As soon as the cab pulled up to the gate of Zoe's house, she threw open the back passenger door and stumbled out. She had been holding onto the door handle for ten minutes now as she watched the city around her become more and more familiar. She was more than ready to be home.

"Zoe! What the hell are you going to do? Run to school just so you can see your friends?" Kenneth yelled from the other seat in the car.

Zoe gathered her purse and her phone in such a rush that she nearly broke a nail. "Yes! That's exactly what I'm going to do!"

Without letting Kenneth get in another word, Zoe slammed the door of the cab shut and ran off as fast as she could. Class was over in literally three minutes so, if she ran, she could make it to the school before the bell rung. Zoe had been doing a lot of working out recently since her mother was making her train in self defense so, she could surprisingly handle the run. It also helped that she wasn't wearing heels today and the road from Zoe's house to the school was mostly downhill.

Just as Zoe made it to the crosswalk in front of the school, she could hear the loud bell inside the building chime. The buses in front of the school were blocking Zoe's view, though, so she had to hurry across the street to get to the school and pass the buses and finally see her friends. By the time Zoe squeezed between two giant, yellow buses parked in front of the school, people were already hopping on to buses and heading towards their cars. Luckily, it didn't look like too many people had left the building yet.

"Zoe?" Someone blurted to Zoe's left.

Zoe turned, smiled, and waved excitedly at a girl she talked to only a few times in one of her classes. It felt so good to be back in a place where she knew so many people and actually liked most of them.

"Oh shit! Zoe's back!" Another person yelled. This time Zoe turned towards the buses behind her and saw a few senior boys hanging out of the windows of the bus to wave at her. "Being in L.A. sure did you good, Zo! Still looking hot as hell!"

"Thank you, boys!" Zoe laughed as she waved back at them.

"Zoe!" Vanessa yelled once she escaped the building, her pace instantly picking up at the sight of her best friend.

"Oh my god! Van!" Zoe screamed right back as she rushed forward.

Zoe and Vanessa collided in a tight hug in the middle of their fleeing classmates. Zoe nearly cried as she absorbed every bit of warmth and comfort that her best friend had to offer. Right behind her were her other friends as well. Chuck didn't hesitate to pull Zoe into another tight hug and offer his jacket, since she had shedded hers in the cab a few minutes ago. Zoe politely refused, though, and greeted a few of her other close friends. She was warmed up enough from running to school all the way from her house and getting endless warm hugs.

"How was it? How did everything go? None of us were even able to get a response from you. All we saw was your Instagram." Vanessa anxiously asked, her and everybody else's eyes glued to Zoe.

"It was all great! Really, really fun!" Zoe reflexively responded. It wasn't great or fun and some parts were actually worse than past years but, Zoe was just too excited to see everyone to even think of all the bad stuff. "I missed you guys so much! It was driving me crazy! I'm so glad to be home again!"

"What about your boyfriend? I bet you're going to miss spending all your time with him if you're stuck here." Jennie begrudgingly spoke up from the outskirts of the small pack that had formed around Zoe.

Everyone awkwardly glanced between Jennie and Zoe since they were thinking the same thing but didn't know how to voice their thoughts. Zoe looked very obviously confused but most people just chalked up her expression to being nervous over the fact that she just got called out for a secret she was keeping. She genuinely didn't know what that meant, though. There was nobody that Zoe was spending all of her time with while she was away and, how would they even know if she did have someone?

Were they thinking about Kenneth? That was the young male she was seen with even when she was working.

"Wh-What?" Zoe snorted a laugh. "What boyfriend?"

"It's okay, Zoe. We already know." Vanessa gently grabbed Zoe's arm and smiled sheepishly at her. "And I made sure nobody posted anything about it online, to avoid a big scandal. Because, obviously, it's a secret.."

"I'm-I'm not dating anybody.." Zoe more nervously chuckled as she looked around her group of friends. This was a very odd turn of events. "Who said I had a boyfriend?"

Heads turned and eyes exchanged awkward looks as everyone debated how to answer that question. There was only one real answer but, with Zoe, they wondered how they should deliver it. Without exchanging any word, unanimously, they all answered in a very reluctant and confused chorus.

"Teddy.."

Zoe was taken aback by everyone's response. That didn't really make any sense to her. Why would Teddy claim she had a boyfriend? Were they all even telling the truth? None of Zoe's friends liked Teddy so, maybe they were just trying to pin this on him. Zoe didn't quite understand why they would do that either. There was no point. Did they expect her to be mad at Teddy for saying something like that? It was harmless, especially, if said rumor was kept off the internet.

"Well, I don't know why Teddy would say that because.. I'm not secretly dating anybody." Zoe awkwardly shrugged. "Maybe, he was just teasing you guys since you tease him all the time."

Chuck rolled his eyes and nearly walked off in a huff of frustration but, kept himself grounded. He absolutely hated how much Zoe defended that mutt. Every time anybody said anything about him with her around, she found something nice to say about him. It made Chuck want to strangle the life out of Teddy so nobody had to worry about that prick anymore. All he did was get in the way and ruffle Chuck's feathers with every chance he got.

"Ugh." Jennie dramatically gagged as she stepped through the crowd to stand in front of Zoe. "I really don't get why you have such a soft spot for the guy. I mean, the only good thing about him is that he's a good kisser."

Zoe's eyes instantly widened at the same time that a smug smirk crept onto Jennie's sharp features. Zoe's heart pounded anxiously against her chest as she tried to process what Jennie just said. He was a good kisser? How would Jennie know that? Why did she say it like she knew from personal experience? What the hell happened while Zoe was gone? Were they all just messing with her? Even if it was all lies, Zoe still wanted to know so she didn't have this horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Guess we'll have to catch up in class tomorrow, though." Jennie winked at Zoe and stepped past her to head home.

Zoe turned as Jennie left, her eyes glued to the evil witch as she walked off. There was no way Jennie kissed Teddy. There was no way. Zoe wouldn't believe it. Why would Teddy ever kiss Jennie? teddy would tell her if he did something like that. Especially, with Jennie. Zoe didn't hate anybody but she hated Jennie so, why on earth would her favorite person and least favorite person ever lock lips? She knew that didn't make any sense and had to be a lie so, why was her heart beating this fast?

"Where's Teddy?" Zoe blurted as she turned back towards her friends. She was no longer beaming with pure joy but rather, staring in complete terror.

There was a moment of silence before Daniel pointed over his shoulder, towards the school. "He's been going out by the soccer fields with Howl after school everyday since classes started again. He's probably back there."

