Chapter 36
The Core Four Quartet
"Babe, wake up!" Zig's voice called breaking into her thoughts. The brunette quickly opened up her tired eyes and looked around.
It was finally morning, she had promised Zig she wasn't going to fall asleep but somehow she managed to.
She was good for that, making promises and managing to break them. Zoe takes her promises seriously and feels immense regret when she doesn't keep good on them. When she breaks a promise she feels like she's reverting back to her Gatsby Garcia persona which was somewhat of an enigma. Last thing she remembers is talking to Zig still somewhat reclined in the passenger seat and Zig was staying up driving. Zig was standing beside her lightly shaking her awake.
"Where are we?" she moaned still half-asleep clinging to some sleep by lying back down in her seat covering her face it didn't do much because the sun caused her to reach for her sunglasses.
looking around confused and concerned she questioned while rubbing her eyes groggily, "Where's Owen and Frankie?"
Zig shook his head as he answered her questions, "Bathroom break and getting us a table, we're at the diner."
In the morning bright, Zoe awakens to the car empty stopped at a store and Zig standing beside her outside the open door, "Babe, we're at the diner."
Zoe finally gathered herself enough to sit up, she rubbed her eyes "Is there a line for the washroom? I need to wash my face and moisturize immediately because I probably look like microwaved shit." She reached around for her bag her hair still in her face. The carry on was medium, "I always come prepared." Zoe pulls her bug-eyed sunglasses toward her eyes and throws her hair briskly out of her face, the very ones Zig would comment on the trivial nature of hiding behind spectacle eye wear. You stand out so much more with. He shook his head in reaction as she added in grumpiness, "I swear, I can't have any paps see me. I hear I have a huge fanbase in this socioeconomic location."
"I see you early in the morning all the time and I assure you, you look great, you're still beautiful, just a little more so, are you hungry?" He replied never parting from a happy and sunny disposition. Zig feels great being out on the road, on their own.
Zoe nods, "Starving." as she exits the car with her trusty wristlet they shut and lock the door and enter the diner.
Zoe groggily feels around for things until she finally sits up, puts on her glasses and unbuckles her seat belt getting her bearings, "How long was I asleep?"
"You passed out around about three or so. It doesn't matter, you guys slept through me listening to radio stations."
"I sleep like a log."
"Eh well you kick. Might want to enlighten you befrore you say that I snore. I know, I'm aware . . . " Zig remarked in response with a grin.
"Shut up, Zigmund. And well you do have a point I win the argument. So there."
He like a lot of times with her, just lets a lot of it roll. He's never really met a girl with a personality like Zoe's. She always manages to keep him on his toes with endless surprises.
"Race you inside?" Zoe replied jokingly with her tote bag filled with god knows what in tow to the diner bathroom for major damage control in terms of what she believes to be unsightly. Zoe had to rinse, exfoliate, and moisturize her daily skin regimen that she credits as why her skin is so fresh faced. She swears by it, it's passed down from her mom's family she's been doing it since she was little in the public bathroom though the novelty sort of wears off. She washed her hands like five more times than usual since she saw a toddler smear chocolate or what she believed to be chocolate while his mom was preoccupied changing his baby sister in the handicap washroom.
She glared once again at the dirty kid as she swung the bag upon her shoulder, looked at her hair once again in the mirror before finally joining her friends at the table as they counted up their money. "All of it." Frankie demanded with her hand outstretched toward Owen, "I know you don't have just 20."
He relented before pulling out the big guns. As far as they were considered Frankie was right, Owen is loaded. He had the most. "So we have a grand total of a combined $400 bucks, deduct for food, drink, whatever." She was a gifted girl. At times she was some what calm, cool and collected.
"I need to somehow get an outfit for when I meet my father. I simply can't weather looking like this."
"There's always a way we could make money along the way?" Frankie perked up, "
Owen nodded but it wasn't what naive Frankie had in mind. She hit his shoulder.
"As if the three big bags aren't enough, Northpark?" Owen sneered rolling his eyes, "I can't believe we've got a princess on the road with us. I can't imagine the headaches we're gonna have Zig."
Frankie managed a giggle despite Zoe's fuming expression, she took a deep breath and then shook her head muttering to Zig, "I'm beginning to remember why I don't like him."
On that note Zig hurried to Zoe's defense, "Hey fuck you, don't talk to my girlfriend that way."
For a moment there Zig had forgotten who he was talking to, "Fuck me? Who pays for the fancy dinners to wine and dine this bitch, let's not forget who gets you all the connects and the street cred. You'd be hanging out playing with fictional characters and that bozo hopeless wannabe loser Damon Doesn'tshower. You were a boyscout. So watch out when you say fuck you. I know your house number alright, you don't forget I have a younger brother who fucking hates you. I'd watch your back."
Zoe and Frankie gasped with wide eyes, as Zig calmly asked him, "Let me ask you something Owen, who'se the driver?"
"And so what?" He shrugged, "You'd be nothing. Nothing! Zoe, if you knew the real Zig Novak you'd never in a million years be seen with him."
Owen blinked back unceremoniously in his seat and remained relatively silent.
"Owen shut up." Zig exclaimed suddenly seeming afraid.
"He's not this big old prince charming, he's not some Kalan Lancaster type you know?"
"Kallan Lancaster is gay, don't pretend you watched Westdrive when you didn't." Frankie remarked with extra skepticism, "Aside from the season one dvds we had."
