Az's eyes narrowed.

He then sighed before walked past Holly.

“I’ll have to talk to her about all this.” Az said.

“Tsk! Of course. At least don’t tell her that I called her bitch, ok?” Holly asked as she walked up to Az.

The two approached the main school building and Az noticed the looks people were giving him almost instantly.

“Ah… lo and behold the fruits of our friendship with she who shan’t be named.” Holly said with a smirk.

Az noticed that Holly was also receiving strange looks, but he shrugged his worries away before entering the building.

He then entered his class and just like before, everyone stared at him intently as he walked to his seat.

“Az!” Ryan cried as he dashed to Az’s side.

“Hey.”

“Holy shit, man. I didn’t expect you to recover so quickly.” Ryan said as he looked Az over.

“Maybe I have a ton of good luck.” Az said with a weak smile.

Ryan nodded before sighing.

“Maybe.” He said before walking to his seat as the teacher entered the class.

.

..

Lunch break quickly arrived and Az noticed saw something rather curious.

He saw Holly leave the classroom, but Ryan left just after, almost as though he was following her.

Az bit his teeth as he urged himself not to move, but before he knew it, he was following Holly and Ryan as the climbed the central staircase.

He quietly tailed them and watched them enter the school’s rooftop section.

Az hid behind the half open door and watched as Holly spread her arms in a carefree manner.

“So… do you cash today?” Ryan asked.

“No.”

“So why are we up here?”

“Come on, Ryan. I said I’ll pay you when I can.”

“I know, but that’s not how this works. Good will can only go so far. Either you fork up all that you owe me, or I cut you off-“

“What if I tell Zoey?” Holly asked with crossed hands.

“Ha! Hahaha! Is that what you’re planning on doing? Go ahead. My brothers will be sad for a bit, but that’ll mean he’ll have one less mouths to feed.” Ryan said with a bright smile.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Me? Absolutely nothing. I’m not the repressed little girl who wants an escape from whatever the fuck you’re running from. However, I am a businessman at heart. If you clear your debt to me, we can do business as usual.” Ryan said as he adjusted his tie.

Az then heard footsteps and so he quickly snuck down the stairway only to bump into Zoey.

“Hey Az. It’s nice to see that you’re active again. Oh, have you seen Holly?” Zoey asked.

“Yeah, but she seems… different. Is everything ok with her?” Az asked as his heart frantically thumped in his chest.

“I wouldn’t know. She won’t talk to me.” Zoey said as she rubbed her arm.

“Mmm… she said-“

The school bell rang, cutting Az off.

“What did she say?” Zoey asked.

“I’ll tell you later.” Az said.

Zoey nodded before the two made their way towards their respective classes.

Az watched as Ryan and Holly entered the class. They took their seats without a work as the teacher entered the room.

Az sighed before focusing on his school work.

.

..

The school day quickly ended and Az packed his things before leaving the class.

He then heard the sounds of footsteps behind him, followed by another set.

Az turned to find Holly and Zoey staring at each other.

“Hi.” Zoey greeted, but Holly simply crossed her arms as people passed them on their way out of school.

“Well-“

“Come on, Az. Let’s go home.” Holly said before grabbing Az’s hand.

Zoey grabbed Az’s arm and followed him out.

“What are you doing?” Holly asked.

“Oh, didn’t Az tell you? I’m visiting his place today.” Zoey said with a smile.

“Oh? It’s nice to see Az finally getting along with someone. Just don’t forget our promise, ok?” Holly asked, but all Az could do was stare at the two as the glared at each other.

“So… neither of you are gonna actually talk to each other?” Az asked.

“What’s there to say?” Holly asked and Az could’ve sworn he saw Zoey visibly shrink.

“Zoey.” Az droned.

“Holly… what’s going on?”

“Mmm? Well, you and I are holding onto the same boy. This is gonna be scandalous, ya’ know?” Holly said with a weak smile.

“Holly.” Zoey said.

Holly stopped walking.

She looked up for a moment and sighed before looking at Zoey.

“We’re not friends. We never were and I guess I’m tired of pretending.”

Zoey’s eyes widened.

She slowly let go of Az.

