"I want to go on the carousel," Howl stubbornly declared as he pointed at the children's size carousel sitting in the middle of the mall.

Fisher sighed and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course, you do."

"What?" Howl defensively exclaimed.

"Sometimes I wonder how you're the older one in this relationship." Fisher looked up at the carousel, pointing at it just as Howl had. "You're not even going to fit on anything in there, Howl. You're massive."

"I think I'm rather slim, actually," Howl said and looked down at himself.

"I meant your height, Howl. You're not going to fit."

"I want to go too!" Bailey proclaimed, raising her hand into the air.

Howl cheered and bent over to give Bailey a high five. She smacked his hand as hard as she could, which didn't do much, and stepped back to Teddy with a beaming grin. Fisher sighed again and looked at Teddy and Zoe, silently begging them to convince Howl not to get on the children's ride. Zoe smiled and shrugged while Teddy and Howl walked Bailey toward the carousel. Zoe pushed the stroller forward and Fisher walked beside her, peeking into the two seater stroller to see Malik leaning forward, obviously intrigued by the carousel as well.

While Howl tried to convince the woman at the carousel controls to let him and his friends on the carousel, Zoe's phone buzzed in her purse and she reached to check it. It was Vanessa. She texted Zoe to inform her that her and Abigail made it to the mall. Zoe texted her back to say they were at the carousel and put her phone away. Malik started squirming in the stroller, trying to get out as soon as possible so he wouldn't be left behind when his sister got on the carousel. Zoe helped him out and put him on her hip.

"You're too big for this ride," the woman working the carousel argued, gesturing at their group. "You may only board the carousel if you're accompanying a small child."

Howl pointed down at Bailey, who was stood between him and Teddy. "Small child."

"Then only one of you may go."

Howl turned back to Zoe and pointed at Malik. "Small child."

"If that young lady would like to board with the baby, to make sure he doesn't fall, she may."

Howl frowned as he stared at the woman. Teddy could see in his eyes that the geers in his head were turning. Howl was doing his best to come up with an idea to convince this woman to let all of them on the carousel. At this point, Howl was so determined only for his pride. He didn't lose arguments. His tongue was his strongest weapon. He had a charm that people couldn't refuse. It was his thing. He wasn't going to back down so easily. Him and his friends were getting on that ride. And if he couldn't use his tongue, he'd have to use his cunning brain.

"What about him?" Howl pointed to Fisher. "Small child."

Fisher rolled his eyes and kicked the heel of Howl's shoe, which made him flinch but not fall. The woman sighed, but gestured to the height chart next to the controls.

"Come stand here, young man," the lady instructed.

Fisher glared at Howl as he walked up to the chart. He stood with his back to it and straightened his spine, which earned a warning glare from Howl. Fisher dropped his shoulders to compress his spine and slyly bent his knees. The woman still shook her head, refusing to let Fisher on the ride. Howl then instructed Zoe to do the same, whispering for her to take off her heels. Zoe rolled her eyes, gave Malik to Fisher, and plucked her heels from her feet so she could stand against the chart.

While the woman carefully examined Zoe, since she was an inch or so shorter than Fisher, Howl leaned over the control booth to see what buttons she had. There was a green knob that needed to be turned for the carousel to spin, a button to slow the carousel to a stop, an emergency stop button that glowed red, and a few others for lights and sounds. Howl stepped back just as the woman turned around and he offered her a friendly smile, trying to hide the mischief of his new plan.

"Too tall," the woman said as she returned to her booth. "If two of you would like to accompany the kids, go on ahead. The carousel goes again in a minute and a half."

"Right. No problem. Sorry to bother you," Howl politely backed down as he stepped away.

Teddy hailed Bailey into his arms and looked at Howl suspiciously as they stepped away from the woman. Howl looked far too content for his liking. "What's your plan now?"

"Plan?" Howl stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and shrugged. "Why would I have a plan?"

"Because you do that." Teddy stared at him, eyes narrowed. "You always get your way."

"I do, don't I?" Howl happily grinned.

"Oh no..." Vanessa groaned as she and Abigail joined the bunch, standing beside Zoe as she put on her heels. Zoe happily waved at Abigail, who bashfully returned her silent greeting. "Why does Howl have that look on his face? What is he planning?"