Without another word, Zoe sidestepped the crowd formed by her friends and took off towards the left side of the school. A few people tried to holler greetings at Zoe from the parking lot and she only entertained them with a few waves and smiles as she rushed towards the soccer fields behind the school. Finally, after weaving between classmates and navigating her way around the outside of the building, Zoe turned the corner and spotted Teddy standing outside with Howl.

For a moment, Zoe totally forgot about Jennie and the secret boyfriend thing because, right now, Teddy was right in front of her. Her favorite person in the whole world was only a few feet from her after weeks and weeks of them being miles apart. Hearing Teddy's voice last week was very comforting and seeing him in person the last time they kissed was unbelievable, but now, she knew she got to spend everyday with him again and nothing made her happier. All she wanted to do was hug him.

Howl was the first to spot Zoe. He was smoking, like usual, and blowing a cloud into the air as his eyes lifted over Teddy's shoulder and spotted her. Instantly, he smiled. It had been awhile since he had seen that little blonde and he was super excited for her to be back again. Howl was even more excited by the fact that he had seen Zoe before Teddy did. Teddy wasn't smoking today, since he was trying to be better about quitting the habit, so he simply stood and idly kicked the ice beneath him.

"Can you catch?" Howl casually asked Teddy, his eyes still glued to Zoe as he watched her run across the length of the building to get to them.

"Can I catch? What, a ball?" Teddy retorted as he lifted his gaze to Howl.

"No. A human." Howl snorted a laugh.

"Why would I need to catch a human? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"Nothing.. Just that, you have one running at you right now and I have a feeling she's going to jump."

"Wh-" Teddy questioned as he turned around to see what Howl was looking at and hopefully understand what he meant.

As soon as he turned around, Teddy spotted Zoe's voluminous blonde hair bouncing off her shoulder as she ran at full speed towards him. Teddy barely got a second to process the fact that Zoe was here before she leaped at him. Instinctually, Teddy put his arms around her as her body collided and wrapped around his. This was very, very familiar to him since she had already done this to him the last time she came home so, it wasn't as jarring as it was the first time.

"Holy shit!" Teddy grunted as he tried to hold Zoe's weight before they both collapse. She wasn't heavy but she was unexpected.

"Hey! Look at that! You can catch!" Howl laughed.

Teddy snorted a laugh and fixed his grip on Zoe, moving his arms around her petite form to more comfortably hold her against him. Zoe didn't say a word as she hid her face in his shoulder and squeezed him with her arms and legs. There was nobody here that Zoe missed more than Teddy. She worked so hard to earn her way back here again, mostly just for him. Teddy was her anchor. It felt so good to hug him again and smell his familiar scent and hear his voice. It was so good to be home.

"If this is how you're going to greet me every time you come home, we're going to need to have a serious discussion about how completely unacceptable it is." Teddy joked.

Zoe laughed but only hugged Teddy tighter, keeping her head tucked in the crook of his neck. She didn't want to let go of him, in fear that she might be stolen away again. This was the only place she felt safe anymore. Nothing and nobody could hurt her when she was with Teddy. Teddy wouldn't even hurt her. Not accidentally, not physically, not mentally. Teddy was her safe haven.

"Zoe!" Howl finally exclaimed and Zoe raised her head to look over Teddy's shoulder. "I'm here too, you know!"

Zoe flashed Howl a pearly white smile and extended her hand to wave at him. "I missed you too, Howl." She sweetly giggled.

Teddy didn't feel super opposed to having Zoe wrapped around him like this but, the longer she stayed like this, the more conflicted he became. She was really warm and soft and smelt really nice. It was making his heart thump a bit harder in his chest and, with Zoe attached to him like this, he feared she would be able to feel it. Teddy was also greatly fearing an erection. He couldn't control his hormones around Zoe and, right now, she had her body wrapped around his and it was going to eventually put very bad thoughts in his head.

"Zoe, if you don't let go, my knees are going to buckle and then, we're both in trouble." Teddy warned.

"Sorry.." Zoe shyly apologized as she dropped her legs to the ground and unraveled her arms from around Teddy's neck.

Zoe wasn't actually too heavy to hold up but, he had to say something that didn't involve his teenage hormones. Zoe fixed her shirt and jeans while Teddy fixed his hoodie, both of them a bit disoriented by their embrace. When Teddy looked up at Zoe again, he actually felt kind of happy. Zoe looked really good in jeans. He kind of wished she didn't own so many skirts, for more reasons than just that one. And she even wore a white tee to match her white slip-on vans. The outfit and her make up and even her jewelry options were so minimalistic and Teddy really liked it.

Zoe looked so normal and still so naturally pretty. She really didn't need all that expensive shit draped over her to look stunningly gorgeous. She just needed the sun and a smile shining brightly on her face.

Teddy was dressed the same as usual. A giant, black hoodie and black joggers. Nothing special but he still looked really handsome and tall. She wished she could hug him again. He was so warm and soft and smelt really nice. Even Zoe felt a bit bashful over those kinds of thoughts but she had such a big crush on him, she couldn't help it. He was so good looking. Why didn't he love her yet? Why couldn't she just kiss him whenever she wanted? Those infinitely dark eyes and soft expression were basically begging her to kiss him.

"I'm gonna take off first, alright?" Howl spoke up, breaking the awkward sexual tension that hung between his two best friends. Zoe and Teddy turned their attention to Howl as he stepped beside Teddy and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure you two have a few things to catch up on so, I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Oh, shit. Wait.. Howl-" Teddy began to panic, his eyes widening as he stared into Howl's. He just realized he had to confess all of his sins to Zoe, on his own, and he was panicking.

Before Teddy could beg Howl for help, Howl winked at him and walked off. Howl only greeted Zoe with a fist pump, which made her smile, as he passed her and walked around the school to find his car. Teddy stared over Zoe's head and watched Howl leave as he mentally cursed at himself. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to tell Zoe about what happened with Kim and he didn't want her to know about what almost happened with Jennie and he couldn't even explain the whole boyfriend thing without bringing those other two things up so, he was screwed.

"So, uhm.." Zoe awkwardly chimed as she crossed her arms over her chest to hold in some warmth. The sun was out and shining but it was still January. It was freezing. "Speaking of catching up with each other.."

"Hold on a second." Teddy blurted.

Zoe was about to speak but shut her mouth as she watched Teddy pull his phone and keys out of his hoodie pocket to put them in the pockets of his joggers. He shed his backpack and then grabbed the back of his hoodie, easily pulling it over his head and almost taking his black shirt off with it. Zoe tried to steal a glance at the dark, bare skin of his abdomen but didn't get a good look before he tore the hoodie off his head and fixed his shirt. To Zoe's surprise, he stepped forward and threw the sweatshirt over Zoe's head.

