Snippets: "Zoe + Death, BFFs"

I've been doing some editing, and I've put together a new of my favourite snippets of my WIP, Zoe + Death, BFFs. Enjoy!

Blurb: Zoe has a bit of a problem. It isn't that Death is her best friend. Granted, that was the cause of her problem, but it isn't the actual problem. The problem isn't even the extra counseling sessions she has to sit through because she was talking to herself again. What? It's not her fault that no one else can see Death, after all. No, the problem began when Zoe accidentally deleted his book "How to Fix a Rip in the Universe" off his phone, which wouldn't have been a problem except for when she tears a rip in the universe. Now her mom is dead, Death's workers are all on strike, Death is having trouble keeping it together and everyone is keeping secrets.

But no matter what anyone tells you, it wasn't her fault.

Right?

***

"White House Madness 2.0 came out."

"Lemme see!" Zoe reached across the table and snatched the smartphone Death's hands.

"Yeah, no problem." The sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Well, maybe they'll finally have a version that I actually like."

Zoe's fingers flew across the touch screen, accessing the app to try out a new level. White House Madness was his favourite game. The goal was to break into the White House and either save or assassinate the president. Death usually saved him but sometimes Zoe made him assassinate him when she was having a bad day. The reason why Death liked it so much - and the same reason why Zoe hated it - was because you had to solve science and math problems along the way.

She started the first level and tapped on the backdoor to the building. A bubble popped up. "This door has an electronic keypad lock with a six digit code. How many different possibilities of codes are there?" How on earth was she supposed to know that? Zoe typed in random numbers until the game failed her and frustration made her fingers shake. Stupid thing.

*** 

Death waved his arms around and yanked on his hair. "You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You, well, you and classical music stopped the messed up depression stuff and, and, you're like chocolate, Zoe. Too much of a good thing screws everything up. I was normal with you and I didn't want to stop."

Zoe didn't answer for a moment and focused on staying the speed limit, trying to sort through everything. 

Finally, she spoke. "If this was a TV show, this is where you would announce your undying love for me." She turned and gave him a crooked grin.

Death pretended to strangle himself. "Blah! I'd rather die!" 

She snorted. Good times, good times. This was what she liked about Death. Well, the fact that he made her laugh and how he tried to talk like a teenager for her. 

"So am I forgiven?" she asked.

"For what?"

"For being chocolate." 

***

The barista behind the dark wood counter noticed them and smiled. "Hello again."

Zoe skipped across the worn carpet and slid onto the polished stool at the counter, and Death wandered around behind her. "Hey, Joy. How's your mom?" she asked. 

"Pretty good. She's on new medication now, so her headaches are mostly gone."   

Mom shot them a questioning glance. "How often do you come here, Zoe?"

Drat. "Never. Promise."

Joy tried to hide her grin by wiping off a few lines of the chalkboard menu and replacing it with new text. Zoe was unimpressed by how much Joy failed to hide said grin. 

"Okay, fine. I come once a week."

Both Death and Joy snorted, and the family of three looked on in interest. Death tugged his scythe off of his back and twirled it like a baton. She shot him a look. He was going to cut someone's arm off. Or his own. Besides, he really wasn't helping. 

She threw her hands up in the air. There would be no escaping Mom's wrath this time. "Fine. Whatevs. Three times a week. Possibly during physics, possibly not."