"Am I really that predictable?" Howl frowned.

"Yes. Now spit it out," Fisher demanded.

Howl looked over his shoulder at the woman talking to a young mother at the carousel, thoughtfully rubbed his jaw, licked his lip piercings, and turned back to his friends. He leaned into the circle they had formed and whispered, "when people start to get on the carousel, Teddy and Zoe, take the little ones on the ride and buckle them in. Zoe, you act like the belt doesn't work and ask the woman to help you. Once she's inside the fence, I'll shut the gate, start the carousel, and the rest of us will jump the fence to get on the carousel. That way, she's stuck inside and can't stop the carousel."

"What happens when it's actually time to stop the carousel?" Abigail reluctantly questioned. "We can't ride it all day and there are other kids that want to ride it too."

"Well, as soon as the lady unhooks the gate, she'll probably press the emergency stop. To delay her for a few minutes, I'm gonna take the knob that turns the carousel on and run around the carousel with it to distract her. That might give us some time before she realizes she doesn't need the knob to stop the carousel," Howl explained.

"Oh my god..." Fisher muttered, staring at nothing in particular as he tried to envision the result of this horrible plan. "We're going to get kicked out and banned from the mall."

"It's a small price to pay. Besides, I say we run as fast as we can when the ride stops so that doesn't happen," Howl suggested, looking around his circle of friends. "Right?"

Everyone just shrugged, accepting Howl's horrible plan since they didn't have another one. Vanessa and Abigail has just arrived so they didn't have any strong feelings towards or against the carousel, but causing a bit of trouble and running for their lives did sound like fun. Teddy was down simply because howl wanted to do this so badly. They were partners in crime. If Howl wanted to do something stupid, Teddy was reluctant but willing. Fisher expected this plan to fail but had accepted that fate. Zoe has never done anything so mischievous in her life so she was more than excited to try, as long as everyone else was down to try too.

"Okay. Teddy and Zoe first," Howl instructed and Zoe reached to take Malik from Fisher's arms. "And then the rest of us will stand by the gate until Zoe gives the signal. As soon as I shut the gate and start the carousel, Fisher, Vanessa, Abigail, and myself have to jump the fence and get on the carousel before it gets too fast. Understood?"

The previous, reluctant shrugs turned into firm nods. Everyone understood their role and was ready to cause chaos. All at once, they turned towards the carousel and crowded around the short fence that surrounded it that kept bystanders from getting too close while it was moving. The woman opened the gate when it was time for people to board and Teddy and Zoe stepped forward to get Bailey and Malik on the carousel. Meanwhile, Howl inched closer to the control panel and Fisher, Vanessa, and Abigail leaned 'casually' over the fence.

"Your boyfriend likes trouble," Vanessa teased as she judged Fisher.

Fisher looked over at Howl, who was creeping behind the woman as she stood at the gate to let everyone, parents and children, inside. "It's more like... he likes to do things he's not suppose to do. He doesn't like to get in trouble. A perfect plan in his plan involves getting away with his mischief. He really just likes chaos."

"But you like that about him, don't you?" Abigail asked, drawing Fisher's attention. "You wouldn't be with him if you couldn't stand his shit."

Fisher fought a losing battle against his smile as he shrugged. "Sometimes, it's fun. Dumb stuff like this is fun. I have a feeling he's going to be a child forever and I like that about him. The fun never ends."

"So cute," Vanessa whispered as she rustled Fisher's hair, earning her a playful glare from him.

Zoe yelled to the woman manning the carousel, asking her to help with the belt. As soon as the woman started toward Zoe, her eyes darted to Howl to make sure he was in position. Howl waited by the control panel, glancing at Fisher, Vanessa, and Abigail. The tension between their group of friends was thick as they waited for the last kid to hop on the carousel and onto a horse. Howl slyly closed the metal gate, being careful not to make any noise, and then reached over the control panel to turn the knob.

The carousel turned slowly at first, causing the lady to jerk back in surprise and look toward the control panel. Already, Howl, Fisher, Vanessa, and Abigail were hopping over the fence and racing toward the carousel. The women was taken aback, frozen in place as she watched the rowdy teenagers rush on either side of her. Teddy extended his arm from the turning carousel and pulled Howl on to the carousel. Zoe helped Fisher on whole Vanessa leaped on and helped Abigail.