For a moment, Zoe was confused and stunned frozen before she realized Teddy was attempting to keep her warm. So, she wiggled into the sweatshirt and popped her head out of the top and her arms out of the sleeves with a smile on her face. It was warm and soft and smelt nice. Just like Teddy. She didn't expect him to be such a gentlemen but, she didn't hesitate to accept his kindness. It was cold and she loved his sweatshirts so, she didn't mind a bit that he offered it to her. Maybe he would even let her keep this one too..

"See?" Teddy awkwardly gestured towards Zoe. "Look at how kind and generous I am. I can't be that bad of a bad guy if I gave my sweatshirt to you so you wouldn't freeze, right? I'm still a good guy.."

Zoe cocked an eyebrow at Teddy and snorted a laugh at his off behavior. "Sure? I guess? I've never really thought of you as a bad guy but, I'll take the sweatshirt anyways."

Teddy grimaced and cringed at himself, wondering where the hell he was going to go with this. He tried to rehearse this moment a million times since he realized he had to confess all this shit but, he never decided on anything concrete. He wasn't good at this. It usually freaked him out so much that he tried not to think of it at all. Zoe was so delicate and sweet and pure and he never ever wanted to be on her bad side. He just didn't know how to do all of this without doing that. He knew it was inevitable.

"I hope my secret boyfriend doesn't get jealous, though." Zoe joked as she stuffed her hands in the big pocket on the front of the sweatshirt. Her sparkling brown eyes raised to Teddy and she smiled humorously at him, even though he was internally panicking. "Was that just a prank you were pulling on everyone to freak them out or did you really think I had a secret boyfriend out in L.A.?"

Teddy was silent as his mouth hung open. He was basically catatonic as he tried to figure out what to say next. "Ba- uhh- err.. Ye-Yeah... It was k-kind of a prank.. in some ways.."

Zoe reverted back to cocking an eyebrow at Teddy as she tried to study his weird behavior. What was up with him? Teddy never stuttered like this. Had he just been spooked by a ghost or something?

"What do you mean? What was it? Why did you tell everyone I had a secret boyfriend?" Zoe asked, her entire demeanor revealing just how unbothered she was by this rumor.

"Joseph.. Uhm.. Joseph wanted to ask you out and he asked me to help him and I didn't know what to do so, I just said you had a boyfriend to avoid the whole situation..." Teddy confessed.

Teddy's heart was racing at a mile a minute but, he felt completely frozen. This was only the beginning. Even if Zoe was taking this pretty well right now, he worried about when they would hit that turning point. There was no way she was going to handle the Kim part well. The Jennie part of the story scared him even more. He didn't feel like he really had to tell her about that part. That incident was completely separate from the other stuff but, it was still something that Teddy would feel like he had to hide and he didn't want that hanging over his head forever.

"Oh. Okay." Zoe shrugged as she bounced casually on the balls of her feet. "You could have just said no, though, right? I mean, I'm not upset about the boyfriend thing but, wouldn't it just be easier to ignore him like you ignore everyone else?"

Teddy didn't let his eyes stray from Zoe as his hands fidgeted at his sides. "Th-That would have been easier... Much, much easier.. Unfortunately, Joseph was kind of h-holding a secret over my head so, I couldn't just say no.. He was tr-trying to blackmail me.."

"Blackmail you?" Zoe softly gasped, her big, brown eyes slightly widening in shock as she reached up to brush back a few loose strands of blonde hair. Her whole demeanor changed but, not in a way that Teddy was bracing himself for. She looked worried. "With what? What could Joseph know about you that he could possibly hold over your head?"

Teddy gulped and finally dropped his gaze to ground as he coached himself into telling the truth. This was it, this was the part where Kim came into the story. There would be some explaining to do and it was going to give Teddy a fucking heart attack but, he had to do this. He had to leap over this hurdle and then leap over the next and simply hope that he didn't break any bones when he inevitably fell. He just had to rip the bandaid off.

"Joseph was going to tell Jennie, and you, that I had sex with Kim.. if I didn't help him to court you.. so, I felt like I had no choice and, selfishly, I was really only trying to save my own ass so I came up with this whole story-" Teddy rambled in a panic, although, he didn't even know where he was going to go with this.

"Kim? Who's Kim? I don't know a Ki-" Zoe's words got caught in her throat as she suddenly remembered exactly who Kim was.

It was that girl from the party. Jennie's older sister. That girl that was suddenly so friendly with Teddy and was trying to win that beer pong game just so she could kiss him. Zoe didn't know Teddy was friends with another person, let alone another girl, at the time and then, she suddenly appeared. And she was so pretty and she had real boobs and she was older than them. Zoe was already freaking out that day because she worried that Kim was exactly Teddy's type and Zoe so clearly did not look anything like Kim and, turns out, there was more to be worried about than just Kim's good looks.

Because, by the looks of it, their relationship went deeper than that..

Kim was Jennie's older sister. Jennie hated Zoe. Zoe hated Jennie. Zoe didn't mean to hate anybody but she did not like Jennie one bit. That girl was evil to her very core. How did Teddy even meet one of Jennie's sisters? Why did it have to be Jennie's sister? Why did she have to be so pretty? When did this even happen? Was it before the beer pong incident? Kim was obviously attracted to him then and they already knew each other prior to that night. Or was it while Zoe was away this past month? Did Teddy sleep with Kim after already kissing Zoe? After he kissed her twice?

"You slept with her?" Zoe breathed, her voice so quiet that she already sounded hurt. When her eyes raised to Teddy again, he could feel his heart sink into his stomach and his throat suddenly go dry. "Kim? You had sex with Kim?"

"N-No.. No! I didn't!" Teddy anxiously denied as he took a step towards Zoe, who took a very cautious step away from him with wide eyes. That hurt even more than the heart wrenching sound of her voice. "I swear, Zoe. I didn't sleep with her. Joseph only thought I did."

Zoe carefully studied Teddy as she tried to comprehend everything she was hearing. None of this was making any sense. Where was all of this suddenly coming from? How did she not know any of this? How could she be so clueless? Zoe couldn't tell if she wanted to vomit or cry. She felt betrayed. She felt like a fool. It sucked.

"If you didn't have sex with her then, why would you care what Joseph told me?" Zoe retorted, sounding a bit more angry than hurt this time. Even the fire in her eyes was building, which made Teddy freeze up with fear. "Was he wrong?"

