Thirty-two

I returned to Zhan's room and studied the place. He had a large dresser in front of his bed with a mirror just above it. I couldn't see my reflection clearly since the room was pretty dim. I did notice his trophies and figures sitting on top of the dresser though. As I was admiring them I felt a pair of hands slide over my shoulders, making me jump.

"I see you've taken a liking to my collection." He chuckled, stepping back from me.

"Uh yeah, it's impressive." I compliment, looking back at it.

"Me and my team grabbed a few wins during the last football season. I hope to win the next one. That's in just about a month or so." He explained then spoke to himself quietly.

"I hope you come." He said suddenly, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, hopefully I can make it." I rubbed my arm shyly.

"You better make it." He said in a deep stern voice, standing from the bed while slowly approaching me. My nerves jumped and I was suddenly on edge for what he might do. I eyed him worriedly as he closed the distance between us. We were now only inches apart. All of a sudden I felt fingers glide over my side, tickling me. Zhan captured me and kept his grip as he drained the soul from my body.

I felt myself gasping for air through my constant giggles. I tried escaping his grip and fell backward onto his bed. He quickly crawled on top of me, pinning me under him. I bet I looked so helpless squirming under his giant body. Thankfully he didn't continue tickling me much longer. I threw my arms back onto his bed, trying to catch my breath with my subsiding laughter.

I shut my eyes, trying to relax and to my surprise felt hands slide into mine immediately making them shoot back open. Zhan was towering above me and still had me pinned under him. He pressed my hands against the bed, leaving me completely vulnerable. My mind was in shambles. I half expected him to kiss me, which would have marked several things off my bucket list. Instead, he just laid on top of me, dropping all of his weight onto my small body. To be honest, he didn't feel that heavy, I could bear it, that might have been because of the comforter below us though, it was probably absorbing most of his weight. My body flushed a red color as I was flustered. This felt so good, his warmth was like sitting next to a heater, but the feeling was much more intimate. After giggling a bit I wrapped my small arms around his muscular back. I didn't think I dared to do it but it just came naturally and it felt perfect, neither of us were weirded out by the actions of the other which was a good sign. His head was perfectly sitting at the crook of my neck. His hair smelt of raspberries and the midnight air, it was blissful. He moved his head a little, making me release an unexpected whimper. I hope he didn't notice, that would be pretty embarrassing. This is the closest I've ever been with a guy, and probably anyone at all. Even though I figured he was just messing around I could still feel my heart about to burst through my ribcage. I was comfortable enough to lay in this position forever, so much so that I fell asleep.

I woke up next to a warm body lying beside me. I adjusted my position to see who it was and when I saw Zhan everything that happened earlier came rushing back to me. I immediately turned a bright shade of red.

"You're awake I see." He smiled, turning his gaze away from his phone. The room was even darker than before making the light from his phone seem that much brighter.

"Uh." I begin, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. "Yeah. I'm sorry for crashing here, I didn't mean to fall asleep." I apologized. studying his handsome face.

He chortled "Don't worry. It was comfortable for me." He admitted, adding another layer to my blush.

"You're welcome to come over and nap anytime." He chuckled. I just smiled.

"Crap what time is it?" I ask, sounding desperate and worried.

"Uhh." He said looking for it on his phone.

"It's seven 'five." He announced, looking at me curiously.

"Crap, I have to get home." I panicked shuffling off of his bed.

"Hey wait, slow down, I'll take you." He insisted, getting off the bed behind me.

He guided me out of the house and to his car. All the streetlights were lit up at this point, confirming the time. I decided to ask him some questions, trying to break the silence of the car ride home.

"What's up with your brother?" I asked, locking my gaze onto his face which was focused on the road.

"Why did he say something to you?" He returned a question.

"We had a little conversation while you were in the shower." I informed him.

