#zigmunovak

Zig: shifted his weight to the other side of his body and took a long drag on the cigarette tucked between his lips. It was his second cigarette in the 5 minutes he'd been waiting outside of Eli's house, hoping the other male would show up soon. He hadn't been at the Goldsworthy residence since before he left the Outsiders -- two choices that went hand in hand together. Zig had distanced himself from his friends on purpose, avoiding their homes and typical hang outs so that part of his life and his gang life couldn't mingle or cause problems for the Outsiders. Aside from moving into the Hollingsworth home or hanging out with Grace because the girl absolutely refused to leave his side, talking in passing was where he drew the line after he joined the gang. After what had happened after opening night, Zig was testing his boundaries. He hadn't seen or heard from Vince, but he knew this wasn't the end, and by the way Tiny was avoiding him like the plague, the news had to be getting out. The flame on his cigarette reached the filter just as a figure appeared at the end of the drive. "Hey," he said through a lung full of smoke, eyeing Eli as he approached. "Could I, uh, come in?" he questioned, his eyes shifty as he dropped the cigarette and stomped on it, avoiding eye contact with the older boy.

Eli sighed in frustration as he trudged down the sidewalk, not too pleased with his current lack of a car. Bullfrog had been in a rush to get to the station that morning and Cece had already left the house, so Eli voluntarily offered his father his own car. Normally he would've simply dropped Bullfrog off, but he hoped the extra effort would somehow get him a bit closer to his father finally trusting him to take care of himself. It was difficult having to suck up to his parents, but Eli knew it was the most foolproof way to get closer to where he wanted to be with them. Frustrated from the long walk, he glanced up to see Zig standing near the door to his house, cigarette in hand. Eli squinted at the younger male in confusion for a moment before continuing towards the door. "Hey," He replied cautiously, somewhat surprised that Zig had actually showed up to his house. Deciding not to question him until they were inside, Eli simply nodded, stepping past his friend to unlock the door and open it. Gesturing for Zig to enter, he eyed the male curiously before closing the door behind him. "What's up, Novak? You haven't been over in ages. Special occasion?"

Zig: could sense Eli's confusion as he glanced wearily in Zig's direction. As simple as the conversation started out, it was enough to put Zig on edge, as if he wasn't already there. He nodded quickly and followed Eli through the front door, pausing to take in his surroundings before responding. It felt oddly nostalgic to be back in the home even though he had been there a dozen times before joining the gang. "I need a special occasion to drop by?" Zig countered, offering a sly but nervous grin as he finally met Eli's questioning gaze. He quickly averted his eyes and chuckled nervously, shrugging. "You heard that Hunter's parents kicked me out, right? Okay, so that's not really what happened, but they would've kicked me out. So I just left. Anyway, I've been staying at this motel by my mom's store but I can't really go to the store..." Realizing he had started to ramble, Zig's face flushed as he struggled to reach his point. "I was just bored. I was... lonely, I dunno. I needed someone to talk to." Cautiously Zig looked up at Eli again, stopping short of giving the real reason for coming. His skin was practically crawling with fear and anxiety over what he had done to Vince, particularly the lack of word from the gang or anyone, really. He knew Bianca couldn't handle it given her history with the gang, and he didn't want to screw up Grace's friendship with Tiny by sharing with her that he had not-so-accidentally stabbed his brother. Regardless of what Frankie was seen, Zig was too scared to tell her anything. Eli seemed like the most logical bet, but was there really a way to admit this?

Eli scoffed slightly at Zig's remark, shaking his head as he returned the grin. "Nah, you're good," he assured the younger boy, taking a seat on the couch and gesturing vaguely for Zig to make himself comfortable. He couldn't help but notice the boy's obvious nerves, and it became clear to Eli that something was on his friend's mind. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity as he explained himself, Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on the coffee table as he listened. "Right, so...why exactly did you think they would suddenly kick you out? And how are you managing to pay for a motel every night?" He questioned, eyeing his friend with genuine concern. "You know that if necessary, you're welcome to stay here. You don't need to be spending money to live in a crappy motel." Eli looked at Zig carefully, feeling that he still seemed to be hiding his true motivation for showing up out of the blue after such a long time. "Do you have any sort of plan as to how you're going to reconcile with your mom?"