"You kids!" The lady shouted as she jogged around the carousel to keep up with them, her finger wagging in the air. "I'll turn this carousel off right now if you don't get off!"

"I stole your knob!" Howl yelled over the music as he showed off the knob he ripped from the control panel. "We're gonna ride this carousel all afternoon!"

The woman could no longer keep up with the carousel and stopped trying with a defeated sigh. It only took a few seconds before they all came into view again though, and the woman stomped up to the carousel to snatch the knob from Howl's hand. When she got too close, Howl scrambled through the slowly bouncing seats of the carousel, pushing Teddy to run when he got in the way. Teddy took Zoe's hand and dragged her with them, causing Fisher, Vanessa, Abigail to run with them so none of them got caught.

Bailey squealed and clapped as she watched all the teenagers frantically run in the opposite direction the carousel was spinning, zipping passed her with equally joyful laughter. Even Malik started giggling when they caught up to the woman against and all flinched away from her grabbing hands. Other kids on the ride laughed and watched the line of troublemakers scramble by. The other two parents didn't want anything to do with the chaos and stepped out of their path, avoiding getting trampled by the teens efforts to escape on a spinning circle.

Zoe held on to Teddy's hand, laughing uncontrollably into her other hand. Fisher somehow ended up behind Howl and jumped on to his back, making him carry him as Howl ran through the flying animals and dancing lights. Vanessa leaped into a tiny, slowly spinning teacup and Abigail hopped in with her. The seats were too small for them to sit in and standing on the seats nearly made them hit their head on the top of the carousel. They both laughed and held on to the spiral pole in the middle of the teacup, leaning across it to share a playful kiss.

They only got a few minutes of chaos and laughter before the lady returned to the control panel to hit the emergency stop. The carousel came to an abrupt halt, the lights and music turning shutting off in an instant. Howl could see the woman calling security on her walkie-talkie and shouted for everyone to make a run for it. He was the first to hop off, placing Fisher on his feet and grabbing his hand to start running. Vanessa and Abigail were right behind them. Teddy and Zoe gathered the babies in their arms, placed them haphazardly in the stroller, and followed their friends toward the closest exit.

"You guys wanna meet at my house?" Zoe asked her friends as she buckled Bailey into the car, a tad breathless from all the running and laughing she was just doing. "We were planning on swimming tonight."

"Awh! I wanted to shop a little bit and we have to leave already? I need a dress for my sister's wedding." Abigial pouted, turning her puppy eyes toward her girlfriend.

"We can go back in and try to shop but we'll have to dodge security," Vanessa chuckled.

"You can come over when you're done," Zoe added. "We bought glow sticks to throw in the pool when it gets dark so we'll be swimming for awhile."

"Let's do that," Abigail excitedly declared as she grabbed Vanessa's arm. "Shopping now, swimming later."

"Alright. Fine with me." Vanessa took Abigail's hand and started back toward the mall. "We'll see you guys later!"

"You coming too?" Teddy asked Howl on the other side of the car.

Howl looked to Fisher, waiting for an answer. Fisher didn't look displeased at the proposal, so Howl nodded. "Yeah, we'll come. It's a nice day for a swim."

Teddy held his fist out to Howl when he was done buckled Malik into his car seat. Howl gave him a fist bump before him and Fisher headed toward his car. Teddy and Zoe were on opposite sides of the car and had to walk around it, since Teddy always drove, and met in front of the car. Zoe smiled at him as she passed, surprised when he caught her arm to place a kiss on her shoulder and then kept walking. The little show of affection put an even bigger smile on Zoe's face.

"I never get to cause a little trouble just for the fun of it," Zoe admitted as they drove, staring out the window at the simple Ohio scenery. "It's good I ended up making friends with Howl. I'm going to miss it here."

Teddy glanced at Zoe but had to keep his eyes on the road. He could tell by the silence after her confession that she was thinking. Zoe wasn't the silent type. Especially not while in the car. If she wasn't talking, she was singing along to the music. The fact that she was silent meant she was thinking pretty hard, probably reminiscing and soaking in the calm atmosphere of the world around her. It pained Teddy's heart when he tried to imagine what was going through her head. She probably felt robbed of a normal childhood with normal friends, and wasn't ready to leave the slither of that life behind again in two weeks.

