ZOEY AKILA bennet !
sugarhill, bennet residence driveway
featuring; @itszoeyb .

"YO ZO GON go to homecoming?" cblu asked as zoey got in to the backseat, clipping on her seatbelt. zoey scrunched her face up, clearly not enthused by the idea, and responded with a firm "no." she shook her head, a sign of her disinterest in the upcoming event.

before they took off, zoey caught sight of caleb who was staring at her in the rear view mirror, and waved at him. he acknowledged her with a smile, looking away quickly.

today marked zoey's return to school after spending a tiring and emotionally challenging five weeks at home. as the lingering memories of her mother's presence was everywhere in her house. and while part of her didn't want to face the reality of returning to school, she realized that staying home would only cause her self sabotaging herself.

so she made the decision to distract herself from the pain and face her current reality. she understood that avoiding school would do little to heal her wounds; but it would be any better then hibernating herself in a house she knew all too well.

zoey didn't know if it was soemthing switched in her but she had lost every last bit of her personality. for some reason she wasn't so much slouched about the fact she lost her closest friends—in a way it was kind of eye opening for her.

because where they even really her friends?

as the car pulled out of her driveway and onto the road, zoey found herself thinking about how bad her mental health had gotten over everything.

the events of the past weeks had left her feeling emptier, as if she had lost every last bit of her vibrant personality. but strangely enough, the absence of her closest friends, who acted like she didn't exist , didn't hurt her that much anymore.

she realized that it was herself who was expecting to be dependent on someone like she was—but being a good person really gets you nowhere.

doubts began to creep into zoey's mind; were they even truly her friends? they didn't act like it and she knows she had some playing into it but she didn't know karma was that bad.

as the car started on the familiar route to school, zoey lifted her head to the two older brothers she had found herself getting closer to. over the fall break and with her not going to school she got to stay over at there house sometimes.

she liked them, caleb was sweet to her and cblu was like a older brother she'd never had. not like she ever wanted it either; but he's a good representative.

something that had not escaped zoey's attention: whenever cblu was with them in public, he always carried a ski mask with him. it wasn't as if she were naive or blind to his peculiar behavior. but she didn't say anything, not thinking anything of it.

slipping her phone back into her pocket, zoey felt the car come to a stop in the school parking lot. but instead of parking directly, she noticed they were a couple of blocks down. "zo you can walk up to the school, imma be there." he suggested. zoey's lips formed a thin line as she contemplated his words, ultimately nodding in agreement.

she she waved bye to cblu before unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car. as she made her way towards the school entrance, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that was off—really off.

once zoey had distanced herself from the car, caleb heard cblu release a sigh which made his heart drop. he was really trying to make him forget about it.

"nigga you gotta hurry the fuck up with her. ain't you say she was datin one of them?" cblu's gaze pierced his younger brother, his raised eyebrows revealing a sense of urgency tinged with an unspoken warning.

caleb, feeling the weight of the situation, ran a shaky hand down his face, emitting a low groan of frustration. "nah do we really have to? you don't like her? she a whole ass sweetheart blu."

cblu's indifferent shrug sent a shiver down caleb's spine. his casual dismissal, coupled with the eerie undertones that permeated their conversation, making caleb even more worried.

"i guess," he began, his voice laced with boredom. "but you know what kay said." the mention of kay left caleb with a lingering sense of unease, his mind racing to understand the cryptic warning behind those words.

caleb kisses his teeth, he knew he got himself in this situation and he really couldn't get himself out of it. he agreed to coming to this school just for one thing, and he had to do it by zoey.

"nigga but i ain't wanna hurt her. you know what she going through right now." caleb let out a sigh, he felt like he was gonna pull out his hair from the situation he put both of them i. unknowingly.

cblu looked away from his younger brother, knowing that once you make a promise with kay you couldn't break it even if you wanted to. "you ain't got to hurt her, just make sure she not there when they is."

while caleb was still in the car, stressing out zoey was absolutely oblivious to what they were talking about—scrolling on her phone as she walked up to the front of the school. of course this shit only happens to her and she bumps into someone.

"my fault," the other person muttered hastily, bending down to retrieve the fallen phone. as they lifted their head back up, their eyes widened with surprise. zoey quickly realized it was marie, her bestfriend since—if she can even call her that anymore, who was staring at her as if she had never seen her before.

comfused, zoey turned around to see what had gotten marie's attention. she couldn't understand why her appearance would warrant such an intense reaction, as she didn't consider herself to look that bad.

without uttering a word, zoey simply took her phone back from marie's hands, deciding to proceed walking—trying to forget whatever that was.

on the surface, zoey maintained an outward facade of calmness, a rare instance where her internal turmoil did not mirror her external composure. for once, her heart didn't sink or drop when she saw her.

while when she was in bed a couple of months thinking about her—it felt like she was gonna be sick to her stomach just just thinking about any of them.

but she felt okay, all the dreams she used to have of thinking that when she sees them she was gonna burst into tears or even worse—were just a figment of her imagination. she didn't feel like she changed, her feelings just shifted a little bit.