Zig: tensed up at the direct questioning, slightly hesitant to tell Eli that he had gotten into a fist fight with Miles over Frankie, though his reasoning went well beyond just Miles lying to the girl. "I sort of hit Miles," he finally replied, his words running together as he made his statement in one, quick breath. Opting to sit across from Eli rather than directly beside him on the couch, the tenner plopped down onto a recliner and leaned back. "By paying them... With money I make. It's not a big deal, man, and I wouldn't want to put your parents out. Imogen and Grace gave me the same invite, but this is your family, not mine to bug." He shrugged, trying to act indifferent. He was still running his routes and doing what he was supposed to do, mostly to avoid pissing off the gang anymore than he probably had. Eli's question about his mom caused him to scoot forward in the seat, feeling a little wirey. "Yeah," he said, keeping the answer short on purpose. "I did... something. I dunno if it worked yet."

Eli lifted his eyebrows at Zig's statement, not completely surprised by his words. On one hand, the older Hollingsworth sibling likely had it coming for whatever reason, but on the other hand it definitely didn't seem like the wisest choice considering Zig had been depending on his family to house him. Letting out a sigh, he chewed on his lip, trying to figure out what advice he could possibly give his friend. "Right, I get your point of view. But in times of need, "bugging" the family isn't important. If things become desperate, disregard your pride and know you have people to look out for you." He held a firm gaze with the younger boy, hoping his words would resonate well. Eli understood why Zig wanted to keep his friends out of his situation; Eli would've likely done the same thing if the roles were switched. But he knew keeping everything to himself at all times had to get exhausting. Leaning back a bit, he crossed his arms against his chest, nodding for Zig to continue. "Something? What, exactly?"

Zig: could only look at Eli wearily, unsure of what to say. Eli had a way of making sense and making Zig see reason, but in the state he was in, reason wasn't something that could be viewed from his spot. "Thank you," he managed to say, hit with a wave of emotion as he realized just how far all of his friends were willing to go to help him, even when he hardly deserved it. The direct questioning caught Zig off guard, though he shouldn't have been surprised. He knew Eli well enough to know that he would pick up on the cues Zig was giving, no matter how involuntarily. Tensing up, Zig looked at the floor. "Something bad," he muttered, glancing up cautiously like a dog being scolded. "I shouldn't talk about it -- but I need to talk about it," he continued, his tone weary.

Eli simply nodded, his look assuring Zig that he truly meant what he'd said regarding the offer. He noticed Zig's expression turning slightly more nervous by the second, and his concern for the younger boy only grew. Something was definitely going on, and it had to be serious if Zig had decided to come to Eli about it. The two rarely discussed their problems, each preferring to keep to himself most of the time, but in dire times Eli knew Zig needed to tell someone who could help him work things out logically. His eyebrows raised at the vague words, tilting his head curiously. "Bad.../how/ bad, exactly? And in what sense?"

Zoë: did her best not to wear anything too flashy or ornate to this little meet-up, keeping the location in mind the entire time she’d gotten dressed. The Ravine was a place she was sure to steer clear from at all costs, and especially after the roofie incident that had taken place a few months prior she did what she could to stay away from any place that she’d deemed shady. Still, it was the only way that Zig agreed to meet her to run lines and for fears of being unprepared on stage she settled with it. Upon first discovering that she and Zig had been cast in the play and as her “on-stage boyfriend” atop all else, she was sure she went through an entire spectrum of emotion. However, surprise was not one of them. Life had it’s way of throwing them together in situations that weren’t always favorable. And after their most recent falling out she was almost sure that the tone of this particular gathering would be a bitter one, especially since she’d spent time grappling with the fact that this time it was permanent. Or at least it was supposed to be. Regardless, the tenner took calculated steps toward the place Zig told her to meet, her arms folded in a guarded manner as she glanced about at her unfamiliar surroundings.

