The office was usually a pretty quiet space in the mornings. Some people were quietly taking calls, others eating a quick breakfast, and the rest were simply typing away on their computers. Ezra was busy reading emails with his head in his hand. He was watching it all fall apart. Ezra still had his business and his employees but, he wouldn't have either for very long if his clients and business partners kept hopping ship. It was all crumbling, just like Mrs. Rin Yang had promised. He felt like he was cursed.

Little did Ezra know, Rin Yang wasn't done with him yet. He couldn't hear the sound of the elevator chime or the clacking of her high heels from his office yet, a sudden chill ran up his spine. Karma was approaching. Again.

"Oh, hello! Welcome!" The secretary anxiously stood up from the front desk as she watched two women in sharp, black suits emerge from the elevator. "Are you here to see Mr. Zaki? Do you have a meeting with him this evening?"

Rin's eyes met the secretary's as she continued to strut forward and, like Medusa, the secretary went stiff and speechless. Glancing into Rin's eyes when she was out for vengeance was like being slashed with a sharp blade that was dipped in a paralyzing poison. after all, the woman looked like some kind of serpent that could unhinge her jaw and swallow someone whole. Rin used her threatening aura to pass the secretary without any further questions and and venture further into the offices of Ezra Zaki's company.

Just as Rin's eyes shifted off of the secretary, she pulled her black and white scarf over her mouth and nose to stay hidden from the others. Without looking up, too nervous to face someone willfully subjected to this attack, Zoe did the same. The secretaries instinct to keep her mouth shut was quickly validated as big men in black suits, black scarves over their faces, and assault rifles in their hands rushed out of the elevator and followed Rin and Zoe inside.

One henchmen stayed behind to point a gun at the secretary and demand she sit and not move as another stopped the elevator from functioning and allowing anyone else up here. Rin wasn't going to leave any blind spots in her wake, even for the smallest events. She was not a weak woman and could surely handle any unexpected situation herself but, if she had the power to stay completely guarded, she would. It only made sense.

Rin and Zoe strutted into Ezra Zaki's main office space, that was nearly blinding since it was all white with silver accents and bright lights hanging over the room, and looked around the space at all the employees at crowded desks between them and Mr. Zaki. There were clusters of desks all around the huge office and Ezra Zaki's office was all the way at the other end, surrounded in glass. He hadn't Rin and Zoe yet, but the others sure had.

Rin kept her eyes forward and planted on the man sitting in his office across the room as she raised her hand and snapped her fingers. That certainly would get his attention because, right as Rin did so, her henchmen raced forward and scattered around the office with their rifles drawn at the employees around the room. It caused a bit of panic, sure, but her henchmen were trained. They knew how to confiscate phones and pin people in place without actually causing any harm and still holding agency over the situation.

Zoe waited as long as she could until she took her handgun out but, after Rin summoned her henchmen, she pulled hers out so, Zoe did as well. It was game time.

Ezra looked up when the commotion started, intrigued by the amount of bodies he was seeing in his peripheral. When he spotted men with huge guns and scarves over their faces, he hopped out of his seat and watched them all rush and surround his employees. They seemed to quietly threaten his employees until they hung up their phone calls and stepped away from their desks. Nobody was shot yet, though, so this obviously wasn't an execution.

It wasn't until Ezra spotted Rin and Zoe walking across the office with handguns in their grasp that he questioned that very assumption. His employees may not be executed but, it seemed he might just be. Rin could raise her gun right now and shoot him in the head. It wasn't like the glass around him was there to keep him safe from said attack. However, since she hadn't shot him yet, he assumed this would involve some talking, which suddenly made his throat very dry.

Rin held Ezra's stare as she threw open the door to his glass office and stomped inside. Zoe followed, standing on the other side of his desk as Rin took her place beside Ezra to raise her gun to his head. Meanwhile, two other henchmen followed them inside the office and held their assault rifles down in front of them as they pulled the blinds down over the glass to shield their private conflict from the employees. Nobody spoke until all the blinds were down and it was safe.

"I gave you a task." Rin started coldly as she kept her gun pressed to Ezra's temple and her mask tied around her face. "Why isn't it completed?"

Ezra slowly raised his hands in surrender but his eyes stayed on Zoe as he watched her fingers slowly, nervously fidget on the handle of her gun. Her eyes were still big and round, even when they were sandwiched between furrowed eyebrows and a dark mask. He couldn't tell if she was angry or just trying to look it but it didn't matter. She was not his problem right now, Rin was. Zoe was just the one who got him into this mess. Rin was the one about to take him out.

"There are camera's everywhere. Are you really going to do this now?" Ezra reluctantly asked.

"Do I happen to look worried about that, Mr. Zaki? Do you think I don't have a solution to that problem? Are you going to answer my first question or should we just do this back and forth for the rest of the evening?" Rin fearlessly sassed.

Ezra sighed but bent to Rin's will, having no other choice but to do just that. "You can't just force me to divorce my wife, you know.. You can't make me sign papers and expect it to be over so easily. There are attorneys and lawyers and court dates and-"

"You obviously still don't understand the power I have, Mr. Zaki. Sign the papers and it's done with. No attorneys, no lawyers, no court dates." Rin explained. "I can do whatever the hell I want, if you haven't figured that out yet."

Ezra gulped and remained silent as he tried to think his way out of this one. "You've already destroyed my business, at least, leave me my wife and kids. They're all I'll have left by the end of the week. You can't take away my family."

"Carmen was never and will never be your family, Ezra." Zoe seethed, instantly feeling outraged by Ezra's pathetic pleas. His eyes fell to her gun again and he was slightly alarmed by the fact that she wasn't fidgeting anymore, she was clenching her gun so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Where are the divorce papers?"

"In the trash." Ezra reluctantly answered.

Rin looked down at her feet, spotting the little trash bin with various papers piled inside. She dropped her gun from Ezra's head and knelt down beside the trash bin. Before Ezra could get any funny ideas and act up, one of the henchmen raised his gun at Ezra to keep him in place and frozen. He only stole a glance in their direction, taking note of his complete lack of free will at the moment. Meanwhile, Rin pushed aside all the loose papers and reached for the thick packet at the bottom that Ezra should have signed and mailed back to her when he got them.

