Day One.

After kissing Zoe last night, Teddy expected something to happen. He didn't know if it would be the same shit that happened the last time they went viral but, he expected something because, the photos and videos of them kissing last night did get posted online and the internet clung to them just like they clung to the fight video. Teddy wasn't surprised but, he also didn't do that in hopes that it would go viral. And he wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what people thought.

It was a dumb, impulsive moment that he wished wasn't publicized like it was. Now, he had a target on his back. Even more than that, Teddy Morgan realized while walking home from work that there was already an arrow shooting for that target.

There was a black car just down the street that lit up as he started down the sidewalk from his work. He took a peek at the car but didn't think much of it as he hugged his jacket to his body to keep warm in the winter cold. The car slowly crept up the road but never passed him as he met the bus at the bus stop and hopped on. It wasn't until he was in his seat that it drove by, which was also when he spotted the recognizable matte S on the hood that was exposed thanks to the lighting in the bus.

Teddy perked up as he watched the car pass. He had never seen a Sensation around this neighborhood. And, it couldn't be Zoe. She left on a plane early this morning and that was over twelve hours ago. Besides, she didn't own a black Sensation, nor did she drive. The suspicion that it might be someone working for Zoe's parents and was stalking him shot a shiver up Teddy's spine. Was he being watched? Followed? Did they want something or were they just here to frighten him? Maybe he was just seeing things.

On the bus ride home, Teddy decided to check Zoe's social media to see if she had actually left town. Just as he predicted, though, there were multiple photos online of her at the airport as she landed in Los Angelos. She was wearing her glasses and a big smile on her face as she waved at paparazzi. He checked her Instagram story and saw she was eating sushi with a bunch of prissy blondes. Teddy left all of that alone, though. Zoe wasn't in Ohio anymore. It wasn't her stalking him in that black Sensation.

When Teddy got off the bus a few blocks from home, he checked his surroundings. There was no black Sensation mysteriously parked anywhere. The entire time Teddy was walking, he tried to convince himself that he was just seeing things. From the stories Zoe told him, he was scared of whoever was in that black Sensation. He wasn't like Howl. He didn't feel like getting hit for the fun of it. Besides, the people that were theoretically in that black Sensation seemed to have a reputation that surpassed a quick hit.

Unfortunately, just like Teddy feared, that black Sensation was sitting at Zoe's gate. It beat him home. It was too dark outside to see if anybody was inside the car but, still, Teddy kept his head down as he climbed the hill. He thought against the idea of going home. It was cold out but, he had to keep walking. He couldn't reveal where he lived. But, when all the doors of the Sensation popped open, devising a plan became much harder. His heart rate instantly spiked in a panic.

Teddy glanced up at the Sensation parked in front of Zoe's house, spotting four men dressed in all black slipping out of the car so casually. His steps faltered but he forced himself to keep walking, his head down and hands shoved deep in his pockets. Teddy could see the dark figures move in his peripheral as he climbed the hill. They weren't going inside, which made Teddy wonder if they didn't have the key or if they just weren't trying.

When he stole another glance, all four of them were staring at Teddy, one of them already taking a step into the street with their eyes glued to him. Teddy panicked, forgetting all rational thought and reacting on instinct. He just had to run.

So, Teddy bolted into his alleyway and sprinted through it to get to the street on the other side. He could hear the footsteps across the street pick up and low voices call out to each other, which made him move even quicker. They were all chasing him now. He could feel it. Teddy chose to rush towards the hole in the fence that he always slipped through to get away. But, this time, he wasn't trying to get away from annoying classmates. He was trying to get away from an actual threat.

They spotted him, though. They were close behind and hopping fearlessly over the fence to follow Teddy quicker than he could get away. Teddy booked it full speed down the river when he noticed. He wasn't trying to be sly and stealthy, he was just running. He had nowhere to hide down here, anyways. He just had to outrun them before they could catch him, murder him, and toss him in the river. That's what he pictured happening in his panicked state, anyways.

The four guys behind him didn't say a word as they followed Teddy down the river. He could see his breath in air as he panted, his feet slipping when he hit a patch of ice. The footsteps were loud behind him too, which convinced him that he was failing an escape. He was right but, he had made good ground, if he was looking at the silver lining of things. Teddy didn't work out regularly but, he had enough in him to run for a while before the others caught up to him.

It just wasn't enough.

Teddy was tackled a few blocks down from where he started, directly under a bridge. The guy skillfully tumbled off of him and Teddy jumped up toss his backpack aside and get ready for a fight. It was dark until the bridge and the guy was wearing all black but, he could tell the guy was in a suit. A nicely fitted, clean cut tuxedo. Teddy nearly chuckled but kept his focus sharp since the others were also surrounding him. They weren't moving in, though, they were just circling him and taunting him like he was their prey.

After looking around at the four guys surrounding him, Teddy choice the one that tackled him and threw his fist. He don't even land a hit as the guy grabbed his fist and pulled, causing Teddy to stumble forward and into the snow. The guys in suits chuckled and snickered as Teddy clenched his fists in the snow and pushed himself off the ground. He was still being circled. They were obviously skilled. He was a goner.

Teddy attempted another attack but whoever he targeted caught his arm, spun him around to pin his arm painfully behind him, and swept his legs or from under him. Teddy crashed into the cement, ice, and snow with a hard thud and a groan. He felt completely useless and inadequate, which was probably exactly how they wanted him to feel. Teddy was about to attempt to get up again, with frozen fingers and a early dislocated shoulder before someone through their thick, expensive boot into Teddy's stomach.

The air in Teddy's lungs was instantly forced out of him from the blow, causing him to groan and whine, having the instinct to grip his stomach but not getting the chance as there was another kick throw into his spine. Over and over again, without a single word from the four, pitch black shadows, Teddy was kicked and beaten on the cold, snow and ice covered cement ground beside the river. He never cried mercy, though. He wouldn't. He refused.

Even though the feet being thrown at his body stayed in his upper body, Teddy tried to keep one arm near his head, in case any of them tried it. Almost every kick landed in his stomach, chest, sides, or his back. His legs were occasionally struck by the thick of their boots where he squirmed but Teddy tried to stay as still and balled up as possible, to avoid anymore injuries. He couldn't move much anyways, since every hit made his muscles lock as he fought the surging pain.