"Yes, he was wrong. I didn't sleep with her." Teddy showed his palms in surrender, his eyes never straying from Zoe's so he could show his sincerity at the same time that he studied every emotion that skipped through her eyes. "But, I came close to sleeping with her once.. and I'm a terrible liar so, if he told everyone that I did it, I knew I'd fail to convince anybody that it was a lie."

"Wh-What?" Zoe nearly barked out of pure frustration. This was only sounding worse and worse by the second. "You came close to sleeping with her? What does that even mean? How far do you have to go with someone for it to be considered close? How are you going to tell me you're a terrible liar that can't convince people that it didn't happen but you're trying to do that with me right now? What am I suppose to believe now, Teddy?"

"Okay, okay.. Listen to me, Zoe." Teddy cautiously offered his hand to Zoe as he realized she was starting to freak out.

Zoe was getting ahead of herself and if she kept doing that, he wouldn't be able to catch up and then there would be a lot of unexplained aspects of the story. That could only lead to misunderstandings and it would just make the situation worse. If Zoe would just slow down and let Teddy explain himself, this might actually end up okay. Or, it could go the complete opposite way because Teddy didn't know what the fuck he was doing and would probably screw this up. That sounded a lot more likely but, still, he at least needed a chance to try. This wasn't even the end of it.

"When did this happen?" Zoe asked, or more demanded, from Teddy as she looked at his outstretched hand and then back up at him. "Before or after the Christmas party? When did this happen?"

"Before.." Teddy reluctantly answered and nervously gulped.

"When?" Zoe pushed even more firmly this time. He could tell her chest was heaving under his big sweatshirt. She was getting worked up.

"Halloween."

Zoe instantly gasped and shot a hand out of the pocket of the hoodie to point a furious, sharp fingernail at Teddy. "You told me you were working on Halloween! You lied to me!"

Teddy was taken aback by Zoe's yelling and retracted his hand out of pure fear of Zoe's anger. She was small but he had never seen her this angry so, he was scared. He had seen her cry and goof around and even be serious a few times. This, though... Teddy had never seen this look in her eyes. She looked like she was going to hit him and, with her small hands and skinny fingers and sharp nails, Teddy was scared of that fate. Not to mention, her being irrationally angry was not one of the outcomes he wanted out of this.

"I didn't lie to you, Zoe. I did work Halloween night but, after work, I went to meet Kim at a party and-" Teddy tried to calmly explain before Zoe cut him off again.

"How long have you even known Kim? Didn't you hate me on Halloween? Did you only try to sleep with her because she was Jennie's sister and Jennie hates me? Were you trying to pick sides? Are you really that spiteful, Teddy?" Zoe angrily rambled.

"No, Zoe. That wasn't it at all. It was just an impulsive decision I made one night, okay? Kim comes into work with her car every few months and she always tried to hit on me so, I figured I might as well go for it and get the first time out of the way and.. I didn't know.. It was just an impulsive decision and because of that, I backed out. I wasn't ready. And, I promise, I had absolutely no idea that Kim was Jennie's sister. I would have never even thought about it if I knew that." Teddy slowly and calmly explained, trying to be careful to use the right words and not skip any important detail that would change the story.

Zoe was silent this time as she stared at Teddy, trying to absorb all of this information. Teddy wasn't her friend on Halloween like he was now. He still very obviously despised her then. She was trying to win him over everyday back then and, meanwhile, he was trying to give up his virginity to a girl he didn't even know. Zoe never imagined Teddy would do something like that. That sounded totally out of character. Teddy was a calculated person, for the most part. Why would he just impulsively and spontaneously try to sleep with some girl like that?

"You wanted to get your first time out of the way?" Zoe reluctantly asked as she avoided Teddy's gaze. "So... You're a virgin? Still?"

Teddy gulped, feeling his heart race and his palms sweat. That was a very awkward subject to talk about with Zoe, specifically but, if he was being completely honest and laying everything out there then, he had to do just that.

"Y-Yes.. I'm still a virgin. Just like you." Teddy answered.

Zoe's eyes widened as they raised to meet Teddy's. She was completely flustered by that little add-on. "Wh-What? How would you know?"

Despite the heavy tension in the air, Teddy couldn't help but smirk and shrug. "You said it yourself, Zoe. I was your first kiss. And, if you've had sex with someone without kissing them then I'd be seriously worried about you." He awkwardly chuckled.

Zoe's expression twisted as she became instantly insulted and offended by Teddy's stupid jokes. "Oh, freak off, you cocky dillweed!"

Teddy's smirk fell as he flinched at Zoe's very odd insults. She was so pure and innocent that she couldn't even swear at him. Her alternative curse words were very surprising and intriguing. He didn't expect her to shout those kinds of words at him and he definitely didn't expect her to turn around and start marching off so angrily. There was no way Teddy couldn't chase after her, though. There was still so much to say. He didn't know what it was but their conversation wasn't over yet.

Just as Teddy rounded the corner to follow Zoe around the school, Zoe came to a full stop and turned back to Teddy.

"Oh my god!" She yelled as her soft, brown eyes widened and locked with Teddy. She looked like she just saw a puppy get hit by a car. "I wasn't your first kiss! You kissed me at that Christmas party, after you already tried to have sex with Kim on Halloween? You kissed Kim first, didn't you?"

Teddy froze as he remembered that was also a very important part of this story. He didn't have anything rehearsed for this part so he just answered, very awkwardly, "Yes.."

Zoe's mouth stayed hung open and her eyes remained wide as they fell from his and she turned away from Teddy. She definitely felt like she was going to cry now. Zoe was so, so excited that Teddy Morgan, the hot guy at school that she had a huge crush on, was her first kiss. After Carmen said he was a virgin who never even had a girlfriend, Zoe was even more excited to know that she was probably his first kiss as well. It was a dream come true. It was fairytale story. And it was all false.

No wonder Teddy was such a good kisser. He had more experience than her. Which also meant he was using the same mouth to kiss multiple girls that he obviously didn't have any feelings for.

Gross.

That thought only reminded Zoe of Jennie. A few minutes ago, she winked at Zoe after claiming that Teddy was a good kisser. Did Jennie only know that because she knew Kim had kissed Teddy or was she speaking from personal experience? Had Teddy also kissed Jennie? He said he didn't know Kim and Jennie were sisters when he was with Kim so, maybe he didn't know when he kissed Jennie too. If he did actually kiss her. Why else would Jennie have said that? Just to rub it in her face that Zoe wasn't the only girl on Teddy's radar?