"Oh whatever Franks." Owen rolled his eyes, "anyway, so what are we going to do? We have like literally no cash."
"I've got an idea." Zoe replied, "a good one."
"Oh let's hear this out." Owen rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "entertain us Zoe."
"Um well," With a dirty look she said, "Karaoke bars."
"She's kidding." Owen chuckled, "I aint no talent."
"I wasn't talking about you."
"Oh this'll be fun!" Frankie beamed clapping her hands excitedly, "whose gonna perform?"
"I guess it's never too late to come out of retirement." Zig replied somewhat piqued, "what if it doesn't work and all?"
"I have a feeling, a good feeling that it will." She replied with a smirk. "You're immensely talented, Zig. And you're a looker." She leaned in close and kissed his lips.
"Oh get a room already."
"Poor Owen. Perhaps you can find someone your own age at one of these karaoke bars."
"Ouch Zoe, you can really bruise an ego like a peach."
"Maybe I can, I guess I still got it. None the less, we need to perform."
x
"Give it up for . . . uh what should I call you two?" The announcer backstage asked the two teens hushed.
"Um," Zig started out uncomfortably, "I guess just call us Zig and Zoe."
"Why not Zoe and Zig?" Zoe asked jokingly even though there was realistically no time for it.
"How about Z squared?" The announcer suggested.
"Nah I wanted it to sound like a duet, you know?"
"Ah! Alright, give it up for Zig and Zoe." The announcer then had the crowd at attention. The roaring applause, fortunately backstage there were instruments and other stage supplies. Frankie played the tambourine, while Zoe and Zig were center stage with Zig on lead vocals and guitar and Zoe on just vocals. Together they sang An acoustic version of I Got You Babe by Sonny and Cher.
Skeptic Owen sat in the crowds alone watching them. The crowd loved the performance and before long the money pot gave them a great cash payoff. Before long it was time for them to get a hotel room. They won a grand, and they were able to afford a decent hotel but still there was sharing involved. Owen had to share a queen with Frankie. Zoe and Zig shared the other queen. Frankie has been getting buzzed all day by her brother, Hunter but she keeps ignoring it. He knows somethings up. He's also in his own way concerned. "Where are you, Franks?" He texted, to which she wistfully looked at the text before plugging it into the nightstand charger and putting it down. She then removed some clothing and put on a sweatshirt before climbing into bed and falling fast asleep. Owen in seconds was finally asleep and then it was just Zig and Zoe facing one another holding hands looking at one another.
Owen gave credit when it was due, "It really was a good idea. I'll hand it to you."
She smirked, "Why thank-you. And now we're loaded, sort of."
The announcer backstage was still applauding the performance and came between the group. "You really are talented, there's got to be a place for you."
"What do you mean?" Zoe and Zig asked in unison.
"I mean, for talent like yours."
Zoe uncomfortably and modestly shrugged, "Well thank-you. I just have too much on my plate."
"Here's my card if you change your mind." The man replied giving her his card, she took a look at it and it looked pretty legit. She stuffed it in her pocket and went on her way.
- x -
Meanwhile back at Degrassi there was a knock at the Rivas' door.
It's Mr. Hollingsworth and he didn't look happy ringing the bell first thing, nor was Alaina being woken up so early. She still had her mask on her face groggily leaping out of bed. She swings open the door, and removes the mask, pushing it past her forehead. "You must be the mayor. I've heard about you and your son, Miles?"
"Yeah, I'm sure it wasn't the greatest report." He replied with a shrug, "I'm actually looking for my daughter. I understand Francesca is a friend of your daughter."
"Oh! Frankie, right?" She shook her head, "I haven't seen her. I'd know if my daughter had guests over trust me, I'd hear them. Would you like to come in?"
"Surely." He replied as she stepped backwards.
"You can take a seat while I go look for Zoe, maybe she's in touch. The kids and their Facerange, Hastygram, Tweeter whatever it is you name it they're bound to know their whereabouts." Alaina ran up the stairs before she realized much to her own horror her daughter too, is missing.
She sighed looking around the teens bedroom, all the luggage in the closet gone even her prized teddy gone not to mention copious amounts of clothes missing noticing a rather large space missing from the closet. She shut the door of the bedroom and walked down the stairs, "My daughter must be with yours."
"Whatever would make them want to run off?"
"I don't know. I mean I thought things were getting better with Zoe and I but from the looks of it she's still resenting me."
"Ah kids, we'll never understand them, right?" Mr. Hollingsworth said with a nervous laugh trying to make light of the serious situation, "all in all, it's nice to meet you, your name?"
"Alaina." She replied calmly yet inside she was far from calm, she sighed shaking her head adding, "I don't know what to do. I feel like Curtis has something to do with this. I thought hey he must be out of our lives . . . everything can go back to normal."
"Look I don't know who this Curtis fellow is, but maybe there's other reasons she left. This isn't like Francesca to just run off. She's straight-laced, smart girl she's not impulsive or whatever. I never had to worry about her to do what's good and right and when I have an election to win no less."
"I can't believe you're thinking about losing an election more than your own daughter."
"Excuse me?" He asked narrowing his eyes, despite hearing what she said.
"Now what do we do?"
"I can get the press to come pretty much anywhere and contact the authorities at once. They can't be far. They must have left last night."
"Okay, well could you give me a minute to get dressed and we'll go to the police."