as zoey inserted her airpods into her ears, drowning out the ambient noise, she walked into the school building upon hearing the first bell ring. noticing caleb still hadn't walked up to the school, she deftly typed out a message on her phone, informing him that she would be attending her first class.

walking amidst the hall of students, zoey couldn't shake off the overwhelming sensation of being under scrutiny. it seemed as though every pair of eyes she passed fixated on her, dissecting her every move and scrutinizing her presence.

their gazes made her distinctly uncomfortable in her own skin, and she struggled to find a sense of ease as she navigated the crowded halls.

even when she summoned the courage to meet someone's gaze and hood the eye contact, a skill she had recently acquired, their eyes would widen momentarily before swiftly averting their glance, as if her very presence made a mix of surprise and uncertainty within them.

the reactions unsettled her, she hadn't even been gone for more than three months.

amidst the sea of curious stares, a few familiar faces broke through the awkwardness. some classmates broke into warm smiles and gestured with waves of recognition as they crossed paths with zoey.

zoey reciprocated the gestures, offering a small smile and a wave in return. it wasn't so bad.

yet, beneath the facade of relative calm, zoey grappled with a pressing issue that threatened to overshadow her day. it had been months since she had been able to indulge in a meal, causing her body to weaken and her energy reserves to dwindle.

as she traversed the halls, a persistent sense of lightheadedness tugged at her consciousness, threatening to tip her into the abyss of physical fatigue. she made a mental note to buy something from the vending machine so she doesn't pass out.

zoey let out a low groan as she dragged herself into her math class. she switched over to the big table that was always there for the absent kids and she picked up every single worksheet that was on there.

she almost wanted to pass away when she felt a packet, maybe she shouldn't have come to class today.

zoey quietly made her way to the back of the classroom, instinctively seeking a spot where she could fade into the background. as usual, there were no assigned seats in this class, so she settled at one of the back tables, desiring a sense of anonymity.

with a sigh, she pulled out her laptop, using it as a shield to partially hide her face, attempting to create a barrier between herself and the world around her. leaning against the desk, she closed her eyes, feeling the heavy weight of exhaustion settle over her.

the morning's math lesson felt especially boring even if today was her first day back. it was early, far too early to be grappling with equations and formulas. addding to her discomfort, the classroom was unreasonably cold, the chill seeping into her bones despite the fact that it was damn near december.

it seemed unnecessary for the air conditioning to be running at full blast during the winter months, exacerbating her growing unease.

suddenly, she sensed a presence beside her, causing her to flinch and momentarily poke one eye out from behind her laptop screen. her heart plummeted as she recognized the figure next to her.

it was darrian, the same person she had spent countless nights thinking of, one of the reasons she went to bed crying herself to sleep.

the reality of the moment hit her like a wave, far more intense and overwhelming than she had ever anticipated.a whirlwind of emotions surged through zoey's veins, sending her fragile state of mind into a tailspin.

nausea churned within her stomach, threatening to escape as a wave of dizziness washed over her. she found it increasingly difficult to keep her composure as darrian's gaze locked onto her. it was as if he could see right through her, and it wasn't the best feeling in the world.

struggling to hold herself together, zoey hastily sat up, her body tense as she turned her attention towards the front of the classroom, attempting to divert her focus away from ddot's stare.

yet, no matter how much she tried to ignore him, she could still sense the weight of his eyes on her, a palpable intensity that made her skin crawl.

ddot could tell that everything in zoey was off, like alarms were ticking off in his head right now.

it evident that something was amiss, that behind her forced smile and attempts at normalcy, she was not okay at all. the sudden avoidance of eye contact, and the slight quiver in her hands betrayed her internal struggle.

ddot had been thinking of just pushing everything aside and just actually talking to her but he didn't want to just let her forget what she had did to him—it was really just his pride.

zoey's attention wavered between the math lesson and her own fatigue. half awake and struggling to make out the words on the board, she found herself in the old routine of typing her notes on a google doc.

way too early to write things on hand.

it was a small attempt to appear attentive, even though her mind felt muddled, and she struggled to make sense of the material presented before her bleary eyes.

however, her half-hearted attempt at engagement was abruptly interrupted when she caught sight of someone's eyes glancing towards the back door. the late bell had already rung, indicating that the front door was locked, a habit of their math teacher to ensure punctuality.

most students were aware of this routine and made it a point to arrive before the late bell. but as always there's always atleast 5 kids who didn't make it on time.

curiosity piqued, zoey squinted her eyes, trying to make out who was gesturing for her to open the door discreetly. she let out a sigh, grappling with a mixture of disbelief and intrigue as she contemplated the decision she was about to make.

purposefully, she tossed her pencil in front of the door as if by accident, using it as a ruse to justify her departure from her desk.

when she bent down and got back up, she slowly twisted the doorknob, allowing the door to open just enough to grant entry to the person on the other side. it was stupid but she really didn't find it in her to not open the door for whoever it was.

and to her surprise, it was dd who stood before her. a subtle scent of weed wafted from him, which made it obvious on why he was late.

seeing dd's face light up with an big smile, and a sense of relief washed over her as she realized whatever dumb she she just pulled was not a mere coincidence.