Finally, the blows stopped and Teddy was grabbed at the collar of his jacket. The biggest one of the four picked him up and threw him against the pillar that held up the bridge above them. Teddy's head slammed against the cement and caused him to groan and hiss through the pain. The other three guys panted and fixed their finely fitted suits as the one that had Teddy pinned against the pillar glared at him. They were chasing Teddy down the river and beating him on the ground in suits. Teddy was tempted to laugh.

"You're a real son of a bitch, Morgan." The big guy deeply chuckled as his grip on Teddy's jacket tightened. Teddy couldn't make out the details of his face, nor could he with the others. It was too dark. "Quick on your feet, not so smart in the brain."

"Fuck off." Teddy growled. All of his internal organs and the bones in his torso hurt so badly. It was a hot, pulsating pain.

"It's real simple, Teddy. Don't fuck with the Yang's. They don't play fair. It's not in their job description. Our job, however, is to eliminate wild dogs like you. And it pays good, too." There wasn't even a beat between those words and the fist being thrown into Teddy's face.

Teddy collapsed out of the guy's grip and went tumbling towards the cold cement. His fingers were in the snow and his body was aching but, Teddy didn't want to go down. He knew he was stronger than this dumb, petty bullshit.

"Don't worry, Morgan. That's the only immediately visible bruise we'll give you. You can cover up the rest no problem." The guy snorted a laugh. He knelt down to pat Teddy on the back, hitting a few weak spots that had Teddy wincing. He completely ignored his quiet cries of pain as he continued with his threats. "Just stay away from Zoe, alright? The Yang's don't take kindly to dirty little boys toying with their daughter."

Teddy forced a few labored breaths as he tried to keep himself conscious. He felt incredibly dizzy. "I'm not toying with her.. That's not what I was doing.."

"I don't give two shits about whatever excuses you're about to come up with, Morgan." The guy then smacked Teddy in the back of his head, drawing painful attention to the spot where he hit his head against the pillar. "Just keep your grimy hands off Zoe, Mutt."

Teddy looked up, his eyes wide and heart hammering. Did everyone think he was a mutt or did these guys figure out that was his nickname around here? They knew his name, they knew where he worked and probably knew where he lived, they could know even more about him than Teddy was aware of. If they didn't know his nickname and Mutt just came to mind when they looked at him, Teddy would blow his brains out. These asshats would probably do that before he got to it, though.

The four, mysterious, violent shadows turned to walk off, the main guy throwing one last kick into Teddy's stomach. Teddy tipped over and into the snow as he gripped his body and writhed in pain. He laid still and panting as he watched the four shadows saunter off so casually. They climbed the rocks, hopped over the fence, and disappeared, leaving Teddy to wallow in his self-loathing and pity and whatever other horrible emotional was loitering around all his newly forming bruises.

The hour had turned over by the time Teddy finally pushed himself up. He couldn't feel his fingers, every muscle in his body was aching, and his mouth tasted like nothing but blood. Everything was silent and dark, besides the sounds and the lights coming from the cars on the bridge above him. Teddy hated this with every broken bone in his body. And, as always, this was all because of Zoe Yang. That girl was going to be the death of him.

And, not in the cute, stupid, sappy way that people usually meant it in all those rom-coms. Teddy was literally convinced that his death would be Zoe Yang related.

Teddy dragged his ass home, though, regretting how far he had run now that he had to collect his bones from the snow and haul them home with him. He struggled to pull his keys from his pocket, all the while struggling to keep his mind off the horrible pain in his body and the even more painful situation he was stuck in. Out of all of Teddy's personal doubts and all the shit he talked, he never imagined his relationship with Zoe would put him here. Beaten and bullied.

To make Teddy's night even worse, there was a letter that was easily recognizable taped to his front door. It was pink with blue, glitter writing on the front that spelt out his name in big, bubbly letters. Teddy gritted his teeth and ripped the letter off the door before he shoved his key in the lock. It was hardly any warmer inside, it was hardly any brighter, and his father was nowhere in sight. The new empty bottles in the kitchen and living room were proof that he was still alive though. Teddy had just cleaned up recently, after all.

Teddy annoyedly tucked away the letter in his jacket as he trudged to his room and shut the door behind him. It wasn't until his uniform and shoes were off that Teddy lowered himself carefully to his bed. Everything hurt. So, so badly. Teddy tried to take slow, deep breaths to push through the pain but he could feel his lungs pressing into his ribcage and disturbing the new way they were sitting. The pain was so bad that it was actually making him dizzy.

That's when Teddy began to panic. He had never been this badly injured before. He had never been one-sidedly bested like this either. What if his ribs were actually broken? How easy or how hard was it to fix that? Would he have to go to the hospital? Teddy couldn't afford that. But what if there was internal bleeding? Could he die from internal bleeding? Would he die in his sleep if he just tried to ignore the pain like he wanted to? That sounded likely.

Teddy eventually scared himself with so many unanswerable questions that he picked up his phone and dialed the first person he could think of. "Hey, Howl.." Teddy rubbed his bruising eye with one hand as the other held his phone to his ear.

"Why don't you ever just text me? Normal people would rather text than call and I actually like those people." Howl rambled, the tone in his voice soft enough to let Teddy know he wasn't being completely serious. He was only teasing him.

Teddy ignored all that, since he was in too much pain to play Howl's games. "Listen... When Brett beat you with a hockey stick, did you go to the hospital?"

"No, I did not. My mom was training to be a nurse for awhile after she graduated high school so, she poked and prodded at me enough to figure out I'd be fine. She wasn't happy with me but, who ever is, you know?" Howl chuckled.

"Mhm, mhm.." Teddy breathed through the pain running like lava through his chest, stomach, and back. "Could your mom check me out?"

"Teddy, she's gay."

"Howl!" Teddy growled. "I mean, my wounds. I'm pretty sure there's some internal bleeding or something. No skin broke but I feel like shit and my mouth is filled with blood. I think I might've bit my tongue, though.. Internal bleeding can kill a person, right? That'd be a super shitty way to die. I mean, it's not like I have enough money for hospital bills. If I did, my mother probably wouldn't be dead and I wouldn't be in the position I'm in now-"

"Teddy!" Howl was concerned now and Teddy could tell by the tougher tone of his voice through the phone. "Are you alright, man?"

