Because of that Night (Book1)

chapter 14: Zooey

After the events of the first party of the school year, Zooey had made the executive decision that it was best to take a break for a while. She loved to be social and talk with people she hadn't met before but being in the same place as people she knew were so adamantly against her existence won out over wanting to have fun. She knew that she should hold her head high and power through, but some things are just easier said than done.

Lila and Michael grew into their relationship quickly, and when Lila called her the night of their first kiss, Zooey could not have been more overjoyed. But a bigger part of her than she wanted to admit – that ugly part she did her best to hide away when she had first met Lila – was horrifically jealous. Lila's first kiss had been what people dreamed of, while Zooey's had started out that way and quickly had become a nightmare. She hated to admit that she felt lonely, and little by little, her crush on Hunter began to feel like the only thing she could think about. It enveloped her thoughts; the what ifs, the fake scenarios, the contemplations of whether or not she should just go for it and see what could happen.

She stayed in this state through Thanksgiving and Christmas. As the holidays happened around her, it almost didn't matter that her parents seemed to fight the entire time. Zooey was smitten, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. One evening before New Year's, the guys, Zooey, and Lila went out for food once Seth and Zooey had finished their shift at Chester's. Though Zooey loved the on season for soccer, she enjoyed this new job she had taken up with Seth on her off seasons. It was nice to feel like she had responsibilities and even nicer to be getting a paycheck. Not only that, but it made her and Seth's friendship blossom. She had been surprised when he had stuck by her side through everything that had happened that past summer, especially since he was on the soccer team with Caleb. Seth was surprisingly loyal, and they had a blast together working side by side. They held so many inside jokes with each other from their experiences there, and it was nice to feel like she had a sort of hidden language with a boy, even if it was just with Seth. It counted for something.

There weren't many places high schoolers could go to hang out with friends in town, so the local Dairy Queen was constantly active with kids from school ordering sodas and hanging out in the booths. Zooey knew the workers must have hated it, but it was all they had, and she knew the workers understood that added fact, too.

Michael lightly kissed Lila on her neck a few times across the booth, and she began to giggle, her neck crinkling to the side as she playfully told Michael to stop because it tickled. He snuggled in closer to her and smiled, putting one final kiss on Lila's cheek. Zooey smiled at the two of them, but that familiar pain in Zooey's heart persisted. Lila, despite it being her first boyfriend, was actually pretty good at budgeting her time. She still hung out with Zooey on multiple occasions whether it be studying, going to the mall, or practicing penalty shots at the nearby soccer field. She made a conscious effort to make sure Zooey knew she was always there. It didn't matter though, and they both knew this. You could be the best multi-tasker and manage your time better than anyone, but things would be different no matter what. Lila had Michael, and that was significant. Zooey sometimes couldn't help but feel as though she was back to square one again.

She was suddenly knocked out of her trance by Hunter who had nudged her gently on the arm. They were crammed into a rather small table near the back of the restaurant; Lila and Michael on one side, Zooey and Hunter on the other, with Seth on the end. She came to attention again, pulling her eyes away from the salt and pepper shakers at the end of the table where she sat.

"What?" she asked, and Seth snickered.

"I was talking about the New Year's Eve party Jeremy's throwing and that we should go."