Zig: knew that making Zoe meet up with him at the Ravine was immature, and maybe even cruel, but he didn't feel entirely bad about it. Mostly he just wanted to make sure that she was as miserable as he knew he would be throughout the process, even if they were just running lines. He hadn't memorized anything a day in his life, so he was a little nervous. Between doing a play and having to act out scenes as Zoe's onscreen boyfriend, he was starting to think he was in over his head. After all, he wasn't an actor or even mildly experienced. But working in the athletics department after school wasn't doing a good enough job at keeping him away from the gang, which is exactly what he needed while he tried to sort things out. Zig kept that in mind as he made his way into the woods that surrounded their meeting spot, preparing himself for a fight or at the very least a very miserable meeting. "What are you wearing?" Zig spoke up once he was in earshot of the brunette, taking note of her relaxed attire. It was the most dressed down he had seen her outside of her room. Pushing that subject aside, he glanced at the folded papers in Zoe's hands. "I didn't bring my copy of the script or anything.." he mumbled, knowing how stupid that sounded.

Zoë: looked down at her attire when Zig pointed it out, gnawing slightly on her lip as she glanced over it.”You didn’t bring a copy of your script?” she asked incredulously, since the whole point of their meeting was to go over their lines. Zoë sighed, realizing it wasn’t worth getting worked up over. “We can share” The girl made a beeline to take a seat on a log. But the minute she’d sat down she realized that going over these lines in this particular location would be a difficult feat. Not to far off a group of boys were doing some drug that Zoë didn’t look long enough to identify, and a few more feet away there was a couple going at it like they were ready to rip one another’s clothes off then and there. The girl frowned, but then returned her attention to Zig. “So where do you want to start?” asked the girl, quirking an eyebrow as she flipped to the pages where she knew her lines to be, perfectly color coded and highlighted. Before he could say anything she interjected. “Let’s do the harder parts first, how about the day after they first wake up together? Chase’s arm is around Harley, they’re both confused...” she went on, setting the scene more for her sake than his. The girl handed the script off to him, having already had this part memorized. The good thing about her newfound heightened caffeine intake was that it gave her the night to get things done, and attempting to memorize lines for this play was at the very top of that list.

Zig: 's eyes tracked Zoe as she made her way over to the log and took a seat, but he made no effort to move in her direction immediately. He was well aware of their surroundings, mostly because he was more familiar with the Ravine and what went on. Judging by the look on her face, he was far less bothered by the people around them than she was. Zig remained silent at her question, feeling a little dejected and clueless without a script to follow, and he definitely wasn't interested in standing over her shoulder. His nose wrinkled in distaste as she described the scene. "Yeah, I'm confused too," he muttered, a hint of disgust in his tone. He quickly sighed, stepping forward and reaching for the script to distract her from giving any response to his attitude. "What do I do? Just... read what it says here?" Zig asked, mostly thinking aloud to himself as his finger moved over the paper. He suddenly felt a little flustered, having underestimated how difficult it would be to actually try acting for the first time. "So... Harley starts to get up, Chase sits up on the bed... Oh, right," he mumbled on, finally finding a spot to practice reading. He straightened his posture to speak the line. "'Where are you going? You don't have to leave,'" he said in the most convincing voice possible. It was a short line, and he wasn't even sure if he said it right, but he felt somewhat accomplished for just having gotten that far.

Zoë: wanted to laugh as Zig straightened up to deliver his line. Frankly, she didn’t see acting as something that fell into his particular spectrum of interests which was another reason why she was so surprised to see him cast. Initially she passed it off as a stint on Eli’s part to keep one of his friends close, but a part of her knew that he’d never make some large commitment unless it was serving some purpose for him as well. Regardless, aside from the slight smirk that crept onto her lips the brunette folded her arms in front of her as Zig prepared his line, pacing the ground a bit as she herself tried to get in character. Acting had actually turned out to be more than she bargained for as well, along with the burden of having to memorize lines verbatim there was also the added pressure of making it all seem convincing to an audience of people. “I think I do” she replied hesitantly, still not quite sure if that was the place they were in. “It’s no big deal..I’ll just see you at school tomorrow” she offered a bit more confidently. Zoë sighed, breaking character. “Should I start gathering my things right here? Or would Harley even have any things I mean she just crashed at her boyfriend’s house?” asked the girl, “And what is Chase doing, just sitting on the bed letting her leave?”