Teddy reached for Zoe's hand and placed a kiss on her knuckles, glancing at her when she turned to him, relieved to see a small smile on her face. That smile on her face was a constant reminder of how crazy he was for her. And every time she laughed, he was reminded of how badly he wanted to marry her and be with her forever. Zoe was the bright and shining light that he needed in his life, and not because that role had been drilled into her head as a child. She was a bright and shining light because she wanted to be. Because she wanted to be good and be happy and never wanted others to feel the darkness that she had dragging her down everyday.

"I'll give you the life you deserve one day, Zoe," Teddy confidently declared. "A small town, a big city, a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, a new place everyday. Kids, dogs, none at all. Your big, fancy parties or a silent night under the stars. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you."

Zoe stared at Teddy's profile, admiring his beautiful features and his kind heart. She leaned over the console between them and planted a kiss on Teddy's cheek. She gently nuzzled his skin with her nose before giving another kiss and falling back into her seat. Teddy was the one smiling uncontrollably now, feeling carelessly blissful at Zoe's affection. Both of them could agree that having sex was a lot of fun, but simply getting to be with one another and hold hands and share sweet kisses was even better.

"I love you," Zoe happily confessed.

"I love you too, baby." Teddy kissed Zoe's hand again, giving it a loving squeeze.

"Love you!" Bailey squealed from the backseat, throwing her arms in the air.

"Love you too, Pumpkin," Teddy and Zoe replied in unison. Teddy gave Bailey a smile in the rear view mirror as Zoe turned to smile at her.

"Are you having fun with your uncle and auntie so far? Without mama?" Zoe asked, reaching to tickle Bailey's leg.

Bailey giggled and squirmed. "Yeah! I love Auntie Zoe and Uncle Teddy!"

"Who do you love more, Pumpkin?" Teddy asked.

It was a playful question at first, since Teddy knew he was her favorite but when he took a second to think about it, he doubted himself. Bailey always loved him. She had since she was born. But after Zoe entered her life and became her auntie, he couldn't tell anymore. Bailey loved to play dolls with Zoe and draw pictures of Zoe in pretty dresses. Bailey only went to him when she wanted to cuddle or wanted something that Carmen wouldn't give her. Maybe he had been her favorite by default this whole time and he didn't even know.

"You don't have to pick a favorite, Pumpkin," Zoe whispered to Bailey, putting a manicured finger up to her lips.

"Yes, you do!" Teddy cried out. "I want to know! Who's your favorite, Pumpkin? Auntie Zoe or Uncle Teddy?"

Zoe sighed, glaring at the side of Teddy's head before returning her attention to Bailey, who was silent and sheepish as she looked between her auntie and uncle. Even she didn't know who was her favorite. It was impossible to pick. Bailey had such different relationships with both of them. She loved them both, for different reasons.

"Mommy's my favorite!" Bailey blurted.

"Pumpkin! That doesn't count!" Teddy cried.

"Good choice," Zoe whispered with a wink.

"What about you, huh?" Teddy threw his hand between the seats to point at Malik. "Who's your favorite."

"Teddy! The only word he knows is Mommy," Zoe argued with a laugh.

"Mommy!" Malik yelled cluelessly.

Teddy groaned, throwing his hands up momentarily. Zoe laughed and put a hand on his shoulder to kiss his cheek again. "It's okay, Love. You're my favorite."

Teddy was sick of getting kisses on the cheek instead of on the lips, so as soon as they were at a stoplight, Teddy grabbed Zoe's chin and turned her face toward him, smacking his lips to hers. Zoe gasped with surprise but melted into him in an instant. Zoe didn't have anything to based Teddy's skills off of, but there was something about the subtle passion in every kiss that turned Zoe's brain to mush. She loved it. She loved him. More than anything.

-

"Okay, Bailey. Arms at your side and don't move a single muscle, okay?" Howl instructed from inside the pool, gently holding Bailey's arms at her sides to keep her locked in place. She was still stood outside of the pool but she was so small and Howl was so tall that they were stood eye to eye. Her arm floated were hindering her pencil-like stature but she wasn't going to give up trying. "You're not going to move, right?"

