Zoe hopped out of the van and said good night to everyone. She was glad
Kaori had offered to take Marisol's dinner to her so she could go see
Psymon. She walked up to his winnebago, just as the door was kicked open
and Marisol was flung out into the snow. Her shirt soon followed and Zoe
looked up to see Psymon standing there, his pants undone. She didn't need
it spelled out what had happened. She ignored Psymon calling her name and
ran off, tears bluring her vision. She got to the equipment van and grabbed
her Bad Girl board and headed to the top of the Garibaldi course. Once at
the top, she crouched to strap her board on, but ended up hugging her knees
and crying. She looked up, hearing footsteps approaching and saw Psymon
standing there, his shirt on and his pants done up now.
"What do you want?" she asked bitterly. Psymon knealt down in front of her.
"Nothing happened, Zoe," he said softly, touching her cheek. Zoe slapped his hand away.
"I don't believe you. I know what I saw. I should've known you'd never change," she yelled, punching him, he fist connecting with his jaw. Psymon fell backwards, then sat up, rubbing his jaw. Zoe tackled him and started hitting him, not caring where the blows landed. "I hate you, you stupid bastard!"
"Stop, stop!" Psymon shouted, finally catching her hands. "Damn it, I told you nothing happened. Yeah, I was going to, but I couldn't."
"What, she wasn't loose enough for you?" Zoe snapped, trying to pull away from his grasp.
"No," Psymon answered, sitting up and letting her go. "I love you."
"What?" Zoe asked, staring at him. Psymon just looked down at his gloved hands.
"I love you, Zoe," he replied quietly. He looked up at her, his icy blue eyes shining with an unfamiliar moistness.
"Yeah, well, you got a real funny way of showing it," Zoe snapped, slapping him. She got up and pushed off down the course before he could stop her.
"Damn it," Psymon whispered, watching Zoe speed down the course. He stood there for a bit more until he could no longer see her, then turned to leave. The voices in his mind rose up again, laughing at him. He put his hands to his head and hunched over. "Shut up."
Why should we Psymon? Without us, you'd have no one.
"I'm starting to think that's a blessing," Psymon sighed, straightening up. The voices laughed deep in his mind. Psymon just shook his head, trying to clear his mind, then walked back down to the camp. He started to head to his winnebago, but changed his mind. What he needed right now was advice, and he knew just the person to ask. He walked to the bus Brodi shared with Eddie and knocked on the door. A moment later Brodi answered and looked at him.
"Yes?" the peace-loving man asked.
"I need advice, Brodi," Psymon admitted. Brodi nodded and stepped down, shutting the door. He and Psymon began walking.
"They say all things are fair in love and war, but that's not true," Brodi began. "In war, there are rules to engagement and in love there are certain rules as well, like not letting Marisol in your pants while you're courting Zoe."
"You know about that, eh?" Psymon asked softly.
"I think just about everyone saw you tossing her out, friend," Brodi answered. He patted Psymon on the shoulder. "I'm not sure what advice you want."
"I know I did something stupid. I know I messed up," the Canadian said. "But I didn't do what everyone thinks I did."
"Why not?" Brodi asked.
"I started to, but I thought of Zoe. It finally occured to me that I love her," Psymon replied. "And now I think I've lost her before I even had a chance."
"Have you told her our feelings?" the surfer asked. Psymon nodded. "And what did she say?"
"She didn't, she just slapped me and sped off down the Garibaldi course," Psymon sighed.
"You didn't go after her?" Brodi asked.
"I didn't have my board. Besides, I thought it best to let her cool down," Psymon answered.
"Ah, there may be wisdom in you yet," Brodi chuckled. They approached a bench and sat down. "Tell me, Psymon, have you ever been in love before?"
"I don't think so," the younger man answered. Brodi looked off, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"How do you know you're in love now?" he asked, looking at Psymon again.
"I just...feel. I mean, I think of her all the time. I want to be around her every moment of the day," Psymon replied.
"That could be infactuation," Brodi said. "What really sets your feelings apart enough to call them love?"
"I don't know. I came to you for advice, remember?" Psymon answered.