Rin snorted a sarcastic laugh as she raised to her full height again. "You really thought you could throw these away and we'd never come looking for them?"

Ezra glanced down at the papers in Rin's hand and took a deep breath. "I was angry so, I threw them out. At the time, that fixed the problem."

"I could shoot you and throw your body out right now. I bet that would fix the problem too." Rin tossed the papers on Ezra's desk, cocked her gun, and raised it to Ezra's temple again. She couldn't help but smile with sick satisfaction. "Carmen would probably get a lot more out of you if you were dead."

"Then, why not just kill me and get this over with?" Ezra turned to Rin, her gun never faltering as it was now pressed to his forehead. The henchmen gripped their guns a bit tighter and took a step closer at his sudden movement but, Rin was not intimidated as she stared directly into his eyes. "Why waste your time and energy tearing down my career when you could easily just kill me?"

"Why would I do that? So, you can die peacefully? Do you believe that's what you deserve? I'd rather see you live and suffer, Mr. Zaki. It would be my pleasure." Rin sarcastically scoffed and shook her head, her eyes staring fearlessly and condescendingly into Ezra's. "Besides, I enjoy playing with my food before I eat it."

"Rotten bitch." Ezra spat.

"Just sign the damn papers!" Zoe shouted in an explosion of outrage. All eyes landed on Zoe as she heavily panted and gulped. She only stared at Ezra. "I want to go home. If you don't sign these papers in the next 5 minutes, I'll put a bullet wound somewhere in your body."

Ezra stared, his expression stiff and unreadable as he studied Zoe's radiating anger. He didn't trust she was strong enough to shoot him. The last time he saw a gun in her hand, her mother was the one pulling the trigger while she cried and squealed. Still, if Zoe wanted Ezra shot, she had other ways of doing so. Rin was doing all of this because of Zoe anyways. All she had to do was make the call and he'd be dead.

"Let's, at least, negotiate." Ezra hesitantly offered as he glanced between Rin and Zoe. "Take my wife, take my kids, I don't care. But, at least, give me a fighting chance to survive in this industry. If you don't let me revive what's left of my company, I will be bankrupt and dead by the end of the week and all your sadistic little games will be for nothing."

"Fine. I'll give you a week to revive your company and, if you fail, you go bankrupt and die. If you succeed, I tear you down again and again. Got it?" Rin smirked.

"That's exactly what's already happening, Rin." Ezra seethed.

Before another word could escape between his gritted teeth, Rin reeled her hand and gun back far enough to throw it back into his face. Rin struck him hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet but, luckily, his desk chair caught him before he fell too far. Rin, then, took a shot at the lamp on his desk to further scare him. As her gun fired and the lamp shattered, Ezra cowered in his chair while Zoe simply flinched and closed her eyes to coach herself through the fear raging inside of her. There were only a few fearful shrieks from the employees outside the office before it went silent again.

Rin's gun quickly returned to his head as she pressed the barrel of the gun between his eyebrows. "First of all, peasant-" Rin growled spitefully down at Ezra. "Do not speak my first name as if we are friends. It's incredibly disrespectful. Second, I owe you nothing and I do no forgive nor do I forget so, sign the fucking papers and let's get this over with already. I'm bored."

Ezra softly panted as he stared wide eyed up at Rin, the rest of the room remaining silent. There was no going around this woman. Rin was not simply an obstacle in life that people had to overcome in order to truly prosper. She was so much more powerful than that. And, as much as Zoe hated doing this, she also realized that. So, instead of overcoming her mothers control and trying to live her own life, which was never going to happen, she had to find a way to work with her mother to earn her freedom.

It seemed Ezra was realizing this as his shoulders began to slump and his expression softened. He looked defeated. That was good. It wasn't until he slowly turned towards his desk and looked down at the divorce papers that Rin accepted his submission to her. She slowly lowered her gun from his head and set the safety before she began holstering her gun again. Even the henchmen began to lower their guns as they realized Ezra was willing to comply with their demands and get this over with.

Ezra was not really one to back down, though. He was a fighter. So, when Rin's weapon was holstered and the henchmen's guns were lowered, Ezra acted as if he were looking for a pen to sign these papers with. He let his hand hover over his desk, as if he were searching for something and clearing away shattered ceramic from the lamp, but once he reached the edge of his desk, he dipped his hand under it and yanked the gun out from the underside of his desk. His quick movements towards an unknown object instantly made the henchmen raise their guns again as Rin reflexively stepped away and reached for her own gun.

Ezra didn't even get to raise his gun and point it at anybody before a gunshot fired. He instantly cried out in pain as he doubled over, a few more cries of shock and worry breaching the glass from the employees outside of Ezra's office. Zoe continued to heavily pant and shake as she dropped her gun back to her side and examined Ezra, looking for where he might be hurt. She blacked out again. She didn't know where she actually hit him. It was pure reflex, prompted by fear and created by her mother.

All Zoe could see was that Ezra was gripped his shoulder with his opposite hand as he writhed in pain, growling and grunting as he fought the pain in his shoulder blade, Zoe could see it. His exit wound was seeping with blood and soaking his grey suit jacket in a dark red liquid. Zoe was scared, terrified, and dreading every moment of this that she had to live through, but she didn't dare show it. She couldn't show any weakness.

"I want to go home. What part of that did you not understand?" Zoe choked, staring at Ezra's writhing figure as she nervously trembled from head to toe. "Just sign the papers."

"I'll bleed to death before I even get to the last page, you stupid bitch!" Ezra spat as he looked up at Zoe, his eyes bloodshot, watery, with blood still seeping through his fingers from his shoulder.

Zoe fearlessly held Ezra's stare, internally worried that, that might actually be true. "Then, I guess you should sign those papers rather quickly. The faster you sign them, the sooner you get sent to the hospital. Your life is in your own hands now."