Bailey shook her head, a smile on her face since she couldn't hold back her excitement. Howl picked Bailey up and helped her into the pool. She locked her arms around his neck until he had his hands under her tiny feet. He instructed her to stand as straight as a pencil as Bailey did so without question. Howl balanced Bailey on his palm while she was still in the water, using his other hand to stabilize her so he could lift her.

Zoe watched from between her fingers from the other end of the pool, keeping an eye on Malik, and Fisher nervously bit his lip as he sat at the patio table. They were the worrisome type. They could only see this ending poorly, but had already lost their arguments against Howl doing this. Luckily, Teddy was pacing the pool to make sure Howl didn't hurt or accidentally drown his tiny niece.

"Howl, please, get away from the edge of the pool!" Zoe worriedly cried. "You're going to drop her and smack her poor, little head on the concrete!"

"Don't worry, Princess! I'm a trained professional," Howl argued, though he still listened to Zoe's request, just to be safe.

"Oh god, what's he doing now?" Vanessa sighed as she stepped outside, holding a pitcher of lemonade and stacked cups in the other.

"He's showing Bailey his cheerleading skills," Zoe answered.

Vanessa shook her head, keeping her eyes on Howl as she carried the pitcher to the patio table. Abigail helped unstack the cups as Vanessa filled them all with lemonade. Howl still hadn't raised her out of the water, since Bailey was so wobbly in his hand. He laughed as he gently tried to coach her into remained as stiff as a statue.

"Howl's not even a cheerleader. This can't end well," Abigail muttered as she took a sip of her lemonade.

"He was a cheerleader," Vanessa pointed out, drawing Zoe's attention. With both Zoe and Abigail curious at her knowledge, Vanessa turned to yell at Howl. "Howl! Tell the girls your cheerleading story! I don't know the whole thing."

Howl raised Bailey into the air with both hands, causing her to excitedly squeal. Teddy held his hands cautiously over the pool, towards his tiny niece. Howl simply chuckled at Bailey's excitement and tried his best to counteract all her involuntarily wobbling. She eventually leaned too far in one direction and Howl dropped his hands before she got too far. He caught her before she even hit the water and Bailey laughed and laughed, the adorable sound echoing across their dark backyard.

"I was really into gymnastics and acrobatics and all that shit when I was a kid. I actually was a gymnast for awhile in elementary and middle school, and then, practiced some cheerleading. I quit during my freshmen year of high school though, so they put me in the mascot suit. Luckily, I only have to be in that stupid wolf costume for football games. And since I'll be a senior next year, they're not gonna make me do it anymore," Howl explained.

Zoe actually felt relieved at the fact that Howl wasn't just making up his cheerleading skills when he prompted Bailey to practice with him. He wasn't a professional by any means, if he had only practiced as a child, but at least he kind of knew what he was doing. That little story didn't make Teddy feel anymore comfortable though. He still paced the pool to keep up with Howl as he helped Bailey get into position for another lift.

Zoe forced herself to turn away from the scary scene. She didn't want to see what happened if it went horribly wrong. So, instead, Zoe gave Malik a happy smile and continued pushing him around the pool in his giant, children's floaty. She could hear water splash and Bailey squeal as she was lifted, but didn't dare turn around. Howl praised her for standing so still and Zoe felt a bit relieved by that. It wasn't like she was completely untrusting of Howl.

After all, when Jennie forced her to be a flyer during her brief career as a cheerleader, Howl was the only one that caught her when she fell at the football game. He had good reflexes and he was a lot more competent than he looked.

"Teddy, your phone's ringing," Abigail said from the patio table, lifting Teddy's phone as he looked at her. "Carmen's trying to FaceTime you."

Teddy jogged quickly but carefully across the length of the pool, throwing a pointed finger and glare at Howl. "Put her down. Gently."

Howl rolled his eyes and dropped Bailey, easily catching her against his chest as she happily laughed. Zoe watched Teddy zip by, smiling to herself as she admired the way the waves of pool light shone against his bare chest. He was so handsome. And he looked good in nothing but a pair of trunks. Teddy had very obviously admired her when he saw her in a bikini, as well, and the look in his eyes kept flashing through Zoe's mind.

Zoe felt like a lucky girl, having a guy as hot as Teddy look at her like she was a meal that he was ready to devour.

