The Pain Thief

Chapter 5

OH THOSE AWKWARD MOMENTS

Zoe and Jack sat down for lunch again, but this time Zoe was leaning against the tree and Jack was laying down on her legs. Now it was Friday and Zoe would be spending the night at Jack's like she usually did just about every Friday. It worked out well since she and Jack would hang out on Saturday and she'd finish up any remaining homework and relax with Mr. Z on Sunday. 

Jack had been feeling better since they talked, and despite his uncertainties, tried to put them aside. Zoe was glad he was acting a little more like himself, and was looking forward to staying the night. She usually stayed in the guest room or on the floor somewhere or on a couch. Sometimes she even stayed with Jack since they were so close, but of course there were rules for that. 

Jack had his eyes closed and was breathing steadily, but Zoe knew he wasn't asleep. Looking at him, she felt nervous for some reason and her cheeks heated up. She took a breath and patted his cheek. Jack opened his eyes, glaring at her when she laughed. 

"Come on Jack. We've got History."

He sighed, but got up, handing her her bag and walking with her to their next class. 

***

Zoe had said that she hated gym class before, but here's her reasoning for it. Despite her fast changing abilities, some days things just didn't work out for her. 

She and Jack had been running late for gym since History went a little late and were the last ones to arrive at the locker rooms. Zoe ran over to the girls' locker room and cursed loudly when the door didn't open. She wanted to wring every one of those stupid snooty girls' necks when she realized that they had purposely locked her out. 

They never did like her, but she didn't think it'd come to this. 

Zoe sighed and walked out of the little alcove, knowing she'd lose credit for the day and be humiliated too. Not to mention the fact that the girls would probably make everything worse with the coach. 

There were footsteps to her right and she looked over to see that Jack hadn't gone in yet. He must've heard her curse. 

"Uh what's wrong?" he said confusedly. 

She sighed, feeling the anger deflate. "They locked me out."

Jack got this contemplative look on his face. He bit his lip and Zoe couldn't help but to feel distracted for a moment until he spoke again, "Well... if you give me your stuff I can put it in my locker... and I can find some extra clothes for you, but I can't guarantee they'll be especially clean."

Zoe smiled, thinking about how considerate he was. She didn't really want to end up in smelly boys clothes, but it was better than the alternative. "Are you sure that's ok?" she said. "I don't want to take your clothes or anything."

He smiled and grabbed her bag. "No problem. I'll change quickly and be back in a minute."

Jack ran off and went into the locker room while Zoe leaned against the wall. The girls always took forever to change, but a few of the guys were coming out, giving her weird looks when they saw her. 

Zoe took a breath, feeling her heart speed up with every passing second. 

After what seemed like forever, Jack reappeared holding a bundle of clothing in his arms. He was dressed in the usual uniform: basketball shorts and a gray tee. 

"Ok I had one extra pair of shorts and a an extra tee. They're uh not exactly clean, but their cleaner than what I've got on." He looked down at himself and made a face.