6. MEETING HER

ZACK’S POV

Coming back to my senses in the forest, I somewhat felt bad as my first Impression of the new town was beautifully shattered. was It necessary that the party experience had to be that way? It had really messed up my mood. Just then I heard a noise of wood breaking from behind. Someone was there? Was It any animal? I had already lost my way and now this. Was my fate in the new town so damned that everything had to happen at the worst? I had a hard time blocking the rush of thoughts coming in mind. It was not so easy for me to be on my own after all those that happened in my life. So, I stood up and turned back to know what It was.

To startle me, a girl in late 17 popped in front of me. She was looking kind of tomboyish. Her hair was long brownish black one and it was left scattered and messed up. she also wore a grey cap that perfectly matched her face and she was wearing jean shorts and a hoody. I scanned her from top to bottom in curiosity of the moment. I caught sight of her leg which had a compression band and the sports band on one of her wrists. She also held a sketchbook in her hands too. I had a deep feeling Inside me saying that she was an athlete, at least her appearance made her look like a one. wait! Maybe I was over thinking. I shook It off my head and again went on looking at her. Even though her appearance was rough, her face was looking Innocent. she was beautiful in her own way. I think she Is a simple town girl. at last, I made an eye contact with her and She smiled at me. I embarrassingly realised that I was staring at her as If it was the first time, I saw a girl. 

“Who are you? You don’t seem to be from the town. I have never seen you here” She broke the silence and asked me. 

"I hum...yeah, I'm new to the town" I took a moment's time to clear my throat before I replied to her. To my astonishment, she walked towards me as if she seemed to recognise me.

“So, you are the newcomer. By the way, what Is a newcomer was doing in this part of the forest? She wore an Innocent smile in her face which I couldn't Ignore appreciating. She really had a different vibe than what I felt with the ones I met on the beach.

I was really amazed by the way in which everyone in the town recognised me. Indeed, the Information about newcomers of the town spread like a forest fire. 

“I was just exploring the town and by mistake lost my way in the forest” I humbly replied to her.

my reply made her laugh. I was bewildered by her reaction.

"won't you Introduce yourself to me? she raised her eyes at me waiting for me to make my Intro. me, at that time, realised that I had not Introduced myself. I was behaving stranger than my usual self mainly because my mind was messed up with all kinds of emotions.

"Yeah right...I'm I" I Introduced myself to her in my real hard voice which had come back after so long.

"Hi I’m Zoe, nice to meet you" Zoe extended her hands towards me for a shake.

I had always seen girls of my old high school die over me even to get a shake hand and I, their prince charm used to break their hearts by humbly giving them a simple wave than a touch of my skin. To be honest, Caroline was the only girl who had the permit to feel me and I had reserved it only to her!!

 but this girl was not a normal kind. I shook her hands and it felt like a miracle on my part. It was true, she was the first girl I was shaking my hands with and her one touch made my heart pound reminiscing my Caroline.

“Hey, are you the champion everyone was talking about?” her eyes wide opened the moment she realised the fact. I was stunned by her extreme curiosity to know more about me.

Although she was curious and eager to know more about me, I found Zoe calm and friendly unlike the others and all of above, the ones in my old high school. I felt some kind of a strange comfort while talking to her. Finally, I found a normal human being!!!

As thing were going good between us till now, the first thing I wanted to really know was the reason why me being a champion was talked about by everyone. without wasting anytime and taking our new meet as an excuse, I asked her about It.

"Do you know the reason why me being a champion Is highly discussed when It has nothing to do with this town?" Though I was cold inside, I asked her in a friendly tone with her.

was It the right thing I asked or was there anything about the town that I was not aware of? I cursed myself to jumping directly to my question.

her face suddenly changed expression to that of receiving a shock.

“Don’t you enquire about the place you are going to live in"? she asked me in her shocked tone yet teasing tone.

 I think she never expected such a question from me. I had no Idea what I needed to reply to her. I decided to tell her the truth believing in my Instincts about her. And yes, that was a good decision of mine!!

“Even though this Is my hometown I’m not Interested in the place nor do I have anything to do with It. So, gathering Information was a long way” I cleared her doubt by stating the reason coldly and she was thunderstruck by my reply.