Ezra's expression twisted and contorted in anger and pain as he resisted the urge to spit insults at Zoe. He wanted to raise his gun back up and shoot her but, Rin managed to snatch the weapon from his hand and take it for herself before he could do anything about it. After a moment of cursing under his breath and weighing his options, Ezra finally caved. He knew these people would let him bleed to death if he didn't act quickly. The sooner they left, the sooner one of his employees would calm an ambulance and get him out of here.

Very quickly, Ezra raised his arm on to his desk and fought through the blinding pain as he moved to grab a pen and flip through the divorce pages. The guns didn't drop this time, despite the fact that he was injured and defenseless. Ezra grunted and cursed as he signed everything he saw, only pausing a few times to squeeze his eyes shut and coach himself through the pain. Eventually, when it was finally over and Ezra finished signing all of the necessary lines and doubled over again to continue grunting and cursing.

Rin snatched up the divorce papers with a satisfied smirk on her face and held it in one arm as she stepped towards her daughter. Zoe began holstering her gun, setting it's safety and stuffing it between the waistband of her suit pants and her waist, just as her mother did. To her surprise, Rin used her free hand to caress Zoe's face and placed a gentle kiss atop her head. Rin's lips lingered in Zoe's hair and the longer she stayed, the more tears pricked at Zoe's eyes. They didn't meet each other's eyes as Rin looked over Zoe's head and Zoe kept her head down.

To be caressed and praised with a kiss was an experience Zoe wasn't used to receiving from her mother. It was so odd and unfamiliar yet, it was everything Zoe ever dreamed of. It felt so nice. She prayed desperately to whatever god would listen to her for her mother's love and affection and approval. It wasn't until now, that she joined Rin's evil machinations that her prayers were finally answered. However, Zoe couldn't help but wonder what kind of god would answer her on terms like these.

"Time to go home, my sweet daughter." Rin whispered to Zoe as she gently caressed her cheek with the pad of her thumb and her hand cupped just under her jaw.

With that, Rin slipped away from her daughter and stomped off, her heels clacking and echoing through the huge, silent office. Zoe soon turned on her heels and followed her mother out of the office. She didn't look around at all the people with guns pointed at them and she didn't think about the bullet wound that she put in Ezra. She couldn't. If Zoe even dared think about it for another second, she'd break down. Zoe just wanted to go home and she had finally earned it. She earned it. She was going home.

~

"Alright, that's all for today." Mrs. Braverman said as she tossed her things on her desk and looked around the classroom. "Only 2 minutes until lunch and I can already see some of you are putting away your things so- go nuts."

Without hesitation, students began to stand and shove their things back in their backpacks as they hurried to leave the classroom. Ever since this trimester started, people had been rushing to get out of Mrs. Braverman's classroom since it meant they would get to eat. Since she knew she couldn't tell her students to stop being so excited to fill their stomachs, she wasn't strict about making her students wait for the bell to ring. Overall, she wasn't a very strict teacher anyways and the students like her for that very reason.

"Uhm, Mrs. Braverman!" Someone spoke up as they stood up with her classmates, gathering a few others attention, along with the teachers. "I heard there was a school vacation that Human Geography students got during the second trimester. When do we have to prepare for that?"

Mrs. Braverman laughed from her desk as she rearranged the papers on her desk. She wasn't at all surprised that most of her students had actually stopped packing up their things to listen to what she had to say. Every year, all the students cared about during the second trimester was the school trip. That's basically the only reason people actually signed up for this class. However, they only got to go if they were lucky enough to get it during the second trimester, like these students, otherwise they usually dropped the class for another.

"The school trip is in February and there's a few things the school board needs to discuss this year before we go-" Mrs. Braverman hinted as she glanced towards Zoe, who only met her gaze for a moment before she awkwardly turned away and continued packing her things. "So, there's no need for anyone to worry about it yet. We'll start discussing the trip next week."

"I'm so excited for that trip!" Howl quietly cheered, bouncing on the balls of his feet with his fists clenched in front of his chest and a huge grin on his face. Zoe snorted a laugh at his juvenile excitement and Fisher lovingly smiled up at his adorable boyfriend. "That's the only reason I'm in this useless class, anyways."

"Same here." Fisher said as he threw his backpack over his shoulders. "At the time, I didn't think it'd be a romantic couples get-a-way for Valentine's but... here we are, I guess."

"A romantic couples get-away? For us?" Howl perked up with so much hope and excitement and glee in his eyes.

Howl tried to step towards Fisher to embrace him but, Fisher simply burst out laughing and placed a hand on his Howl's chest to stop him. "I'm kidding! I'm only teasing you! Jesus! Your tail basically just started wagging with excitement. You're helpless, Howl."

"How mean.." Howl playfully growled as he grabbed Fisher's face, fighting the temptation to kiss him as he stared into Fisher's eyes. "Who knew you'd be worse to me when I was making you happy than upset?"

"Who said you were making me happy?" Fisher pushed with a cocky smirk on his face.

Zoe smiled at Howl and Fisher's playful banter yet, she still felt a small pain in her chest. She admired how close Howl and Fisher were getting, one day at a time, but she couldn't help but feel jealous. Since she got back a few days ago, her and Teddy had been growing further apart. She hated that. Howl and Fisher fought and broke up and Fisher hated Howl and, just like that, it was all flipped upside down. How come Zoe and Teddy turned on each other even though they never had gleeful, loving banter like them?

As Zoe folded her notebook shut, her eyes shifted towards Teddy as he glanced over the last of his notes to make sure he had everything before he put it away. "Oh, hey! I didn't catch that part about anthropology. Do you mind if I look at your notes when we get home?"

Teddy completely froze as everyone else around him rushed like their lives depended on it. He stole a peek towards Zoe as she tossed her backpack over her shoulders and sweetly smiled at him. It drove him crazy that he couldn't figure out if that was a fake smile or not. Teddy could always decipher the meaning behind Zoe's smile yet, when they were pointed at him, he was powerless. Days had gone by and Zoe went from being mad to being awkward to just being. She wasn't back to being obsessed with him yet, she hadn't said anything mean to him either.

"S-Sure.." Teddy nodded, his eyes glued to Zoe as he studied her as closely as he could.

