✓ DEFENSIVE | Z. BERMAN

iii. THE BULLIES

"That — That's a little tight." She stutters as she looks between Lane's face and her hands.

"What do you think?" Lane questions, her voice lacking emotions.

"I don't — "

Ziggy looks between the pair nervously as Nurse Lane speaks again, "'Cause I think you don't go from being a sweet girl with dreams to ripping someone's insides out with a switchblade."

"Nurse Lane!" Ziggy interjects when she sees the worry written on Y/N's face.

"People usually kill for a reason, and sometimes that reason is justified. Sometimes killing isn't murder. Sometimes it's necessary."

"That's kind of hurting me," Y/N speaks again, the bandage now painfully tight.

"Sometimes it's good — "

"Nurse Lane!" Ziggy raises her voice, seeming to snap the older woman out of whatever trance she was in.

Lane blinks rapidly before tying off the bandage and picking up the salve once more. Turning to Y/N she says with a half-smile, "Once a day for three days, ok?"

As Lane finishes screwing on the cap, the bell of the door rings and in walks the girl with the preppy polo shirt, who Y/N learned was Cindy, and she also happened to be Ziggy's sister. "Hi, Nurse Lane." She chirps, making Ziggy rise from her place beside Y/N at her tone.

"Hi, Cindy." Nurse Lane replies with a soft tone as Y/N looks between the two sisters.

The smile from Cindy's face drops as she turns to face her sister, "Ziggy."

Quickly thanking Nurse Lane, Y/N grabs the salve and Ziggy waits for her, trying to delay her sister's rathe for as long as possible.

Y/N hops up from the bed and clears her throat, "Well, I'll leave you two to your sister bonding time, gotta go!" She says before zipping through the door, making Ziggy grumble as the door closes.

Y/N jogs away from the building, not wanting to get in the middle of their fight, but of course she can't get away that easily.

The second she exits, she spies Nick sitting at one of the tables, seemingly watching for her as he rises from his spot, making Y/N hold back a groan of annoyance.

She walks at a fast pace, hoping to avoid Goode, but alas she fails. "You alright? You seemed kinda annoyed before..." He trails off as they walk through the camp.

Y/N doesn't answer, but instead asks, "Did someone say something to Nurse Lane, like make fun of her daughter or something?"

Nick frowns at her words, "Y/N, seriously, are you ok?"

"She was upset is all." Y/N responds curtly.

The young Goode huffs in frustration at the girl's stubbornness, "Could you talk to me for a second?" He finally snaps, drawing Y/N's eyes away from the ground to finally look at him.

"We're talking right now." She says calmly.

"No, we're not," Nick says, running a hand through his hair, "God, Y/N, at least I'm trying here, you're not giving me shit — "

"And you think you deserve more than that?" She fires back, her fist clenching once more. "You treated me like shit." She says, using her hand to push his chest back away from her to make her point. "So what, a few rumors get spread around school and suddenly you're acting like I'm the plague?"

"I didn't — "

"Yes, you did!" She yells, finally meeting his eyes, "What, you're like everyone else, you think that it's my fault, that — that I brought the curse over to Sunnyvale and — and that I'm possessed?" She waits for Nick's response, but he just seems to be surprised at her outburst, "I know what they say, Nick, I've heard it all."