Teddy hummed in a negative drag as he shook his head. He couldn't move anything that wasn't his head or arms. The pain was getting worse and worse by the second. He wanted to cry but, he wouldn't let himself do such a thing. Mostly because he didn't know if he was going to cry over the pain or over the frustrating fact that he was just jumped because he was tangled in Zoe's life and didn't know how to get out, even after being warned and threatened to do so.

"Can you come get me..?" Teddy choked, his chest suddenly heaving as he tried to hold himself together.

"Yeah, man. Hold on. Don't move! You're home, right?" Teddy could tell by the rustling coming through the phone that Howl was moving quickly. Teddy hummed in confirmation as he nodded. "Okay. Just, don't move, alright?"

"Please, hurry, before I die.." Teddy groaned.

"God, you're a bigger drama queen than me." Howl teased before he hung up.

Teddy moved as slow as possible to put clean clothes on, deciding on a loose shirt and sweatpants so he could move without anything hugging him too tightly. He grabbed his jacket with all his essentials tucked in his pockets before he hobbled towards the front door. By the time he reached for the doorknob, Howl was already knocking. Teddy pulled the door open and nearly fell into Howl's arms. Howl grunted as he reflexively caught Teddy's weight in his arms.

"Holy shit-" Howl groaned as he helped Teddy to his feet again. "Who did this to you, Teddy?"

"Let's save that for later.." Teddy gripped the door and the wall as he took a few deep breaths.

Howl sighed and dipped under Teddy's arm to help him walk through the alleyway and up the stairs to get to the sidewalk and the street. Teddy groaned and hissed as Howl helped him into the car. The pain was so bad that Teddy prayed and prayed that nothing was broken. Breathing hurt but it wasn't too bad, which reassured him that no broken ribs had actually punctured his lungs. His legs, his arms, and his face were fine but, most of his really important shit was all torso based.

"When your mom asks what happened, you can come up with something, right?" Teddy grunted as he tried to sit up in the passenger seat of Howl's car.

"Sure. Easy. We'll just say you live in a bad neighborhood and got jumped." Howl shrugged, keeping his eyes on the snowy roads.

"What if she asks where I live? This isn't a bad neighborhood. It's a block from the school."

Howl hesitated as he let his thoughts put together puzzle pieces to form a more vivid picture. "We'll say you got jumped on your way home from work."

"Unprovoked?"

"That happens!"

"You think she'll believe that?" Teddy's face scrunched up even more than it already was when he shifted in his seat and accidentally prompted more pain to shoot through his body.

"Probably.." Teddy nodded. He would agree to that lie, as long as he didn't have to relieve what really happened. Still, Howl was curious. "What actually happened, Teddy? Who did this to you? Chuck?"

"Fuck, no! I would never let Chuck beat me up like this." Teddy grumpily snapped.

"Then, what the fuck, man?"

Teddy was silent as he stared at the snowy road in front of them. He couldn't even believe the story of what happened so, he had no idea how to tell that story to Howl. He tried anyways, hoping it would somehow make sense to him if he explained what happened out loud. Teddy trusted Howl, after all. He was allowed to know what happened.

"I was being followed home.. I think. It was a black Sensation and I have never seen a Sensation in Ohio that wasn't Zoe.. It drove ahead of the bus, though, and beat me home. They were sitting in front of Zoe's gate, just waiting for me, I guess. When I tried to get out of their sight, they all got out and chased me down the river." Teddy slowly explained, piecing the story together one bullet-point at a time as he spoke.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute-" Howl waved one of his hands rapidly in the air to cut Teddy off. "Who's they, Teddy?"

"Well, I haven't gotten there yet but, thank you for interrupting my story." Teddy snapped and continued. "They eventually caught up to me and just started beating on me. It wasn't until after that one of the guys warned me not to mess with the Yang's.. He thought I was toying with Zoe.."

"What the hell..?" Howl stared ahead at the road as he tried to piece together what Teddy was saying. There was a moment of silence before Howl perked up. "Do you think they work for Zoe?"

"They work for the Yang's, I don't know if they work for Zoe, specifically. They said eliminating guys like me pays good so, I'm sure it's her parents sending them out like hunting dogs." Teddy shifted in his seat again and groaned from the pain until he settled.

"That's probably why Zoe is still a naive, little angel that hasn't even kissed a boy before." Teddy's eyes snapped to Howl but Howl was too focused on the road as he snorted a goofy laugh. "Well, she's had her first kiss now. That's probably why they beat you."

"Wait, what?" Teddy sat up despite the pain. "Zoe has kissed guys before."

"Has she? Did she tell you that?" Howl smirked as he turned to Teddy.

Teddy paused, his expression still pulled into a frown. "No.." Howl snorted another laugh. "But she has! It's Zoe! There's no way Zoe Yang has never kissed a guy before."

"That's what I thought. That's what Fisher thought too. But then, he told me, when we dropped you guys after breakfast, that she had never kissed anyone before. And then, you kissed her."

Teddy was silent. His expression hadn't even changed yet. He was frozen. When it finally hit him, he hit Howl.

"Hey, fucker! I'm driving and the roads are icy! Watch it!" Howl exclaimed.

"You knew she had never fucking kissed anybody and you still let me kiss her?" Teddy shouted.

"I didn't know you were going to kiss her, Teddy! She was suppose to kiss Chuck until you decided to jump in!" Teddy threw both of his hands over his face as he loudly groaned. Howl waited for Teddy's internal temper tantrum to be over before he asked. "Why did you kiss her?"

"I don't know, Howl!" Teddy snapped. All his feathers had been ruffled. He was uncomfortable physically and mentally now. "She provoked me!"

"Provoked you?"

"Yes! I asked her if she wanted to kiss Chuck and she said no. She told me the guy she really wanted to kiss was on the other team."

"Who? You?"

"Yes, me!"

"Are you sure she said that and you weren't just hearing things because you were the one that wanted to kiss her?"

"Oh, fuck off!" Teddy scoffed and turned his attention away from Howl.

