*Chapter 65*
"User," Oliver hissed lightly as him, Tessa, Penny and Lickity lightly moseyed out of Sugar Rush's outlet, "I thought mom was going to start crying, for a second, there..."
"Well, you ARE the last baby bird to leave the nest, essentially," Tessa lightly reminded as the four gently entered sunny, busy Game Central Station, she held up a finger and furrowed her eyebrows, "Though, if I do recall, mom told me a few months ago that her and dad were trying for another baby."
"Really?!" Penny beamed the most excited, girly smile; her wide, blue eyes gripped Tessa's in disbelief, "A baby cousin!"
"That'd be cool," Oliver smiled, "I could be a big sibling, for once!"
Tessa nodded lightly and let her eyes glue to Academy, at the end of the hall. The station was painted golden, the morning sun lit up the place, a welcoming, massive station she came to know and love. She furrowed her eyebrows in delight, she thought it was ironic how quickly this day crept up on her. She was excited to show Oliver around Academy, the good spots in the courtyard, and finally add another study buddy to the group. She put her hands on her hips and quickly dipped back to the conversation the three were traipsing into.
"I'd play babysitter, though," Tessa chuffed, though she smiled as her heart swelled with the idea of adding more wreckers to the family.
"That'd mean more alone time with you know who," Penny chimed in sing song as she pointed her fingers to Tessa; she lightly glared at her teasing cousin.
"Still on about that?" Tessa muttered with a smile, though she felt her heart lightly dip at the idea of alone time with Zed. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that alone time with him was rather scarce.
"Ah yeah," Penny gaped lightly as she side eyed her cousin, though she quickly peered to Dead Zed's outlet as her curious smile continued to grow, "Just you, Zed, and a baby! Feels!"
"Don't make it weird," Tessa muttered again, though her smile began to dwindle to shy embarrassment.
"I'm sure Zed would LOVE this conversation," Oliver chuckled as he crossed his large arms and hands.
"What color coding would you guys make?" Penny wondered out loud, to herself, though she daintily grappled for Tessa's arm.
"You made it weird," Tessa grumbled as she raised her eyebrows in dumbfounded annoyance; she gazed off into the distance and shook her head, though a shy smile continued to prod at her cheeks.
"I thought faux-codes can't swap with user-made gamers," Oliver reminded softly, though he furrowed his eyebrows, as if to wonder if that were true or not.
"I actually learned it IS possible," Penny raised her finger, "Though I'm not sure what needs to be done, in order for it to properly work. I don't think many people have tried it, quite frankly."
"Guess Tess is the guinea pig," Oliver said under his breath as she gently took a few steps ahead of the two; Penny largely gripped Oliver's arm as the two stifled hard, silent chokes of a laugh to each other.
Tessa exhaled a hard, annoyed sigh as she could hear the two bickering from behind her. She shook her head lightly and glared in the direction in which Zed was in. He hung near the middle of his station and was lightly loving on Lickity, as she had bound closer to him a few minutes prior. Tessa felt her face get hot as she peered at Zed's figure; she knew she was strict with letting her mind wander the inevitable, though she had to wonder just when the two would at least attempt to take the next step. She wondered if asking about it would be too forward, at this stand point. She inhaled a shaky breath and could begin to feel their tension brimming, as if they were simply one kiss away from crumpling to the ground with scared questions. Tessa shook her thoughts, something in which she discovered she had mastered; she cleared her foggy, nervous vision and hooked her eyes on Zed's blue gaze.
"Hey, Zed," Tessa said gently, though she furrowed her eyebrows lightly and hoping Zed would breeze past the weirdness that just happened. She felt her heart lightly sink as he just barely side eyed her, as she approached.
"... You called me Zed," He eased with a kind smile and a lazy, light finger pointed at her, his smile was quickly turning bashful. Tessa felt her face get hot, though her mind began to jumble through a bunch of different, fluster-filled topics.
"Is that not your name?" Penny sneered with a playful smile as her, Oliver and Lickity lightly approached.
"No, I just..." Zed smiled a confused, kind grin to Tessa and lightly gestured to her, "I just don't think I've ever heard you call me that, before."
"I can call you Zane, if it makes you feel better," Tessa laughed in an incredulous way, though Zed's facial expression sloped to genuine, sad surprise.
"O-Oh, no! Please, call me Zed," He scoffed gently, though he kept an apologetic smile, "It just was foreign, that's all."
"Next time, you should yell it," Penny dared as she side eyed Tessa.
"Or gasp it," Oliver prod silently to Penny; she covered her mouth and heaved a sly giggle.
"Maybe moan it," Penny chuckled as her and Oliver continued to quietly banter to themselves; Tessa felt her face turn beet red, though she was thankful Lickity distracted Zed in this moment.
"Real mature," Tessa hissed through a dark, annoyed glare; she felt as if her skin was about to slide off of her bones in embarrassment.
"So, Olly, you ready for your first day?" Zed wondered through kind eyes as the two tried to compose themselves, he largely pat Lickity's head; she grumbled a kind noise and nuzzled into his presence.
"Sort of nervous," Oliver said through a reviving sigh, though he gently held up his schedule, "I-I just hope I have classes with Tessa, or Penny."
"Lemme see," Tessa lightly took Oliver's schedule and glossed over it. She beamed an incredulous smile down into his sheet as she gestured to it, "Weird... You and I have the same exact classes, Ol!"
"We do?" Oliver grinned, "Why is that? That's bizarre."
"It might have to do with the fact that you're siblings," Penny gently shrugged.
"Oh wait," Tessa raised her eyebrows gently, "Looks like we don't have last hour, together. I have Program Ed. You have Game Theory 101."
"Phew, I don't want to take Program Ed.," Oliver said through a soft sigh, though Tessa shot him a confused look.
