, he started feeling like an asshole.

That was usually a fun feeling for Howl, much like Teddy, which is why they got along the way they did. This time, though... not so much. He just ruined his relationship with Fisher. All that trust that they had built together, which was a really small amount, but something that Howl had still worked for, was gone. Fisher was so finicky and timid that it was hard to break down his walls. Howl got one brick out in the entire time they had known each other and managed to seal it back up in seconds.

"Fuck!" Howl hissed through gritted teeth before he turned to march off.

"What's his deal?" Abigail asked, her eyes following Chuck as he stormed through the empty hallways with his fingers running violently through his curly blonde hair.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder and caught sight of Chuck just before he disappeared. "Zoe. He's a bit obsessed.."

"I thought we knew that already." Abigail snorted a laugh.

Vanessa looked back at Abigail. "We did. He's just being a little more intense than before.. But anyways, we have a little date in the library."

"Those count as dates?" Abigail wildly grinned, her cheeks flushed.

Vanessa slipped her fingers into Abigail's and pulled her down the hallways. "Every second with you makes me think of super cheesy gay movies that are super bright and bubbly and have cringed narrative over the whole thing, so yeah, my fifteen minutes with you in the library are dates."

Abigail trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she skipped to catch up with Vanessa. "Wow.. Okay, smooth talker.."

-

Stepping into Zoe's house for the first time, Teddy took a moment to absorb his surroundings. He stepped cautiously towards the front door to see everything front the center of the foyer. The foyer was grant, a curved staircase leading to the second floor in front of him, a large kitchen to his left, and a huge living room to his right. Everything was white with accents of gold and silver everywhere.

The marbles floors were white with silver flakes, the wood counters in the kitchen and the big sectional couch white as well. The grand, curved staircase was white marble too, the railing twisting with silver and gold designs that matched the amazingly large paintings on the walls. Teddy felt very out of his element and instantly felt bad that he stepped foot in this place with shoes on. It was all too clean.

"Zoe?" Teddy yelled as he looked around, his eyes still scanned everything around him, eventually spotting her backpack and heels she must've worn today by the front door. That was the only sign of her existence in this huge, squeaky clean, house.

"I'm upstairs." Zoe chimed in from some kind of audio device behind him. Teddy turned and spotted something that looked like an IPad attached to the wall by the door. It was making a call, the counter up to four seconds, and the caller was titled Floor 2-Room 5. "You're keys are up here too!"

Teddy looked over his shoulder and up the grand staircase. "Uhh.. You can't just bring them down to me?"

"What? Are you scared of getting lost in here?" Zoe smirked to herself, her cocky humor lacing her tone.

Teddy scoffed and hung up the call with one hard press. He looked around once more before starting up the stairs. Everything looked so nice and shiny. And expensive. But, it was still so big and so empty. When he passed a couple rooms on the second floor, he saw little to nothing in all the bedrooms. Everything was dark too. Zoe only had the main floor lights on and the light in her room, which shone under the door and guided Teddy in the right direction.

Zoe's bedroom door was left widely ajar, Teddy noticed as he approached. He took quiet and light steps towards the door as he listened to her bare feet trot across her wood floors. Unsure of what to say or do in this uncomfortable situation, Teddy stepped forward so he could see what her half open door would allow him to see. He was shocked when he spotted Zoe in front of a full length mirror, only clothed by a bra and panties as she threw her hair to one side and drug a brush through all her blonde locks.

Teddy stepped back so he couldn't see her anymore and cursed under his breath. Keeping his eyes on his feet, Teddy lightly knocked on her door with his middle finger knuckle. "Zoe?"

"Come in!" She yelled, her bare feet pitter-pattering across the wood floors again.

"Are you decent? You just said you were in the shower?" Teddy awkwardly asked, cringing at his own vulnerability.

"Are you shy?" Zoe giggled from within her room.

Teddy rolled his eyes and threw her door open. "What's your deal tonight? Why are you testing me?"