“Are you joking or seriously you know nothing about your hometown?” she still didn’t believe my words, I guess. 

I did not even feel a bit of awkwardness talking to a stranger like her. From the day I received the news of dad’s death, I was having a hard time even talking to my best friends who were with me from a young age and now, I didn’t at all feel that the girl I just met now. What was happening to me? What kind of aura did she spread???I had no Idea about It and simply went with the flow without thinking about anything else.

I told her about the sudden decision to shift and how I hadn’t had any time to know about the place and why I didn’t even want to. That was the moment when Zoe and I realised that we had been standing at one place and were having such a long conversation. 

Zoe bravely asked me to follow her without any awkwardness and I moved as per order. I knew that we had some kind of connection so I felt free with her.

“Where are you planning to take me?” I asked her out of courtesy to which she simply told ‘just come’.

we continued our conversation which was actually small talks, while walking. Suddenly it crossed my mind that she hadn't told me about the champion matter and I pointed It out to her.

"Oh, sorry I lost It. It Is because of GYT, the grand yearly tournament" she told me.

I was attracted to the name of the tournament and it heated up the curiosity in me to know more about It. sensing my feeling she smiled and began telling me about It.

"Every year the high school conducted a tournament in which final grade athletes from the town and the nearby towns are to participated in various sports events and the person who won the tournament would get a prize award and a sponsored scholarship in any university that athlete wished to pursue higher training from" Zoe explained to me.

"It is a routine for the athletes of the town high school to take any athletic newcomer in the town as a rival and to defame and discourage them so that they had less threat of rivals and higher chances of winning the tournament" she further detailed me about the reason I was famous in the town even before arrival.

I then got an actual picture of why the boys on the beach were talking to me like that. As we walked long, we reached a tree house. Zoe without hesitation climbed up and asked me to come up. I looked above the tree. It was my first time seeing a tree house and it was a really mesmerizing feeling. I followed her up and when we reached the top, both of us sat in two corners of the tree house. I looked around from the top and asked her about It. She smiled at me seeing my excitement being in the forest and told me the history of the tree house. 

“It was built by the forest rangers long ago when there were wild animals that were spotted in the town. But as time passed animals left the forest and so did the rangers. Hence It became a public place. But no one visited It as It was dark in the forest and most people in this town don’t like such places” she talked in an exciting tone as If she loved having no one here. 

“Why are you here then”? I asked her to take up the freedom to do so.

“I love this place so much because It Is so peaceful here during the day and I spend time here writing and drawing sketches. It has a great level of privacy and no one come to the forest at this time” her eyes and tone made It clear to me how proud she felt being alone in the forest like this.

well, she was not to be blamed for It. Indeed, it was a place to spend time In. It was a feeling that had the power to lighten up my depressed mood.

“It's after so long that I saw someone in the forest at least lost” saying this she looked at me and chuckled. Shit, she kept on reminding me of Caroline!!

this girl’s presence and attitude comforted me. She was different from all the other girls I had ever met even Caroline who was not so mature like her and was more of a clingy type. It made me feel less nervous. It was so calm and a gentle wind caressed the forest. She again broke the silence and asked me more about myself. The time had finally arrived. I wasn’t comfortable in telling my story to someone I had just met. It was not a part of my character and attitude to open up my feelings to anyone. I was back to my depressed mood and my expression made her understand my situation. So, she quickly changed the topic. 

to help me distract myself from my mood, she asked me about my old school and friends. I told her about Dash and Will and I heard my own voice which had the sound of how much I missed them. It was quite rare to find a stranger understanding us so well. Zoe was one of those. She, by the way I talked to her, sensed that I had a broken past. again, she quickly changed the topic.

"Have you visited the lighthouse yet?" she changed into a jolly mood of hers while talking about the lighthouse. That’s when I remembered the lighthouse I saw from the window of my room in the mansion. Anyways, I wanted to enjoy some alone time and Zoe’s nature made me comfortable and relaxed. 

"Nope, not yet" I told her in a depressed tone and she signed to me her desire to take me there,

we quickly got down from the tree house and together went to the lighthouse. But both of us had a situation to face. We had to pass through the beach to reach the lighthouse the slightest thought of It made both of us nervous. still, we moved our way and we were surprised by Mike. What the next shock or surprise waiting for me????