"If you can not find the answer within yourself, where do you intend to look?" Brodi asked. "You know in your heart how you feel, friend, are you sure it's love? It's a big step to take."
"The other night I was watch Zoe make dinner for us and I had this thought that that's what married life might be like. I've never thought about settling down before, but I look at her and I think she could be the one to bring order to the chaos I call life," Psymon replied.
"The only wisdom you find on a mountain is that which you bring," Brodi said softly.
"The hell does that mean?" the Canadian snapped.
"You already knew your answer and didn't really need to ask me," the older man answered. "And yet, you still have questions."
"Uh, yeah. I need to know what to do now," Psymon said.
"What do you mean?" Brodi asked. Psymon sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"I apologized. I told her how I feel. I don't know what the next step to take is," he answered, looking at Brodi.
"I suggest waiting. You have made the first move, let her come to you," Brodi answered. "Remember, in life, it is not the desitnation that matters, but the journey. This is but one turn on your path, friend. There will be others, so don't put so much into this. There is a plan to all things and it must be played out accordingly."
"And what if it plays out with her leaving me?" Psymon asked.
"Then let her go," Brodi answered.
Zoe sat at the bottom of the Garibaldi course and sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. She sniffled, trying to keep from crying again. It hurt more that Psymon had told her he loved her. She wanted to believe him, but she figured, like any man, he'd say whatever he thought would keep her from leaving. She'd been cheated on enough to know that. Then there was Marisol. Zoe couldn't believe she had been the one Psymon had gone after. She had known how Zoe felt, and just hadn't cared. Psymon, naturally, wouldn't resist a beautiful woman being thrown at him. Besides, what did she have to offer Psymon that Marisol couldn't?
After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for herself, she got up, wiping her eyes. She picked up her board and walked back to the camp. She glanced at Psymon's winnebago as she walked past, but saw his lights were out. Typical, he felt no remorse now. She walked to the equipment van and stowed her board away, then walked back towards her bus and stopped. She really didn't want to deal with Marisol. She sighed and headed towards Elise's bus, then knocked on her door.
"What?" a very groogy Elise asked, opening the door. She looked at Zoe. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"I was hoping, maybe I could stay with you tonight?" Zoe asked, looking down at her feet.
"You've got your own place to stay," Elise said.
"I don't want to deal with Marisol," Zoe answered. Elise sighed.
"You know, Psymon is not worth fighting over," she answered.
"I know, but it still hurts," the punky boarder replied, sniffling.
"Oh, come in. You might as well get cleaned up," Elise said, letting Zoe in. She led her back to the bathroom and made her sit down, then handed her a tissue. "Here, wipe your eyes."
"Thanks," Zoe answered, wipping her eyes. "I just don't know what to do now."
"This is why I try not to get attached to anyone in this group. We're all too close to each other," Elise answered, resting her hip against the counter. "You really do care about that lunatic, don't you?"
"Yeah," Zoe answered, a nervous chuckle esacping from her. "He told me he loved me."
"Before or after he tried to screw the dancin' queen?" Elise asked, raising an eyebrow.
"After. He said he didn't do anything, that he couldn't go through with it," Zoe replied, on the verge of tears again. She hated letting her guard down, especially in front of the ice princess.
"Zoe, how do you know he wasn't just saying that?" Elise asked.
"He looked so sincere. I've never seen him cry before, but when he told me how he felt, I saw tears in his eyes," she answered softly.
"Men will say whatever it takes to get what they want. Remember your fling with Hiro? I would think you'd be smart enough to just forget the man this time," the Canadian replied.
"I know," Zoe said, "but something tells me that I really should give Psymon a chance to explain."
"Sleep on it first, he'll still be there in the morning," Elise answered.
"You're right. I need some time to think anyway. So," Zoe asked, looking up, "can I stay here?"
"Yeah, you can borrow one of my nightgowns. I don't have another room, so you'll have to stay on the couch," Elise replied.