Teddy's eyes didn't land on Zoe immediately, since her room was so big, but when they did, he was relieved to see her pulling a shirt over her head. Unfortunately, when she had it all unraveled, it didn't even touch the waistband of her panties and showed the top of her bra. It was a simple tank top that hugged her tiny figure in the worse way possible. For Teddy, anyways. Her legs were exposed, her chest accentuated, blonde hair wet and sexily tossed around atop her head.

Zoe flashed Teddy a bright smile as she tugged the bottom of her tank top down. It didn't go anywhere. "Testing? You mean teasing? It's just because I'm in a good mood."

"Where are your clothes?" Teddy sternly asked with his eyebrows tightly cinched, eyes narrowed, and jaw tense. He wouldn't look away from her face.

"I told you, I just got out of the shower. What's the difference between this and a bathing suit, right?" Zoe smugly shrugged and swiftly turned around.

Teddy's eyes instantly trailed down her figure again as she walked away. Her waist really was impossibly skinny and long, just like her legs and just like her arms. Her panties were cheekster style, showing off her butt but not completely disappearing like a thong would. Even the little space between the hem of her tank top and the waistband of her panties caught his attention. How did she look so soft all over?

"My Halloween costume came in the mail today." Zoe said as she opened her walk-in closet and grabbed a box on the floor. "Do you want to see it?"

"No, Bozo.. I just want my keys." Teddy sighed.

"Oh, come on!" Zoe whined as she pulled the box out of the closet and started kicking it towards her bathroom. "Don't go anywhere. I'm gonna put it in and you have to tell me if I should wear it or not?"

Teddy let his head fall back as he groaned. He didn't feel like doing this right now. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody, let alone Zoe, and now he had to play fashion show with her. If it was her stupid Playboy bunny outfit, he was just going to walk out. He couldn't watch Zoe go from bra and panties to costume lingerie. Couldn't they do this a different day? Couldn't they do this never? Didn't she have other friends to do this with?

But, since Teddy was tired and didn't feel like fighting Zoe on this right now, he simply walked to the chair in front of her vanity and relaxed into it. It didn't take long for Zoe to throw her bathroom door open and pose against the doorway with her foot popped and a goofy, buck-toothed look on her face. Teddy looked her up and down, his eyes widening before a smile crept on to his handsome, dark features.

In a failed attempt at hiding said smile, Teddy ran a hand down his face and kept his fingers lingering at the corner's of his mouth as he openly grinned. Zoe was instantly high off of Teddy's grin, feeling herself get all giddy inside and her cheeks already sore from the joy exploding out of her face. Zoe propped her hands up in front of her like paws, her front teeth still on full display as she began hopping through her room like a bunny.

Teddy finally burst out laughing, not able to contain the hilarity anymore. Zoe nearly gasped at the sound of him belly laughing like he was. His head was thrown back, one hand on his stomach and the other clenched in front of his mouth. His laugh was so low but so clear. His smile was breathtaking. Zoe had never seen this much joy come from Teddy. This is what happiness looked like for Teddy. It was intoxicating to watch.

Teddy couldn't even help it. Seeing Zoe dressed in a full bunny onesie was something else. The ears were comically big and floppy, the entire outfit so big and saggy on her tiny figure, and those feet and paws. She looked totally ridiculous. But it also totally worked for her when she perched her buck teeth and bounced around like that. She looked like a circus clown in that thing compared to all her heels and expensive clothes. The contrast was shocking and hilarious. It completely killed Teddy.

"Do you like it? Do you like it? Do you like it?" Zoe happily chanted as she hopped around Teddy in his chair.

Teddy made sure to look over both shoulders as she bounced around him, finding this too hilarious to look away from. He eventually doubled over, his elbows resting on his knees as he hung his head. Only uncontrollable, hiccuped laughs escaped him. Zoe beamed with joy as she grabbed his shoulders and bounced up and down like she had in the library, trying her best to get Teddy's attention. She didn't expect this wonderful reaction but even more so, Teddy wasn't expecting this outfit.