Teddy couldn't help but shake his head. He was Zoe Yang's first kiss. Chuck Lakowski was almost her first kiss. As much as Teddy hated himself for kissing her, he would much rather suffer a beating than face the reality of Chuck Lakowski being Zoe Yang's first kiss. Although, it sure would be entertaining to watch four Men In Black beat the living shit out of Chuck for kissing her. Still, it was a small price to pay to avoid that reality.

~

"Oh my god! What happened to you, Teddy?" Kaliyah gasped as she hurried out of the kitchen to help Howl, who was basically dragging in Teddy's body from the front door.

"Careful, ma.." Howl groaned as he struggled to hold up Teddy's weight over his shoulders.

Kaliyah helped Teddy to the couch and frowned as Teddy groaned and cried from the pain. She carefully helped him get situated on his back before she started feeling up his arms and legs.

"Where are you hurt, Teddy?" Kaliyah desperately asked.

"Stomach, ribs, chest.." Was all Teddy could muster as he fought the slowly settling pain from his journey up to Howl's apartment.

"Okay. Can you sit up for me, Teddy?" Teddy struggled to comply but Kaliyah was quick in reaching for his jacket and shirt. "Emmitt, grab some ice packs from the freezer, please. I can already see his face swelling and I'm sure the rest of him is as well."

Howl skipped off as his mother helped Teddy out of his jacket and then his shirt, apologizing as Teddy groaned and chanted how much it hurt. Kaliyah apologized over and over until she guided Teddy back again and started examining his torso. There wasn't any blood. Not a single spot of it, which made her worry even more. Internal bleeding could be very, very dangerous. And as she started to touch his ribs and watch as Teddy flinched and winced, she prayed none were broken.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..." Teddy weakly chanted.

"I know it's uncomfortable, sweetheart but, bare with me a moment." Kaliyah sighed. "Emmitt!"

"Oh, shit, sorry!" Howl mumbled through a mouthful of food as he stopped picking away at the dinner he had to abandon to rush to Teddy's aid.

Howl appeared beside the couch with an armful of ice packs and offered them to his mother. She angrily scowled at him as she realized what took him so long and plucked an ice pack from his arms to offer it to Teddy. He grabbed it and pressed it to his face, keeping one eye open to stare in confusion at Howl.

"Why do you have so many of these?" His voice was a bit hoarse from groaning so much. He flinched and winced again when Kaliyah poked at another painful spot on his ribs. Howl chuckled.

"When your son comes home every other day with a new collection of bruises, it's necessary." Kaliyah frowned, looking more angry than she looked sad. "Did the same bullies hurt you too, Teddy? This late at night?"

Teddy looked up at Howl, who silently reminded him of the lie they came up with in the car with only a jolt of his eyebrows. "No. It was just some random guys that jumped me on the way home from work."

"Where do you work?"

"A repair shop closer to the city."

Kaliyah sighed and shook her head as she continued her examination. Teddy and Howl exchanged relieved glances, thankful that Kaliyah hadn't asked anymore pressing questions.

"Feeling dizzy, lightheaded, like you're gonna faint?" Kaliyah asked as she carefully stared into Teddy's eyes, studying his consciousness.

Teddy shook his head. "Kinda disorientated but.. not dizzy.."

"Where'd this blood come from, huh?" Kaliyah whipped Teddy's chin and used her thumb to pull his chin down open his mouth. "Did you cough this up or did you bite your tongue?"

"Bit my tongue."

"Oh, good.." Kaliyah sighed. "Doesn't sound like there is any internal bleeding so I'm going to give you these ice packs and some pain pills to numb the pain and calm the swelling. If your condition gets worse, then we'll worry about internal bleeding and go to the hospital."

"I don't want to go to hospital." Teddy frowned, flinching as Kaliyah laid a freezing cold ice pack over a sore patch on his ribs.

"We might have to go in the morning, Teddy. You're in a lot of pain already. I want to, at least, make sure nothing is broken." Kaliyah countered, laying another ice pack on him.

Teddy paused before he removed the ice pack from his face and pushed the others aside as he began to sit up. "Then, I'm going home.." He groaned.

"Teddy!" Kaliyah grabbed Teddy's shoulder to stop him, causing him to wince. She didn't let go. "Why don't you want to go to the hospital, Teddy?"

"I don't have the money for that." Teddy angrily pointed out, his fists clenching the edge of the couch as he tried to fight the pain.

"What about your parents, Teddy? Or extended family members that can help."

"I came here because I have nobody else." Teddy fearlessly admitted, his words escaping him before he even thought about it. He was just upset and in pain.

Kaliyah stared at Teddy, carefully studying the layers of what he said before she looked towards Howl. Howl looked unbothered as he shrugged. He knew Teddy had nobody but he didn't want to be the one to tell his mother that. That was Teddy's business. Besides, he was here now and Howl knew his mother would take care of him. He wasn't too worried. His mother sure would be when she realized just how alone Teddy was, though. He would never be allowed to leave this house again.

"Okay, fine.." Kaliyah sighed. "I won't drag you to a hospital unless it's absolutely necessary. And, if we do have to go, I'll pay the hospital bills."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that." Teddy nervously gulped, feeling a bit anxious all of a sudden.

"I know you wouldn't but, don't worry about it. I know some people down at the hospital after bringing Howl there a million times so they'll probably make an exception, anyways."

"Kaliyah-" Teddy was cut off before he could protest.

"Come on. You're already halfway up. Let's move you to Emmitt's room."

"Ew! Look at how dirty he is from work! I don't want that in my room!" Howl exclaimed from the kitchen.

"Emmitt!" Kaliyah shortly scolded as she helped Teddy stand from the couch.

Howl set down the ice packs in his arms and rushed to help Teddy. Teddy had never been in Howl's room but it didn't look much different from any other bedroom. It was clean and tidy, though. The only thing out of place was a nicely stacked pile of clothes sat on his desk, which Teddy assumed had just been washed but not put away yet. Howl's bed was soft but high off of the ground so it took a bit of strength to get himself on to the mattress.

"You're on my side of the bed. Move over." Howl smirked.

"God, do you ever shut up?" Teddy painfully seethed.

"Hey, does this mean we're having a sleepover? I'm pretty sure I have some nail polish around here somewhere. We can paint our nails and braid each other's hair, if you want." Howl pushed.