"Thanks," Zoe said softly. She got up and washed her face as Elise went to get her a nightgown. After changing and helping Elise make the couch up, she lay there, thinking. A soft plinking on the window brought her attention around. She looked towards Elise's room, but saw the light remained off. Slowly she got up and looked out the window, but saw no one. She went to the door and looked out, and still saw no one. She was about to go in when something on the steps caught her eye. Crouching down she picked up the Psymon's teddy bear and looked at it, then looked around again. She sighed softly and took the toy in with her, then laid back down, hugging it close. She hoped this was an apology and not a good-bye.
"What do you want?" she asked bitterly. Psymon knealt down in front of her.
"Nothing happened, Zoe," he said softly, touching her cheek. Zoe slapped his hand away.
"I don't believe you. I know what I saw. I should've known you'd never change," she yelled, punching him, he fist connecting with his jaw. Psymon fell backwards, then sat up, rubbing his jaw. Zoe tackled him and started hitting him, not caring where the blows landed. "I hate you, you stupid bastard!"
"Stop, stop!" Psymon shouted, finally catching her hands. "Damn it, I told you nothing happened. Yeah, I was going to, but I couldn't."
"What, she wasn't loose enough for you?" Zoe snapped, trying to pull away from his grasp.
"No," Psymon answered, sitting up and letting her go. "I love you."
"What?" Zoe asked, staring at him. Psymon just looked down at his gloved hands.
"I love you, Zoe," he replied quietly. He looked up at her, his icy blue eyes shining with an unfamiliar moistness.
"Yeah, well, you got a real funny way of showing it," Zoe snapped, slapping him. She got up and pushed off down the course before he could stop her.
"Damn it," Psymon whispered, watching Zoe speed down the course. He stood there for a bit more until he could no longer see her, then turned to leave. The voices in his mind rose up again, laughing at him. He put his hands to his head and hunched over. "Shut up."
Why should we Psymon? Without us, you'd have no one.
"I'm starting to think that's a blessing," Psymon sighed, straightening up. The voices laughed deep in his mind. Psymon just shook his head, trying to clear his mind, then walked back down to the camp. He started to head to his winnebago, but changed his mind. What he needed right now was advice, and he knew just the person to ask. He walked to the bus Brodi shared with Eddie and knocked on the door. A moment later Brodi answered and looked at him.
"Yes?" the peace-loving man asked.
"I need advice, Brodi," Psymon admitted. Brodi nodded and stepped down, shutting the door. He and Psymon began walking.
"They say all things are fair in love and war, but that's not true," Brodi began. "In war, there are rules to engagement and in love there are certain rules as well, like not letting Marisol in your pants while you're courting Zoe."
"You know about that, eh?" Psymon asked softly.
"I think just about everyone saw you tossing her out, friend," Brodi answered. He patted Psymon on the shoulder. "I'm not sure what advice you want."
"I know I did something stupid. I know I messed up," the Canadian said. "But I didn't do what everyone thinks I did."
"Why not?" Brodi asked.
"I started to, but I thought of Zoe. It finally occured to me that I love her," Psymon replied. "And now I think I've lost her before I even had a chance."
"Have you told her our feelings?" the surfer asked. Psymon nodded. "And what did she say?"
"She didn't, she just slapped me and sped off down the Garibaldi course," Psymon sighed.
"You didn't go after her?" Brodi asked.
"I didn't have my board. Besides, I thought it best to let her cool down," Psymon answered.
"Ah, there may be wisdom in you yet," Brodi chuckled. They approached a bench and sat down. "Tell me, Psymon, have you ever been in love before?"
"I don't think so," the younger man answered. Brodi looked off, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"How do you know you're in love now?" he asked, looking at Psymon again.
"I just...feel. I mean, I think of her all the time. I want to be around her every moment of the day," Psymon replied.
"That could be infactuation," Brodi said. "What really sets your feelings apart enough to call them love?"
"I don't know. I came to you for advice, remember?" Psymon answered.
"If you can not find the answer within yourself, where do you intend to look?" Brodi asked. "You know in your heart how you feel, friend, are you sure it's love? It's a big step to take."
"The other night I was watch Zoe make dinner for us and I had this thought that that's what married life might be like. I've never thought about settling down before, but I look at her and I think she could be the one to bring order to the chaos I call life," Psymon replied.