"Goddamnit..." Teddy chuckled as he raised his head enough to wipe the tears off his cheeks. "Holy shit, Zoe. I did not expect that."

"What do you think?" Zoe hopped in front of Teddy and outstretched her arms.

The big pink circle that was suppose to be the belly of the bunny basically spammed all the way up and down the length of Zoe's body. Her arms seemed shorter because of how the arms and torso connected in a wide cut. The paws, the ears, the bunny face on the hood, her natural buck teeth. He really couldn't get over how perfect her costume was. All she needed was whiskers and a carrot.

"I think you look absolutely fucking ridiculous, Zoe! You can't wear this to school!" Teddy laughed.

"What? Why not? I think it's cute!" Zoe whined.

"You know the kids that do the morning announcements?" Zoe nodded. "Their from the Media Club, Zoe. On holidays, they take pictures of the students all day long. Do you really want photos like that in the yearbook? Of you, dressed up as bunny?"

"I don't mind. The photos can be in the yearbook. I'm probably going to post some pictures of this costume online myself." Zoe shrugged as she played with the costume.

"Fine. Besides, the embarrassing photos," Teddy relaxed in the chair again and crossed his arms over his chest as he took a moment to genuinely think about his answer. "I think it's perfect."

"Perfect?" Zoe gasped. "Really?"

"Really, Zoe. This is probably the worst Halloween costume I've ever seen but, when you wear it, it completely makes sense." Teddy admitted

Zoe turned away from Teddy and stuck out her butt to wiggle it. "Look at the little tail! Isn't it cute?"

Teddy chuckled once more and shook his head at how ridiculous this was. "Adorable."

Zoe hurried to her full length mirror beside her vanity, adjusting the hood of the onesie and playing with the ears. Teddy sat back and stared at her as she fussed with it. The onesie looked incredibly comfortable, if he were being honest. That didn't mean he wanted one, though. He could already here Zoe trying to convince him to buy one so they'd match. It looked way too ridiculous, but that's what had him smiling so much right now.

"I'm glad you've given up on that whole Playboy thing." Teddy scoffed to himself at the idea.

"I haven't given up on it. The girls reassured me today that I am still invited to the Halloween party so I'm just gonna change before the party." Zoe admitted.

Teddy's smile vanished. That wasn't good news. Sure, maybe to Zoe, but it pissed him off. Zoe was better off without all of those fake assholes. They all agreed to ditch her when she fled to LA. They talked on and on about how she was exploiting them and being fake to the public when she really wasn't all that. Teddy heard them all say it. But, now that Zoe did the damage control and made up for all the drama, everyone was okay with her again.

Zoe popped a few buttons of the onesie before Teddy even realized what was happening. "It gets hot in this quickly, though. All my body heat is being trapped inside of it."

With the onesie unbuttoned, the soft fabric completely disappeared from Zoe and pooled at her feet. Teddy had forgotten about the tank top and panties combo through his fit of laughter, which meant his eyes widened again at the sight of her. Zoe simply stepped out of the onesie and bent down to collect it into her arms before she carried it back to the box in the bathroom and returning it to her closet. Teddy silently watched her the entire time, no longer smiling to himself as he felt his body tense.

Teddy's eyes eventually shifted to Zoe's bed that was across the room as she packed away her bunny onesie. The base of her bed was so big that there was a small set of steps leading up to her mattresses. The comforter looked big and fluffy, probably warm and soft as well. He could only imagine how much it must smell like Zoe. He could already smell her hair product from here since she just got out of the shower and it smelt really good. She always smelt good.

That fantasy had suddenly popped into Teddy's head all over again. This time, he pictured everything as it was now. He didn't have to make up a fake bedroom or picture Zoe with less clothes than he had actually seen before. The things he was seeing now seemed more real than any of his fantasies before.