"Did you... kiss Jennie too?" Zoe whispered, her anger dissolving as the hurt she felt earlier seeped back into her heart. She didn't care to look back at Teddy this time.

"No! Never!" Teddy anxiously answered. He was happy about that one. He didn't kiss her. That was good. It was just bad that he had to add the next part. "She tried to trick me into kissing her at Joseph's New Years party when the ball dropped but, I stopped her. I was kind of drunk but, I wasn't too far gone to just let it happen."

Zoe frowned as her thoughts got all scrambled together again. Nothing Teddy said was making any sense. She didn't even know who she was talking to. Teddy was giving his virginity away to a girl he didn't know on Halloween and was stealing Zoe's first kiss on Christmas and almost kissed Jennie on New Years. Who the hell was this man? It certainly wasn't Teddy because Teddy hated parties and he hated being close to people and he hated alcohol. This wasn't the guy she had a huge crush on and spent everyday daydreaming about. This didn't make any sense.

"Are you lying to me?" Zoe kept her voice low as she turned again to meet Teddy's stare. Her eyes were pooled with tears but, she tried to stay firm and collected. "You were drunk on New Years but you always say you hate alcohol? Which one is the truth? Jennie tells me you're a good kisser but you're telling me you didn't kiss her? You refuse to go to any party I beg you to go to yet, you've been going to all of them without me? You have to be lying about something here, Teddy..."

"I know how this all sounds, Zoe. I know it's messy and it doesn't make sense but, that's exactly why I need you to let me explain everything." Teddy heavily sighed, already feeling beaten down by this conversation and the way Zoe was coping with it.

"Why would you want to explain it?" Zoe's voice broke as she failed to fight the sobs itching at the back of her throat. "You don't like me. We're not in a relationship. We don't owe each other anything, remember? So, let's not act like you owe me an explanation. You're allowed to do whatever you want. Let's just leave it."

The more she tried not to cry, the more she became upset because she didn't want to come here and see Teddy just to be hit with all of this. This wasn't what she wanted. Why couldn't anything ever go right? Why couldn't she just come home and have everything go back to being normal and calm and comfortable?

Teddy was heartbroken as he watched Zoe crumble like this. The tears welling in her eyes were growing so big, he was surprised they hadn't fallen yet. They made her eyes sparkle like crazy though. That didn't make this situation worth it, however. For weeks, Zoe was miserable and had came to him crying from across the country and the world and he couldn't do anything about it. And now, she was right in front of him and he was the one making her cry and he still couldn't do anything about it. He felt fucking horrible. He hated this. It was all turning out so much worse than he ever imagined.

"No, Zoe. I can't leave it like this." Teddy whispered as he stared down at her.

"You can and you should." Zoe raised her hands to her face to wipe away her tears the second they fell. "Let's just go home and forget about it, okay? We're obviously on very different pages and I shouldn't be surprised or expect anything else so-"

"Zoe, for the love of god-" Teddy groaned as he grabbed Zoe's arm and pulled her towards himself. "You have to let me explain. Everything I say might be super confusing but, I can not let you walk away crying. Just listen.."

Zoe tried to shake her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. "You're gonna make me cry.." She whimpered.

"You're already crying so I think that ship's sailed already, Bozo." Teddy smiled solemnly down at the little blonde. "Just... don't walk away from me. Don't turn your back on me yet. Okay?"

Zoe was reluctant to agree since she was so angry and so upset with Teddy. She couldn't believe he had almost slept with Kim. Why did it have to be Kim? She was hurt to know that Teddy had another girl in his life that he called a friend at the Christmas party, after he had tried so hard to get rid of her for so long. It hurt even worse to know that there was more than just friendship between them. It wasn't fair. He kissed her? And touched her? Why did it take him this long to bring it up? Why did he do that with her and refused to do that with Zoe?

Even with all of that going on in her head, Zoe wasn't naive enough to overlook the fact that Teddy was only bringing all of this up was because he was being blackmailed. Teddy was in trouble so he had to somehow free himself by confessing these things to Zoe before Joseph could. That was fine. He should be free from blackmail. It just sucked that he obviously wasn't going to tell her about Kim if he didn't have to. He was going to let her think that she was his first kiss and he was going to keep trying to slip stuff like this past her. He must've thought she was an idiot. Which was fine since she now thought he was a liar.

"I don't think I can keep talking about this, actually." Zoe weakly whispered as she tugged and turned her arms until Teddy let go of her. She tried not to look him in the eyes as she stepped away from him and awkwardly crossed her arms over her chest. "The fact that you almost gave your virginity to Kim is making me very uncomfortable and then, you lied to me about it too, which just makes it so much worse. Not to mention, you even came up with a rumor about me that you could tell everyone to keep your own shame in the dark, which, to me, is probably the most selfish and cowardly thing you've ever done. I mean.. You obviously think I'm a gullible idiot or something so, if you're just going to keep lying to me-"

"Zoe-" Teddy begged as he reached for Zoe again and began to panic. This was worse case scenario. He didn't know how he was going to recover from this if Zoe wouldn't even talk to him.

"Don't! Don't touch me.." Zoe jerked away from Teddy and met his stare with big, angry, watery eyes. She was trying not to cry but she was so frustrated with him that it was taking every ounce of sanity she had left not to. "Please, Teddy. Just leave it."

"I can't, Zoe. You know I can't." Teddy pushed.

Zoe huffed a hot breath of annoyance into the cold air as she turned on her heels and continued her attempt to flee Teddy. This time, he didn't reach for her or chase her like he wanted to. He knew Zoe was going home and so was everyone else in their school so, he couldn't. Ever since the new trimester started, Teddy had been loitering around the school for a few minutes after class was let out because he didn't want people to see him walk to Zoe's house and punch in the code to her gate and pull out his keys when he got to the front door.

It was just safer for him if he waited until people were already gone and in their houses. Then, there wouldn't be any drama over the fact that Teddy was staying at Zoe's house. He was pretty sure Chuck was the only person who knew that Teddy was staying there anyways and he wanted to keep that knowledge from as many other people as possible. It did sound selfish and cowardly now that Teddy had those fun little attributes on the brain, though. He felt like a coward now more than ever and he hated it.

So, pushing his own fears and anxieties aside, Teddy grabbed his backpack and lunged forward to chase after Zoe. By the time he actually talked himself into running after her, though, she was already in front of the school and stepping past the line of buses that were already filled to the brim with their classmates. Teddy hurried to chase Zoe and get through the line of buses before they left and put even more distance between him and Zoe. He luckily caught her on the other side of the buses, in the middle of the parking lot.