Teddy answered Carmen's FaceTime, passing Zoe so she could wave and Carmen could coo at Malik. Carmen turned her phone to Kenneth to show off Malik and his floaty. Zoe waved at Kenneth and he smiled, his cheeky slightly puffed out by the food he was chewing. It looked like him and Carmen were sat outside a restaurant somewhere, enjoying a meal in the dim sunlight that they could still enjoy across the country. It was already dark in Ohio.

Carmen asked to see Bailey too and Teddy skittered across the pools edge to get to Howl and Bailey. Even across the pool, Zoe could hear Carmen melting over the fact that Howl was teaching Bailey how to swim. Neither Teddy nor Howl mentioned Howl throwing Bailey in the air like a cheerleader, since Carmen probably wouldn't like to hear or see it. Zoe returned her attention to Malik and watched him idly splat the water that had seeped into the floaty he was sat on.

"Here you go, Zo," Vanessa chimed, kneeling beside the pool to hand Zoe a glass of lemonade.

"Thanks, Van!" Zoe happily said as she took the glass.

Vanessa threw her legs over the edge of the pool and flinched out of the way when Fisher darted passed them, diving into the pool head first. They both watched him swim under the surface until he reached the deeper end, where Howl and Bailey were showing off to Carmen. Fisher swam under Bailey and she squealed with both fear and excitement, screaming even louder when he broke the surface right in front of her. Zoe could hear Carmen laughing through the phone and it put a smile on her face.

"Did any of the guys tell you about their beach party yet?" Vanessa asked Zoe, who cocked eyebrow in confusion as she took a sip of her drink. Vanessa went on to explain, "our friends are all arguing over who has to ask you to the beach party that every Hudson High Junior class has at the end of the year. They all want you to go but nobody wants to ask, since you know.. you haven't really spoken to any of them since you got back."

"That's because they're not really my friends anymore." Zoe shrugged. "It was annoying when they talked bad about Teddy before, but now that we mean so much to each other, I really can't handle it anymore. I can't be around them and be nice at the same time."

"Ooh..." Vanessa whistled, surprise written across her face as she scrutinized Zoe. "I've never seen you not be nice. What's that like?"

Zoe bashfully giggled and awkwardly averted her eyes from Vanessa. The three other boys here had seen Zoe be not-so-nice, which was three more people than Rin would be happy with. Zoe figured it was probably a bad idea to show that side of herself to Vanessa or her friends or anybody else. She wasn't a mean person. She was kind and she was gentle and she was the light of every party. As far as Vanessa or anyone else was concerned, the bad side of Zoe Yang would only be a fairytale.

"Anyways, why would they want me to go to a party with them if I haven't spoken to any of them?" Zoe asked, forcing the subject back on track.

"It's tradition for every Hudson High Junior class." Vanessa shrugged and kicked her legs lazily in the water. "Besides, a lot of the girls miss you and the guys want to be on your good side in case that—" she pointed at Teddy, "doesn't work out. Chuck, on the other hand, I think feels really guilty and misses being your best friend."

"You're my best friend," Zoe argued with a smile.

Vanessa reflected Zoe's smile and gestured at Howl with her glass of lemonade. "Who do you like better? Me or Howl?"

Zoe huffed, a frown replacing her smile. "Why does everyone want to play that game today? Picking favorites isn't fair or very nice, you know.."

Vanessa laughed at Zoe's predictable retort and shook her head. "At least think about it. You don't even need to talk to anyone if you go to the beach. It's a tradition so our whole grade will be there. The six of us will hang out if you don't want to talk to the others."

Zoe volleyed here choices. "Okay.. We'll see."

Abigail appeared in the corner of Vanessa's eye, effectively distracting her from her conversation with Zoe. She turned to watch Abigail walk slowly down the steps of the pool, sinking elegantly into the water. She went under for only a moment, breaking the surface and instantly running her hands over her blonde hair to get the wet strands out of her face. Zoe looked from Abigail to Vanessa, who looked like she was seconds away from drooling. Even if Zoe wasn't attracted to Abigail, she had to admit, the girl made a simple one piece swimsuit look really flattering.

Just as Abigail approached Vanessa and ended up pulled into a kiss, Teddy appeared with Carmen still on FaceTime. He gave the phone to Zoe so he could hop into the pool and she happily took it, excited to talk to Carmen again. They were only on their second day without her but Zoe could feel Carmen's absence in the house and she didn't like it. She missed her big sister.

