Limelight

Izabelle, Zeke and Hazen: Pep Rally

(Two weeks after posting a bunch of Zephzo/BFZ one-shots, Ly's finally back with some other BGZ~! I'll be introducing some new zombies in the next couple Limelights cuz they'll be mentioned in Tattooed Mistakes (and if you like the BG zombies, especially Zephyr and Alonzo, you'll want to read it! Just be warned the first chapter has some quite gory stuff going down)

Remember the first one-shot I did of Izabelle and Hazen was rewritten! I changed them to being friends cuz I had some problems with shipping them but now we can get into that friendship a bit~)
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The second day at Seabrook High School and Hazen had seriously hoped he was going to get the chance to warm up to humans a bit. But no, they'd been confined to the basement and the only humans he had gotten anywhere near to so far were Principal Lee and the cheerleader who had come to talk to Zed earlier that morning. Just his luck. Part of him was still relieved, though. He had no idea what kind of humans he might have bumped into had they been allowed upstairs.

"Haze?" he lifted his head at the sound of Zeke's voice as he sat down beside him, "What's up?"

"Nothing, just thinking."

"Stressing, more like. I know you. Something's up. Spill."

Hazen gave in, "I kinda wanted to, y'know, interact with humans here."

"But that's, like, your biggest fear. I woulda thought you'd be glad you didn't have to go anywhere near them. Why do you want to?"

"Because! If we're really gonna get anywhere with this integration, I have to learn to relax around them. I can't do that if I'm never actually around them!"

Izabelle, having overheard them talking, came to sit on the desk in front of Hazen and put her feet up on the chair. Riza and Zadie trailed along behind her.

"Why not come to the pep rally?" Izabelle suggested and Zeke snorted.

"You're going to the pep rally?"

Izabelle easily shrugged it off, "Bonzo's going, I gotta keep an eye on him."

"Zed and Eliza can handle him," Zeke said, waving his hand dismissively. Izabelle glared at him.

"Don't you dare try to tell me I don't need to protect my baby cousin in a gym full of draks."

"Whatever. But I am not going to a pep rally."

"You don't have to," Izabelle rolled her eyes, "I can watch both Bonzo and Hazen."

Hazen frowned, "You make it sound like you're babysitting me...", and Izabelle patted his head.

"Hush, gralzig, the grownups are talking."

Zeke huffed at 'gralzig' – literally 'tiny thing'. A pretty tame, usually affectionate insult along the lines of 'shrimp' and 'half-pint'. Which Izabelle really didn't have the right to call Hazen.

"You don't need to be so condescending, Izabelle."

"It's a joke, Zeke. Z's sake, learn to take a joke!"

"It's not a joke if he doesn't find it funny."

She looked at him for a second then turned to Hazen, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head back.

"I-I guess...?" he stammered.

"Don't let her pressure you, Haze," Zeke groaned, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Izabelle threw up her arms, "I'm joking!"

"Learn to make a joke!"

"What is the big deal?"