Zoe And The Beast

Chapter 14 | The Date | Part 1

I stared at the mirror in front of me, questioning myself rapidly.

Was I doing the right thing? Zach told me, repeatedly, not to hang out with Vince. He was putting his entire trust in me, hoping that I would be telling him the truth when I said I wasn't talking to him.

Yet I was lying. The worst part? He knew I was lying.

I knew Zach. I knew that there was a limit to how far he would let me lie. There would be a point where he would crack a vein and stop giving me leeway.

But until then, I couldn't help myself. I was going to be with Vince.

He was called the Beast for a reason. Every time I was around him, I wanted to stay around him. I wanted to know what he would say to me next, how he would compliment me, how he would kiss me. There was something about him that just kept me going back to him, no matter how hard I tried.

There was something about the Beast that made me want to turn my back against my own brother and be with him.

Maybe that was it. Maybe it was simply that I was tired of being that good little sister. No, I didn't get straight A's like Zach would want me to get, but I still got decent grades. I still went to school, everyday, did my homework, came home by dinnertime -- my unspoken curfew -- and went to bed. I was doing a school sport, swimming, and I was involved in a few clubs. I hung out with good people: people that had a positive influence on me. Jared was similar to me; we both got decent grades, we were both swimmers, and we both were relatively quiet. Jared was a pro video creator -- everyone at school knew he was going to be a big shot in the film production world after high school. Savannah was a genius. Not a lot of people believed it, but she had fantastic grades, was in the top 2 percent of our school, and was taking rigorous courses. She was outspoken, but also ridiculously smart. She was going to be a businesswoman. She knew it, she planned for it, and she was going to make it.

That's where I came in. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I got out of high school, but it wasn't like there was a dead end for me. I always stayed on the good side of the spectrum. I never did drugs. I never smoked. I never drank. I never truly did anything a sixteen your old would consider bad.

I was with good people all the time. Vince made me feel bad. He made me feel like I was doing something secretive, something special. Something that was against what Zach had planned for me.

Vince made me feel like a rebel.

And I liked that. I really liked that. To add on, Vince made me feel like I was the only girl in the world, which made it even better. He made me feel special. I wanted to be with someone like that. Who made me feel like that.

"Screw Zach," I mumbled under my breath, standing up to give myself a one-over. "I'm going to do what I want, for a change."

I was going on a date with Vince today, and I decided to look good. I wore my only good sandals and a casual romper.

The doorbell rang.

And, as always, the Beast had the perfect timing.

Grabbing my bag, I pursed my lips in excitement, ecstatic about where I was taking Vince. He told me I could choose where to have the date today. While Zach was out to his classes, I would be able to go out on a date with Vince and just barely make it back home without him finding out.

Yes, what a rebel I was. Guilt was eating me, in and out, but I was pushing it down. Repression was very useful.

Quickly running to stand behind the front door, I took a deep breath, hitched my bag onto my shoulder, and put on a smile on my face before I opened the door.