"Why not? It's really informative," Tessa said softly.
"I sort of wish I was taking it," Penny gave Tessa an honest look, "I heard it's pretty cool. You learn all about interior and exterior coding and such. Pretty much how the body works."
"So, like anatomy?" Zed wondered gently, Tessa lightly shrugged and opened her mouth to speak, though Penny beat her to it.
"Guess you could say that," Penny chimed, "Anatomy and Sex Ed."
"Count me out," Oliver laughed softly as he crossed his arms, though Tessa shot him and Penny a confused look.
"That's really weird," Tessa started as she lightly gestured to her brother and cousin, "Why is it, that I'm taking it, but you two aren't?"
"I don't know, but it looks like you lucked out," Penny started as she daringly shot Zed a small smirk, "You're the only one here, who really needs the information in the class, anyhow."
Tessa held her breath and kept her hard glare to Penny; she knew her face turned beet red, in this moment. She finally exhaled a slow, smoldering breath and wondered just how far Penny and Oliver would push her, today. She furrowed her eyebrows in rising frustration, though, amidst the friendly fire, she lightly glanced down at the ground before she stole a bashful glance at Zed. With her gentle movement, Zed nervously caught eyes with her, though they immediately peeled away, as if even so much as looking at each other was too much for their shy souls to handle. Tessa slumped her shoulders and gave Penny a look of distressed anguish, as if to silently ask her to ease up on the embarrassing topic.
"It's good to know all aspects of game life," Zed eased softly, mostly in loo of Tessa's fragile feelings, "It IS an interesting topic. What grade do you have in the class?"
He knew the feeling was mutual, though he had to have guessed she was having a hard time with her busied thoughts. He knew he was drowning in his own eager questions, though he figured they'd get answered eventually. He had to wonder if Tessa was scared said nervous, tense questions would never get answered. He lightly slid his hand to the middle of her back, despite the awkward tension. He lightly raised his eyebrows and gave her a kind, innocent smile, in which he was glad she responded to, and began to relax.
"I-I have an A+," Tessa uttered, though she realized just what that said about her eagerness for the class. She shut her eyes nervously before she gave Penny and Oliver a dull stare.
"You'll do awesome on the final," Penny said innocently, though she gave Tessa a sly wink. Tessa furrowed her eyebrows and began to feel anger rise into her blood stream.
"She's gunna wreck your soul, Pens," Oliver warned quietly before he cleared his throat and peered off to Academy.
"What are you and Lickity going to do today?" Tessa wondered to Zed; she knew, one more wise crack from Penny would result in wrecking force. She tried her hardest to quell her angry antics and inhaled a reviving breath through her nose.
"Oh I don't know," Zed eased through a gentle sigh, he lovingly pat the top of Lickity's head, "There's a river down the backside of the mountain my loft is on, we might go down there. See if this cat can fish."
"That ought to be a sight," Tessa chuckled as she crossed her arm.
Tessa opened her mouth to continue on, though Academy's warning bell could be heard in the distance. The four eagerly peered to Academy and noticed programs beginning to file into the building, albeit in a slow, moseying fashion. Tessa almost sighed with relief; she knew one more minute out here with Penny and Zed would likely result in more wise-cracks about swapping codes. She furrowed her eyebrows and gave Zed a kind, knowing look, as did he.
"See you guys later," Zed eased, though he gave Oliver a brotherly high-five, "You'll do awesome, Ol. You're lucky you have Tessa for the whole day, to keep you company."
"Yeah," Oliver heaved a soft sigh and gave Tessa a look of appreciation, "I definitely lucked out."
"I wish I had all classes with you guys," Penny complained as the three began to lightly peel from Zed and Lickity.
"You have four classes with us, otherwise, Pens," Tessa giggled, "Not to mention, lunch."
"Bye, Zed," Penny gently waved, as did he.
Tessa looked over her shoulder in a curious way and slowed in her walking. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly and wondered just how she could make his day, to one up Penny and Oliver from the playful torture they've been giving the two. She felt a roll of confidence wash over her as she gently peeled away from Oliver and Penny. She tenderly took the few steps over to Zed and could feel his curious, attentive gaze on her grow and grow. As gently as she could, she pushed into his bubble and let her hand lightly hold his lower arm, near his wrist. With an escalating heart rate, she swallowed any insecurities that rose and planted a warm, quick kiss on his mouth. He returned the light peck, though he froze in nervous shock; he knew the two had never truly shown any display of affection in front of Oliver or Penny. He long blinked a few times in mild, delighted confusion as his eyes gripped hers in kind, innocent question. She lightly pulled away and gave him a gentle smirk.
"See you," Tessa eased teasingly as she back stepped a few times, though before Zed could get words out, she turned heel and began to march towards Academy. She lightly pushed past Penny and Oliver with a smile of accomplishment. She shot each of them a look, as if to call check-mate on their little game, "I may have to study up on how opposed-code swaps work, but at least I'll be gettin' some in the end."
Penny raised her eyebrows in shock and lightly gaped, though her and Oliver shot incredulous looks to each other. They eagerly peered back to Zed, who was stood frozen in poised, delightful confusion; his face was hot red, in which contrasted starkly with his blue hair. She heaved a hard giggle and gave Zed a look as if to tell him that he was in for it. Oliver shook his head and gave him a kind, annoyed look as well, though before Tessa could get too far ahead of the group, they quickly turned to trot after her. Zed remained still in kind, delirious confusion before Lickity grumbled a knowing noise and nudged him with the wrist of her wing. Zed wobbled and exhaled a startled noise, though he furrowed his eyebrows down to Lickity in a playful way as she gave him a knowing, dull stare, as if she knew exactly what was going on.