Because of that Night (Book1)

chapter 12: Zooey

Zooey had gotten back late the night her and Hunter had met up for drinks, so she wasn't surprised to find that the entire house was already in bed. Her mother had been sure to text her that night and remind her once again that she and Marc had to talk to her and Callie, but Zooey couldn't imagine about what.

She didn't have to wait very long to find out.

"People Magazine!" Zooey's mother, Bethany had said the next morning as Zooey waited for her batch of coffee to brew. Her mother motioned with her hands as though she was writing the words into existence out of thin air. "Can you even believe it? Us! In People. Magazine."

Zooey and Callie exchanged a look with each other. Though the idea of it actually sounded pretty cool, Zooey couldn't help but feel a bit unconvinced. It all felt far too much like an act. The reason they had said that the magazine wanted to do a spread on Zooey's family and Marc was to showcase his "happiness found after heartbreak." They wished to hear from the entire family on how much joy Marc and Bethany's engagement had brought to them and to feature their house in the home section of the magazine. But despite having been there for about two weeks' time now, Zooey still felt no sense of home within the walls of the house that seemed far too large for the four of them. Though the old apartment complex on the Cooper's street held bad memories, there were at least some form of memories there. These walls held no stories, no shared experiences, and certainly no sense of one big, new, happy family.

"They want to have the spread ready for next month's issue," her mother chirped, lightly bouncing in excitement.

Zooey couldn't form any words. She did not want to be featured in this article. This was the longest she had been in the same place as her family and Marc Branson since he had originally come into their lives. What could she possibly say in this interview that wouldn't be a huge pile of steaming bullshit? Callie seemed to interpret Zooey's lack of communication correctly because she quickly stepped in as clearly their mother had determined that this news should merit some form of a response from them.

"That is really cool, you guys," she smiled, going over to the coffee pot that Zooey had been staring at for the last few minutes. "When do they want to do the shoot?"

"Tomorrow!" Marc and Bethany announced in unison.

At this, Zooey knocked out of her thoughts immediately.

"I have work tomorrow," Zooey answered shortly.

"Yeah," Callie piped in now, her cheery demeanor towards it all suddenly matching Zooey's reluctance. "And I have school."

Their mother's eyes faltered for a moment and looked to Marc, but just as quickly, she was back and making suggestions.

"We'll call you out tomorrow, Callie. It'll be a nice extended weekend for you. And Zooey, maybe you can make some calls to your co-workers to see if someone can take your shift for you?"

It didn't seem like this was going to be something that Zooey or Callie could try to snake their way out of even if they wanted to. Both girls didn't have much response to their mother's fixes, and they all stood there awkwardly quiet for a moment. Oh yes, this article would definitely be able to showcase how bright, cheery, and close these four individuals were. Her mother came over to them both, squeezing their arms as she widened her eyes in excitement.

"Ladies," she cried out, gently shaking the two them. "I'm giving you a free out from your regular responsibilities! We're going to have fun!"

"This is not going to be fun," Zooey announced. Callie had followed her back into her room once they were able to pull away from their mother and Marc.