Chapter 12 #3
“Two of them?” I ask, peering around him at the open aquarium. There’s no lid. It has no lid! And I can’t see the spider. Wait, it has a name? No, I knew that already. But where’s the lid?
“Yeah, you just met—well, sort of—Teo. They’re a tan jumping spider.
I caught them a few months ago in the backyard.
” He sounds so proud of his catch, and despite how much I don’t want to be in the same house as a spider, I can appreciate that.
“I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl, so I just say they’re non-binary like you. ”
“I never thought of spiders as non-binary,” I admit.
Although most of the time when I think of spiders I’m thinking nasty, creepy, crawly things that deserve to be swallowed by the depths of hell.
Sort of like yellow jackets. “I remember you telling Mom about them. Just didn’t think I was going to meet them. ”
“Yeah.” Zachary shrugs. “I named them after the Great Goddess of Teotihuacan. They also called her Spider Woman, so it sort of makes sense.”
“Teotia-whaty?” I say.
“Exactly. That’s why they’re Teo.” He smiles. “Before Teo, I had Aria—she was a black and white garden spider. She was bigger than Teo. I named her after the Celtic spider goddess.”
Great Goddess of Teoti-something. Celtic goddess. Cats named Artemis and Rhaenyra. Okay, that last one isn’t a mythological character, but she is fantasy. No wonder he was actually intrigued by Freyja.
“You have a thing for mythology and religions, don’t you?” I ask. It wasn’t really a question, but oh well.
“How’d you guess?”
He looks genuinely surprised.
“Really?” I ask, my giggle returning for a second. “All your…pets. They’re named after gods and goddesses. And you actually seemed to be interested in my faith. No one ever is.”
“I think it’s neat! And yeah, they all are named after gods and goddesses, except Rhaenyra,” he corrects me. “Mom named her. I wanted her to be Athena. Did you know she was one of only three virgin goddesses?”
“Nope. I hadn’t a clue,” I admit. I guess that gives me one thing in common with a goddess then.
He goes on about how she helped Perseus against Medusa, and made sure Odysseus got home, and how the city of Athens was named after her.
Then he starts in on Artemis. This stuff is just cool.
It’s so intricate and exciting. And it sounds so much more interesting when he talks about it.
It seems to really mean something to him.
A good ten minutes pass before he remembers why we came back here in the first place. To see Hayden’s room. To see my “boyfriend’s” room.
“I’ll ramble forever about mythology if you don’t stop me,” he says as we walk down the hall and turn in to another room.
“I believe you,” I laugh.
“So this is Hayden’s room,” he says.
It’s nothing like Zachary’s. There are trophies along one wall on a floating shelf, a few basketball jerseys in cases.
I’m assuming until I’m told otherwise that they’re real ones that the players wore because, I mean, look at this house.
The bed is perfectly made, just like Zachary’s, probably courtesy of Mrs. Marcus…
or a maid. A few posters dot the walls, including a Euphoria poster just over his bed’s headboard featuring a busty Sydney Sweeney with her signature blonde hair and low-cut, fitted dress.
Yeah. He’s straight. Okay, no, he could be bi! Or maybe he is gay and just obsessed with her. I can’t really rationalize that last one with all I know of him, but that’s what I’m going with. I should really stop trying to figure it out.
“Definitely not as green,” I comment nervously. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing.
Does he expect me to rummage around Hayden’s stuff? That seems rude since he doesn’t actually know me, not like that. And I’ve already seen plenty.
“Hayden couldn’t care less about plants,” Zachary laughs.
“So that’s your thing, then.”
“And building junk,” he says. “Uh, so what are you up to this weekend?”
This weekend? That was way out of nowhere. Work, obviously. I rarely get a full day off on the weekend, but why do you want to know?
“Nothing much.” I shrug. He starts back into the hall and makes off toward the dining room. “Just work, maybe play some Sims—”
“You play The Sims?” Zachary asks.
“Yeah, you?” I ask, hopeful.
“Nah. I didn’t know anyone did anymore.” He grins.
I shake my head and nudge him. He lifts his hands in defense. “And I might go visit the old Harrell House.”
“‘Visit’?” Zachary makes finger air quotes. “You mean trespass.”
I just smile. He’s not wrong, but I’m going to leave it there.
It’s abandoned. Has been for like thirty years, I think, and I most definitely won’t be the first person to visit since the signs went up.
I’ve wanted to go since I heard about it freshman year.
Mom doesn’t want me going, but I’ll worry about that later.
“Wanna come?” I surprise even myself, but when I consider taking the invite back, I can’t. How rude that would sound.
“You want me to go?” Zachary asks, then dips his head. “Or are you just too scared to go by yourself?”
“Eff you,” I say, not wanting to say the real word where his parents might hear. “I take it back. I’m going by myself.”
“No, don’t do that!” Zachary punches my shoulder. He’s acting like he’s known me a long time, and I’m not sure I know how to feel about that.
“Have no fear. I won’t. I’m trying to make Kaity go,” I tell him.
“Kaity?” He’s bewildered by the name, and I have to remind myself he knows basically nothing about me…well, except he does know more about me than Hayden. Hell, he’s met my mom!
“She’s my best friend,” I say.
“Oh, okay.” He nods. “Probably safer if I went too though.”
“Or just one more person to get in trouble,” I say.
“Or one more person to keep an eye out.” He raises his brow like he’s on to something.
Seems like he actually wants to go. I let my head angle, curls falling just over my eyes, and shake my head at him and smile.
“I guess you’re coming then,” I huff.
“Yes!” He jumps.
Maybe this is okay. Since I hadn’t actually asked Kaitlynn yet. Probably should ask her now.