"So," my dad said, a hint of suspicion and humor in his voice, "who was that Caden guy?"
"Who?" I asked, looking sideways at him.
"Caden. We saw him yesterday at the therapist's."
"Oh," I realized. "We saw each other on the bus yesterday. I didn't know his name."
My dad chuckled. "It seemed like you'd known each other for a while."
"We just met today."
"He seems like a nice guy then," my dad replied, putting an end to our conversation.
That was the problem. He was too perfect. I couldn't imagine how much sorrow he'd feel when he lost me, or how much I would suffer when I lost him. It hurts too much to loose somebody, so why even risk it?
***
This time, the bus wasn't as menacing. After shooting a death stare at the person who yelled at me last time, I slipped into the seat next to Caden.
"Hey, how are you?" I said, smiling.
"Not bad. What about you?" He replied.
"I'm doing great, thanks."
"Your name is Zoë, right?"
I frowned at him. "How did you know that?" I asked.
"You know - when your name was called for your appointment."
My mouth formed a silent O.
"Actually, I know your name too," I smiled. "Is it Cameron?"
He burst out laughing, throwing his head back. I couldn't help but realize that his brown hair was outlined with gold from the light shining in through the window. He turned to face me again, still with the biggest grin on his face.
"Your name isn't Cameron, is it?" It was more of a statement than a question.
"It's Caden," he said, smiling. "Where did you hear Cameron from?"
"My dad asked me where I'd met you. I'm really bad with names. Sorry."
"No, it's okay. A lot of people mess up my name."
"Mine too. Especially spelling." I paused. "Take a guess!"
"Z-o-e?"
"Close. You just need the two dots above the e."
"Whoa, that's a thing?" He asked, a hilarious look of confusion on his face. Now I was the one laughing.
"Yeah, it is. It's like in the word naïve - the two dots."
"Zoë with two dots." He smiled.
"Yeah, that's me."
I came back to reality as the bus lurched to a halt. It was my stop.
"See you," he said, moving his hand in a slight wave.
"Yeah, talk to you later!"
YOU ARE READING
The Spider Tattoo
Подростковая литератураZoë has been haunted by her mother's murder. The only thing she can remember about the murderer was his spider tattoo. She is determined to figure out who would do something like that - but as she looks for the answer, she finds it's not that simp...