"Zoe, listen to me!" Teddy begged once more as he caught her arm and pulled her back to him. Zoe's jaw dropped in shock as she turned to glare at Teddy. She was only shocked because she didn't expect him to be so obnoxiously diligent in his efforts to get her attention. "Please, Zoe. Give me one chance to explain myself. That's all I'm asking."

"Woo!" Someone yelled from the bus casing a shadow over Teddy and Zoe. "What do you have here? A lovers quarrel between the princess and the stable boy? How juicy!"

Teddy kept his attention on Zoe as his jaw clenched and he resisted the urge to shoot a mean glare back at the idiots staring at him. He didn't understand why everyone in their school always had something stupid to say when it came to Teddy and Zoe's relationship. This was the one time he was trying to be sincere with Zoe and still, people couldn't read the energy between them. Or, they could very obviously read the energy between them and didn't care. They probably thought this was a great time to piss Teddy off even more.

"Hey, hot stuff! If you ever get sick of that mutt, you can just drop his leash and come see what it's like to hang out with a real dog!" Another guy cockily yelled and attempted to howl like a dog.

"If I ever went anywhere near you, it'd be to put a muzzle around that big mouth of yours!" Zoe snapped as she looked up at the guys basically hanging out of the bus and yelling at her with cocky smiles on their faces.

"Whoaaa!"

"Daaaamn!"

"Oh, honey snapped!"

Onlooking students from the bus exclaimed in shock and amusement at Zoe's angry comeback. While they all freaked out from inside the bus, Teddy fought the smile itching at the corner of his lips. That was the first time he had ever heard her talk back to someone she didn't like. She must be really, really upset. Her anger wasn't amusing but, the way she expressed said anger to a douche bag like that was wildly impressive. Teddy wished he could watch Zoe do that to every cocky bastard that tried to hit on her.

"You just made me... so proud of you, Zoe. Holy shit, that was adorable." Teddy happily chuckled.

Zoe furiously blushed, completely caught off guard by Teddy's praise and that unfairly alluring smile on his face. It actually made her even more angry at him so, she threw her arm out of Teddy's grip and stomped away from him, the crowd still watching from inside the bus. Teddy continued to beam with joy and hurried in Zoe's path since she was taking long and quick strides to try and escape. He wanted to clear his name even more now, finding a new motivation in his growing attachment to this little blonde.

"I'll listen to all of your excuses until we get home. If you can't get it all out by then, you've missed the one chance I'm giving you. Understood?" Zoe declared, only glancing back once at Teddy as she stomped up the hill.

"Understood." Teddy took a deep breath and stuffed his cold hands in the pockets of his joggers.

Zoe didn't want to listen to anything else that Teddy had to say and she had to resist the urge to cup her hands over her ears as he started talking. The only thing keeping Zoe open to this conversation was the fact that Teddy was so desperate for her to hear him out that he was actually yielding to her terms. He didn't touch her, even if he was skipping every few steps to keep up with her. He tried to keep his sentences short and straight to the point so he could say everything he needed to before they reached the house.

It actually felt nice to have the control in their little relationship. Zoe was always following Teddy around and basically begging him to give her the time of day but now, the tables had turned. Teddy was desperate and begging. It was wonderful. Zoe was so upset with him that she wanted him to be like this. She wanted him to beg for her forgiveness and put aside his incredibly stubborn pride and usual poor attitude to achieve that. The only downside was the fact that she had to listen to his twisted logic the whole time.

"I really hate to admit it and I feel like it should be kind of obvious but.. I am a straight teenage boy attracted to pretty girls so, it only makes sense that I would find you attractive-" Teddy rambled as skipped up the sidewalk with Zoe.

"What!?" Zoe barked as she stopped in her tracks and turned to Teddy, her eyes wide and heart racing in her chest.

Teddy gaped silently at Zoe, wishing he hadn't just said that. He probably could've left this part out of the story. "Uh-Uhm.. I was just saying... I think that's why I tried to sleep with Kim. I think that's when I found you attractive for the first time and it freaked me out so, I tried to bury that feeling by going after Kim."

Zoe silently gasped as the wheels turning in her head sped up at a rapid pace, along with the violent beating of her heart. Instantly, Zoe felt her cheeks begin to warm again as the panic set in more and more. "You... Wait a minute... Are-Are you attracted to me?"

Teddy gulped and chewed nervously on the inside of his cheek as he debated how he was going to answer that. He couldn't lie. If he lied even one more time to Zoe, he worried karma would come for him even harder than it had now. Still, it was very, very hard for Teddy to come to terms with the fact that he found Zoe Yang insanely attractive. She was beautiful. It was plain and simple. Those big, brown eyes and her long blonde hair and her sparkling smile. It didn't matter if she was in a skirt, jeans, or costume, Zoe was naturally gorgeous.

"A little bit.." Teddy awkwardly shrugged. Both him and Zoe never looked away from each other as they tried to study each other's reactions to this very blunt conversation. "Sometimes."

"When?" Zoe anxiously asked. She already wanted more details, despite how much her heart was racing.

"I just told you. Sometime before or around Halloween, I think.." Teddy awkwardly reached up to scratch the back of his neck.

"No, I mean.. Are you attracted to me now? Like this?" Zoe looked down at her outfit, slightly disappointed that she wasn't all dressed up and nice. She was in Teddy's sweatshirt and some guys like that so, maybe, it was a good thing that she wasn't dressed up.

Teddy also briefly looked Zoe up and down as he debated that question. He didn't have to contemplate anything for long before he found his answer. Yes. She was gorgeous. Zoe was always gorgeous. It didn't matter what she wore or what she was doing or where she was, she was just pretty. The sweatshirt helped. She was almost drowning in it and it was his so, Teddy had some sort of attraction to her right in this moment. It also helped that she had just snapped at some idiot like two minutes ago. That was insanely cute.

"I-I don't know.." Teddy awkwardly stammered when Zoe's milky brown eyes raised to meet his again. "Y-You're always pretty, Zoe. And, when I realized that, it-it freaked me out because I had never really looked at you like that so.. I-I don't know.. I did something stupid because of it.."

Very slowly, a smile pulled at the corner of Zoe's lips but she resisted the urge to smile as much as she could. Eventually, though, she just couldn't help it any longer. In order not to embarrass herself when she was suppose to be mad but, instead, beaming with joy, Zoe turned and ran as quickly as she could towards her house to escape this conversation. She definitely didn't expect that confession. She never ever expected Teddy to find her attractive since he was so persistent in pushing her away and acting annoyed by her. It was even more surprising when he admitted that she was pretty. Always pretty.