That tank top she was wearing now, he could see himself stripping her of it and kissing the skin it previously covered. Would that make her moan and melt in his arms? He could only imagine. He could imagine crawling atop Zoe as she laid in the sheets of her grand bed, admiring her damp hair emitting an intoxicating scent that he could only relate to her. She still wasn't completely naked in his fantasy but that didn't stop him from running his fingers under the lace of her panties to touch her skin.

Teddy didn't stop the fantasy this time. Not because he enjoyed fantasizing about having sex with Zoe, but because he was curious. He hadn't fantasized about a girl in a long time, especially not this vividly. His mind was constantly racing. If Teddy had to guess, Zoe was a virgin. That bed looked like a really good place for her to lose her virginity. Teddy was a virgin as well, but it made him nervous to think they'd ever share that new experience with each other.

But, if it was only Zoe, and neither of them had never had sex, why was that fantasy so appealing to him? Just because it was images of a beautiful woman laid beneath him? Did it not need to be Zoe that he fantasized about? Was he just horny and she was the only female he was ever around?

Those questions made Teddy brainstorm some other woman laid beneath him, but when he was done admiring her body, he looked up to lock eyes with Zoe again. Those big, soft, brown eyes that were completely engulfed in lust staring right back at him. He was so lost in thought that he could nearly feel her touch him through his fake fantasy scenario. He could nearly feel her legs around him as he rested between her legs, her lips on his when he finally leant down to kiss her.

"Teddy?" Zoe chuckled as she cautiously stepped towards him. Teddy's attention zipped from whatever he was staring at as he zoned out and towards the tiny blonde. "Where'd you go?"

Teddy blinked a few times and sat up in his seat to try and collect himself, his hands awkwardly rubbing against his thighs to wipe away the clamminess. "Uhh... Where's my wallet? I mean, my keys!" Teddy cursed at himself.

"Right here." Zoe gestured the set of keys towards Teddy. She still wasn't wearing clothes but Teddy tried not to look directly at her as he snatched the keys out of her hand and stood up again.

"Thanks. Bye." He said as he walked off in long strides.

"Hey, wait!" Zoe skipped to catch up with Teddy as he marched determinedly through her house. "I was curious about your keys. Why do you have so many?"

"What kind of question is that?" Teddy shot Zoe a confused glare over his shoulder as they made their way down the long hallway of the second floor.

"Well, I just couldn't figure it out on my own. Your house key is there, sure, but what are the other ones?"

"What does it matter?"

"I'm curious."

"You're annoying, is what you are."

"Oh, come on! A minute ago, you were just laughing your butt off!"

"Ass, Zoe! Just say ass." Teddy and Zoe stopped at the bottom of the grand staircase as Zoe awkwardly curled her lips into her mouth to create a flat line. Teddy snorted a laugh. "Ass. Say it, Zoe."

Zoe was completely silent, her long eyelashes fluttering as she looked around the empty foyer. Teddy stared down at Zoe, not backing down from his command. Zoe never swore. He had never heard her swear, at least. It made him want to corrupt her all over again. He kept going back and forth on that plan. Corrupt the sweet, innocent Zoe like she had requested the first time they started talking, or push her away to keep her safe from the terror that followed him around all day and night? He couldn't choose.

"Ass.." Zoe whispered quietly, the slight attitude written on her face convincing Teddy that she was saying that to him.

Teddy happily grinned and nodded as he stepped towards her front door to leave. "Good, Zo. I'm very proud of you. And for that, I'll tell you, I have one house key, one key to the shop, and the rest are my mothers old keys."

"Your mothers?" Zoe perked up with intrigue. He carried around a bunch of keys that didn't unlock anything anymore? Was that his way of keeping his mother around all the time?

"Goodnight, Zoe." Teddy called as he stepped outside and closed her front door behind him.

~

There's probably typos, AS ALWAYS!! I'll try to get back to them and fix them but I just wanted to post this for all you good little squishies! Hope you're enjoying the story so far!