"thank youuu," dd mumbled, his voice laced with sincerity. "you're a sweetheart, deadass." dd hugged her tightly which made zoey just stand there awkwardly, patting him on the back slowly. "you welcome." she whispered back before turning around and sitting back in her seat.

zoey heard ddot open his mouth to say something dumb but she looked at him as soon as he opened his mouth. it was like she was dating him to say something stupid.

he kept his lips closed, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

zoey pursed her lips—she didn't know why she just did that but it worked, and it didn't even make her want to fall down on the floor and cry.

"no, she just hates you because she smiled at me when i came out of gym today." notti boldly asserted, leaning back in his chair and munching on a fry with an impish grin. dd, taken aback by his brother's audacity, scrunched his face in disbelief. "nigga she hugged me, and spoke. you ain't get her to do that." he fired back, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"right ddot? you saw her right?" dd poked fun at ddot who had a dirty look on his face the whole entire time.

ddot, who had been observing the lighthearted exchange with a steadily growing scowl, could barely contain his anger any longer. "both of y'all niggas needa shut the fuck up," he grumbled, his voice dripping with irritation as he focused his intense gaze on the two boys.

he knew all too well that their banter was an intentional tactic to rattle him, an unwelcome reminder that him and zoey aren't even acquaintances—there just strangers with memories now.

the heated discussion resonated within the table, catching the attention of marie—who had been quietly listening nearby. displeasure etched across her face, she interrupted their debate with a scrunched expression.

dd nodded. "maybe you and ddot can bond on the fact that she hates both of you the most."

"or maybe she hates all of you, the fuck? why y'all obsessed with that bitch?" her tone held a hint of exasperation as her eyes darted between the brothers.

ddot glared at the girl. "watch ya mouth nigga." marie bucked at him, mocking his words.

"don't be mad because she acted like you didn't exist riri, it's okay to be delusional." notti chimed in, attempting to diffuse the tension by reaching out to place a comforting hand on marie's. yet, her response was swift as she withdrew her hand abruptly, a scowl conveying her annoyance.

marie scoffed. "okay nigga, did you even get invited to her moms funeral? oh okay."

marie's bitter retort hung in the air, causing a palpable tension to settle over the table. the room fell into an uneasy silence as her words reverberated, striking a nerve within each person present.

notti's brow furrowed in confusion, struggling to comprehend the significance behind marie's pointed remark. because was it really needed?

sensing the discomfort that permeated the atmosphere, ddot scrunched his face in disapproval at marie's seemingly callous attitude. although she was his cousin, her behavior had taken a strange turn, pushing the boundaries of their already strained relationship.

a lot of people could tell that without zoey everything was falling apart, marie was someone who had heavy anger issues and zoey wasn't—that's why she was always well balanced.

but now she's gone.

dd cautiously interjected, his voice tinged with genuine intrigue. "well.. did you go to the funeral?" he asked, hoping for a straightforward answer that would shed light on marie's absence.

marie chose to remain silent, her refusal to respond speaking volumes. the weight of her silence confirmed everyone's suspicions—a resounding "no."

jahzara, sitting next to marie, watched with widened eyes, her confusion and concern evident. she couldn't comprehend why her friend would choose to be absent during such a critical time of support and comfort.

even with all the shit that zoey did, she like she never hated zoey for it.

she tried to get in contact with zoey when she was gone but marie blocked zoey off everybody's phone without them knowing, marie basically controlled jahzara. she didn't get to say or do anything.

dd's voice dropped to a low murmur as he muttered to himself, his tone filled with a mixture of disbelief and disapproval. "nigga you going to hell, what the fuck." he quietly remarked, shaking his head in disappointment.

marie's actions had a profound impact on notti and ddot, their entire demeanors shifting in response to the gravity of the situation.

"nigga, why the fuck didn't you go?" ddot's frustration burst forth, his words driven by a potent blend of anger and genuine concern, it was getting really hard to find any hatred in his body for zoey but now it was all building up.

but it wasn't towards her anymore.

marie, unfazed by the accusatory tone, rolled her eyes dismissively, deflecting the intensity of the moment."fuck off my dick," she shot back, a defiant gesture that underscored her unwillingness to engage in further conversation or introspection.

notti couldn't shake off the anger that coursed through his veins. he shook his head slowly, "did you like always hate her or sum?" he spoke with a mix of disbelief and sadness.

"how could you not show up for your best friend's mom's funeral? because that's just weird. nah not even weird, nigga you odd." he shook his head, a disgusted look painted on his face.

marie held a confused face. "did everybody just forget she stole his fucking chain? while am i the most upset about that shit?"

"cause it happened 2 months ago dickhead." dd mumbled.

ddot let out a sigh—he was slowly just loosing himself without her at this point. he was regretting each and every word he said to her.

right in the moment is when he wished he didn't make such a big scene.

F SPEAKS 😝

NOTE— this was tewwww fun to write because i'm so happy that i can write the zoey i've been wanting tooooo. anwww tuh #zoeybetter! what y'all think? should she forgive the, or notttt? idk tbh. anyways fia loves uuu 💞💞.