The Pain Thief

Chapter 7

DARKNESS SPREADING

Zoe woke up when she felt some movement under her. She slowly opened her eyes and forgot where she was for a moment. She was warm and could feel a slight beating under the tips of her fingers. 

She groaned a little and shifted, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

"Sorry Zoe did I wake you up?" said Jack quietly. 

Zoe could feel his voice and wondered for a moment where she was again. Then she remembered: she had fallen asleep on Jack's shoulder. Zoe sat up quickly, a blush crossing her face as she realized her current position. She had both her hands on Jack's chest and her head had been resting over his heart. 

She smiled a little to hide the blush. "No Jack it's fine." She looked at the clock. They'd only slept for about two hours, so it was midnight. "I'm starving anyway," she gave him a small smile, removing her hands and leaning back on them as he shifted. 

"Uh sorry about that..." she said. Jack got a little red, but said, "No problem."

He got up from the couch and stretched, Zoe right behind him. 

"Let me see if I can find you something," he said to her. 

Zoe followed him into the kitchen, taking a spot on bar-stools at the counter while Jack rifled through the fridge and freezer. 

Zoe ran her hand through her hair, yawning. 

"You know, it's funny that the one time you're actually hungry I can't find you anything," said Jack as he rifled through something in the fridge. 

Zoe laughed lightly and rolled her eyes. Finally Jack just heated up some spaghetti and placed it in front of her. "Thanks," she said, and let her thoughts wander for a moment. 

She was surprised when she felt a tapping on her shoulder. Zoe and Jack both turned around to see Sarah standing behind them. 

"Sarah why're you up so late?" asked Jack. 

Sarah rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Jack, I'm fifteen and having a sleepover. Did you really think we'd be sleeping already?"

He just shrugged. 

"Hey Zoe, you want to come up for a few minutes? I'm sure you're tired of hanging out with Jack all the time," said Sarah with a smile. 

Zoe looked surprised and Jack had an amused look on his face. "Me? Uh I'm not exactly the life of the party Sarah..." said Zoe. 

Sarah grabbed her hand and dragged her off the chair, laughing slightly. "Come on Zoe, just a few minutes. Besides, I can get some clothes for you so you don't have to sleep in that."

Sarah dragged her out of the living room, Zoe looking behind pleadingly at a laughing Jack. 

They went up the stairs, Sarah leading the way. Instead of going to Jack's room like she was used to, Sarah led her to her room. Her room was painted a subtle green, but there were colorful pillows and wall hangings everywhere. There were blankets set up on the floor with Liz, Tara, Cora, and Lindsey sitting around in a circle. 

Sarah sat next to Liz, dragging Zoe down beside her. "Ok Zoe, you know all my friends. Stay here while I get something for you to sleep in."

Zoe wanted to say that it wasn't necessary, but figured Sarah wouldn't listen to her. Her thoughts were interrupted when one of Sarah's friends, Liz, asked, "So Zoe are you and Sarah's brother going out?"

Zoe practically choked and had to cover her mouth as her face heated up. 

"Guys don't ask her stuff like that," said Sarah as she pulled out some clothing and handed it to Zoe. "You'll just make her nervous."