"Hi, Zoe! I just wanted to check in on you! How are the babies treating you? Are you sick of them?" Carmen asked, a hint of worry on her face.

"Not at all! We're having so much fun. But we miss you." Zoe pouted.

"I miss you too, Zo. And I miss my baby boy too." Zoe turned so Carmen could see her son and Malik could see her too. "Oh, hi, baby boy! Don't you look so handsome! Are you having fun in the pool, baby?" Carmen cooed.

A moment of processing passed before a smile broke across Malik's face and he excitedly slapped the water again, flinching and laughing as it splashed in his face. Carmen laughed and cooed at him, pouting when her joy turned to sorrow. She missed her babies. This was the first time she had ever been away from them and it was eating away at her. The only thing keeping her sane was the fact that she knew Teddy and Zoe were good at taking care of them and knew they were all having fun together.

"I'll be home soon, baby! Don't miss me too much okay!" Carmen said sorrowfully to Malik.

Carmen gushed for a moment longer before she dabbed the idle tears from her eyes. It was that subtle gesture that made Zoe realize Carmen was wearing make up. Zoe has never seen Carmen in make up. It wasn't like she was wearing a lot now, maybe some mascara, a bit of sparkly eyeshadow, and concealer, but nothing much. It was pretty, and it also reminded Zoe that she was with on a date with Kenneth. Of course, she'd want to look pretty and wear make up she wouldn't get to while sitting at home with her children.

"Where's Kenneth?" Zoe asked.

Carmen turned the camera a bit so Kenneth was in view again. Zoe wasn't surprised to see he was on the phone, but she didn't feel a bit guilty. Kenneth was a busy man with a lot of responsibilities. It was be a shame if Carmen didn't even get to enjoy her time away from home, with a boy she liked, all because he was on his phone 24/7.

"Has he been treating you well?" Zoe asked Carmen, worriedly. "Giving you attention? Lots of love? Being a gentleman?"

"Don't worry, Zoe. He's been wonderful."

"Just making sure... He's the closest I have to a brother, so... I'll have to bully him if he disappoints you." Carmen laughed at Zoe's reluctant declaration, amused at the image of tiny little Zoe nagging Kenneth like a little sister would. "I mean it, Carmen!"

"I know you do. Thank you for having my back, Zo. You're very sweet," Carmen said.

"Are we done now? Can I have my girlfriend back?" Teddy asked from behind Zoe as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Carmen rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Teddy. "Bye, Carmen~" he sang.

"Goodbye, you guys. Text me in the morning," Carmen waved before Zoe turned to camera to Malik. Carmen said her farewells to Malik and Zoe turned the camera to Bailey so she could say goodbye to her too.

It took a moment longer for them to hang up but Teddy tossed his phone on to the edge of the pool as soon as Carmen hung up and held Zoe tight against his chest. Zoe screamed in feigned panic and held on to Teddy's arms as he dragged her deeper into the water. When he was deep enough that he knew Zoe couldn't touch, he let go of her and watched with a laugh as she turned to wrap her arms around his neck. She could swim but she'd rather cling to him for support. Teddy knew that and was exploiting it. She could scream all she wanted, but she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

"Scared of the water, Zo?" Teddy teased, keeping his hands off of her as she wrapped herself around his frame like a koala.

"I can't touch the bottom in the deep end," Zoe argued with a halfhearted glare. She tightened her hold on him. "You dragged my out here, now you have to take responsibility and keep me from drowning."

Teddy sported a cocky grin, his hands finding purchase on her ass to hold her up. "My pleasure, Z."

Zoe narrowed her playful glare as she stared into Teddy's eyes. He only seemed to grow cockier as he lifted a hand to cup her face and bring her into a kiss. Zoe expected it to be a sweet kiss, but his tongue slipped passed her lips and took her breath away. She yielded to his tongues command and let him have control. She hadn't even noticed they were moving until her back hit the edge of the pool and Teddy's pressed eagerly into hers. They were both half naked in their swimsuits so there was a lot more skin touching than usual. At least, with other people around. It was making Zoe her all hot and bothered as she kissed Teddy even harder.

