Zoey 101: All Or Nothing ☑

Chapter 6

"No, I totally get it."

"But anyway ..." She straightened up, and I knew the conversation was going to go back to the surface as well. "I know one person who won't have any trouble staying on Logan's radar next year." She raised her eyebrows playfully.

I had no clue who she was referring to. It certainly wasn't me.

"Zoey. He used to have the biggest crush on her. He probably still does."

I was pretty sure my eyeballs almost came out of their sockets.

Lola laughed. "Are you shocked that a guy would be interested in Zoey?"

"No, not at all." I actually found it strange that she never really talked about guys to me. I figured that was left to her girl friends.

"Yeah, it was sixth grade. But she didn't really have any interest in Logan or anything really after her mom ..."

Lola's unfinished sentence hung over us like a dark cloud. I had always avoided the topic of Zoey's mom. I knew I was supposed to say how sorry I was if it ever came up. But it never came up. Zoey always talked to me about her dad, her uncle, and school - but she hardly ever talked about her mom.

"I don't know how she holds up as well as she does." I was surprised not only that these words came from my mouth, but how small my voice sounded.

Lola dropped her head a bit. "It was awful. It was so awful. I wish you could've seen Zoey when her mom was around. She was a different person. She was always smiling and laughing. It's not like she's all brooding now, but it was ... a lot."

I was sure "a lot" was putting it mildly.

"But I have to tell you, she's gotten much better lately. Like whenever she starts talking about her cooking classes or the new recipes she's trying out. And also, I don't know if you realize how much your mom has helped her."

I nodded. It was pretty clear that Zoey adored my mom. It made me realize how lucky I was to have her around. To have both my parents around even though I got annoyed with how much time my dad spent at the hospital

"Oh!" Lola started bouncing up and down in her seat. "I've got it! I think I should ask Zoey to make some food for the Halloween party. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Yeah, she'll love that." I started thinking about all the food Zoey's been making. "Do you think you can ask her to make those pulled pork sandwiches?"

"Definitely." Lola beamed.

We missed the seven o'clock movie and the one after that. Lola and I kept talking and talking. All the nerves we both felt started to melt away.

The only other time I got nervous that evening was when we said good-bye. Because I wanted to kiss her. Not just because she was cute but because, for the first time since I'd arrived, I had something to look forward to that didn't involve Zoey.

So I kissed her. And she kissed me back.

I wasn't going to let any other opportunities pass me by.

Generally when a guy gets a girlfriend, he usually ends up spending less time with his guy friends. But with Lola it was the opposite.

Before I knew it, I was starting to hang out with Logan and Michael. We went to the mall to get our costumes for Lola's Halloween party. We ended up grabbing a few slices and talking about sports. I hadn't had that much bro time since we left California. I even got excited when Logan picked on me for spending so much time with Zoey without making a move. I took it as a compliment that he was ribbing me. It meant I was in.