"Zoe? Hold on a minute!" Teddy called after the blonde as he also jumped into a sprint. He was confused by her reaction. He didn't know if she was going to cry or celebrate. He couldn't read her when he was distracted by his own internal panicking.

Zoe didn't stop running as she quickly punched in the code to her gate and bolted past it as it shuttered open. Teddy was only seconds behind her, catching the front door before Zoe got the chance to slam it shut. Zoe tried to make a run for the stairs so she could escape to her room and collect herself but, the second she zipped through the foyer, she could hear Bailey cheer with excitement at her presence. Zoe stopped at the bottom of the staircase and heavily panted as she realized she couldn't escape now.

"Auntie Zoe's home! Auntie Zoe's home!" Bailey happily exclaimed as she rushed through the living room and ran into the foyer with her arms outstretched to Zoe.

With a warm smile, Zoe knelt down and wrapped her arms around Bailey to scoop her into her arms. Bailey also noticed Teddy was home and happily squealed and cheered for him as well. He came home every day but Bailey still adored him so she still got excited. All Teddy did was rub her back with his giant hand as Zoe held her, keeping most of his attention on the blonde that was holding his niece. She was completely avoiding his stare and acting so casual and unbothered that it really bothered him.

"Zoe, I wasn't done explaining things." Teddy spoke lowly, trying not to draw too much attention to the subject.

"We're home now, Teddy. You missed your window." Zoe lowly muttered back to him as she tossed her hair over her shoulder to keep it from getting pinned between Bailey and her chest.

"But, I-"

"Ah!" Zoe finally looked at Teddy to shoot him a hard glare and point an angry finger at her. She still had some color in her cheeks from blushing so hard but, Teddy overlooked it for now. "I don't want to hear another word, Teddy. You're being shunned until further notice."

Teddy threw his arms up in outrage and defeat as he shook his head in annoyance. He was trying his best here. He knew he fucked up pretty badly but, if she would just listen, maybe she would understand why he did all of that stupid shit. Unfortunately, Zoe really couldn't handle anymore of it. One second Teddy was sneaking off to high school parties and kissing some random girl that was the sister to Zoe's greatest enemy and the next he was begging her to pay attention to him and telling her that he found her pretty and attractive. Zoe couldn't keep up with all the contradictions and insanity.

"Welcome home, you two!" Carmen mindlessly yelled from the kitchen.

Teddy and Carmen turned around to see Carmen across the kitchen and sat with Kenneth at the dining table. Her eyes were glued to whatever paperwork she was looking at on the table in front of her and Kenneth was looking at them, his expression blank and almost bored. Curious and suspicious of what was going on, Teddy stepped forward first and started towards his sister. Zoe followed but didn't get far before Bailey demanded she stop and look at the drawings she put on the fridge.

"Wow! These are so pretty!" Zoe gasped as she knelt in front of the fridge and let Bailey escape her arms.

Bailey held on to Zoe's arm and pointed at her favorite drawings, shyly smiling as she showed off her art. When Zoe spotted a drawing that looked a lot like Cinderella, Zoe pulled the picture off the fridge and examined it. It looked strangely familiar. And not because it looked like Cinderella. There was something else about it that felt familiar. It wasn't until Bailey proudly announced that it was a picture of Zoe at the Sensation event that Zoe lit up with amazement. She was beyond flattered that Bailey would take the time to draw her.

Before Teddy could open his mouth and ask his sister what she was looking at, he could hear high pitched squealing and giggling behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Zoe knelt in front of the fridge with Bailey's drawing in one hand as her other wrapped around his niece and pulled her into a hug. Zoe planted a million kisses all over Bailey's face as the little one squealed and squirmed to get away. Teddy cracked a big smile as he watched Zoe and Bailey bond like that. It made his heart swell in his chest.

Reluctantly turning back to his sister, Teddy tilted his head to attempt to read the papers Carmen was looking at. It looked like it was a lot information based around splitting equal shares and keeping things fair. There was even mention of equal partners somewhere within the thick paragraphs. Teddy couldn't tell if this was information about money but it sounded important. These looked like legal documents, he just didn't recognize any of it. Carmen, on the other hand, seemed very, very invested in the things she was reading.

It wasn't until Carmen turned a few pages over that the subject of these documents became clear to him. At the top of the page, in big, bold text, were the words; Entering Into A Child Custody Battle.

Teddy's instantly widened and his heart raced in his chest from the amount of panic suddenly coursing through his veins. He knew exactly what this was. These were divorce papers. Carmen was divorcing Ezra. For five years, Teddy had been praying for this day but, now he was terrified. It was real. There was so much to think about, though. What if Ezra won a child custody battle? Could he even do that? He was a shit father and a horrible husband a real life demon person. Carmen wouldn't go along with this if she didn't think she could keep Bailey and Malik, right?

"Are these divorce papers?" Teddy finally blurted in a panic.

Carmen glanced up at her little brother, her expression stiff and unreadable. "Yes.." She admitted almost shyly.

Teddy glanced at Kenneth, who was also very stiff. He seemed to just be like that, though. He was a professional. Carmen, on the other hand, wasn't usually this serious and still. Teddy was scared.

"Are you going to fight Ezra for the kids? You can't let him take them! You know more than I do, if he gets custody of Bailey and Malik-" Teddy rambled, his voice loud and words so quickly pouring out of his mouth that he nearly stumbled over them.

"Teddy." Carmen grabbed Teddy's arm and locked eyes with him, simultaneously warning him not to be so loud at the same time that she silently reassured him that it was all going to be okay. "We'll talk more about all that stuff after I look at this, okay? Can you just give me a second?"

Teddy reluctantly backed off and tried to gulp down the nerves crawling up his throat. He knew Ezra was a dangerous man and would flip if he knew Carmen was looking at this stuff. Teddy's mind was flooded with worse case scenarios again. He imagined this ending with Ezra kidnapping Carmen and killing her before Teddy or any authorities could stop him. He imagined Ezra fighting to take everything from Carmen in court and selling the kids to human traffickers, just like how he bought Carmen when they met.

Teddy couldn't lose his family again. This was the first time he got to see them for more than three days at a time. This was the first time he woke up with them in the house and went to school and came back and they were still here. Everyday, Teddy had so much fun playing with his nephew and drawing with his niece and talking nonstop to his sister about everything. He couldn't lose this. This was all he ever wanted. If Ezra dared to take his family from him again, Teddy might aim for more than just Ezra's empire. He would shoot for his head.

