somewhere in there / jonathan crane

17. class dismissed

warning: i've never put a warning before starting a chapter but from now on, i'm warning you about the language and triggers and all the sexual stuff. just a quick heads up. love love love and enjoy!

"I know!"

"I'm sorry, what?" Zoe didn't realize she was standing up, face to face with her best friend.

"Zoe, please, do not act dumb with me, I know you're fucking Crane!"

Zoe gasped, putting her hands on her forehead. "First of all, be quiet, second of all I am not fucking Crane!" She pointed a finger at her best friend.

Jennifer laughed, taking a few steps towards Zoe, who stood there completely nonchalantly and stared into Jennifer's eyes like she didn't have a care in the world. "But I know it for a fact. I know you were in his apartment. Lucas told me."

Lucas.

Fucking Lucas.

"Oh, right. Lucas." Zoe nodded. Licking her lips and giving Jennifer a smile, she said: "That was for a project, you see, I didn't even go in. I promise you!" This time she took a step closer to her and grabbed her arm. "I just handed it to him because he told me to. He's really weird and he keeps begging me and begging me to be his intern even though others are and I just can't keep him off my back." She explained. "He was really busy that day, I just," Sigh. "knocked on the door, greeted him, and handed him the paper. He flicked through the pages and waved me off. Literally, that's what happened."

Jennifer went quiet for a moment.

"I really want to believe you, Zoe. But you are aware of how suspicious this situation is, right?"

"I am, yes, but you have to know that I'm your best friend and I'll tell you if anything happens, okay? You must believe me." Zoe said in a calming tone, way too convincing for Jennifer's taste. It was an unwritten rule to trust your best friend with every single part of your body; and that's what she did. A part of everyone is always convincing them that the other person is telling lies, but what good can confront do?

The argument Jennifer hoped to have with Zoe went nowhere. She'd already given up and nodded. "Okay, Zoe. You can come to me for anything, you know that."

"We've been friends practically since birth, I'm not lying to you."

For now, Jennifer had decided to trust her. It hurt. It hurt real bad. She wasn't aware of what she was doing, she wasn't aware of the consequences. Or maybe she was, she just didn't want to let it sink in. There was going to be a breaking point, but not now. It wasn't the time yet. All she had to do was enjoy what she had with the man she desired and let go. No one was bound to know, but Jennifer was. Hiding the truth from her was the most challenging thing Zoe's ever done. Everything was pointless, other people were not important. Still, it wasn't the time yet.

Zoe sat there while her friend mumbled nothings. It felt like the sound of her voice was being dodged by her ears, dodged by the thought of him.

His eyes become a lighter shade of blue when he's exposed to the sun. He hates the sun. She'd touched his skin, it was paler from up close. His hands were veiny and they were big, bigger than hers and they held her like glass. Not that he cared if the glass broke.

The moon was up and it reminded her of the night she woke up out of nowhere, only to find him standing on the balcony. She'd be lying if she said that wasn't the way she wanted to wake up for the rest of her dull life.

"and then I said - Zoe are you even listening to me?"

"Michael went shopping with Lucas and then they went to McDonald's which is your favorite place for dinner and then you said, sorry asked 'Zoe are you even listening to me?' to which I'm about to reply - yes. Now continue please."