Zig: bit into his lip as he watched Zoe respond with her own lines. He felt a little stupid, standing in the woods with a girl he hated and saying words that someone -- specifically Eli -- had made up for them. But this was what he needed to do for the time being, so he didn't have a choice. He had all but begged Eli to give him a spot in the musical, and now that he had it, he didn't want to embarrass Eli or anyone else, certainly not himself. Realizing she had stopped running lines to speak to him, he blinked and looked cluelessly down at the script. "I don't know," he said in a flat tone. "Maybe? Maybe not." The boy shrugged. Following the silence that followed, he heaved a sigh and refocused on the script, re-reading it. "I guess he tries to stop her..." Zig flipped over to the next page, his eyes scanning the page. "Yeah, sure. See you.... Harley exits stage. Well, I guess he doesn't. Not really, anyway." He shrugged again, returning to the original page. "So do we pick a different scene? Seems easy enough," Zig mused, reflecting on the one line he said so far.

Zoë: furrowed her eyebrows when he answered her.“Are you sure?” she asked, going over toward him to have a look at the script. Even through her own loud pink highlighting she still had trouble making out some of the words but that didn’t stop her from having to make sure herself. “Okay” she agreed finally. When he suggested that they move on the girl shook her head, aware that he was probably going to grow annoyed with he protests. “No, no I think we need to do that one again, and then once it’s perfect we’ll do another.” Just when she’d uttered the sentence she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye, aside from a majority of the crowd there was a male, his body leaned against a tree not far off from where they stood. The minute Zoë turned to look she noticed his eyes on them. Instantaneously the girl shifted her gaze back to the script and then to Zig. “Okay run the line” she told him, attempting to refocus on their lines. However, when it came time for her respond she couldn’t help but feel the stranger’s eyes on them. She paused, clearing her throat. “Zig” she spoke up, “Do you know him?” her eyes trailed upward toward the male, neglecting to make eye contact in attempts to remain inconspicuous. “He’s been staring for a while” she added somewhat under her breath, not sure if she was being antsy.

Zig: "Perfect? What is there to work on? It's like, two separate lines," Zig protested, though he knew good and well his objection would fall on deaf ears. He made no attempt to hide his rolling eyes as the girl prepared herself to go through the lines. With a grimace on his face, his own eyes found his one line and repeated it, this time with much less gusto than before. When she didn't respond, he glanced up. "Zoe?" he questioned, spotting her face as she looked at something just behind him. "Huh?" His face scrunched up in confusion. He lifted his head and started to look around, but it took him a few turns of his head to catch eye contact with the male in question. Realizing who he was looking at, he felt the color in his face begin to drain. The guy looking at him, a member of Vince's gang, held eye contact with him until Zig dropped his head. Sucking in a quick breath, he pretended to look at the script. "Sure, I know him," he responded finally. "He's just... Just run the lines, okay?" Deep down, Zig was regretting his choice to do this out in the open. After his conversation with Vince at the cabin party, he couldn't help but think this was Vince's response -- having someone tail him. Unable to concentrate, his arm that was holding up the script dropped. "We should've just met at the library," he mumbled.

Zoë: listened as Zig attempted to give a nonchalant reply, half buying it until the look on his face set her on edge. She crossed her arms, feeling the stranger’s eyes burn holes into the side of her face. “He’s who?” she pressed, suddenly disinterested with running their scene. She took an instinctive step closer, watching his movement. The brunette couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that came over her, her attention darting from Zig to the other man. “Let’s get out of here” she spoke up again, already moving to create distance them from the male. It was clear that both of them we’re growing more uncomfortable since discovering the man’s eyes on them, Zig in particular. However, much to her horror she observed that the minute the two teens began to walk in another direction the figure seemed to follow. She sucked in a breath, beginning to pick up her pace just slightly. “He’s following us” whispered the brunette, her arms still folded out in front of her.

Zig: remained silent as Zoe pressed him about who the guy was, not wanting to get into details, especially not with her. "Zoe--" He tried to object from walking away, but she was already moving and a few steps ahead of him. As the two fell into sync side by side, he tried not to look behind them until Zoe spoke up and pointed out that they were still being followed. A wave of fear and anger hit Zig all at once. Rogue or not, where did Vince get off having him followed? If he wasn't convinced that he needed out of the gang before, he was now. The two had started walking in a direction that led them deeper into the woods, which wasn't cohesive for getting away. Zig stopped abruptly, stepping out in front of Zoe and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Look, he's just here to watch me, okay? Not you, just me," he warned in a low voice. "As long as he can go back and say I wasn't doing anything interesting, it's not a big deal." He tried to shrug it off, to hide his actual emotions, but it was hard. Right now he was more worried about proving to Vince's lap dog that nothing worth reporting was happening.

