zoë.

“I’ve been on hold for an hour. I can’t decide if I should give up or if I’m too invested at this point.”

“Keep going. I made a bet on how long you’ll stay on the phone before you give up and I’d really like to win.”

“These town gossips can kiss my ass.”

“You should just ignore gossip. It’s just people being petty about stuff. It’ll eventually go away, just like bullies.” 

“Valentine’s Day is always just a disaster waiting to happen.” 

“Have you had bad experiences? It’s just a Hallmark holiday.” 

“I’ve been well, better than a person can be at this moment, you know? How about you? Any crazy crimes lately?”

“That’s nice. I’m glad to hear that things are better for you. Eh, it’s been pretty quiet lately, other than the usual creepy stalkings and all. It’s actually pretty nice that things are slowing down. It’s been than crazy.” 

“Great advice, nice talk.”

“Why are you being so mean? I’m just trying to be nice.”

“I hope so too. But if it is, you can always just move inside - no big deal.” 

“—Hey,” she answered, recognizing Ms. Foster– or, Zoe.. for that matter. “It sounds pretty good. Love my chicken, and parmesan.”

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you around in a while,” Zoe smiled, attempting to make a bit of small talk while they waited. 

“—Hey,” she answered, recognizing Ms. Foster– or, Zoe.. for that matter. “It sounds pretty good. Love my chicken, and parmesan.”

“How have you been? I haven’t seen you around in a while,” Zoe smiled, attempting to make a bit of small talk while they waited. 

“Seeing other people happy gets old pretty quickly.”

“Maybe you should try to be happy then, yeah?” 

“Why not do a normal silent auction?”

“I dunno. Maybe people are tired of those. Or they wanted to do something they thought more people would be interested in.” 

“It’s so exciting. I can’t wait.” 

“Can everyone just stop with the ‘Valentine’s Day’ bullshit?”

“They’re just being happy. What’s the problem with that?” 

“—Hey, do you think you can grab me that menu? Standing here for nearly twenty minutes is killing me.”

“What? Oh yeah, sure, here you go. If you’re deciding what you want, I recommend the chicken parm. It’s amazing - I’ve been getting it here since I was little.” 

“I hope I get a hella great date for this date auction.”

“I hope you get a good one too. You deserve it.” 

“I mean, I wouldn’t knock it just because it isn’t your thing. It’s a nice thing to do for charity and all.” 

“I need a new addition to the family. I’m thinking of getting a dog — a Great Dane.

“I was thinking of getting a dog too - maybe a Pug. They’re so cute. A big dog would be cool too.”