Zoe yawned as she left the bathroom, still tired from the night before. It had been a good time, even with Trinity being weird. Athena either hadn't noticed it or hadn't cared enough to speak up, which was kind of typical for her, but it wasn't something Zoe had been able to overlook. Something to mention to Jen, she guessed, and to keep an eye on herself.
Returning to her room, Zoe collapsed onto her bed and grabbed her phone. Nothing from Athena, cause she was probably still sleeping. A message had come through from Richie McMillan, though.
Richie: Your sister and the rest of their friends are all here. They've taken over the pool.
You: Shocker. They're together pretty much all the time.
Richie: I think I need an escape. Up for doing something?
Zoe bit her lip, considering. They had known each other for a long time, given how close Jen and Sarah were. They had chatted a bit when they were younger and become a bit closer as they got older, chatting about school and stuff. It had been something that Athena and Zelda had given her crap about plenty of times. Hanging out with the prep.
You: I'm pretty wiped from seeing a concert last night.
She considered for a moment, then followed up.
You: I could be bribed with some caffeine, though.
Richie: Iced coffee, right? I think I can manage that. Swing by your place in a bit?
Zoe sent a thumbs up, then dropped her phone to her bed. She sat there for a moment, then bolted up. She quickly changed out of her tee shirt and jeans and into a somewhat nicer black dress that she had gotten when shopping with Trinity. It was stylish enough that she wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen hanging around in it. She headed downstairs and looked around. Her dad was out, probably taking care of some chores or seeing his friends. Her mom was in the back yard with Mikey, working on the garden while he played. She sat in the living room and waited.
It was about an hour before she saw him coming down the street. He was wearing a button-up shirt and khaki shorts, more or less his usual style. He wore it well, though. Some guys around school wore those kind of clothes because the popular kids did, and they just looked... off. Like they were trying too hard or something. For Richie, it looked natural.
She hurried to the door and opened it, catching the look of surprise on his face as she did. He recovered quickly and held out one of the two cups he held. She smiled and took it, saying a quick thanks before taking a sip.
"So, you want to do something?" Richie asked. "Maybe head to the mall and goof around there or something?"
Zoe considered, then nodded. "Sure," she said. She shot her mom a quick message saying she was heading to the mall, and they started on their way.
"So, your sisters officially a cheerleader now?"
"I guess so," Zoe said. "Not like it wasn't basically there anyway. This is just making it official. And it's only for, what, like two months? I almost wonder what the point is."
"Something to put on college applications?" Richie asked. "I think Sarah mentioned to our mom something about a competition next month. Maybe winning that would be a big deal."
"Mm, maybe," Zoe said.
"You ever think about it?" Richie asked. When Zoe gave him a confused look, he pressed on. "Going after a spot on the squad? Follow in Jen's footsteps?"
"Me?" Zoe asked. She laughed, shaking her head. "No way, that's not really my skill set, you know?"
"I dunno, I think you'd be able to pull it off. And, hell, with your sister being on the squad now, the coach would probably give you some preferential treatment, too. You'd practically be a shoe in."
Taking another sip, Zoe considered that. Her? A cheerleader? That was... he had to be joking, right? And it wasn't something she had even considered doing before. That would definitely be something that Athena and Zelda would give her a neverending amount of crap about. She wasn't the type of unflappable that Trinity was, who could shake off those kind of comments from others so easily.
"So, anything specific you wanna do at the mall?" Zoe asked.
"Not really. Figured we could just wander, see what catches our interest."
"And you're not afraid of kids from school seeing you with me?"
"Why would I be?" Richie asked. Zoe opened her mouth, but paused. She wasn't even sure what she could say in response to that. Richie pressed on. "Listen, you're cool, and pretty. So I don't think anyone would be embarrased to be seen with you in the first place. Plus, your sister is super popular, and so is mine. We basically get to set the pace of what's cool and acceptable at school, you know?"
"I..." That was a lot to unpack, and Zoe wasn't even sure where to start. He had called her pretty? "I don't think people would listen to me about what's cool."
"You'd be surprised, I bet. Whenever I'm hanging out with my friends, going to the parties, your name gets brought up. People ask if you're gonna show."
Did they really? That had to be a lie, right? Him trying to make her feel better? But why... What would he gain from that? It was too much to consider, so she changed the subject, bringing up the english class that they shared. That was an easier topic, simpler to wrap her head around. Not that she'd be able to forget about the things that were just said.
