Hard to Hate You // Michael Langdon

Part XI - Coco & Gallant

"Those tickets were originally for my parents and brother. They died as well just for your ungrateful ass."

"They weren't using them!" he yells. "If we didn't take them, those tickets would've gone to waste."

"Technically, your grandmother's already did because you killed her."

"For the last time, I didn't kill her!" Gallant yells, jumping to his feet.

"We all can see right through your little act," Coco continues. "You barely even tried to hide your lack of grief towards her death."

"People grieve in different ways."

"Bitch please, you were more upset when we cut back to one meal a day than you were when you found out that bitch was dead."

He storms around the table and comes to stand in front of Coco.

"Oh, are you going to fight me?" she mocks. "I could beat your pathetic ass without trying."

He raises a hand and slaps her across the face. Gallant leans back against the table smugly as Coco stands up, enraged. "You bitch!" Coco yells as she takes her fork and shoves it into Gallant's hand.

Gallant shrieks as he recoils in pain. Before anything else can happen, Ms. Mead and the Fist break up the fight. "What should we do with them?" Mead asks Venable as she takes Gallant.

Venable looks at each of them, pondering their punishment. "Perhaps we should lock them in the decontamination room together until they either make up or kill each other," she suggests, an amused look on her face.

"Bitch, we all know I'd kill Gallant easily!" Coco spits.

I chuckle. "I believe Coco on that one."

Timothy and Emily nod in agreement as Andre shrugs distastefully from his seat. "My bets are on Coco as well."

"Andre, we cannot be making bets on which one of our fellow outpost residents is going to kill the other," Dinah scolds. "But for the record, I'm betting on Coco."

"Hey!" Gallant protests.

I hear the clicking of Michael's heels on the floor, and I turn to see him entering the dining room. I smirk upon noticing how his face is still slightly blanched from his aneurysm, and he sends me a glare before turning his attention to the scene in front of him. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Coco fights the Fist's grasp to turn and face him.  "Gallant decided to take a go at me, so I just did what any normal person would do; I fought back."

"Coco started it!" Gallant argues.  "She's being a petty bitch!"

Michael chuckles, an amused look on his face.  "Ms. Venable, if it is alright with you, I would like to talk to both of them in my office."  It is not so much a request but a command.

Ms. Venable sighs as she waves her hand dismissively.  "They're all yours."

Ms. Mead and the Fist release Coco and Gallant, leaving them to follow Michael.  I watch in interest, wondering if I should be nosy and spy on their conversation.  

After a few minutes, my curiosity gets the best of me.  "I'm going to go freshen up," I lie as I excuse myself from the table.  Venable sends a questioning glance my way as I slip out of the dining room.

Once I'm out of view, I transmutate to the balcony in Venable's office.  I appear at the top of the staircase, the dim lighting making me blend in with the shadows.  

Luckily, Coco and Gallant are too wrapped up in their argument to notice my presence.  Michael stiffens slightly, most likely being able to sense me.  I ignore him as I sit and lean against the railing, settling in to watch the fight that's going down.