Without another word, Carmen dropped her eyes back to the papers in her hand and she continued to read it's contents. Teddy could feel his anxiety cause his body to begin to shake and he just wanted to scream but, he knew he couldn't. The only thing Teddy could do was turn on his heels and storm out of the kitchen as soon as he could. Zoe stood up from kneeling beside Bailey and watched Teddy flee. She felt her heart clench as she realized just how scared Teddy must be and resisted the urge to chase after him.

"Thank you, Zoe.." Carmen spoke up from across the kitchen. Zoe turned curiously to Carmen and was taken aback by sad smile on her face. "I never had the resources or the courage to get these kind of papers. I'm going to try my best, you know?"

"I know you will." Zoe reflected her smile. "Even if something goes wrong, I'll fix it."

"I know you will." Carmen smirked.

Zoe awkwardly gulped and hugged herself as she stood by her lonesome. This wasn't her family but, she would fight for them anyways. Not counting the events she just learned about today, Teddy was good to her. He was a nice boy with a big heart. His family was nice as well. Carmen was a very strong woman and raised her children with real love and respect. They deserved to be freed from the lethal grip of authority that people with money didn't deserve to have on them.

Meanwhile, Zoe would use her lethal grip and copious amount of money to combat any stunt that Ezra tried to pull. She wouldn't let him control this family anymore. They weren't his anymore. Zoe was hopeful that Ezra knew better, though. After forcing him to sign the necessary papers, it should have been obvious that she wasn't a girl that made empty threats. He was going to divorce Carmen and let go of his grasp on her. He had no choice. Zoe made absolute sure of it before she came here.

Zoe knelt in front of Bailey again and gently grabbed her little arms. "Do you know where Teddy's room is?"

"Yes! It's upstairs!" Bailey excitedly announced, feeling proud that she could help Zoe.

"Can you show me?" Zoe asked.

Bailey recklessly nodded her head, causing her braids to bounce all over her head. Zoe stood back up and Bailey grabbed her hand to lead her towards the stairs. Zoe held on to Bailey's hand a bit tighter as they climbed the steps, only because Bailey was so small and Zoe worried she might trip on one of the steps. Bailey did eventually make it to the top with Zoe and led her down the hallway to get to Teddy's room, which was right before Zoe's. Zoe actually wanted to smile at the fact that Teddy chose the room closest to hers but, she resisted the urge.

"Knock on the door and ask him what he's doing." Zoe whispered to the little Morgan child.

Bailey didn't hesitate to do so as she clumsily knocked on the big door. "Teddy! What are you doing?"

On the other side of the door, sitting on the floor with his back leant against his bed, Teddy sniffled back his overwhelming emotions and tried his best to collect himself. "Nothing, Pumpkin! Don't worry! You should go show Auntie Zoe more of your drawings, okay?"

"But she wants to see you!" Bailey yelled at the door.

"N-No!" Zoe panicked and put his hand over Bailey's mouth. She tried not to laugh as she shook her head and rested it on Bailey's little shoulder.

A moment later, the door cracked open and then slowly swung open the rest of the way to reveal Teddy's tall, towering frame. Zoe lifted her head from Bailey's shoulder and removed her hand from her mouth as she looked innocently up at the huge idiot in front of her. She felt bashful but tried not to show it as she avoided his gaze.

"I don't want to see you.." Zoe mumbled and gently pushed Bailey forward. "I was just sending you someone who you actually cared about. She's the only one I could think of."

Teddy rolled his eyes and dropped his hand from the door to reach out to Bailey. Bailey held her arms out to Teddy and he easily picked her up and placed her on his hips. Zoe stood and looked at both Teddy and Bailey for a moment before she decided to leave. Teddy wouldn't let her go without voicing his thoughts, though.

"Was this you?" Teddy blurted. Zoe stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around. "Did you get Ezra to sign divorce papers? Did you go after him, even when I asked you not to?"

Zoe squirmed in Teddy's sweatshirt as she tried to find some comfort in her own skin. She slightly turned towards Teddy and shrugged. "I told you my mother wanted me to earn my way back. Why else do you think I showed up here? I had to do something. Besides, I went after him before you told me not to. I was just finishing the deal we made."

Teddy sighed and began rubbing his face with his feee hand, clearly stressed and incredibly overwhelmed by everything that was happening. He hated that Zoe was putting herself in the middle of this. She was so fragile, it worried him. If Ezra got his hands on her, he could snap her in two with his bare hands. And of course, her mother was so psychopathic that she didn't even care that she was putting Zoe in danger by going along with this.

"You're going to be the death of me, Zoe Yang." Teddy heavily sighed as his attention landed on her again. "You know, I can't protect you when you're off making deals with the devil and your crazy mother. Why do you keep pushing your luck like that?"

Zoe shrugged again, her thoughts and emotions getting too tangle for her to really comprehend. "I'm a big girl, Teddy. I've made it this far, right? You don't have to protect me."

The silence and tension hanging in the air nearly suffocated Zoe as Teddy trapped her in a stare down. She couldn't tell if he was angry or sad or thinking about how pretty she was. To avoid getting too deep into her own personal feelings and worries and whatnot, she hoped he was simply thinking she was pretty. That wasn't going through Teddy's head at all, though. He was so worried about her that he felt sick. Because, what she just said was wrong in every way.

"Yes, I do." Teddy argued, her voice quiet and sincere.

Teddy didn't know whether it was simply instinct or something deeper but, he did have to protect Zoe. It what he had been doing since she arrived in this city. Even when he didn't want to, he protected her. Even when it made his blood boil, he protected her. It didn't even matter if it got him into trouble, Teddy was always there to protect him. And it drove him absolutely crazy to think about the fact that her mother was forcing guns into her hand, Zoe was confronting dangerous people like Ezra, and spending her nights crying when she was miles away from him. He wanted to protect her. He had to protect her. No matter what it took to do so.

-

Has it even dawned on any of y'all that this is the 50th chapter? You've been reading this story for so fucking long! 50 CHAPTERS!!

And guess what..? We haven't we met the halfway point for this story. We're getting close to halfway but I promise there is so so so so much more shit to come! The first phase of this story was 33 chapters long and I predict phase two is going to be a tad bit longer...

This story actually has a few more phases to go and I'm wondering if every phase should be posted in a different book...? I kind of like it all right here but it's just a thought.

How are you all enjoying it so far?? I absolutely love reading your guys' comments and it looks like you all are having fun with this story! Let me know what you're thinking as you read and I'd love it if you commented suggestions for the story and let me know what you were excited to read in the future!

Thank you so much for reading and keeping up for this long! It's so so so so nice to know that people enjoy this story! It's definitely my absolute favorite to write!💗💗💗