"Thanks." Zoe turned to Howl and Fisher without any hesitation. "You guys are coming over today, right?" Zoe asked, her smile now gone but expression still soft. They both nodded, obviously studying her in the process as well. Luckily, the bell for their lunch period rang before they figured her out. "Ready for lunch?"

"Always." Fisher shrugged.

Teddy and Howl both watched their respective pair walk off and begin chatting so casually. Teddy was baffled. That had to be a fake smile if she could just wipe it off of her face like that. But then, why would she even bother to ask for his notes if she didn't like him? It's not like she cared about school work. It didn't matter what her grades were yet, school and little, stupid things were all that Zoe mentioned to him. She had yet to let him in on the drama going around about her fake secret boyfriend and rant to him about meaningless things like she used to.

There was a distance between them. Just like Teddy predicted. And he hated it more than anything.

"I can't tell if Zoe still likes you or if she's just being civil with you and it's honestly freaking me out." Howl awkwardly announced as he followed Teddy out of the classroom.

"Trust me, I'm just as freaked out as you, if not more.." Teddy heavily sighed. "She talks to me like nothing ever happened yet, she's not friendly. It feels like she has to be nice to me because she's stuck with me or something."

"Because you live with her?"

"Maybe? I don't know.. If she feels like she has to be nice to me because I live with her then I'd move out but, I tried that once and she totally freaked out. I don't know what she wants from me."

Howl and Teddy shuffled and weaved carefully through the crowded hallways of their school as they both tried to decode Zoe's weird behavior. All week, they had both been trying to decipher how Zoe felt without actually asking her and drawing attention to it. Zoe wasn't normal but she wasn't too far from it either. There was just a weird distance between her and everyone else that Teddy couldn't figure out how to fix. He didn't care about the others, obviously, but whatever was happening between them didn't make sense.

Zoe used to be completely unfiltered with Teddy and was even beginning to let that part of herself out with Howl and Fisher. She was growing more confident in the way she defended herself and actually used her voice. It made Teddy so proud. Zoe was blossoming. For a girl that could have anything she wanted and had every big opportunity handed to her, she refused to just live. Zoe was a survivor. That was it. And, just when she was beginning to live, she shut herself off from everyone. She was so close before she retreated back into her shell.

Teddy didn't want to be the reason Zoe couldn't be herself anymore either. He didn't want his stupid decisions to force Zoe back into her shell. If only he could figure out what was wrong so he could fix it. She said everything was alright and seemed to make her peace the night they slept beside each other but, that had to be a lie. Teddy did something to piss her off that was deeper than just the things he did with Kim and the lie he told about her secret boyfriend. There was more, he could feel it. He just didn't know how to dig up that information.

"You really need to talk to her again, Teddy. What you two had was really special and I would hate to see you give up on that." Howl advised.

"I know, I know. I just hate this so much." Teddy growled as he shoved open the door to the outside, taking in a full breath of cold air as he stepped into the snow. "I hate the idea of chasing someone that doesn't want me. And now, I have to forge some kind of bond out of nothing? It's humiliating."

Howl laughed as he plucked his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and shook one out of the pack. "How do you think Zoe feels? She's been chasing you around for months, even though clearly hated her from the beginning, and she just discovered it was all a waste of her time because you obviously aren't going to fall for her any time soon. She probably feels ten times as humiliated as you are bracing yourself to feel."

Teddy silently stared at Howl, his expression only pulled into a deep frown since it was so cold and his mind was racing. Of course, he felt bad for making Zoe feel like a fool but, he pushed her away every chance he got and she never took the hint. It wasn't his fault that she kept following him around. And, it wasn't like he slept with Kim to show off how much he didn't want to be with Zoe. That was more to prove to himself that he didn't want to be with Zoe. It was never meant to hurt her. He just didn't know how to say that to her without talking in circles and actually making it mean something.

"I have to talk to her. I know that. I just have to figure out how to make her happy again first." Teddy spoke aloud yet, was mostly talking to himself as he stared into the clear sheet of white snow that covered the soccer fields in front of him. "I can't let her be like this because of me. She doesn't deserve that."

"Well, finally talking to her instead of just trying to read her mind would be a good start, I guess." Howl teased with a knowing smirk, although, Teddy was too caught up in his own head to notice Howl's remark.

Teddy didn't know when he was going to talk to Zoe about what was going on with her so, he waited and told himself that he would simply have to find his window. Even though they had almost every class together, that didn't mean they could just have a full, in-depth conversation about their feelings in the middle of class. She didn't even sit close enough for that in most of the classes. They even lived in the same house together and Teddy couldn't think of a good time to talk.

Between Carmen and the kids and work, Teddy and Zoe didn't really have any time alone since she got back. Everything was so hectic all the time.

Luckily, the universe was giving Teddy a chance. While Zoe was walking home with him and Howl and Fisher, it almost felt like Teddy could actually talk to her now. Howl and Fisher were in front of them as they playfully bickered while Teddy trudged silently alongside Zoe. She had yet to say a single word to him and didn't even bother to steal a glance. He would know since that's all he could do. With every other step, Teddy glanced down at the little blonde and mentally cursed at himself.

"Are we going to talk? Like.. ever again?" Teddy uncomfortably muttered to Zoe.

Zoe finally looked up at Teddy, keeping her expression as indifferent as possible as she shrugged her tense shoulders. "Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know.. You're usually the one that does the talking."

"You mean, I'm usually the one doing all the work to keep this relationship stable." Zoe corrected, the bitterness that underlined her words catching Teddy by surprise.

"Okay, enough.." Teddy caught Zoe's arm and stopped her, allowing Howl and Fisher to walk even further ahead of them. Zoe sighed but didn't look up at Teddy as he glared at her profile. "I already told you I don't have feelings for Kim. That was a one time thing. You can't still be angry at me for that, Zoe."

"That's not what I'm angry about and if that's what you think is going on, you know me even less than I thought you did." Zoe sarcastically chuckled as her eyes met Teddy's. He was confused and the wheels were turning in his head but, Zoe wanted to stop him before he got too hung up on it. "I'm not even angry, Teddy. It's nothing. Forget about it."

