Zoey 101: You Must Of Had A Broken Heart ☑

Chapter 59

My hands shook as I placed my thumb and finger under the ridge of the wooden frame along the cold pane of glass. I held my breath, giving it a forceful, but restrained, push. The frame gave way slightly, and the first gust of cool spring air blew against my legs. I stopped to listen, with my pulse beating in my ears. I could faintly hear the voices from the TV continuing to play in the background but couldn’t sense any movement.

I held my breath again and pushed the window up further. I continued inching it up until it was completely open. With my heartbeat in my throat, I slid a leg out the window and laid my chest forward to slide my other leg through. I held on to the wooden frame to drop to the ground. I nearly yelled out when I felt the hands around my waist.

“Shhh,” he whispered in my ear, lowering me to the ground. I leaned my back against the house, afraid I was going to collapse from heart failure. I stared up at Chase with huge eyes, my hands covering my frantic heart.

“Sorry,” he whispered. I covered his mouth, silently begging him not to make any noise.

I searched around for the milk crate. It was difficult to find in the small dark path between the house and the fence, but I finally located the square shape along the fence and placed it under the window. Chase realized what I was doing and touched my arm to indicate that he’d do it. He stood on the crate to lower the window. I pressed my lips together, barely breathing as I watched him ease it into place.

He grabbed my hand after he stepped down, and we slowly made our way along the side of the house until we reached the corner. I heard the television through the closed window above our heads and stiffened. Chase nodded his head, encouraging me to follow him. I hugged the front of the house, under the large glowing glass that peered into the living room. I knew how close they were and held my breath.

Just then, a flood light lit up across the street, exposing us in the shadows of the house. Chase grabbed my arm and pulled me against him in the dark corner that connected with the wall of the front foyer. I heard his quickened breath, or maybe it was mine. I bit my lip, inhaling quickly when Abby peeked through the curtain to investigate. She let the curtain fall, uninterested when she saw the neighbor getting into his car.

Chase released me when the car drove down the street, out of sight. I let out a small burst of air. He smiled. I widened my eyes, shocked by his reaction. He pushed his lips together to keep from laughing. I hit his arm in frustration.

Chase grabbed my hand again and rushed across the front yard. We jogged past a few houses before slowing to a walk. I jumped when I heard his voice.

“You thought we were going to get caught, didn’t you?”

“No,” I snapped. “But I can’t believe you thought that was funny.”

“I wouldn’t say it was funny,” he stated. “Well… maybe it was. I’ve never had to sneak out before so I did find it… entertaining.”

I was still trying to convince myself that I’d made it out safely. I wasn’t as amused. Chase put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me toward him. I looked up at his calm grinning face and my anxiety melted away. I released a small smile and leaned my head onto his shoulder.

“It’s been too long since you’ve been exposed to something new,” Chase noted, sitting across from me on the top of the twisted climbing structure in the park.

“This was something new. I’ve never snuck out before. I guess your bad influence over me hasn’t changed.”

The whites of Chase’s teeth reflected in the subtle light.

“I still can’t believe you snuck out of your house,” he said with a chuckle.

“What other choice did I have?” I defended, still not as amused as Chase.