CHAPTER 4 / Zoe's POV
First period had been the longest hour of Zoe's young life. She was pretty sure she didn't hear a word that the new art teacher had said. She wasn't even 100% sure that when her name was called, she said present. If so, it wouldn't have been totally inaccurate. Though Zoe Rivas was physically there, in her mind, she was a million miles away.
She'd planned out the conversation perfectly. She knew exactly what she wanted to say to Grace, and it'd go perfectly...
That's what she thought up until she arrived at the Greenhouse. Grace hadn't arrived yet, but the fact that this was about to happen was enough to completely wipe Zoe's brain.
"I should've written it down." She spoke to herself, referencing her photographic memory.
"Talking to yourself? Did my lips turn you insane in the brain?" Grace appeared out of nowhere with tired-looking eyes that weren't there before first period. Maybe the other girl had spent the class agonizing just like Zoe. The way Grace had been acting, Zoe was worried if she even cared at all. She was wondering if she'd completely embarrassed herself with her little monologue at the beach, and ruined their friendship with the kiss. But maybe, just maybe, Grace was stressing this too, and that'd be a relief.
Not knowing how to get the ball rolling, Zoe just awkwardly glanced at the ground before looking back at Grace. "So, that really happened. We kissed."
The dead air terrified Zoe. Grace wasn't replying. Why wasn't she replying?
"You kissed me, yes." Grace corrected. Zoe felt like retorting with an insult, annoyed that Grace felt the need to correct her all the time. But she didn't. This wasn't exactly the time to be a bitch.
After contemplating what to say for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably just about ten seconds, Zoe sat down next to a potted plant in the greenhouse and replied. "Should I not have kissed you?"
Grace's lips pursed, and it looked like she was trying to figure out what to say. That couldn't be good, could it?
"I don't know, Zoe. I mean, I felt something this summer. Don't get me wrong, but..."
"But what?" Zoe replied within half a second.
Grace seemed to take some time to think before she spoke, which was hopefully good. "Zoe... Would this actually work? I mean, you barely know anything about me anyway, and I'm not like you. I don't like to share my entire life with everyone the way you do. Plus... How do I know you're not just using me?"
A flashback to the night where Grace blew up on Zoe immediately came to mind when the word 'using' came into play. Grace still thought Zoe was a user, which hurt an insane amount.
Unsure of how to reply to all of it, Zoe decided to just touch on the first part to begin with. "Then tell me things about yourself. I like what I've seen. You've seen most of me, unfortunately. What am I not going to like?" After about a minute went by without words, she knew she had to continue. "I'm changing. I mean, I'm trying to. You've helped me realize that the dramatic person I was wasn't me. It was just a cry for help and attention. I'm not gonna guarantee that I'm never going to mess up again, but I'm going to try to avoid drama if it's possible." She decided to disregard the part about her using Grace, because it hurt too much to touch on that subject.
The bell rang, and Zoe was surprised that so much time had passed. This conversation both felt like a few seconds and an eternity.
"Please, just...consider it. We can take things slow. Get to know each other. Whatever you want. I don't want to force you. If anything, I want to be friends, because you're a lot cooler than I thought you'd be. You like a lot of cool movies that I've never heard of. I can't get that one song out of my head, and I just... I want you around." These words felt foreign coming out of Zoe's mouth. She never imagined herself speaking like this, but here she was, a changed woman. It was just weird.
Grace stared for a minute, before pulling Zoe closer and doing the unexpected - placing a kiss on her lips, then interlacing her fingers with Zoe's. "I can't believe I'm about to sound so cheesy, but... I like you a lot, Zoe. I'm just afraid of what you can do to me. You see what you've done already, you've got me holding hands, confessing how I feel, almost pummeling dudes in the hallway, and considering being nicer to my sister. It's terrifying."
Zoe cocked her head. "What's this about a guy in the hallway?" She was concerned now.
"Don't worry about it, Rivas. I'll shut up anyone who has shit to say about you." She kissed Zoe once again before getting up and heading back to the school building. "Class time. We're already late."
Zoe was left sitting on the bench, her fingers touching her own lips where Grace's had been, wondering what the hell just happened. It took her a few more minutes before she felt steady enough to even consider getting up and going to class. She did, though, and she was a million percent sure that there wasn't a chance in hell she'd hear a word that Mr. Armstrong had to say, even if she attempted to listen.