Who’s the Dog Now? novel Chapter 22

Naomi nodded mechanically.

Satisfied, Mrs. Gonzalez turned and left.

The moment the door closed, Naomi fell backward onto her bed.

Tears welled up without warning. She tried to wipe them away, but they just kept coming.

Eventually, she gave up and just closed her eyes, telling herself this was what she was supposed to do.

The Gonzalez family had given her a perfect life; it was only right that she repay them.

Taking a deep breath, Naomi sat up, her face no longer showing any trace of struggle or pain, only a gentle composure.

…

Two in the morning.

Zebulon logged out of his game and opened his group chat.

He found his friends spamming his name.

Zebulon let out an annoyed “Tsk,” tapped into the chat, and held down the voice message button. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do?”

His arrival sent the group into another flurry of activity.

[Zebulon, we’re placing bets! You in? The odds on you winning are six hundred to one!]

Zebulon’s eyes widened as he furiously typed on his phone: [Are you guys crazy? Those odds are insane. Wait, what are you betting on?]

The group chaotically explained what they’d been talking about.

Turns out, with the new semester starting tomorrow, they were betting on whether Naomi would ride in Zebulon's car. In the past, he had always picked her up, which led to students at school jokingly calling them “the golden couple.” But after the incident over winter break where she rejected the engagement, Zebulon and Naomi hadn't spoken in nearly half a month. So, they were betting on it.

Everyone responded with a popular meme: [Really? I don’t believe you!]

Zebulon was so angry he almost left the group, but their next messages caught his attention.

[Zebulon, if you're not sad, then prove it to us.]

Zebulon raised an eyebrow: [How do I prove it?]

[How about tomorrow, you go pick her up, and then you kick her out of the car? I want to see if she’ll still be obsessed with you after that!]

Zebulon frowned for a moment, then a smug grin spread across his face.

As if something like that would actually bother Naomi.

[You'll see tomorrow!]