Zoë: As they made their way deeper into the woods, she couldn’t help but get more freaked out by the man’s presence. When Zig stepped out in front of her she gasped, initially startled. Mentally chiding herself for being so jittery she gathered her composure and she listened. The female’s eyebrows furrowed together as she ambled forward. “Watch you?” she asked, her heart sank. It was obvious to her now, even more so than it may have been before that this came back to the gang situation, Everything that had happened to him this year traced back to the gang. “What do we need to do?” asked the girl, “Should we just act normal?” She realized that Zig’s discretion probably exceeded her own when it came to appeasing some gang member. Zoë wanted to believe that his presence wasn’t menacing, but knowing that a someone was there particularly to follow him didn’t exactly ease he mind either.

Zig: Under any other circumstances, Zig would have been making fun of Zoe for her jumpy behavior, but he couldn't blame her. The only reason he wasn't acting more anxious was because he knew that would make him look guilty of something. "Watch me," Zig repeated. "I can't really go into detail about why right now..." Judging by her expression, he assumed she knew exactly what he was getting at. His eyes jumped between Zoe's face and the figure of the gang member practically stalking him, who had stopped a few yards away and was again rested against a tree. For someone keeping their distance, the male had no problem making direct eye contact with Zig. Swallowing back the growing lump in his throat, he refocused on her. "Normal? Normal for us is... not normal. Normal for us is just fighting or... Nevermind," he huffed, rolling his eyes again. Still holding firmly onto her shoulders, he considered their options. "We'll just talk," he finally resigned with a shrug. "If he thinks I'm not doing anything to avoid Vince, he can't say or do anything," he continued, more to himself than her.

Zoë: was anxious with Zig’s resolve, but decided to go along with it. After all, the man hadn’t made any sudden moves to approach them. Not yet, at least. She gave an exasperated sigh. “Okay, let’s talk” she responded. “Any topics in particular--maybe why this guy is stalking you?” asked Zoë, not able to get her thoughts from the man in question. She sighed again, this time much softer. “Vince Bell?” she asked again, her ears perking up at the mention of a name. This was the first time she’d heard, from him at least a name associated with the gang, and it also made since as to why Tiny seemed so trapped himself. She looked away when recounting a conversation with him about how selling drugs wasn’t an option for him. She then frowned at the fact that she’d been purchasing caffeine pills from him in recent weeks, knowing that it did nothing but add fuel to the system they both seemed to be so entrapped in. Before long she went to sit down again, making sure they were positioned to a point where she could see the figure of the male that had been following them from her peripheral. “Is that why you did the play?” she asked, looking up at Zig. “So you can stay away from him?”

Zig: sighed, releasing his grip on Zoe's arm. "That wouldn't be my first pick," he muttered. Internally he scolded himself for slipping and saying Vince's name, especially because he knew better. He clenched his jaw, looking her in the eye. "Don't say that name again. Not to me, not to anyone," he warned. If he had learned anything in the past few months, it was that Vince Bell had a way of appearing wherever he was mentioned, like a sick sixth sense. The last thing Zig wanted was for Zoe to get tangled up in the mess that was his life, even if he didn't care about her being in his life right now. As they spoke, Zig's eyes instinctively flitted back to the position where the male was posted to make sure he wasn't moving closer or that he hadn't left. Seeing that their stalker was still in his spot, he shifted his eyes back to Zoe's face quickly, wincing as she guessed his reasoning for the play. "No," he lied, answering without even thinking about it. Eli was the only person that knew Zig wasn't being forced to do the play. Feeling defeated, his shoulders fell. "Yes," he spoke again, quieter this time. "Can you blame me? He's the same guy that got me shot, that got me kidnapped... I just finally put two and two together. Bad things happen when I'm around him, so I'm trying not to be." He tried to shrug it off, to act impartial like the subject matter wasn't important, but the atmosphere in the air around him suggested otherwise. His face contorted with concern as he eyed her. "You're not going to tell anyone... are you?"