Zoe attempted to charge forward again but Teddy didn't let go of her. "What is it? Do you want me to guess? Are we playing mind games now, Zoe?"

Zoe sighed and reached to cover her face in her hands as she tried to collect all of her thoughts and emotions so she could properly talk to Teddy. She wasn't mad at him but she had a strong urge to yell at him. She was hurt over more than one thing in her life and obviously wanted to cry about it but, she was sick of crying. Unloading all of her problems on to Teddy didn't seem as enticing as it used to since she now knew that he cared about her even less than she imagined he did. She was just so conflicted, it was giving her a headache.

"You always hated me for making myself your problem and I'm trying to avoid that now, Teddy, so save yourself the trouble and stop trying to pry." Zoe grumbled as she tried to rub away her growing headache.

"It's too late for that, Zoe. You already are my problem so, spill."

"Fine.. You asked for it, but you can't be upset with me if I end up angry at you again." Zoe sighed as she folded her arms over her chest and turned to face Teddy.

"That's fine. Be angry. I don't care. I just need you to talk to me." Teddy desperately pleaded.

"I'm upset right now because I feel lonely, Teddy. For an entire month, there was nothing I wanted to do more than come home. I wanted to come home to you and, when I did, you showed me a million reasons why I was stupid to want you. You're the only person in my life that I could be honest with, Teddy. I feel safe with you. I feel normal with you. I have fun with you. But now... I can't have any of that because, the more I try to get close to you, the more you run from me so, what's the point in trying anymore?

You make me feel so unappreciated, Teddy, and trust me, I'm used to that but- I never expected to feel that with you. You have no idea what I did to get your sister here and what I did to get those stupid divorce papers and then, you tell me- to my face- that you're the only one looking out for your family. It's hurtful, Teddy! I've had your back for months, I've been your friend for months, I saved your sister so you didn't have to and- for what? So, you could blame me for everything that's ever gone wrong in your life and call me a coward? I mean, why would I even try again? It's pointless. You hate me, I get it. I give up." Zoe rambled, getting angry and sad and overwhelmed by everything she was saying.

"No.. Please, don't, Zoe.." Teddy exasperatingly sighed, his eyes staring deep into Zoe's as he mentally kicked himself over and over again. "Don't give up. I begged you before and I'll beg you now... Don't walk out on me. I know I was a complete ass for calling you a coward after everything you've done for me and I am so sorry, Zoe."

"You're sorry..?" Zoe questioned in pure surprise. That was the first time, in a long time, that Teddy apologized for something.

"I am. Sincerely. I'm sorry that I lost your trust. I know what it means to you to have trust and I fucked that up and I hate myself for it. And, I'm sorry for calling you a coward because I know you're not. You're incredibly strong, considering the things you've been through. You're not a coward, Zoe."

Zoe was caught off guard by Teddy's apology. That was the first time he had apologized for what happened. For what he said and did. Teddy hadn't apologized for any of this because he didn't mean to directly hurt her so, he shouldn't have to apologize for it. But, now that she finally talked to him and made him realize what was wrong, he understood why he should apologize. It wasn't about Kim. It wasn't about Zoe's crush on him. It wasn't about love and jealousy and all those things that he didn't like or understand.

Zoe grew up never trusting a single soul. She prayed for her parents love her so she could trust her family and those prayers were never answered. She couldn't even trust the people who tried to be her friends because she knew they had ulterior motives. Business partners weren't even safe to trust because they always ended up fighting for keeps. The world Zoe lived in was a lonely one. It wasn't until she met Teddy that she decided to trust someone. She cried in front of him. She shared her deepest, darkest memories with him. He was the only other person who knew her demons like she did.

Out of all of the people on this planet, Teddy was the one person she put her trust in. She didn't even care that he crushed her heart by trying to sleep with someone besides her because, that didn't matter to her as much as his lying did. And his lying didn't even hurt as much as the fact that he thought she was a coward, even though, he knew exactly what she had to do to survive. Zoe felt like Teddy was a different person than she imagined when she heard about Kim but, when he called her a coward, he was the Teddy she knew and he was trying to hurt her. On purpose. That hurt like hell.

Teddy betrayed Zoe's trust and hurt her in a way that only he knew how and Teddy understood that now. It wasn't about her crush on him, it was about the special, personal connection they had beyond that. He may not have understood her crush but he did understand the feeling of having someone by your side when nobody else was. If Zoe betrayed him and disappeared, which was one of his worse fears, he would be pissed too. He would feel hurt and lonely too. And he was sorry for making her feel like that.

"That's the first time you've apologized." Zoe pointed out as she hugged herself even tighter and tried to fight the warmth she felt in her chest. "Besides that time that you called me the B-word.."

Teddy snorted a laugh, a content smile remaining on his face as he stared down at Zoe. She still refused to swear. It was adorable. "I should apologize to you more, shouldn't I?"

"Or, you know... You could just be nicer. Then, you won't have to apologize." Zoe shrugged, nervously avoiding Teddy's gaze. "I don't think that's a lot to ask for..."

"I will be nicer from now on. I promise. I don't want to hurt you anymore. I owe you for a lot of things, Zoe, I know that, and I'm going to make sure I make it up to you. Okay?" Teddy sincerely pushed.

Zoe tried not to smile as she felt all of the hope she once had return. She felt foolish for wanting to accept Teddy's apology so quickly. The only person she ever trusted hurt her and all it took was one apology for her to want to hop back on board. Did that prove the fact that she was a gullible moron or did it just make her helplessly hopeful? If she accepted his apology and he hurt her again, would she deserve it? Was there nothing Teddy could do to make Zoe truly hate him? Was she just forgiving him because he bathed her in so many compliments?

"So... You just want to.. start over?" Zoe asked as her milky brown eyes raised to meet Teddy's. His smile had softened but he still looked happy as he nodded. Zoe took a moment to think it over before she forced a calm expression and jutted her hand out to Teddy. "Okay. Let's start over."

Teddy slid his hand into Zoe's and slowly began to shake it as they kept their eyes locked. "It's going to be a lot more fun this time around. I promise."

"Fun?" Zoe scoffed as she retracted her hand to hug herself again. "Are you sure you're capable of handling a human experience that intense?"

