Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 14

"Fine," Jordan spoke rudely. He was aggravated with Gally for interrupting them. "I was just helping Emma here. If you'll excuse us."

As he stepped closer, Emma subconsciously moved back. That was hard with Gally behind her. She pressed herself further into his chest. Gally tensed, growing angry. That anger wasn't directed at Emma. It was directed at Jordan. He was making her uncomfortable. It was clear to anyone watching.

"Emma," he said her name gently. It was a stark contrast from his expression. The girl looked up at him again, eyes full of an emotion he had never seen in her before. It wasn't fear, but it was close. It shocked him. Emma didn't even look that way when she fell from the ladder. Gally cleared his throat, finding his emotions hard to understand. "Jeff's looking for you. You left your required bedrest." Emma stared at him confused. "He sent me to find you to make sure you got back without any problems."

Her lips parted, unsure how true his words were. However, she didn't care if it was a lie. Anything to get her out of the situation she currently found herself in. "Great, thanks, Gally. I'll go now." His actions next were fast. So fast, she barely had time to process them. Gally moved her body, guiding her toward the Med-Jack hut, his hand on her upper back as he helped her take the weight off her ankle. The Med-Jack hut wasn't where she came from, but it didn't matter. It was closer than the Homestead.

Gally kept his hand on her upper back, his touch gentle but steady. It offered her enough support to be considered friendly. His touch was different than Jordan's. It was warm and inviting. She didn't feel uncomfortable or unsafe with him.

For a moment, they walked together silently. She was grateful Gally had found her when he did. She was stuck in the most uncomfortable situation of her life. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she forced a smile, wanting to reassure him. "I'm fine." But they both knew it was a lie. It went silent again. They kept walking slowly because her ankle hurt. Jeff wasn't in the Med-Jack hut when they arrived. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. That wasn't surprising. Emma figured his words were a lie. "Thank you," she whispered as she sat down.

"You don't have to thank me," Gally responded. He stood in front of her, hesitant about what to do next. "Are you okay?" He had just asked that question.

"Yeah," she said again. "It kind of hurts to walk, but it's not nearly as bad. I think the bruising is starting to fade." The bruises were still dark but turning green. She thought stretching her legs would do her some good. "Probably should have stayed off of it, but I was bored."

"I meant with whatever I just interrupted," Gally corrected.

Emma's shoulders tensed. She was hoping he wouldn't say anything. That way, they could pretend it never happened. "Oh, yeah." She tried to brush off the incident. "Happens sometimes. Not a big deal." And it wasn't. It was nothing to worry about.

Gally looked alarmed by her words. "That's happened before?"

Emma shrugged. "Sometimes, I guess. Shanks get close, but they always stop." But Jordan hadn't. He kept going even after she said no. That had never happened before. Some Gladers liked to joke, flirt even, but they never went that far. They always stopped before it went far because they did it as a joke. Usually, Emma would laugh, enjoying the playfully banter. She did not enjoy what happened with Jordan. Sadly, it wasn't the first time. He had a tendency to be overly friendly, almost in a creepy way.

"But not Jordan?" She wasn't sure what to say. What was she supposed to say? He hadn't broken any rules. It wasn't worth making a big deal over. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"What was I going to say?" Emma stared at him sadly. "He makes me uncomfortable? It's not against the rules to be weird." Gally huffed, shaking his head in anger. He was furious with Jordan and himself for not noticing the signs sooner. "It's really not a big deal, Gally." Emma didn't want to talk about it. It didn't matter. What had her interest now was Gally. Two weeks ago, she swore the Builder hated her, but then he helped her and spoke to her in a way that made her insides twist. Then, he ignored her again. She didn't understand why. Before he could speak, she did. "You never came to see me."

Gally closed his mouth, looking away from her. He hadn't expected Emma to address his absence. "I didn't think you wanted me to."

She huffed, rolling her eyes. She did want him to visit. "Why wouldn't I? We're friends, right? You helped me." Gally was never speechless, but he was now. He had no idea what to say. What was he supposed to say? That he stood outside the Med-Jack hut to make sure she was okay? That he was worried about her? He couldn't. He wouldn't. "I don't understand."

Truthfully, neither did he. He didn't understand what he felt. He just knew it was different, and Gally hated change. "I didn't hate you, by the way," Gally spoke awkwardly. The conversation was going to give her whiplash with the constant change in directions.

There was a pause on her part. It was an odd shift in the conversation but something she welcomed. Progress was slow with Gally. She had to move at his pace. "I know." He had told her that already. "But you definitely didn't like me."

He wanted to smile but couldn't. "I'm not good with change," he found himself saying. "I don't-" Gally looked away from her.

"You don't have to explain it to me," Emma cut him off. She didn't want Gally to overwhelm himself and shut her out again. "I get it. Some random girl shows up and disrupts the ways of the Glade that had become routine after three years. It's different, scary. Trust me. I understand. You don't have to explain it to me. I know." Gally nodded, relieved she understood what he wanted to say. It spared him the embarrassment of saying it. "But I'm not a bad person, and I'd really like to be friends. And if not friends, then just treat me like a regular Glader."

Emma wanted to be friends. Gally had drawn her in over the last few weeks. He captivated her attention in a way she didn't understand. Friends was ideal, but it would be okay if he treated her equally. It would be enough.

"We can do that," he muttered.

"Be friends?" She asked hopefully. All Gally did was nod.