Zoë: listened intently as he explained his rationale behind getting involved with the play. “Oh, so you can do an entire production but you can’t wash a couple of practice uniforms?” she mused jokingly, quirking an eyebrow as she remembered when she’d made it her business to turn Zig into the Power Cheer errand boy for the same reason. However, at the sight of how genuinely disheartened he was over the whole ordeal she became quiet. It was clear to her that Zig was in over his head with the gang and Vince. And frankly, she didn’t see an out either. “How did any of this even start? How did you get in a gang and start selling drugs?” She knew she was putting him in the hot seat with the questions she was asking, but it had been on her mind for a while now. Zig had always been labeled as a troublemaker, but this far exceeded putting up naked pictures of the principal around school. “Why did you do it?” she added. The brunette shook her head when he asked if she would tell. “No, no I won’t.” she replied, aware that the majority of the ensemble thought this play wasn’t really an option for Zig and to some degree it wasn’t. “But what happens when he finds out you’re avoiding from him?” she asked, not able to mask a concern in her voice. “You’ve already had a couple of close calls with death and from the looks of it..” she nodded subtly toward the stranger a few yards from them, keeping her voice low “He’s not afraid to go for a third”. The phrase sent shivers through her spine. “You can’t hide forever, Zig” she said finally, bringing her dark hues to meet his. She’d hoped her words would resonate with him, but from the look on his face he already knew it.

Zig: glowered at the girl's joke but smiled nonetheless. The two hadn't really had a conversation in weeks, and even when they were on speaking terms, there was never much talking involved if it didn't involve arguing. Caught off guard by her questions, his eyes met hers for the first time since they had arrived at the Ravine. Genuinely surprised that she seemed to really care about his answers, he held her gaze for a few more seconds before he averted his eyes and gritted his teeth. Vince's lacky didn't indicate that he planned on backing off any time soon, so if they had to stand there, why not talk about something that mattered? "Vince found me. He started talking to me, offered to set me up with the business. I knew it wasn't a good idea because Bianca warned me about him..." He trailed off, not wanting to go too far into detail when that was Bianca's past, not his. "When it started I thought I could control it. It seemed so simple before..." He cleared his throat, not wanting to get choked up in front of her. Zoe's next question was more complicated. He hadn't really discussed the why with anyone, at least not the real reason. He had tried to explain the money situation before, but it didn't seem to take. Thinking deeper about it than he had before, he resigned to finally say what came to mind first. "My dad," Zig finally said. "I found out he wasn't coming back. I found out he had left. Vince acted like he cared about me, like he was interested in what I had to say... I know it sounds stupid. It's not like Vince is or was ever anything like my dad, but it felt good to be needed. It felt good to feel important. I've never felt that before." More than anything he wanted to be able to tell Zoe that he had a plan, that he knew for sure he was going to get out. All he could do was shake his head wearily and shrug. "So if I avoid him I might die. But if I stay with him... I die no matter what."

Zoë: Zig’s explanation wasn’t anything that surprised her, honestly that’s about how she expected this to have been initiated. Vince approaching him and luring him into something that he knew he wouldn’t be able to find his way out of. “Before you got shot.” she pressed, leaving no rock unturned when it came to this subject. This was an explanation she had never expected to get from him, especially not after everything that had transpired between them. The former princess couldn’t help but stare at his expression, however the next thing he said made her heart sink. In her few visits to his house she had never heard mention of a father figure, let alone seen one. But finding out that he’d been abandoned by his own parent made her feel a twinge of regret for the times she’d ridiculed him so heavily in the past, seeing him in such a vulnerable state she couldn’t help it. She of all people knew the kinds of toll something like that could have on a person, when the one person in the world who was supposed to love you unconditionally just doesn’t. “That does’t sound stupid to me” she interjected, her tone still somewhat low. “I know how that feels..to crave that..to want to feel important and wanted..” she licked her lips, not accustomed to them being so bare and sucked in a breath. “And I also know it’ll drive you to do some crazy things...” The brunette sighed, looking down at the ground. However, the next thing he said caused her to bring her gaze right back to him. “Don’t say that” she said in a stern voice, furrowing both eyebrows. When he’d gone missing she could recall thinking the worst, that she’d turn on the news to an announcement that they’d found his body, that she’d have to go to some candlelight vigil at the school and pretend he was simply someone she saw in passing on a day to day..and hooked up with that one time. After being silent for a while she spoke up again, “I’d still help you..” the girl said, her voice just above a whisper. “I know there’s nothing I can do to put an end to it, and that this is your problem to deal with..” she paused, realizing he would probably shoot the idea down but deciding to finish her thought anyway. “But if you need it you can call” She gave the slightest of grins, “No offense, but I think you’re a little in over you head here anyway”