"Ah I see. Well, my brother and I don't get along very well. That's not my fault though. He seems like a cool guy, but he doesn't let anyone get close to him, especially me. Every time I try to talk with him he's either ignoring me or yelling at me." He explained in distress. "I don't know what I did to him to deserve this kind of treatment." He muttered, but audible enough to catch it.

"Oh, okay..." I trailed off onto my thoughts.

"Why wasn't he invited to dinner tonight?" I question once again breaking the silence.

"He probably didn't want to eat with us." Zhan spoke, sounding unsure of his answer.

"He told me he wasn't invited and looked a little down." I told him. I hope I'm not getting too involved with their family affairs.

"Are you sure you were talking to my brother?" He asked in a joking manner, though he still seemed surprised.

He seemed to be doing some deep thinking before he spoke again. "My parents have way too much of their focus on me and probably forgot to ask if he wanted to eat with us maybe?" He still sounded unsure of his answer. I still accepted it though. I'd leave it alone for now

We reached the spot Zhan dropped me off at last time refreshing his memory of the directions. I was worried he'd chase me down like a ferocious dog to find out where I live, but he didn't.

"You have to invite me over sometime!" He yelled as I was walking down the street in the opposite direction of his car.

"We'll see." I yelled back putting on a fake smile. There was no way he could come over. It was better for both of us this way. We had already said our goodbyes so all that was left was to head home. As soon as Zhan was out of sight I bolted in the direction of my house, trying to make up for a lost time.

As I reach the door I'm praying that my father is nowhere to be found. I cracked the door open just like I had yesterday and tiptoed up to my room. Mission successful! I hadn't been spotted by the demon in this rundown excuse for a home. Ever since mom left the halls have been slowly growing with the stench of mold. Dad wasn't going to do anything about it since he spends half his day drunk and the other half at work. I know if I tried fixing it he would ram his fist through the wall, causing more damage.

I took a quick shower not wanting to be caught by dad. I fell onto my old rickety bed, the polar opposite of Zhan's. Just thinking about him made me comfortable. That was the best sleep I'd ever received. I really hope I get to go back to his house again, I had a lot of fun. I drifted off to sleep with the memory of Zhan laying on top of me. I still can't believe that happened! Look at me, I sound pathetic.

The next day when I got to school I was immediately greeted by a peppy Cindy. We stuck together throughout school like we were handcuffed fugitives. The only time we separated was when we headed off to our separate classes. I wish I could've spent time with Zhan today but I didn't want to offend Cindy. The only time I saw him was during lunch. He smiled at me and watched me the whole time. To say I was red was an understatement.

Nothing too interesting happened during school, though our biology teacher yelled at us cause Cindy was trying to whisper to me during class. She wasn't as quiet as she'd thought.

We hung out around the school after it ended. We did an assortment of things. We played soccer, or football, whichever. She stomped me, even though her build was noticeably smaller than mine she was much more active and flexible.

The next couple of weeks progresses like this. Me and Cindy became great friends, best friends even. She knew how to make me laugh and she was always so nice, well in her way at least. The only thing that got me down was the fact that I hardly got to spend time with Zhan. Every time he tried to hang out with me Cindy would state that she already had plans for us. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her that I'd prefer hanging out with Zhan. Even though I've almost dropped my wall completely I couldn't do whatever I felt, I still had that small urge holding me back.

Cindy was taking me out to town again today. She pressured me to tag along with her to the mall and arcade. I was really hoping that I'd get a chance to hang with Zhan today but it wasn't looking like an

option at this point. Cindy is always so hyperactive that it's hard to calm her down. She doesn't listen to anything she doesn't want to hear. That makes her seem like a brat but she really isn't, thats one of the things that make her...her!

I hopped into Cindy's car and turned on the radio before she got the chance. She glared playfully at me then admitted defeat. Soon enough we were on the road, heading into town. Cindy and I spent the whole drive there dancing to the loud music blaring from the radio. I was a tad bit worried she'd crash the car with all of that head banging of hers, but I was having too much fun myself to dwell on it

though.