Kaliyah came back into the room with all the ice packs from the couch and handed one to Teddy so he could press it to his face again. "I'm not even listening to you anymore, Emmitt."

"Are you boys going to get along or do I have to separate you two?" Kaliyah half-joked.

"No." Both of them answered, Howl continuing his obnoxious behavior by leaping on to his bed on the other side of Teddy.

"No, you're not going to get along or no, I don't have to separate you?"

"Both." Again, Teddy and Howl answered in unison, smiling at their perfect synchronization and holding their fists up to gently bump each other.

Kaliyah shook her head with a smile as she covered Teddy's naked torso in ice packs. She could tell where bruises were beginning to form and made sure every spot was covered. "No wonder you two are friends. And, here you go, sweetheart. I have some pain pills here, too."

Teddy held out his hand and waited as Kaliyah poured a few out. He threw back the pills put in his hand, retrieving the cup of water Kaliyah handed him to wash them down. She stuck around for a minute to position all the ice packs correctly and bicker with Howl about the fact that he should be doing homework right now. She left only for a moment before she came back with his jacket and shirt and the pink envelope in her hand.

"Do you need this or can I set it on Emmitt's desk? It was sticking out of your jacket." Kaliyah asked as she slung his jacket over the back of Howl's desk chair.

"Is that from Zoe?" Howl sat up with obvious intrigue.

"How can you tell?" Teddy bitterly joked. It was obvious from the handwriting that it was from Zoe. "I'll take it. Thank you, Kaliyah."

"Have you eaten, Teddy? I was just putting away the leftovers but I can heat something up for you now or when Frankie gets home." Kaliyah continued.

"I'm fine. Thank you." The second Teddy had the envelope in his hand, Howl reached for it but Teddy threw his arm out of Howl's reach. "No way, dude!"

"Let me see it!" Howl sat up even more to reach for it but Teddy turned, ended up hurting himself, and accidentally shifted the ice packs off his torso.

"Alright, you two! Knock it off!" Kaliyah snatched the envelope from Teddy and tossed it on to Howl's desk before she started fixing his ice packs again. The metal thud against the desk when the envelope landed caught Howl's attention, though. "You boys are almost adults but still act like children."

"Thank you, Kaliyah." Teddy spoke up, taking a deep breath as Kaliyah met his stare. She looked curious as to why he had said it again. "I mean it.. Thank you."

Kaliyah sweetly smiled, her beautiful facial features softening and warmth surrounding her in a comforting aura. "You're welcome, Teddy. And you can stay here as long as you'd like, okay? I want to make sure you're alright."

"Thank you." Teddy repeated, still meaning it genuinely, as he hadn't had a parental figure looking out for him in years. He turned to Howl, as well, holding his fist up again with a smirk on his face. "Thanks, man. Don't know what I would do without you."

"No problem, you sap." Howl chuckled and gently bumped his fist against Teddy's again.

Kaliyah smiled fondly at Teddy and Howl before she slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her. A single, calm beat passed before Howl threw away his solidarity towards Teddy and jumped out of bed to get to the envelope. Teddy tried to reach for him and stop him but he could barely move without suffering. Howl grabbed the envelope and examined the outside, spotting nothing but Teddy's name written in glittery pen. He had no shame is ripping it open and delving inside.

"It's illegal to open other peoples mail, asshole." Teddy snarled.

"It's not mail, it's a love letter." Howl snickered as he pulled out the letter inside, looking at the rest of the contents inside with a cocked eyebrow. "I think.."

"What is it?" Teddy frowned from the bed.

"Keys." Howl answered plainly.

"What?" Howl walked over to Teddy to hand him the envelope as he unfolded the letter. Teddy dumped out the envelope with his one free hand and watched three keys fall out, two of which recognizably belonging to Sensation vehicles. "Fuck me.."

"One for the big one, one for the small one, one for the house. The code to the gate, front door, and back door is 668894, if you lose the key. Just don't smoke in the house or cars, please. Maybe consider quitting such a bad habit. Can't wait to see you again. Xoxo. Zoe."

"Fuck me.." Teddy groaned, his head falling back and eyes falling shut.

"Did you just become Zoe's boyfriend?" Howl laughed as he read over the letter again. "I think you just became Zoe's boyfriend."

"Oh my god.. oh my god.. please, tell me this is a sick joke or a dream or something.." Teddy groaned, raising his freehand to his face to rub his eyes. A moment passed before Teddy snapped. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean? Consider quitting such a bad habit? Does she think I'm going to change just to be her fucking boyfriend?"

"Bitch! You just got two free Sensations and a sick fucking crib to chill in for, at least, a month while she's gone!"

"Shut up, Howl. Shut up, shut up, shut up.." Teddy seethed.

"This is lowkey cute, though. Zoe is so helplessly obsessed with you."

"Is it not cute, Howl! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Oh, come on! It's Zoe! You can't seriously be upset at her for this. She means well."

Teddy held a long groan for a solid minute as he tried to wrap his head around what was happening. His life since Zoe Yang entered it had been so back and forth, he was about to get whiplash. He hated her but, he kissed her. He wanted to be nowhere near her but, was the only one that could properly take care of her. He got beaten and bruised for kissing her but, also rewarded with cars and a house for doing so. Nothing made sense. Nothing was how it was suppose to be.

"These keys are sick." Howl interrupted Teddy's train of thought as he sat on the bed and grabbed the Sensation keys.

The keys were normal to any other key where they were inserted but the handle was a flat silver rectangle, no thicker but wider than the key, and had various buttons that Howl didn't even know what to do with. Normal car keys didn't even have this many buttons. They just had lock and unlocked buttons, sometimes buttons that started the car from afar. This key was far more advanced, of course, since it belonged to the most advanced vehicle in the country.

"Why would she even give me these? For me to move in? I kiss the girl one time and I get full access to her life?" Teddy snapped again, his anger building and building inside of him as his mind raced.

"Those are good questions." Howl chuckled, still staring at the keys. "You should call her."

"No."

"Teddy-"

"Shut up, Howl. Shut up, shut up, shut up. I don't want to talk to her. I don't want to see her, hear her, be anywhere near her. Nothing."