Zig: felt his stomach sinking as Zoe verbalized her sympathy for his situation. He hardly ever spoke about his dad, even when it came to his friends, so expressing those feelings to her was something he had never expected to do. He had gone in circles trying to explain the money aspect of gang life to Grace, who never truly seemed to buy that reasoning. Zoe was the first person that had heard him express a connection between Vince's role in his life and his dad's obvious lack of any role, and Zig didn't know how he felt about that. "Why? I'm being honest. I thought you wanted that," he interjected, nearly cutting her off. No matter how little people thought of him, he didn't want to die. He didn't want anything bad to happen to him or have that cause pain for his friends or for his mom. But he was starting to think he would rather die fighting than roll over and die anyway. "Some days I feel dead already," he spoke up again, his tone soft and nearly void of all emotion. He said it in a matter-of-fact way, like it didn't really matter, but he had never said something like that aloud -- even though it was very true. What kind of life did he have now, not talking to his mom and hiding all the time? This wasn't how he wanted to live so it really didn't feel like living at all. Surprised by her statement, Zig lifted his head and met her eyes. There was a moment of silence between the two where he thought about everything they had gone through and the last conversation they had, when he all but banished her from his life. Registering pain for only a second, he quickly resumed the look of indifference. "Yeah," was all he managed to say, not wanting to fall for any of her tricks again. Even if she was sincere now, she never stayed that way for long. He took a step back from her and turned on his heel slightly, looking over his shoulder as calmly as possible. The male was still lingering but had fallen back a few feet, a good sign to Zig. He chuckled but the action never reached his eyes. "I know I am. I don't know how to not drown in something I guess," Zig admitted to her.

Zoë: felt a sharpness in the pit of her stomach at his confession, both eyes darting upward and then off to the side. The topic of death in general had left her squeamish. Generally she was able to handle such blatant honesty being a straight shooter herself, but Zig’s response left her shaken. Considering the fact that she may have been overreacting she took a breath, realizing that her initial reaction was practically an involuntary one at that point. But she was silent for a long while. -Yeah?” she pressed incredulously, furrowing both eyebrows. She hadn’t expected such a short and dejected response, even after their recent falling out. The tenner couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness in her chest, that after it all he had seemed to be able to erase her so completely from his life. But remembering the conversation they were having, and everything he was going through she deducted that she was very well the last thing on his mind. Which didn’t help, but it certainly put things into perspective. Zoë shook her head and sighed, as if to physically force herself back on topic. “Are you okay?” she spoke up, bringing herself to her feet to look him straight on. Remembering the third presence she tensed, making sure not to make anymore sudden moves. But judging from what he’d expressed earlier, and the utter lack of emotion in his admission she couldn’t help but feel a biting concern. “Look at me” she demanded. “Seriously.” Her dark hues darted between his as she attempted to read them. Zoë frowned, seeing that they too lacked much emotion. For a moment she could recognize just how battered he was by the gang, and his life overall. Part of her could identify with it. And that only made seeing it in him more worrisome. “This is a lot to deal with” she said, nodding as if to physical indicate that she realized this was a heavy burden to bare. “But you have to do whatever you need to, to survive” If he wasn’t going to let her do anything, she could still offer her advice. “No matter what that is, you do it” Zoë kept her gaze steady on his as she uttered the last few words, wanting to be certain he heard.

Zig: could see that his response had wounded her, and for a split second, he regretted his brutal honesty. The reason he had kept the real weight of the issue from people was for this exact reason, because he didn't want to deal with their reactions. People were worried enough about him without him adding to that by expressing just how empty the situation had left him feeling as of late. Even though he knew he shouldn't have, Zig snorted in response to her question. Was he okay? That was a good question, one he didn't have an answer to. "I'm still standing," he replied with a subtle shrug, gesturing to himself. It was a cop-out of an answer, though in all reality, the fact that he was standing at all and not buried in the ground was a real accomplishment. At first he ignored her request to look at her, but when she pressed, the tenner met her gaze out of pure instinct for being ordered to. "Are you sure about that?" Zig asked her after a pause. In his head he was going over the few options that he had -- one of them being to run away. The same step he had taken away from her he took towards her again, staring hard at her. "What if that means... I'm not around anymore?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light though he was very serious. "I don't know that there's a lot left for me here," he pressed, lowering his voice just in case Vince's spy had particularly good hearing. "If I have to leave to survive... you want me to do it?" He didn't know where he would go. As it stood now he was staying at the Hollingsworth home, where he already felt out of place. Leaving Toronto was a gamble because it meant actually running from Vince, but he was starting to feel desperate.