"Oh, shut up!" Teddy laughed and threw his over Zoe's shoulder, causing her to flinch and silently gape in surprise.

Teddy didn't notice her reaction as he trudged up the hill with Zoe under his arm. Zoe was happy and undeniably excited to be Teddy's friend again. When he said it would be more fun this time, she believed him. She trusted him again. Strangely enough, Zoe knew it would hurt a hell of a lot more if Teddy betrayed her this time, though. What else could he possibly do, as her friend, that she wouldn't forgive him for this time? He obviously had her unconditional trust already. He just begged for forgiveness and claimed he thought she was incredibly strong. What the hell else was she suppose to do?

~

"And for the lovely couple-" Zoe announced as she grabbed the Gucci bag and placed it on the coffee table. Howl and Fisher both perked up from their shared spot on the single seat chair. Zoe reached inside and grabbed the soft fabric before she lifted it out of the bag and showed it off. "Two, matching, stylish, Gucci sweatshirts!"

"Oh, that's nice!" Howl winced and ogled the sweatshirt, as if completely blown away by the piece of fashion.

Zoe chuckled and tossed the sweatshirt across the coffee table for Howl to catch before she also tossed Fisher one. They both examined the article of clothing, feeling the outside before gawking at how nice the inside felt. Fisher was the first to stand up and shove the sweatshirt over his head, Howl quickly following. They both squirmed inside their sweatshirts before Howl started complimenting Fisher's good looks.

"Fifteen hundred dollars looks good on you, Fish." Howl smirked as he started fixing Fisher's hood. "How ironic that something that looks this nice on you only makes me want to take it off of you."

"Perv." Fisher playfully shot at him.

"How do you know how expensive it is?" Teddy questioned from the longer couch, where Bailey had awkwardly fallen asleep in his lap.

"It's Gucci." Howl turned to Teddy with a dirty look on his face. "I know the price of everything they sell, Teddy. Who do you think I am?"

"Fair enough." Teddy laughed and shook his head. That sounded about right for Howl.

"You can't smoke in that, by the way." Zoe declared as she tossed the empty bag aside. Howl now turned his dirty expression towards her. "I mean it, Howl. I won't let you do Gucci dirty like that."

"I'm gonna wear this every single day too, and they're a matching set so, you better wear yours everyday too." Fisher added as he stuffed his hands in the sweatshirt pocket.

"Ugh.. Fine." Howl groaned before he fell back into the chair him and Fisher were cuddled in.

"Perfect! Howl has to wear this sweatshirt everyday and, since he was just told he can't smoke in it, I guess that gets rid of the cigarette problem." Fisher triumphantly smiled at Zoe.

Zoe gasped as she reached out to high-five Fisher. "Genius!"

"Hey! Not fair!" Howl exclaimed.

"You can either have your awesome boyfriend and your fifteen hundred dollar Gucci sweatshirt or your cigarettes. Which is it?" Fisher cockily proposed.

"I'd give up the damn sweatshirt if it meant I got you as a boyfriend." Howl smirked as he reached up to grab Fisher and pull him back into his lap.

"Oh, what a cheeseball." Fisher rolled his eyes but still let Howl entrap him in his embrace. "You're just saying that so I'll sleep with you."

"Maybe I am." Howl teased and nibbled at Fisher's earlobe, which made him squirm. Fisher always got all bashful and squeamish when Howl went for his ear.

"Ugh! You two are so cute together." Carmen pouted and slapped a hand down on Teddy's shoulder. "How did an old, bitter man like you manage to get friends as sweet and adorable as them?"

"Trust me, it was involuntarily." Teddy smugly joked.

"And, for Carmen!" Zoe lifted a black shopping bag with the words Saint Laurent printed across it. "A little something-something to begin your journey as a young, beautiful, strong, single woman."

Carmen shook her head at Zoe's theatrics but still sat up and smiled, excited to see what Zoe would buy her. "Oh no... I'm not sure I'm ready for this, Zo."

Zoe very slowly pulled out the item inside the shopping bag, revealing it little by little until the entire purse was out of the bag. Carmen gasped and reached out towards it, her eyes basically sparkling in amazement. After sitting down and chatting with Carmen a couple times, Zoe discovered that Carmen didn't value jewels or heels or make up very much. As a mom that devoted all of her time and attention on her children, she just didn't focus on them very much.

However, handbags were another story. Carmen could talk about nice handbags for hours. Zoe actually found it kind of funny. Carmen didn't care about expensive things after getting trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage and cared even less after having kids but, she couldn't get rid of her love for handbags. After hearing Carmen rant about them, she knew she had to get her one. A nice one.

"A classic Sac De Jour handbag in marble pink, crocodile-embossed leather, by Saint Laurent, all for you." Zoe announced as she slowly brought the bag closer and closer to Carmen.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." Carmen gawked as she held the bag in her lap and grazed her fingers over the pattern and straps and all the fancy details. "I think I love this more than I love my own children."

The other three in the room chuckled at Carmen, watching with smiles as she drooled over the beauty of her new handbags. Carmen thanked Zoe a million times, prompting Howl and Fisher to also thank her a million times. Zoe waved them off and dismissed all their praise as she knelt down to collect the shopping bags and receipts from the things she showed off that she bought for herself as well. Teddy stayed sat with a soft smile on his face and his hand stroking Bailey's back as he watched Zoe rummage through things.

Teddy always seemed to get distracted by Zoe's hair. She had it all up and messily shoved into a banana clip while some loose strands of her bangs cascaded down her face. No matter what she did with her hair, it was always really pretty and looked soft. The golden blonde color complimented the warm beige tone of her skin. And there was something about Zoe wearing her glasses around so many other people that made Teddy smile. He didn't know why. Maybe, it was because he was excited that Howl finally got to see what he was talking about.

Zoe looked like a total nerd.

"So, you were being serious?" Howl asked as Zoe stood up again with the empty shopping bags in her arms. Zoe pushed her glasses up her nose as she looked curiously towards Howl. "Teddy doesn't get a present?"

