Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 23

"Good," he put a hand on his hips.

"You okay? You seem a little out of breath."

Chuck nodded, wiping his forehead with his arm. "Yeah, just tired. Alby has me helping collect branches for the bonfire."

Emma raised an eyebrow, mind stalling for a moment. She hadn't realized so much time had passed since Chuck had entered the Glade. Soon, a new Greenie would arrive and take the title. "Ready to not be the Greenie anymore?"

"Am I ever," he laughed. "Did you hear what Newt's having me do?" There was an excited gleam in his eyes. The smile on his face was bright.

"No." Emma placed her arms on her knees, leaning closer to hear what Chuck would be doing. "What's he having you do?" His positive attitude was contagious. That was something Emma had always liked about Chuck. He was just a happy kid.

"He talked Alby into letting me give the new Greenie the tour."

"What? That's amazing, Chuck!" Emma was thrilled for him. "That's a huge responsibility. Are you sure you're up for the challenge?"

The curly-haired boy stood taller. "I am. I think I can do it."

"I know you can, Greenie. You're going to do great." Chuck beamed at her praise. "In fact, I think you might-"

"Slacking on the job, huh, Greenie?" The two turned to look at the person approaching. Gally walked toward them, a stern expression on his face. "Nobody tell you the rules?"

Chuck's entire face paled, fear taking over. "He's kidding, Chuck." Emma came to his aid. "He's just horrible at it."

Gally had a bewildered expression on his face. "I thought it was pretty good."

Emma's face scrunched. "It wasn't." Chuck looked between the two, almost shocked at the playful banter. He had never seen Gally crack a joke or even smile, yet he was doing both currently. It was odd. "But I'll give you points for trying."

Gally nodded as if accepting her response. Chuck watched as Gally's attention shifted back to him. Any gentleness in his expression disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with something closer to annoyance. As if Chuck's presence was bothering him. If the younger boy had to guess, he would say his assumption was correct. Chuck had overheard the other Sloppers and Gladers talking about the odd dynamic between the two. He had yet to witness it, almost unbelieving.

"I, uh-" Chuck stammered. "I have to-I need to-"

"Go?" Gally finished for him.

"Yeah, that. I have to go."

Emma spoke next, "okay. I'll see you around."

"Yeah." Chuck struggled to get his footing. The boy walked away in a hurry.

Emma glared at Gally. "You scared him off."

The Builder shrugged but smirked victoriously. "I didn't even do anything."

She knew better. "Mhm. Sure."

There was silence after that. Emma stared at Gally, resting her chin on her crossed arms that were still balanced on her knees. "You know," Gally's eyes darted across the Glade. "Had an interesting chat with some of the Builders the other day."

Emma hummed, not exactly sure where Gally was going with the conversation. "Did you?" She looked away, not thinking much of his words this far.

"Yeah." There was a knowing smirk on his face as if he knew something she didn't. Emma knew that, right now, he did. She raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue. Still, she kept her eyes away from him. "Told me Newt got on them about slacking. Said they need to pull their weight and do better. Do their part to help out." 

Her lip twitched in the corner, knowing why Newt had done that. Emma had mentioned days ago that the Builders had abandoned Gally when he needed them. They weren't helping as much as he was. She didn't think much would come of it, but apparently, Newt had listened. "Oh, good," she replied casually. "Glad he noticed."

Gally snorted, "never noticed before. Not in three years." Emma hummed again, continuing to feign innocence. "What did you say to him?"

Finally, she turned her attention back to him. "How do you know I said anything to him?"

"Because Newt doesn't like me that much."

"That's not true."

"It's not, not true."

Emma rolled her eyes. "He likes you. Maybe he just wanted to do a nice thing. Or maybe, now hear me out, it's his job as Second-in-Command to make sure everyone's doing their part. It is a rule, you know."

Gally's smirk turned into a sincere smile. She wasn't good at lying. "Thank you, Em."

She felt the heat rise to her cheeks at the nickname. Quickly, she turned away. "No idea why you're thanking me. I didn't do anything."

He laughed. "Always so modest. And kind."

Emma shrugged, "only for you." The words slipped out before she could stop him.

Gally raised a curious eyebrow, fighting the smile that twitched on his lips. "Oh, really?" She playfully rolled her eyes. Standing up, she ducked her head to hide her blush. "Don't let the other Shanks hear. They'll get jealous."

The girl laughed, shaking her head. Gently, she patted his chest. "Don't let it go to your head." Emma glanced across the Glade, feeling eyes on her. Her eyes instantly locked with a familiar pair. Jordan stared at her, a nasty snarl on his face. His expression was murderous, full of hatred. It terrified her.

Immediately, she dropped her hand to her side, body going entirely rigid. There was a sudden ringing in her ears. Everything felt distant. The dark-hair girl took a step back as if someone had slapped her across the face. The jagged movement caused Gally to look at her curiously. Emma stared past him, eyes glossy. "Emma, hey." The moment his hand touched her shoulder, she was roughly jerked back to reality. She flinched, moving away from him. Gally's hand fell to his side. There was a momentary flash of hurt across his face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He was more concerned. "Emma? You okay?"

"Sorry," she whispered, voice breaking. "I'm fine." The lie wouldn't hold for long. She knew that. "Sorry, yeah." She never looked away from the red-haired Slicer. His expression had changed into something different. He seemed pleased with himself. Gally followed her gaze, eyes locking on the person who had taken her attention off of him.

Gally's eyebrows pinched at the poorly concealed smirk on Jordan's face. He squinted, trying to put the pieces together inside his mind. Jordan glanced at him, their eyes meeting. Any amusement on his face left in an instant. Jordan spun on his heel and wandered in the opposite direction.

"What was that about?" Gally found himself asking.

Emma blinked a few times. "What?"

"Jordan," he said slowly. "What was that about?" Gally didn't understand what he had just witnessed. "Is he bothering you?"

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know what you're talking about." Emma forced a smile. "I have to get back to the Gardens. I'll catch you later, Gally."

"Emma, what-" but Gally didn't have a chance to finish. Emma was already several steps away, hurrying toward the Homestead rather than the Gardens.

Gally placed his hands on his hips, truly not understanding what had just occurred. He had never seen Emma's mood change so quickly. It was worrying. With a huff, Gally reluctantly, walked toward the Gardens, planning to question the one person who knew Emma better than he did. If anyone could explain Emma's weird behavior, it would be Newt.