Zoë: The female could feel her heart drop at the mention that he might not be around anymore, having to tear her gaze away from his. She was quiet for a period of time before she finally decided to speak up again, taking a step closer when he did. “I don’t want you to leave” she said blatantly, expressing the sentiment as genuinely as it came. “But I want you to live” the brunette said again, this time bringing her eyes to meet his. Frankly, the fact that Zig had to leave town was something she’d been grappling with since discovering his involvement in the gang. After much consideration, she knew that it was one of his only ways out. Not seeing him anymore, even in passing, was a somewhat difficult concept for the brunette to grasp. After all, they had been a part of each other’s lives for a long while. But she knew the comfort of knowing that he was somewhere out of harm’s way far exceeded her reluctance to let him leave. “Just say you’ll take care of yourself, whatever you decide” Her voice was smaller than she intended for it to be, but she could hardly help it. “And if not, promise that you’ll let people help you if you can’t do this alone” She knew that Zig had a lot of pride. He had an innate need to handle his problems on his own and not allow others to get involved in his mess, but this was far too much for any one person to handle. Even she knew that.

Zig: Surprised by her readiness to state that she didn't want him to go, Zig raised an eyebrow. He expected her to follow it up with some quip about how it would be best, but that wasn't what he got. For a moment he remembered what he had liked about her for so long, when everyone else had questioned why he ever involved himself with her in the first place. When Zoe Rivas favored you, it felt like the sun was shining -- and when she left, it was cold. Once again reminding himself of just how cold it could get, he forced himself to look down at the ground instead of into her eyes. "I can't do that," he admitted wearily after some hesitation. "I don't want to say anything that's not true or make a promise I can't keep. I'm not saying that to be tough or to scare you, I just... I'm risking letting enough people down already. If something happens to, I don't want to be letting you down too." He shoved his hands into his pockets and raised his shoulders, his gaze still focused on the dirt.

Zoë: frowned at the confession, folding her arms out in front of her. As he went on her jaw fell slightly agape at the explanation. The brunette shook her head quietly. “You’ll only be letting me down if you don’t fight” she responded, her tone still somewhat low. Frankly, that was the only thing he could do at this point. That was his only means of survival, and from the look of just how beaten down this situation seemed to have had him he had to be running out of steam. “That’s all anyone wants you to do” For the first time she thought about all of the people that probably dealing with Zig’s gang involvement, Grace, Bianca, and his mother to name a few. She could recall when his mother had first discovered he’d gotten shot and sent out a mass text practically banning all contact with his friends. The former princess could imagine the woman probably never thought the situation would turn into this mess they were in now. She didn’t either. Releasing a breath she felt as if she’d been holding in forever, she turned to see the gang member with his back turned to both teens, apparently preparing to leave. Zoë looked off and then back at Zig, not sure if he’d noticed.

Zig: furrowed his brows at her response, confused as to how he should reply. He wasn't used to having an open conversation with Zoe when the two weren't screaming at each other. Though the conversation was bleak, they were both being calm and respectful to one another, something he wasn't used to. Deciding there was really nothing for him to say, he lowered his gaze once again and pretended to be preoccupied with kicking the dirt with his foot. Feeling her eyes on him, he raised his head and glanced behind them just in time to see Vince's spy retreating. Zig's chest collapsed inward as he sighed loudly, his entire body language changing. "I should go," he lied. He didn't have anywhere to be, but he was emotionally and mentally exhausted. "Sorry we didn't get to run lines," he told her with a weary shrug. Even if that wasn't what he had wanted to do, he wasn't happy with what they had ended up doing, either. "Maybe next time... we can just meet in the library?" A coy smile crossed his face before he turned to go.