“What-“

“Come on. Think about it. Remember my first day of school? You came up to me and did exactly what we’ve been doing to Az. You asked if I wanted to be friends and what was a shy girl like me supposed to say? No? I’d heard the rumours. Lucas, the disappearances, everything. 9 chose to play along because I didn’t think I had any other choice. I was afraid… until now.” Holly said as tears welled up in Zoey’s eyes.

“W-“

Holly let go of Az before walking ahead of him and Zoey.

“Whew! Cat’s finally out of the bag. What will you do now? Whatever you choose, just leave my dad out of it. He’s….he’s q good man.” Holly said before walking towards the train station.

Az looked at Zoey to find that she had a despondent expression.

“Hey-“

“Can I come to your place?” Zoey asked.

“Sure, but what about Lucas?” Az asked.

“I’ll text him.” Zoey said.

Az nodded as the two entered the train station.

The sun slowly sank into the horizon and deep shadows were cast across Acan.

One of those shadows belonged to Holly, who entered the train just as it arrived.

Az and Zoey also entered the train, albeit in a different compartment.

The train sped towards station G02 and Az watched as Holly disembarked.

The train then made its way to station G01 where Az and Zoey silently disembarked.

Az then led Zoey out of the station and the two made their way towards Az’s house.

The two eventually reached Az’s house they entered to find a certain pair sitting by the kitchen table.

“Hey, Az- oh my. Who’s this?”

“Hey, mom. This is Zoey.” Az said.

“Hello, Zoey. I’m Gloria, Azizi’s mother.” Gloria said as she offered Zoey her hand.

Zoey looked at Az, who simply nodded.

“H- hello. I’m Az’s friend.” Zoey said softly before shaking Gloria’s hand.

“Now, I’m sure you two would rather hang out than talk to some old later. Go on.” Gloria said with a warm smile.

Az led Zoey to his room where he gestured that she sit on a chair near his bed.

Zoey sat on Az’s bed before deeply sighing.

Az sat opposite her on the chair as he crossed his arms.

“Am I that unlikable that absolutely no one would want to be friends with me?” Zoey asked with a trembling voice.

“I don’t think so. From what I’ve seen, you try really hard. Although you setting me up with Jade felt a little… forced.” Az said.

He then watched as Zoey’s face lit up. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

“What did you do?”

“What- nothing! Much…” Zoey said as she fiddled with her fingers.

Az uncrossed his arms and leaned forward.

“Zoey-“

“Fine, I’ll come clean. I had Jade take pictures of you while you slept and I planned on using them to blackmail you if you rejected me.” Zoey said with closed eyes.

“What?”

Silence befell the room.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” Az asked.

Zoey opened her eyes and locked gazes with Zoey.

He then let out a faint sigh.

“Is there anything else?” Az asked.

“No.”

“Do you still have the pictures?”

“Yes.”

“Delete them-“

“But you look so cute when you’re sleeping.” Zoey said as she pulled out her phone.

She then showed Az the photos and almost immediately, his face twisted.

“Delete them.” He hissed.

“Ok.” Zoey said as she deleted them.

Az then sighed before looking up.

“What’s wrong?” Zoey asked.

“I want to know what your plans are. You hopes. Your goals. Your dreams. You see, I have a set plan for my life. Thanks to my parents I know exactly what I want to do and who I want to be. What about you, Zoey?” Az asked.

“Whoa… why did you get so serious all of a sudden?” Zoey asked with an awkward smile, but Az didn’t react.

“I don’t know, ok! I’ve never had to think about such deep things. I was thinking about getting a job or something after I graduate, but other than that, I don’t know.” Zoey said with a lowered head.

“Then I have a proposal.” Az said as he stood up.

“Why don’t we work together to ensure a bright future for ourselves. I’ll keep you company while you figure out what you wanna do.” Az said as he offered Zoey his hand.

Zoey’s eyes trembled as she stood to face Az.

“You- you won’t hurt me?”

“No.”

“You won’t lie to me?”

“Not if you don’t.”

“You’ll always be there when I need you?”

“Yes, but only if-“

Zoey gently wrapped her arms around Az.

“Don’t worry. I’ve be here too.” Zoey said.

Az slowly hugged Zoey back and gently rubbed her head.

“I’ve made up my mind.” Zoey said.

“Oh?”

“I’ll do whatever you wanna do.”

“I want to become an engineer-“

“Never mind.”