Let Me Hold You //Apply Fic//

//chapter .26//

Veronica shrugged away from Kai and paced the room twice before settling down on one of the solitary chairs, mirroring Carmen. Azalea, and Kai flopped onto the couch. Maylea remained standing, making a quick loop of the room as she placed a cookie in each girl's hand, then dropped the plate off on the coffee table before joining the others on the couch.

Veronica considered the warm little bundle in her hand, already faint stains of chocolate melting to her skin where they met. Her eyes went back to the trio; Kai in the middle and the other two flanking her.

"We need to hash stuff out," Kai said, shifting her treat from hand to hand. "With such close quarters and all ten of us being stuffed in here, we need to get rid whatever nonsense is killing our vibe right now."

Carmen rolled her eyes and draped her legs over the arm of her chair. "I think getting kidnapped is what killed the vibe, Kai."

Kai gave her a narrowed glare, then continued. "Regardless, stuff isn't right in this place. And most of those issues are within this group of five."

Azalea shrugged. "I mean, I've got nothing against you guys. You seem pretty chill to me."

"But it's not that simple, Kai," Maylea murmured, winding her fingers into her hair. "A lot of people don't get along under normal circumstances. Just because we all ended up here together doesn't mean we have to be automatic friends."

Kai sighed, pressing her lips together into a thin line. "I'm not asking for friendship, Maylea. I'm asking for us to not be brats and actually work together. We want to get home, right?" She looked expectantly at the group, until, slowly, Azalea started to nod. "All we have to do is tolerate each other until we get out of here. It's not that big of a favor to ask of you."

Words stuck in Veronica's mouth, thick and choking and silencing any hope of contributing, of speaking out. She swallowed, ducking her head and taking the bite of the cookie in her hand.

Carmen was not impressed, and the look on her face easily indicated so. "Yeah, whatever. I don't care what you're going on about, Kai. I have no issues."

"Oh so this mess with Corben is just nothing?" Azalea leaned forward, studying the other girl. "Because uh... seems to me like it's definitely something."

Carmen folded her arms. "You don't get to judge me, pipsqueak."

Azalea shot to her feet. "We're the same height!" She cried, eyes burning. "You literally have no room to talk!"

Kai pulled her back down, glaring at Carmen. "This is what I'm talking about," she said, a scolding tone in her voice. "This bickering. It needs to stop."

Carmen scoffed. "Oh, I'm sorry that I'm just reacting unpleasantly towards being kidnapped! Guess I better get to work on my manners to I can measure up to the standards of a stranger!"

"That's life."

Had Veronica said that? She must have, because the others were all staring at her, various expressions of confusions or surprise on their faces. She swallowed, choking down the lump in her throat. "Life is bringing yourself up to the standards of others, always. There's always some way you can be better, and if you refuse to acknowledge that, you're a fool and won't survive in the real world."

Carmen narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so now she speaks? And only to give some condescending bullcrap?" She swung her legs off the arm of the chair and sat forward, eyes darkened. "You guys don't get to judge me. You have no clue who I am and what my life was like before."

Maylea snorted. "You're going to use a sad backstory to excuse your behavior? Tragic beginnings don't make up for damage done in life, and you should know that!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "Want to talk tragic? Fine, let's talk about Corben then."