Howl shut his mouth and frowned. Sometimes, he didn't understand how Teddy could feel so negatively about Zoe. She was so precious and liked him so much. It was a bit easier to understand after Teddy had just been beaten for kissing her. It made sense that he didn't want to be around her right now. Howl took note of his sour mood and set the keys and letter aside, deciding not to bring up Zoe anymore.

"Wanna watch Netflix?" Howl quietly asked.

"Sure.." Teddy sighed.

"And chill?" Howl smirked.

Even Teddy cracked a smile at that. "Please, don't make me regret getting in bed with you."

"Nobody ever regrets getting in bed with me."

"Gross." Teddy laughed.

~

"Pas De Bourée! Pas De Bourée! Pas De Bourée! Turn! Pas De Bourée! Zoe, watch your arms! You look like a fucking noodle, not a ballerina!" Mrs. Beaumont scolded, her thick accent punctuating her harsh demands.

Zoe lifted her weak, aching arms high, held her chin up, and pointed her toes so her legs were as straight as possible. She could only last a few seconds before her legs gave out and she went tumbling towards the ground. Mrs. Beaumont shouted curses as she stomped over to the stereo and turned off the music. Zoe hid her head between her arms as she sat doubled over on the ground. Sweat, mixed into her tears, rolled off of her nose and collected on the freshly waxed floor of the studio as she took as many deep breaths as she could.

"She's nothing, anymore! Four months and she's ruined! Ruined! What did I say about sending her off without a schedule? I don't even want her in my studio anymore! Get her out of here!" Mrs. Beaumont shouted, her voice echoing through the wide ballet studio and causing Zoe's eyes to fall shut as she tried not to sob or hyperventilate.

"Again." Rin calmly demanded from her position in front of the huge windows that stretched across the entire studio and looked out to a glorious, well tended to garden.

The garden was the physical embodiment of Beaumont Ballet Studio's reputation. The bushes were perfectly grown to show no gaps, cut and groomed in perfect spheres and cubes. The cement fountain in the center never had a leaf or a bug in it's constantly overflowing stream. The entire, green, garden was accented specially with flowers of pastel blues, pinks, purples to give off a soft and calm aura. They were all bloomed and glowing in the bright sunlight that poured in through the glass roof above them.

"No! I refuse! I will not waste my time on this ditz any longer! She's hopeless!" Mrs. Beaumont went on.

"Again." Rin sounded a bit more annoyed this time, prompting Mrs. Beaumont to turn to her with a scowl at her fearless demand.

It wasn't until Mrs. Beaumont saw the thin, bamboo stick clutched in Rin's hand that she reconsidered obeying such a demand. Mrs. Beaumont smirked at Rin, safely amusing that she was giving into a form of discipline that she was so adamant against. Rin was always worried about the marks that showed when Mrs. Beaumont whipped her girls with the stupid stick. She couldn't risk paparazzi snapping photos of Zoe with bruises and framing Rin and her husband as abusive parents.

Although, after recent events, her views had shifted just a bit. She didn't mind some physical discipline.

"Up, Zoe, up! Now!" Mrs. Beaumont forcibly demanded as she confidentially strutted across the room again.

Zoe didn't want to listen. She didn't want to dance anymore. She had done all of this almost all her life so, she didn't understand why a four month break was such a big deal. Rin had scolded her for her posture and lack of feminine elegance when she arrived home. It was the first thing she said. Apparently, it seemed Zoe had lost touch with the woman she was suppose to be or, at least, whatever woman Rin had spent seventeen years sculpting her into, and she was not happy about it.

Despite the pain, Zoe forced himself off the ground. Every bone, muscle, and tendon in her feet hurt, as well as in her legs and arms. She could feel her entire body vibrating from the throbbing pain as every muscle twitched and quivered. Zoe ignored every screaming voice in her head that told her to give up and lay down as she slowly positioned her feet and arms into first position, patiently waiting for Mrs. Beaumont's demands as her eyes stayed glued to her mother.

Rin smirked.

"Entrechat quatre!" Mrs. Beaumont yelled.

Zoe took a deep breath, feeling her lungs painfully falter and quake as she inhaled and exhaled through her mouth. When Mrs. Beaumont started the music again, Zoe did as she was told. Entrachat quatre once, twice, a third, and forth. Every time Mrs. Beaumont said it, she did it. Her expression twitched and cracked as the pain tore hot tears out of her eyes but she didn't stop.

"Lazy!" Mrs. Beaumont whipped Zoe's calves with the thin, bamboo stick, causing Zoe to collapse again with a painful cry. "Up, Zoe! Again! Entrachat deux!"

Zoe sniffled back her snot but let her tears fall as she forced herself up again. Her arms visibly shook as she pushed herself off the ground, her legs violently quivering as they held up her weight. Zoe positioned her arms low and elegantly bowed in the Entrachat position and did as she was told.

Entrachat deux once, twice, third, and forth.

"I said deux, not quatre! Again!" Mrs. Beaumont whipped the back of Zoe's calves again.

Zoe didn't fall completely but caught herself on the palms of her hands, her sweaty fingers squeaking against the floor as they curled into her palms. She stood, sniffled, and took position before she forced her body to move. She could feel the west dripping down her legs, off her elbows, and pouring down her neck. The little hairs at her hairline were sticking to her face and they were definitely annoying but, Zoe couldn't be bothered with them when she was in this much pain.

"Entrachat cinq! Go!" Mrs. Beaumont demanded.

Zoe obeyed, painfully clenching her teeth and struggling to keep her eyes open as she focused on nothing but doing it right. If she could do these correctly, she could stop. If she could do these correctly, it would all be over. If only she could do these correctly.

"Wrong!" Mrs. Beaumont whipped Zoe again.

The slap of the thin bamboo against Zoe's calves caused a muscle to flinch and twist, which made Zoe fall again. She rolled on to her back and clenched her leg between her shaky fingers as she shamelessly sobbed over the immense pain she was in. Zoe couldn't hold it back anymore. It all hurt so badly and she was mentally exhausted after staying up all through the night practicing. It was torture. It was all torture.

"Mother, please!" Zoe sobbed, letting go of her leg with one hand to wipe away the tears pouring down her temples and into her ears. She stared up at the heavily decorated ceiling through blurry eyes. "Please, mother.. It hurts.."

