Chapter 24
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Saying His Name Pt.2
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Third Person P.O.V.
"Wait, what?!"
A confused answer for such a straightforward question. Coiny had to do a double-take just based on the question. She pushed herself up again, her smile gone like a breeze. "What," Leafy asked, confused by his perplexed and dazed response.
"I—," he stopped, looking down at the grass under him, his brain trying to formulate the words to even say. Speechless and confused by her reaction; it wasn't supposed to go that way.
"What part of me being a risk didn't you get?!"
The moment he said it, he realized it wasn't what he meant to say, but he didn't stop himself. He couldn't. Even if they were words that hurt him—and more importantly, her—he said them.
She rolled her eyes with a disappointed glint in her hum. "Oh no. I understood it, Coiny," she said, exasperated as she began getting up. "I don't think you," she said with emphasis, "understood anything of what I said."
She dusted off the dirt from her hands, walking away without another word.
What?
With a blink, he immediately darted up, running after her. He was always left in the dust confused out of his mind. But this time he had enough with his luck.
"Leafy!"
He ran up to her, getting in front of her in hopes to get her attention. And it worked. She sighed, hand on her hip with dismay shrouding her face. "What is it now?"
He gasped for air, trying to pull the correct words to speak.
"What-What do you mean I didnt understand? What I got was that because of us you weren't able to live peacefully. What is there not to understand?"
Leafy pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head and yet again, walked around him without a word. He groaned.
I don't have time for this!
He raced after her, no longer stopping her and instead kept up to her pace besides her. "Leafy, just tell me. At least then I can tell you, alright?"
She didn't reply immediately. Instead, she began picking up firewood, only glancing at the boy beside with thoughts bubbling in her head like a boiling pot of milk. She could see the curiosity in his eyes, even if it was only for a second. It was a pot that was boiling over.
"Ah, fine." Though there was a grumble in her voice, she had to admit she was over the moon that he was this interested. It felt nice to talk to someone about their experiences, even if it was brief. The dam had let out some pressure and some was better than none.
Leafy held the bundle of sticks in her arms, making her way back to the fire pit. Coiny followed behind, waiting for her answer—for any clarification. He just needed to know.
"I prefer not to talk about what I went through. But I had figured you of all people would have gotten half of what I truly meant to say," she said, throwing some wood into the fire.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt by her words.
"That's not the point. I spent all my time and energy making my way here. And yet I stayed. Why?" She sat down, leaving the collection of wood beside her. "Because I was bent on surviving. Even if it meant dealing with all of you contestants. I wasn't letting everything I had done go to waste."
She abruptly turned to Coiny, who was still standing. "Based on what I know about you, I figured you would have done the same." She huffed as she let her head fall on the make-shift headrest that was the bush.
"Apparently I was wrong."
He stayed quiet this time, his hands balled up into fist besides his hip. Frustration was fighting with him, trying to reason with her—to just tell her that her life was at stake. Yet deep down, he knew it wasn't the way to go. Not with aggravation and a slew of madness. It would all get only more complicated.
A sigh was all she heard before he sat besides her, head hanging as he began speaking again. "I just want you to be safe, alright?"
Leafy half-heartedly giggled at the comment, turning her focus back to the fire.
"I may not be safe, but for the first time in a long time," she chuckled with her eyes closed.
"I'm happy. And that's more important to me as of now."
Coiny hummed, taken aback by the sentimental value in her words. Leafy instead snickered at the absurdity she had spewed from her mouth, even if those words were true. "Now, are you going to tell me what our big issue is?"
He nodded, caressing his hands in nervousness. "GB thinks you stole from the pantry. And I'm pretty sure she's starting to monitor everyone."
She hummed in response. "You sure she's monitoring," she asked skeptically, turning to me.
"I—I think so?"
With a roll of each eye she sighed. "Do you think so or do you know so? I mean, think about it. If she thinks it's me, why monitor everyone?"
He blinked. "I mean, it makes sense, but I just feel like she's planning something. And she's just waiting for the right moment to attack."
"So it's more instinctive than intuition," she huffed. "And as much as I trust you, I think it's better to just say she isn't. Treat her like a friend. But other than that, what else?" She scratched her neck, ruffling her hair with the motion.