Carmen looked up from her bag while Howl and Fisher stared, all three of them fully invested in knowing the answer to that question. They all knew Teddy and Zoe's relationship had been a bit rocky these past couple days and were wondering how long it was going to last. For the past couple hours, it all seemed pretty casual and comfortable and Zoe and Teddy were both smiling but they also hadn't talked to each other much; much less looked at each other. Teddy wouldn't even dare look up at Zoe as the deafening silence hung over the room.

"N-No..." Zoe awkwardly shrugged. "Teddy gets a present too. I just left it in the kitchen.."

That was enough to get Teddy's attention now. He looked up at Zoe, both shocked and confused by that. Zoe had already passed out all of her presents and looked like she was done doing so. At school, she already brought Chuck and Vanessa their presents but managed to give it to them in secret so she didn't get bombarded with other people begging for something. Now, she had passed out gifts to Howl, Fisher, and Carmen and looked like she was ready to be done and over with it so, Teddy hadn't prepared himself to receive a present.

"Want to follow me?" Zoe nervously asked Teddy before she turned around and started towards the kitchen.

Teddy's eyes shifted towards his sister, who had obviously picked up on the importance of this gift. If she was giving it to him in private then, it must be important. So, Carmen waved her hands to urge Teddy to hurry up before she carefully pulled Bailey out of his lap and cradled her, herself. Teddy took a deep breath as he pushed himself the couch, his eyes also falling on Howl and Fisher as they looked between Zoe and Teddy. They were both intrigued by this sudden turn of events.

Once in the kitchen, Zoe grabbed the bag sat on a chair at the dining table and brought it to the center island. Teddy nervously sauntered into the kitchen with his hands in the pockets of his joggers, looking over his shoulder at those in the living room before he trained his attention in on Zoe. She remained silent as she pulled a flat, red box out of the Cartier bag and placed it on the counter. Teddy watched as she carefully opened the box to reveal a soft, black interior and a shiny, plain, chain necklace laying inside.

"Last but not least, for Teddy Morgan, an eighteen karat, white gold, Santos De Cartier necklace." Zoe quietly announced as she slid the box towards Teddy.

Teddy stared at the necklace, his lips parting as he tried to convince himself that this necklace wasn't as expensive as he imagined it was. He wasn't good at guessing the price of things, not like Howl was, at least. However, he knew the Cartier brand didn't make cheap jewelry. They made very, very expensive jewelry that famous, rich people liked to show off. Even Zoe had Cartier rings and necklaces that she wore with her really nice outfits and he never dared to even question how expensive they were. Luckily, this one didn't have diamonds like Zoe's usually did.

"How much was this?" Teddy whispered as his eyes landed on Zoe.

"Well, out of all the gifts I brought back with me... It's the most expensive." Zoe quietly confessed and flashed Teddy a nervous smile.

"How much?" Teddy firmly pushed, the answer becoming even more important after what she said. "Because, if this is over a thousand dollars, Zoe, I'm not touching it."

"Then, I guess you'll never know how much it is." Zoe smirked.

Teddy scoffed as his tense shoulders fell, defeated over the fact that Zoe would buy him something expensive and then hide the price from him. The tension within him returned, though, when Zoe reached for the necklace and carefully lifted it out of the box. Teddy stared at it, as if afraid of it, as Zoe let it dangle in her fingers. Very slowly and carefully, Zoe stood on her tippy toes and lifted it over Teddy's head to slip the necklace around his neck. Teddy didn't move and even gulped as he realized just how close Zoe was to him in this very moment.

The worse part of all of this was when the necklace was around his neck and Zoe let go of it, causing her long nails to graze his neck and ignite sparks under his skin and cause an aggressive shiver to travel down his spine. He had dreams about what those nails could do to him but mentally cursed when he actually got to feel them on his skin. It definitely didn't help when Zoe started fixing the necklace, causing her nails to glide over his clothed chest and tickle the nape of his neck as she made sure the clasp was perfectly centered behind him.

"Wow.. I think that looks really nice on you." Zoe breathed as she dropped her hands and let her eyes follow the shiny chain. She was beaming, obviously pleased with the outcome of her gift. "I knew it would."

"I can't wear this.." Teddy whispered.

Zoe's eyes finally raised from the necklace to meet Teddy' stare. Her smile faded and turned into a pout. "Why not?"

"It's expensive, Bozo! I'm going to get jumped if someone sees this around my neck."

"I knew you would say that. Which is exactly why I got you the plainest necklace I could find. It's just a chain, no fancy jewels or pendants, and could even be passed on as stainless steel or something boring if you're asked. Also, you can just tuck it under your shirt and nobody will even know you have it." Zoe explained.

Again, Zoe grabbed the necklace and the collar of Teddy's plain t-shirt so she could hide the necklace under his shirt. Teddy clenched his fists by his sides as he resisted the tingles and gentle shivers given to him by the feeling of Zoe's nails. He didn't want to pull away from her or tell her not to touch him because, as pathetic as it was, he wanted to feel her touch him. On the other hand, though, he was suffering. He finally understood what it meant to be touch starved and he only really felt that when he was being touched, by Zoe, specially.

"There!" Zoe chimed as she lifted her hands off Teddy again. "Can't even tell you're wearing a necklace."

"Zoe.." Teddy grumbled but was easily cut off by Zoe.

"No! You're wearing it!" Zoe declared and pointed a firm finger at him. "I resisted the urge to buy you twenty different shirts and jeans and shoes and hats and only came home with this so, you have to wear it. Everyday. Got it?"

Teddy challenged Zoe firm stare but, as the seconds rolled over one another, Teddy began to give in. Eventually, his expression softened and his hands unclenched. He was flattered that Zoe wanted so badly to shower him in presents and thought it was funny that Zoe felt so passionately about this. He reached up to feel the chain under his shirt and slowly convinced himself that it would be okay as long as it stayed hidden. He didn't want anyone asking questions and assuming things.

"Fine. I'll wear it." Teddy conceded, causing Zoe to softly smile at her victory. "Now, tell me how much it cost."

Zoe sighed but also decided to concede. "Eight grand."