We arrived at the mall first. She practically pulled me out of the car by my arm. She was so excited she didn't waste a second getting through the doors. She hauled me around like her very own shopping bag. The first thing she did was head to the clothes section. Man, they have some nice stuff here. There were so many things I wanted to try on, though I knew I didn't have the money for anything. I told this to Cindy after she forced me to try on an outfit. It honestly looked good on me and she thought so too, so she decided to buy it for me. Before I could even decline she was already at one of the many checkout tables. I really felt bad about having her pay for it so I told her I was going to pay her back no matter what. I'd really have to accept that job offer now. I hope it's still up for grabs.

We both started getting hungry around the same time since we hadn't eaten much today so we decided to head off to the food court. She got a burger with a small orange latte and I got a donut with a fizzy cherry soda. Not the best selection but it's certainly better than going hungry. She kept on cracking jokes the whole time, trying to get me to choke on my food.. and I must say, it was working.

Our final stop at the mall was a small game shop located in the corner of the building. Despite the shop's size, it had a massive library of games. She took her sweet time searching through all of them while I studied the several hundred cases on the shelves. I didn't know anything about these, but they do look interesting. She grabbed a few and took them over to the overly bored store clerk. I gaped at Cindy when I saw how much she was spending. I found it mind-boggling how some people could spend over a hundred dollars on video games. I mean the ones at the arcade were pretty fun but I don't feel they were worth that much.

After our little shopping adventure we went to the arcade. This time was just as much fun as the last. We were both yelling and laughing like lunatics. When I would come close to beating her she'd make sure to sabotage me, I didn't care much since it made for a good laugh. We were so loud that we got noise complaints in a freaking arcade. I was afraid of just how loud we were being. I'd never had this much fun, other than the time I and Zhan hung out back at our cabin during the trip. I was grateful to both Zhan and Cindy as they helped me emerge from my cocoon, and they helped me get back on my feet after being depressed for so long. I wish I could make it up to them, but I don't know any ways to do so.

We finished with the arcade and headed out for a little snack, since all of that activity worked up an appetite. This time I made sure I was buying. If I did get that job I'd be able to make up for my spending in no time. This time I got us some snow cones. I honestly don't remember when the last time I had a snow cone was. It was the same for Cindy. Both of us let out a little moan as the fruity flavors engulfed our taste buds. We sat on some railing next to the street and ate our snow cones as we watched cars pass.

"Hey." Cindy suddenly spoke, making me turn my head to her with a questioning look. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure." I hesitated. "What is it?"

"Well, I've seen the way you look at Zhan, so I assume you like him right?" She said bluntly. Before I could deny it she spoke, already confirming she knows. "I don't have a problem with it, I think you two would make a cute couple."

"Really?" I responded with my face going full red.

"Really. I can even help you become his boyfriend." She proposed, looking a little hopeful.

"He's not... g-gay though, right?" I state and question at the same time.

"You'll never know 'til ya try right?" She smirked, raising a brow.

"I... I don't know." I sighed. I don't have a good feeling about this. I could just end up embarrassing myself.

"Oh c'mon, it'll be fine!" She pressed. rolling her eyes in frustration. I knew there was no way I could decline, trust me I know how stubborn Cindy can be.

"Phase one begins tomorrow." She announced, making me gawk at her.

"You're not serious are you?!" I yelled, horrified she'd say yes.

"Yes." I felt myself die a little inside.

"You don't even have a plan do you?" I asked, raising my voice.

"I do, but I'm not going to reveal it all at once." She teased, finishing off her snow cone.

"Then how can I trust you?" I asked worriedly.

"C'mon, I know what I'm doing. I'm a dating expert." She shrugged and tossed her empty cone into a nearby trash bin. I sighed once again, lowering my head.

"Alright, do your thing, BUT you better not make me regret this." I said, pointing my finger directly at her. She hopped and squealed a quiet "Yay".