"Uh, besides that, I'm technically not supposed to be here because—"
Leafy cut me off with a sigh, her head falling with the sound, mumbling under her breath. "Not everyone is fond of me. Huh?"
A frown drew itself on Coiny's face, the reaction hitting him with a pang of sorrow. A shaky "Yeah" was all he responded with. He stayed quiet, unknowing what to do. He could hear her breathe ever so slightly before she lifted her head again. Though faint, he could see the distaste of the idea glimmer in her eyes.
"Anything else?"
He swallowed, opening his mouth to speak. "I don't know how to say this but, Golfball also made a thing. Some invention of hers that will notify her when you die, a–and when you get revived."
Coiny hunched forward, awaiting her response. He was waiting for the twang of fear to seep through—to show some sense of regret and concern. Instead Leafy huffed out a groan, her running circles around her face.
"Honestly, this all sounds easy," she joked, quickly turning to him to clarify. "On paper, that is."
"I just don't have to," she stopped for a second, quickly bounding to the beat of her statement. "Die. I have to avoid that," she rephrased with a chuckle. "And you have to stop doing dumb stuff that'll get you caught."
"Wait, wait. Dumb stuff?"
She snickered with the confused response. "Context clues, Coiny. I'm guessing you stole those cans from the pantry, huh?"
He opened his mouth, ready to retort, but he kept quiet. She wasn't wrong. It had been a dumb, haste idea from him.
"I really liked the gift but I think a birthday card would have gotten the same message," Leafy said, stretching her arms. "I won't lie though. I think the peaches have been my favorite."
Even if she had enjoyed it, it was a rash decision that he couldn't deny was the culprit to all their issues. If he had taken less or just taken some from his own ration, maybe—just maybe—these things wouldn't buzz around his head like fruit flies.
"Fair," he muttered, staring at the grass swaying with the wind near his shoe. "I'll avoid that then," he said with a smile.
She nodded as a quick response, thinking to herself as the serene silence swept over them. She couldn't call her thinking irrational. If anything she was well aware of the consequences she was putting herself through. If caught, who'd know what they would do to her—or worse—Coiny.
He was now risking his life for her.
More like since the beginning.
He'd been trying to interact with her since the start and instead she'd push him out, making it harder for him. And yet he still came back. Even when he felt someone was monitoring him—which despite being sort of dumb, it was charming. At least in some way to her it was.
Someone was trying to gain her trust and despite her being very hesitant, he still made the effort to make it be known that he'd still be there for her. To doubt trusting him at that point would be irrational. But to trust him would be daunting. It was clear he had good intentions, and to compare him to his old rival would be senseless.
Coiny wasn't anything like him. He'd listen to what she had to say, and even where there wasn't much to say, the boy would stay with her. And more importantly, he'd remembered her. He wasn't like Firey. He wasn't anything like Firey.
She'd go as far as saying he wasn't anything like the other contestants, regardless of whether she knew them or not.
She was trusting him even if she didn't even want to.
Leafy sighed as she ruffled her hair, glancing over to the copper-haired guy beside her. His sight was stuck on the fire, probably thinking. If he was risking his life; why? Why risk it for me of all people?
As much as she'd want to know, it probably wasn't worth the fuss. And if someone was monitoring them—though she doubted it—he'd need to start leaving.
"For the safety of both of us," she started, pinching a stray strand of hair between her index finger and thumb. He turned to her, waiting for her to finish. "It might be better for you to head back. For precaution, ya' know."
"Oh." He pushed himself up with his free hand, brushing off the dirt from his hand.
"Yeah, just," she stopped again, straying her sight away from him. "Just don't do anything dumb." He nodded, his hands falling into his pockets as he awkwardly stood there.
"Sure then," he stated, kicking the dirt under the sole of his shoe. "I'll probably see you next week."
She turned to him with a grin. "See ya later, then." Without saying a word, he shook his head, a soft bye leaving his lips as he stepped away from her. "And take care."
To much of her luck, he didn't hear those final few words.
A/N: Being sick doesn't help with writing at all. But it's finally out! I've been really liking these past few chapters more than I would like to admit.
Oh! And I've decided that I'm probably gonna write a CoinPin fanfic just cause, well it's CoinPin. It's good stuff. :P