Mrs. Beaumont shut off the music and threw her stick aside, cursing a million times in French as she stormed out. Zoe could barely hear her over her own, completely uncontrollable sobs. It took a moment of silence and another moment for the twisted muscle to slowly come undone and relax under her skin before Zoe could start to gather herself again. She rolled on her side, her arm and leg squelching against the floor from the sweat coating her skin. To Zoe's surprise, Rin was stood inches from her.

"I'm sorry, mother.." Zoe sniffled, planting her palms against the floor and sitting up enough to tilt her head up and look upon Rin's tall figure.

Rin slowly lowered herself to crouch casually beside her daughter. Zoe stared into her mother's eyes with tear filled orbs and a quivering bottom lip. Rin tilted her head, her perfectly painted face void of any expression, and her hair falling in one direction. She reached a manicured hand out to her daughter, wiped away a tear at the corner of Zoe's eye, and dropped that wet finger to firmly hold up her chin.

"I'm sorry, too. All your life I told you what was best for you and you always did so good. I should have never listened to one of your suggestions. Sending you to public school.. What a horrible mistake. I should've known you didn't know how to make decisions for yourself if I was always the one making them for you." Rin calmly rambled, her words piercing through Zoe's chest and itching desperately at her heart.

"I'll practice at home more. In Ohio. I promise." Zoe gulped, still slightly panting from how exhausted she was.

"In Ohio? What makes you think I can trust you to go back?" Rin's flat expression narrowed slightly into a scowl. "All you do there is get in fights and kiss dirty boys. Your little friend has ruined you, darling, and he's going to pay for it."

"Teddy?" Zoe's eyes widened as her heart leaped into her throat. She stared desperately at her mother as she began shaking her head. "No, mother.. Please.. Don't hurt him. He didn't do anything. Please-"

Rin turned her head towards the giant windows that looked out to the garden. "The girls are here. Practice is over. Get up and get changed."

"Mother!" Zoe shouted but Rin ignored her as she stood up, straightened the wrinkles in her suit, and strutted off. "Please, mother! Don't hurt him!"

Rin opened the same door Mrs. Beaumont went through and disappeared behind it, letting it slowly creak and click shut. Zoe hung her head between her shoulders as she tried to catch her breath and steady her heartbeat. It was no use. She couldn't think about anything but all the horrible things her mother was willing to do to Teddy. Her dogs were probably already after him. Teddy didn't deserve that. He didn't do anything wrong. She wasn't ruined because of him. It was her own fault.

After a moment of silence, faint giggling and chatter could be heard a few feet away. Zoe looked up at the huge windows to see the girls stripping of their coats and yoga pants to reveal their leotards. They threw their things on the little tables set around the garden and skipped around to talk to each other, all smiling and adjusting their tight buns as they mingled. Zoe couldn't help but frown at the sight of them.

All through Zoe's life, she was never allowed to practice with those girls. Rin didn't want her daughter to learn at the same pace as everyone else and she certainly didn't want her distracted during class. So, Zoe learned alone, sometimes all through the night and sometimes early in the morning, up until that class showed up. And then Zoe would be shooed off to go to whatever class she had next on her schedule. It was usually piano classes, otherwise, she had business to attend to with her parents.

Zoe took those girls presents as her cue to leave. She forced herself off the ground, catching the attention of the girls outside. The chatter died down as heads turned to see a little, petite figure stumble slowly across the studio. Zoe kept her head ducked and fixed the hairs clinging to her sweaty face as she tried to hurry off on aching feet and wobbly legs.

The second Zoe was in the locker room, which looked more like a grand dressing room, she pulled her phone out of her bag and sat against the wall of one the stalls. She dialed Teddy's number and waited with her head between her legs. He didn't answer. So, she called again. He didn't answer. Zoe groaned, which turned into a scared whine as she dialed him again. She was so worried for him, she could cry.

"Your phone is ringing." Howl nudged Teddy, who was half asleep beside him.

"Ignore it. It's the middle of the night. It can't be anyone important." Teddy sleepily mumbled.

Howl sat quietly and averted his attention back to the tv in his room. It was hard to pay attention, though, when Howl kept hearing Teddy's phone vibrate from across the room. Two more calls and Howl nudged Teddy again. He was out like a light. Howl sighed and carefully got out of bed to grab Teddy's phone on his desk when it rung once again When he picked it up and flipped it over, he was only slightly surprised at the caller I.D. on his lock screen.

(5) Missed Calls From Bozo👽

Howl turned to Teddy, wanting to ask him why Zoe had an alien emoji next to her name but, he could easily assume the answer to that question.

And then, Howl's own phone began to ring. His eyebrows furrowed as he pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the caller I.D. It was Zoe. Now, he was a little worried. Was something wrong with her?

"Hello?" Howl quietly answered, keeping Teddy's phone in his other hand.

"Hi, Howl.." Zoe's voice sounded weak but still a bit cheery as she smiled on the other end of the call. She was relieved to have someone answer her call. "Is it late? Did I wake you?"

"No. I've been up watching Netflix with Teddy." Howl answered as he climbed into bed again, keeping his eyes on the guy as he slept beside him.

"You're with Teddy? Has his phone been ringing?" Zoe sounded a bit more serious now.

"Yes.. But, he's sleeping." Howl half lied. He was sleeping now but he wasn't a minute ago.

"Oh.. So, he's alright?" Zoe sniffled.

"Not exactly.."

"What? What happened to him? Is he hurt? Is it bad?" Zoe fully panicked now, feeling her hands shake even more than her legs as her heart started pumping rapidly in her chest.

"He's a little beaten but my mom says he might be fine. We'll see in the morning."

Zoe's lip quivered as she fought the urge to start sobbing again. Rin had did exactly what Zoe imagined. She sicked her dogs on Teddy and had them beat him for ruining her. Zoe was so happy about that kiss. It felt like the happiest she had ever been. She didn't even think about the consequences of it. All the cameras that were out when Teddy kissed her. She should've known it was going to blow up just like the fight and end up in her mother's line of sight. She was just so blinded with joy, she didn't even think.

