the girl no one liked
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Zoey grew up in a tightknit family in Cadia. Being the eldest sister to two little brothers is something she takes very seriously! She spent a lot of her childhood electing herself to be the third adult in the house, chasing after and taking care of her younger brothers, as well as playing with them. Their mother was usually busy with work, and their father worked from home, always around to keep a side eye on the children. Her father taught her how to garden, and tending to the front yard was one of her favourite past times, sitting in mud and staring wide-eyed at bugs crawling on the leaves, before yelling at her brothers for trampling something and ushering them inside. Being more involved in her family life than her own mother, she became the second mother of the family.
At school, she had less success. Due to her awkward and shy nature, she was often overlooked or bullied by the other children, which didn’t help with her introversion. She made a few friends with which she was fairly tight as the years went by, but she spent a lot of time alone, and turned to reading to fill her days, learning about a wide array of subjects and learning how much she loved learning.
Then she met Joakim.
The new boy in class seemed scary, but Zoey was more curious than afraid. He was so mysterious! Why’s he wearing a face mask all the time? Does his breath stink? Is he okay? He looks upset. He probably needs a friend. After a few weeks of building up the nerve, she finally approached him, awkwardly introducing himself.
Turns out he wasn’t scary at all! If anything, he was just as awkward as her!
After many months of hanging around him, bringing him gifts and trying her best to cheer him up, she finally managed to break through his shell and learn what he was really like, a sweet boy who’d been through an unbelievable amount of shit. His story broke her heart and she vowed to never abandon him. Best friends for life! Even if he wasn’t always onboard with her interests, he would listen to her ramble for hours, and he got along with her family! And she even managed to get him to start talking to his foster parents, probably one of her proudest accomplishments! Through her sunny disposition and dedication, she slowly managed to help the boy overcome many of the things he was going through.
When her friends mentioned it looked like he was in love with her, she laughed it off nervously. No way! Not Joakim, they’re just friends! People are so silly! Only, it slowly became apparent to even herself, something she awkwardly tried to ignore. When it became clear Joakim was about to confess, she panicked and screamed a YES before he could even finish, before burying her face in his chest, embarrassed. Dating Joakim is fun though! He brings her flowers every day, and he’s the sweetest boy ever. Who doesn’t want to date their best friend? Every day they just hang out!
And yeah, something something lifespans, but like - well that’s just too depressing to think about! She said she’d never abandon him, right? She’s gonna live forever!
what if no one wants you?
Around this time, while walking home, Zoey noticed there was an alleyway where the local strays would hang out. One day one of them was clearly pregnant, so she snuck them home, pulling Joakim to help her take care of the poor queen. After the cat gave birth to little babies, Zoey was completely in love, given a new purpose in life.
SHE HAD TO HELP THE BABIES!!
Her collection of animals slowly grew until they spilled over into Joakim’s house. She and Joakim began to study and learn how to heal small injuries on animals from cats to lizards, healing their injuries and nursing them back to health before releasing them to the wild, or giving them to students at school. People started bringing the two their pets if they needed help, and before they knew it, Joakim and Zoey were running a glorified animal shelter. It was so much fun!
The acceptance letter from Zecronis made her heart explode with joy. It seemed like a validation of everything she’d done so far in her life. She couldn’t believe she was worthy of such a high honour! She squeaked, immediately running out of her life, jettisoning herself down the roads until she slammed against Joakim’s door, exploding inside and waving the invitation around feverishly.
“JOAKIM! JOAKIM! LOOK AT IT!!!”
He paused, before sheepishly producing an invitation of his own. Zoey beamed with pride, throwing her arms around him and giggling.
“I told you Joakim! I always knew there was good in you!”