"The only wisdom you find on a mountain is that which you bring," Brodi said softly.
"The hell does that mean?" the Canadian snapped.
"You already knew your answer and didn't really need to ask me," the older man answered. "And yet, you still have questions."
"Uh, yeah. I need to know what to do now," Psymon said.
"What do you mean?" Brodi asked. Psymon sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"I apologized. I told her how I feel. I don't know what the next step to take is," he answered, looking at Brodi.
"I suggest waiting. You have made the first move, let her come to you," Brodi answered. "Remember, in life, it is not the desitnation that matters, but the journey. This is but one turn on your path, friend. There will be others, so don't put so much into this. There is a plan to all things and it must be played out accordingly."
"And what if it plays out with her leaving me?" Psymon asked.
"Then let her go," Brodi answered.
Zoe sat at the bottom of the Garibaldi course and sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. She sniffled, trying to keep from crying again. It hurt more that Psymon had told her he loved her. She wanted to believe him, but she figured, like any man, he'd say whatever he thought would keep her from leaving. She'd been cheated on enough to know that. Then there was Marisol. Zoe couldn't believe she had been the one Psymon had gone after. She had known how Zoe felt, and just hadn't cared. Psymon, naturally, wouldn't resist a beautiful woman being thrown at him. Besides, what did she have to offer Psymon that Marisol couldn't?
After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for herself, she got up, wiping her eyes. She picked up her board and walked back to the camp. She glanced at Psymon's winnebago as she walked past, but saw his lights were out. Typical, he felt no remorse now. She walked to the equipment van and stowed her board away, then walked back towards her bus and stopped. She really didn't want to deal with Marisol. She sighed and headed towards Elise's bus, then knocked on her door.
"What?" a very groogy Elise asked, opening the door. She looked at Zoe. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"I was hoping, maybe I could stay with you tonight?" Zoe asked, looking down at her feet.
"You've got your own place to stay," Elise said.
"I don't want to deal with Marisol," Zoe answered. Elise sighed.
"You know, Psymon is not worth fighting over," she answered.
"I know, but it still hurts," the punky boarder replied, sniffling.
"Oh, come in. You might as well get cleaned up," Elise said, letting Zoe in. She led her back to the bathroom and made her sit down, then handed her a tissue. "Here, wipe your eyes."
"Thanks," Zoe answered, wipping her eyes. "I just don't know what to do now."
"This is why I try not to get attached to anyone in this group. We're all too close to each other," Elise answered, resting her hip against the counter. "You really do care about that lunatic, don't you?"
"Yeah," Zoe answered, a nervous chuckle esacping from her. "He told me he loved me."
"Before or after he tried to screw the dancin' queen?" Elise asked, raising an eyebrow.
"After. He said he didn't do anything, that he couldn't go through with it," Zoe replied, on the verge of tears again. She hated letting her guard down, especially in front of the ice princess.
"Zoe, how do you know he wasn't just saying that?" Elise asked.
"He looked so sincere. I've never seen him cry before, but when he told me how he felt, I saw tears in his eyes," she answered softly.
"Men will say whatever it takes to get what they want. Remember your fling with Hiro? I would think you'd be smart enough to just forget the man this time," the Canadian replied.
"I know," Zoe said, "but something tells me that I really should give Psymon a chance to explain."
"Sleep on it first, he'll still be there in the morning," Elise answered.
"You're right. I need some time to think anyway. So," Zoe asked, looking up, "can I stay here?"
"Yeah, you can borrow one of my nightgowns. I don't have another room, so you'll have to stay on the couch," Elise replied.
"Thanks," Zoe said softly. She got up and washed her face as Elise went to get her a nightgown. After changing and helping Elise make the couch up, she lay there, thinking. A soft plinking on the window brought her attention around. She looked towards Elise's room, but saw the light remained off. Slowly she got up and looked out the window, but saw no one. She went to the door and looked out, and still saw no one. She was about to go in when something on the steps caught her eye. Crouching down she picked up the Psymon's teddy bear and looked at it, then looked around again. She sighed softly and took the toy in with her, then laid back down, hugging it close. She hoped this was an apology and not a good-bye.