"Can you tell him I'm sorry..?" Zoe's voice was audibly distraught as she tried to speak. It broke Howl's heart to hear her so broken. "I didn't think my mother would hurt him."

Howl didn't say anything as he stared at Teddy. Howl didn't know much about Zoe's parents or Zoe's life outside of Ohio. All he knew was the stuff he heard people gossip about at school. Apparently, she was a big deal in many countries, her parents had a lot of power, and the media sure liked her since the fight and the kiss were both viral hits. But, out of whatever Howl knew about Zoe and her family, he certainly didn't know they had henchmen that would sniff out Teddy Morgan and beat him to shit.

"I'll tell him.." Howl nodded. He didn't ask questions. There was obviously big and dangerous happening here that he didn't want any part of. Teddy was already in too deep so, Howl could take care of him but, he didn't want to be involved anymore than that.

"He's not going to believe me. He probably won't even listen.." Zoe sniffled, a broken sob escaping her before she cupped her hand over her mouth. Howl waited for her to collect herself, not knowing what to say as he stared at Teddy. "I understand if he never wants to talk to me again. I understand if he hates me. Just.. please, tell him I would never let anything like this happen to him if I had any control over it.."

"Okay.. I'll tell him." Howl gulped.

Zoe and Howl were quiet again. Zoe couldn't help the tears. She never ever wanted Teddy to get hurt because of her. She wished her mother wasn't so horrible, wished her family didn't have the power they had, wished she could be a normal girl, almost wished she had never met Teddy. He was better off without her. If she came back and he hated her more than he already did, she wouldn't ever be able to forgive herself. After all, Teddy warned her to stay away from him countless times and she didn't listen.

Now, he was the one that had to pay the price for it.

"I'm sorry, Howl.." Zoe softly cried.

"I know, Zoe. And I know this isn't your fault. I mean.. I guess I don't know much but, I know how much you care about Teddy." Howl frowned.

"He can hide at my house." Zoe anxiously sat up. "I put a letter on his door with-"

"I know. He saw it." Howl interrupted. "But, if the people who came after him are from your mother, wouldn't they know how to get into the house?"

"No. I don't think so, at least.. I changed the code to the door and the garage before I left. It's Teddy's birthday so it should be easy for him to remember." Zoe sniffled once more.

"Teddy's birthday?" Howl looked down at his desk and at the letter unfolded next to Teddy's phone. "668894 is not Teddy's birthday."

"It corresponds to the keypad." Zoe chuckled. "Six-six-eight is N-O-V, for November. Eight again because he was born on the eighth. And ninety four for the year."

"Ooh.." Howl grinned. "I'll make sure to tell Teddy. For now, he's chillin' here with me and I'm gonna take care of him so, don't worry."

"Thank you, Howl."

"It's no problem. You know, he's my friend too." Howl chuckled.

"Is he, though?" Zoe joked.

"I like to think so. I'm sure he doesn't." Howl's grin broadened.

Zoe laughed, still feeling pained by the situation they were in. Her smile only lasted a moment as they both settled into silence and Zoe pictured all the horrible bruises that must be littering Teddy's body. Hopefully, he wasn't too badly injured and bleeding or anything. He was with Howl now, though. That made Zoe feel better. He had a friend to take care of him and a safe and warm place to go.

"So, what was it like getting a kiss from Teddy Morgan?" Howl asked with that same grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Zoe fought a smile as she shook her head. "I can't even think about that now that he's hurt because of it."

"Oh, come on. He's fine."

Zoe chuckled, pausing to debate if she should even say. She felt selfish talking about it when Teddy was in the position he was in. "It was... probably the best moment in my life."

"Wow! Really? Teddy's that good of a kisser?" Howl dramatically exclaimed, making Zoe laugh. "Maybe I should try to seduce him and get a taste of him myself.."

"Howl!" Zoe playfully scolded.

"I'm joking, Princess. I'm not a homewrecker. I'm not gonna steal your man." Howl's smirk was audible in his tone, as it always was, which made Zoe smile.

"Teddy isn't my man. Never was, never will be..." Zoe spoke sadly but she still smiled, thanks to Howl. "I'd rather you have him than anyone else, though so, go for it."

"Well, thanks for giving me your blessing, Princess. I'm still gonna fend off all the ladies until you come back. If he's that good of a kisser, I'm gonna have to."

Zoe chuckled and shook her head. She had been on the phone a little too long. The girls would be flooding into this locker room at any moment now. "I have to go, Howl. Take good care of him, for me. And take care of yourself. Keep me updated, please."

"Of course, Princess. Good luck out there."

"Thank you, Howl. I'll make it up to both of you. I promise."

Zoe hung up, frowning at her phone as she realized just how much she missed her friends already. She didn't dwell on it too long, though, since she had too much to do. Collecting her things didn't take too long but putting her sweatshirt and pants over her leotard was sure painful. Zoe rushed out of the locker room just in time though, disappearing through the back hallways to find her way out of the building to get to the car waiting for her out front.

Teddy was going to be on her mind all day. Or, all month, rather. There was no way she was going to get him out of her head with all the guilt she felt for what happened. All she could do was hope he was okay and didn't hate her guts now.

~

• YAY!! IT'S BACK!! MORE SILY!! •

It feels so good to be in this world I've built again after dedicating so much time and effort into finishing ATOSN! I have so much motivation and so many ideas for this story! I am so excited to be writing my babies stories again!

I used Lost Boy for this chapter because it reminded me a lot of Teddy hanging out with Howl. A Lost Boy hanging out with Peter Pan. I don't know why. It was just sweet and cute and I really like Teddy and Howl's duo. Also, the Lost Boy could be interpreted as Zoe and Peter Pan as Teddy. Or the Lost Boy could be Fisher and Peter Pan could be Howl. Moral of the story, Howl is Peter Pan and you can't convince me otherwise.

If there are any inconsistencies in the story, please let me know! I changed and fixed this chapter like 8 times trying to make it perfect so a few things may be out of place! Please forgive me! My brain is all over the place with this book!

But y'all... We're gonna start getting fucking dark and gritty in this new Season/Phase/Act of SILLY. It's gonna go from zero to one hundred REAL FUCKIN QUICK FOLKS!!! Please keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle and enjoy the ride!🥰🥰🥰