Rifiuto: Non Mirenra

The door swung open. "Zane!" But instead, Zoe Carter's eyes landed on a young woman, not much older than herself. She stared at the woman in confusion before, "Um... Who are you?"

"This is Jo." Carter answered, stepping up behind the woman. He'd just gotten off the phone with Allison, in time to save Jo from having to try to explain. "She's new to Eureka, and will be staying here for a few days." Gently, he ushered her in, and Zoe stepped aside, studying the woman. She wore new, clean clothes, and her long black hair was haphazardly pulled over one shoulder. She seemed to fold in on herself, as though to become invisible, but jumped as the door swung shut.

"What was that?" She cried, turning to face the now closed door.

"Um... the door." Zoe replied. "I'm Zoe." Then, she turned to Carter. "I thought you were Zane. We were supposed to go out tonight- there's a meteor shower-"

"Mr. Grey?" Both turned as Jo's soft interruption.

"Um... what?" Zoe asked. Jo bit her lip.

"He was named after Zane Grey, the western fiction writer, who wrote over one hundred novels by the time he died in 'thirty-nine-"

"Fascinating," Zoe cut her off. "Anyway, we were supposed to go out tonight but he never-" Suddenly, the door swung open again; Zane stood in the doorway, holding something.

"Allison asked me to drop this off on my way home-" Zoe rushed towards him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss, which he quickly refused by pushing her away. He caught Jo's eye, saw the hurt, fear, and confusion on her face. "How are you doing, Jo?" The other girl shrugged.

"Who cares about her." Zoe snapped, pulling Zane's attention back to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, reaching up to kiss him again, but again, he pushed her away, firmer this time. "Zane! What's wrong?"

"I can't do this anymore." He muttered, running a hand through his tousled black hair. He'd been struggling to think of a way to break this off with Zoe for weeks, and finally come up with the perfect solution. He glanced at Jo, who ducked her head and turned, taking in her new surroundings. "Look, Zoe, we have to talk-"

"We can do that at the meteor shower." She replied, running a hand suggestively up his arm, but he groaned in frustration and roughly shoved her away, not caring when she winced in confusion.

"No, now." He glanced at Jo. Zoe turned to stare at the girl also, haphazardly connecting the dots.

"So... you've been... behind my back while we've been dating-"

Zane scoffed, sneering at her. "We're not dating, Zoe, we never were."

"But you're my boy-"

"I'm not your boyfriend!" He snapped. He was really beginning to hate this girl. He knew he was hurting her, but she had to learn. It had taken him days to figure out how he was going to tell her, and now, here was his chance, and he was taking it. Carter and Zoe's feelings be damned. He only wished that Jo wasn't here, pretending to explore SARAH while she listened intently. "I never have been! There is no us! There never was! We're just friends, you got me?" Jesus, couldn't she take a fucking hint? When he said that they weren't dating, he meant they weren't dating! "Look, you're pretty and smart and funny, and I enjoyed hanging out it with you, but we were never together. Not like that. You've just seen what you want to see. I'm sorry. But there was nothing between us, and there never will be other than friendship. Got me?"

A moment passed before the girl nodded. "Got it." She whispered, tears in her eyes. A quick, fleeting pang filled his chest at the sight of tears sliding down her cheeks, but it was gone before he fully registered it. Instead, relief, happiness and calm filled his mind as he realized that Zoe would stop clinging to him like she owned him. "But... why? Because... of her?" She asked, snarling at Jo, who curled even further into herself.

"No. Because you're too young, and you're on the rebound, and I'm not interested in you that way." He ground out the last two words, hoping they got through her thick skull.

"But-" Zane rolled his eyes, set what appeared to be a duffel bag down, and turned to Jo.

"You doing okay, Jo?" The woman refused to speak. He nodded, giving her a small smile. "If you ever want to talk, I'm willing to listen. See ya, Carter." And without a backwards glance at Zoe as she rushed out the door after him, he was gone.

"Can I get you anything, Jo? Coffee? Tea? Beer? Maybe some cookies?" Jo shook her head, not looking up from the pattern she was tracing on the island counter. She sat on one of the stools, wrapped in a ratty old grey sweater- the only article of clothing she liked from the sweatshirts and jackets Allison had brought in for her to choose from. The good doctor had let her keep it, and she liked the slightly bigger size, it made it easier to hide. Silence filled the bunker, and she quickly glanced out of the corner of her eye; Carter had taken a seat beside her on one of the stools, a glass of beer in his hands. She wrinkled her nose, and scooted away from him and the glass. "What?"

"I don't like beer. He... he made me drink it, but when he drank it, he..." She stopped, glancing at him. Carter nodded.

"He what? You can tell me, Jo, you know that." The girl swallowed. She shook her head.

"Nothing. Never mind." Then, she climbed off the stool. "Good night." Carter watched her go, saw her rush up the stairs. The girl was probably exhausted, not to mention overwhelmed. Being thrust into a new living situation- even temporarily- had to be hard on her, after what she'd gone through. Carter sighed, and turned back to his drink, but the look in Jo's eyes flashed before him, and he suddenly lost his appetite for the strong drink.