"Eight grand?" Teddy exclaimed in shock, his voice far surpassing the quiet tone they had been using to chat between themselves. "Are you joking?"

"Eight grand? Eight grand, what?" Howl shouted from the living room. "Did you get a check or something, Teddy? What the hell is it?"

"It's nothing! He's being loud for no reason!" Zoe yelled back and playfully slapped Teddy's chest before she started putting away the Cartier box and bag. "You guys said you wanted to order something and eat in, right? Have we decided on anything yet?"

Zoe didn't hear anything anybody else said because, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted cars in the driveway through the window above in the sink. Three Sensation cars were slowly pulling up the driveway as the gate by the street slid closed in the darkness. An instant chill ran down Zoe's spine as she realized what was happening. The worse part was that she had friends over. Teddy may have experienced her mother's wrath but the others hadn't. Hopefully, she wouldn't make a scene.

"Get in the living room." Zoe whispered to Teddy as she grabbed his arms, her eyes still glued to the cars outside as the doors swung open. "Go, Teddy. Get in the living room now. Please."

"Wh-Why? What are you freaking out about all of a sudden?" Teddy laughed.

"Teddy, please." Zoe begged, her eyes locking with his and revealing all of the panic and sincerity within them. "My mother's here. Please, go."

Teddy was immediately tempted to heed that warning. After all, he had never even come face to face with the woman and she had already beaten him to shit. He knew how ruthless and unforgiving that devil woman was. He couldn't imagine what she would be like in the flesh. She was probably even more intimidating than she looked in pictures.

Teddy didn't want Zoe to face her mother alone, though. As scared as he was of her, he cared about Zoe's well being more. Her mother forced her to shoot at a man and constantly treated Zoe like some kind of pawn in her mother's quest for riches. Besides, Zoe already looked like she wanted to be swallowed up by the earth so, she was obviously scared. After they finally made up and Teddy realized just how much Zoe needed him to show that he cared, he wasn't just going to run and leave her to deal with that woman on her own.

"I have a better idea." Teddy said as he swallowed his nerves and turned around to walk towards the living room.

Somehow, Teddy managed to steal her idea and grabbed the big, glass doors of the living room and pulled them both shut, separating his sister and his friends from the rest of the house. Zoe rushed into the foyer after putting a few loose things away and stared at Teddy as he shut the big doors. She couldn't understand why he wasn't on the other side of those doors. It was safer for him that way. The last time Teddy and Rin interacted was when she ordered her henchmen to beat him. Why was he doing this?

"Hey! What the hell?" Howl cried but didn't move from his position under Fisher's body.

"I didn't know those doors closed." Carmen spoke in awe as she watched Teddy isolate her, Howl, and Fisher from the rest of the house. She actually found that new knowledge kind of useful since she had a troublesome toddler.

"You're suppose to be on the other side of those doors!" Zoe scolded Teddy through gritted teeth. "What are you doing?"

"Standing by your side." Teddy shrugged but held a fearless expression as he looked down at the little blonde. "I'm not letting you face that woman alone, Zoe."

"That's a very nice gesture, Teddy, but now is so not the time for that." Zoe sighed. "You already apologized and we made nice, remember? You don't need to prove yourself in this kind of situation."

Zoe quickly pulled her glasses off her face and stuffed them in her hoodie pocket before she reached for her banana clip and tore it swiftly out of her hair. Teddy smirked as he watched her pull the classic girl-takes-her-glasses-off-and-reveals-she's-been-beautiful-the-whole-time move. Although, Teddy always thought Zoe was attractive so it didn't matter if she wore her glasses or not. The giant hoodie and leggings and messy hair didn't even delude her looks. Her mother would probably disagree, though, which is exactly why she was trying to make herself presentable again.

"Too late." Teddy said as he spotted movement through the window in the front door. "It's showtime, Z. Look alive."

"Z?" Zoe questioned as she perked up with intrigue and looked up at Teddy.

Teddy shrugged with a charming smirk on his face before he winked at her. Zoe gaped at him but didn't get to say anything else as she listened to the doorknob of the front door turn. Both Teddy and Zoe trained their attention on the door as it slowly swung open, revealing Rin Yang in the doorway with two lines of bodyguards flanking either side of her. The cold winter air rushed into the house but, that didn't make Teddy and Zoe shiver as much as Rin's very presence did.

Without a word, Rin stepped inside with her flawless, intimidating, black stilettos and stood in front of Teddy and Zoe as her bodyguards rushed into the foyer. Rin easily peeled her leather gloves off of her hand and held them in her clutches before she grabbed the sunglasses over her eyes and peeled those off as well. Her black, beady eyes were far colder than the chill breeze outside, the deep red color of her lips looked like the blood of her enemies, and her incredibly straight, silver hair looked like it was made of a million silver blades that could cut anything on contact. She was terrifying, to say the least.

"Teddy Morgan. Just the man I wanted to see." Rin spoke, her eyes carefully traveling the length of Teddy's figure as she absorbed every inch of him. The second her eyes lifted again and met Teddy's, the front door slammed shut behind her.

Rin is a terrible, terrible person and an even worse mother but, I really like evil characters so, I'm going to have a lot of fun with her in this next chapter. Those pictures up top are Rin's usual looks from day to day. She is always, always, always in a woman's suits and almost NEVER wears a proper shirt underneath her formal, fitted, sleek suit jacket. Most of the time, she doesn't even wear a bra and she's not all that shy about a nipslip so, that's just kind of the woman she is. I think she's a badass but she's definitely going to hell and needs to learn how to treat Zoe like her actual HUMAN CHILD THAT SHE BIRTHED!!

Anyways, Teddy and Zoe made up so, there ya go! There's still a little bit of awkwardness but, Teddy has spent a lot of time thinking about Zoe and the influence shed had on his life (which you would know if you've been paying attention to his side of the story) so it just made sense to me that he would finally be open and honest after accidentally hurting her so badly that she wouldn't even talk to him.

Hope y'all enjoyed! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! I'll try better! Tell me what you think and share your thoughts and leave suggestions for future chapters! Please also leave a lot of comments as you read because I LOVE READING THEM!!❤️❤️❤️