"Excuse me!" Vanessa shrieked from across the pool as she shielded baby Malik's eyes. Teddy and Zoe parted to meet her scolding gaze. "You're a pool full of gays and children! Nobody wants to see that!"

Teddy chuckled, putting his hands in the air to prove they weren't anywhere inappropriate. Zoe sheepishly hid her face in Teddy's chest before untangling herself from him. She turned to the edge of the pool and put her hands on the cement to pull herself from the water. Teddy grabbed her waist and helped on to the ledge, letting his hands linger on her legs as she got comfortable. He gave her a look, making sure she was comfortable, and Zoe bashfully nodded.

"Hey, you guys wanna play chicken?" Howl asked, looking at everyone to see who would agree. His eyes locked with Zoe's. "You and Fish would be fair competitors."

"No, I'm okay. I'm gonna stay by the babies if you guys wanna roughhouse," Zoe said, standing from the edge of the pool to make her way back to Malik. Her mind was stuck on her kiss with Teddy and it made her face flame with embarrassment. Damn, could that man kiss.

Howl turned to Vanessa and Abigail. "You two versus Teddy and I?"

Vanessa was intrigued by Howl's challenge, shooting a curious look at Teddy. He eyed both Vanessa and Abigail. He wasn't very close with those girls and he was really bad at welcoming new people into his life, but they had proven to be cool. They weren't shitting people, like their friends at school. They hadn't asked Teddy any invasive questions, like everyone else would have by now. They were chill and had similar vibes to him and Howl, which made him warm up to them easier.

Teddy threw his long arms out in a challenging fashion. "Why not? You in, Van? Abby?"

Vanessa and Abigail exchanged looks before they both shrugged and chuckled. Zoe returned to Malik's side in the water and Fisher joined her with Bailey. They got comfortable in the shallow end of the pool as Abigail climbed easily on to Vanessa's shoulders. Teddy and Howl bickered about who would be on top, which made Zoe and Fisher giggle. The top and bottom of Teddy and Howl's relationship weren't easy positions to decide. They both had such similar energies that they were nearly matched.

"Fine! I'd rather take on Van anyways," Howl grumbled as he lowered into the water so Teddy could climb on to his shoulders. He had conceded and was allowing Teddy to be on top, to take on Abigail.

Vanessa and Abigail found their argument ironic because they're power dynamic was pretty solid. They weren't confused about who was who. Just because Abigail was on top, didn't mean she was the top. The boys didn't quite understand that concept but it made perfect sense to the girls.

"You're going to regret fighting me," Vanessa cockily snickered as she locked eyes with Howl. "You're gonna lose."

"We'll see about that," Howl retorted, his eyes narrowed.

"Zoe, Fisher, call it!" Teddy shouted, both of his hands on Howl's head to steady himself, which made Howl groan in annoyance.

Fisher raised a hand in the air. "Ready, set, go!" He threw his hand into the water, causing a small splash that excited Malik.

Howl and Vanessa shuffled forward in the water, bringing Teddy and Abigail closer. The battle was clumsy and there was a lot of laughing, but that was kind of the whole point. Bailey cheered on Teddy while Malik clapped cluelessly along. Zoe tried to cheer for both Teddy and Abigail, to be a fair friend and girlfriend. Fisher, on the other hand, wanted Teddy and Howl's defeat and cheered adamantly for the girls. Howl tried to yell at his boyfriend to be on his team but Fisher ignored him.

Teddy ended up winning that round and cheered for himself before Howl chucked him off his shoulders, sending him crashing into the water. Howl and Vanessa geared up for their round, more than ready to battle each other. They played much more aggressively against each other, much to Teddy and Abigail's protest.

Zoe watched with a smile on her, soaking in the joy of her evening. This is exactly what she wanted when her mother said she had a month to be here. She wanted to be with her family and her family, enjoying their company, and making the most of their time together. This was Zoe's plan the moment she walked into Hudson high school, all those months ago. She wanted this life. A life of a normal high school study had always been a far away dream, but she had it now, and she cherished it so much.

It was so simply. It wasn't easy and sometimes it sucked, but Zoe would take the struggles of an average high school student any day, if it meant she didn't have to watch people die by the hands of her rich, heartless mother or fake a smile in front of blinding, invasive cameras.

This is what Zoe wanted. Everything in front of her was perfect.