To Be A Champion

Chapter 19: Line Without A Hook

"Is Nicole doing okay?"

I sigh, eyes tired as I glance at the lanky young man in front of me, nervously holding flowers that I am almost certain he picked and wrapped up himself. "Yes, Rory. Nicole is doing fine."

He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he can.

"And before you ask, yes, she's here. Just like she's been here for the last five days. Do you want to see her?"

He nods, and I gesture towards to the door so he can head into the medical center. I don't even have to lead him to the medical from where we're all staying and where Nicole is, resting. He already knows since he's visited every day since she got hurt.

When he reaches the room, his eyes light up at the sight of her, despite the massive gash on her face that makes my injury look like a scratch. She was nearly passed out from blood loss by the time we got her back here, and she needed thirty stitches. Thankfully the injury and what Jones did distracted everyone else and kept them from asking how and why she was able to get in the armory. Plus, the shock of it all happening so quickly has kept anyone from really distrusting her and the rest of Team Abel for her breaking in.

He calls her name, which makes Nicole look up from the book she's reading. Her lips twitch into a smile, but I don't stay to see if she says anything. Instead, I just head back outside, walking past the town square where I see a few people squabbling about. They're preparing, probably following Janine or Jody's orders as we brace for what's coming.

We know there are zombies on the way. We've had reports of some of them being seen coming up through the cave systems, walking up on the shores. We're using the very last of our ammunition to shoot them down, and even if Abel sent out aid as quickly as possible, it wouldn't be quick enough to get them to us before we ran out.

Plus, Abel and the rest of the mainland has enough to worry about with the red fungus and V-Type zombies. We can't rely on them to come to our rescue.

I spot a familiar figure sitting on a park bench, bouncing his leg restlessly as he checks his watch and watches everyone else scramble along. I walk up to him, soft eyes and a kind smile painting my face.

"You okay?" I ask, and Sam's eyes snap up to me, a small smile gracing his face when he sees me.

"H-Hey. Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Jody just made me go sit here for a while, said I was a bit too distracted to be helping set up our defenses."

I sit down beside him, eyes scanning his figure bounces his leg and fiddles with the ends of his shirt. "You're fidgeting."

"Huh? Oh." He forces himself to top, sending me that slightly embarrassed smile that I'd find cute if my thoughts weren't overshadowed with pity. But that turns to confusion when he reaches up and runs his thumb across the mark on my forehead. "You really can't go out without getting yourself hurt, can you? Your shoulder heals and then you hit your head."

I shrug. "Not as bad as Nicole's."

"I don't care about Nicole," He replies, wincing when my brows raise in surprise. "Sorry. I know that's... I know she's your sister, but I haven't forgotten what she's done. What she's done to you."

"You're sweet," I reply, leaning forward to press my lips against his cheek. "But I like to think she's changed, at least a little bit. Without the Torrencers breathing down her neck, she's allowed herself to open up a bit."

He reaches up and touches his cheek, his fingertips grazing the skin my lips had touched a moment ago, and then he gives a tired smile. "I know you're just saying this because you thought you lost her a few days ago. I mean, do you actually think she's changed? She was in the armory in the first place because she was snooping around."