Shattered Appearances ✓

t h i r t y - n i n e: You, Sir, Are a Lazy Ass

A/N- Important author's note at the end of the chapter. Please read and respond.

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I stared at the direction where he passes through. He was long gone now but I couldn't understand why he was here. I only saw him a handful of times when I was going out with Ryan but he wasn't any less terrifying. He would do anything to get what he wants, and nothing would stop him.

No wonder why he and Ryan were friends. They were both sociopaths.

I took a step to follow him when I stopped myself. I just wanted one day without drama. This could wait until tomorrow. Today I wanted to have fun.

Forgetting about what I was going to do before this, I returned to Thomas at the same spot where I left him before.

"Ready?" I asked once I had arrived.

"Yeah, let's go." He looked a little bit distraught but he soon covered it up and showed a small smile. I took one last hesitant glance at the direction where I last was but quickly turned around.

Maybe it wasn't him. Don't ruin your own happiness, Zoe.

It was very crowded since various families were taking pictures with their children or friends congratulating each other. It took a while to get past them but once we did, I breathed at the open space.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you wear flats."

I looked down at my dirty old flats from 9th grade. I never really liked the style of shoe but they were simple and could be worn when you run out of socks.

"And this will probably be the last time too."

He laughed, "Fair enough."

It was then that I realized that the park was several miles away and I didn't have a car.

"How are we going to get there?"

"I was thinking we could run there."

I let out a chuckle at that. There was no way I'm going to run two miles. I mean, I could, I just don't want too. When he just stared at me, I realized he was serious.

"Wait, you actually want to do this?"

"Yeah, it's really therapeutic. And it might be fun."

"Are you running from someone?"

He thought about it for a moment before replying, "I think at some point, we all run from something. So maybe, yeah, I'm running from someone."

I playfully rolled my eyes at his response, and then shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay. I'll race you. I bet I can get there before you can."

"You're on."

And so we got into our running positions and started to count until three before we each took off. We both laughed at each other and a smile crept on my face. He was right. Running really was therapeutic. Everyone's running from something, but there's no use escaping it.

It will always come back to you.

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In thirty minutes, I stood proudly in the middle of our spot. I left Thomas a few blocks back when he started to slow down. Sweat outlined my body but I didn't care. It wasn't like I was going to use this graduation gown again.

A few minutes later, Thomas arrived, breathing heavily before collapsing on the ground. He turned around so he was laying on the grass.

"I regret this so much." He said before he continued to breathe heavily.

My breathing evened out a couple of minutes ago so I was able to talk clearly.

"Really? Because I rather liked this running exercise. I think we should do this every day."

"No way in hell. You win. How did you run that fast anyway?"

"It's a survival instinct," I said without thinking. "Like you said, everyone has something to run from. I just channeled mine and ran away."

I know my answer was vague but I didn't add on. If you have enough determination, you could run from anything. Thomas didn't say anything and instead just continued to look at the sky. I sat down next to him and watched as he thought about my response.

"I understand. I just can't believe I got beat by you."

"I think the difference between us is that I actually like to exercise once in awhile. You're just a lazy ass."

"True." He simply agreed. I laughed at his immediate agreement and laid down. It was quiet but it wasn't awkward. It was peaceful. Sometimes the best moments don't have to be filled with noise. They just have to be with your person.

"Your sister misses you." I blurted out.

"What do you mean?" He turned his head to me, confused by his statement.

"Paige came to me a couple of days ago. She thinks you're acting weird. You never talk to her anymore." I didn't want to get involved in their business but I thought I owed it to Paige to say that. She was just a lonely sister.

"She said that?"

"Yeah, in those words more or less."

"I never knew she felt that way. I've just been so busy. With exams and now college looming around the corner. I didn't have the time. She and my mother are all I have left."

I completely understood now he felt. I still haven't talked to Stephanie about that letter. I've been so busy with everything that I never got around to it. My heart broke at that sentence.

I never got around to supporting my sister.

"You should call her. I think she would really appreciate it. If you don't do it now, then you won't know when you'll get the chance. Life gets in the way, but we can't let that deter us from what we need to do."

He sat up and looked at me. His hand subconsciously went to his back pocket where his phone was. He was about to take it out when he stopped.

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"No, there's something I need to do anyway so take as much time as you need."

With that, he took out his phone and started to dial his sister. He stood up and went to the other corner so he would have a little more privacy. I looked at him for a moment before I took out my own phone. I wasn't going to call anyone but I opened my notes app.

Thinking about what I wanted to say, I wrote down everything I felt on that phone. It wasn't perfect and it definitely wasn't finished, but it was the first draft of the letter that I would send to Stephanie.

I might not be good at saying things into words, but I definitely was better at saying it on paper.

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A/N- I know this chapter was a little mellow and not a lot happened. I just needed to tie up some loose ends since the book will end soon. I also wanted Zoe to have just one happy day so please don't kill me since I didn't add too much drama. She doesn't need unnecessary problems. Anyway please vote and comment if you liked the chapter. It really means a lot to me.

I don't know if this is possible but I really want to finish this book by the end of December. It won't be possible if I only update once a week so I was thinking of updating every two or three days. That way I actually might have a chance of finishing on time. I want to ask you guys first because it is a lot of updates. I didn't want to bombard you with notifications. It's your choice. If I don't get any responses, I'll take it as you don't mind and update every two days.

Love you all and see you next chapter.