Ignorance

BuffyFaithfan1
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Chapter Four: And I Push Aside
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I gasped sitting up right in bed, wondering what the hell was going on.
"Hayley, you okay!?" Zo's voice asked, coming from the end of the shelter hall.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked, jumping out of the room, beads of water running down his skin, his waist down covered with the towel.
"It's okay...I was laying here, and I had a nightmare...it's fine." I said, rubbing my head.
"You sure?" Jake asked, by my side.
"Yes, way sure! Now go back into the room where no one can see you half naked man!" I said, and he laughed, and disappeared once more in the back room.
"Thank goodness," Zo said, sitting by me on the bed. "I thought a Ramen was in here or something."
"Nope..." I replied. "Just us."
"Alright, well I gotta fix the rest of the food...will you be okay till then?" Zo asked.
"Yeah." I assured and she smiled, and walked back into the far room she came out of.
I ran my fingers through my hair, and sighed heavily. I then grabbed Jake's glass of water and chugged it down.
"Hey, Hayley!" Jakes voice called.
"Yeah?" I said, by the door now.
"I need to talk to you." He said and I leaned against the wall.
"Well, I'll be outside waiting fo-" I began, but he interupted me.
"No! I need to speak to you alone...come on in real quick." Jake said and I had a puzzeled look on my face. "Don't worry," He said. "I'm not naked!"
"Oh," I then walked through without hesitation. "So what do you need to talk about?"
"About...things." He said, drying off his hair, shirt in his right hand.
"Okay...what is it?" I asked closing the door.
"Come sit." He beckoned towards the chair by the wall where he stood. So I walked over and sat. And then he joined me on a different chair. He pulled his arms through the shirt, and brought the rest on.
"Everything okay?" I said.
"Yeah...it's just that...we've been friends for how long?" Jake asked.
"Ten years! Why?" I replied.
"Cause...it's just...every time I look at you...I feel..."
"Jake!" I said, knowing it was my turn to interupt. "Now's not the time."
"But when will that be?" He said, on his feet now. "Look at Rick and Zo, they've been here for twenty years but there all boyfriend-girlfriend just fine! I just want you, Hayley."
"Jake," I got to my feet then. "Jake, I just dont want to get together, over the fact of fear! Of not out living this stupid game and living normal lives together-"
"But what if we never win this?" He asked.
"I don't know."
"Then how come you won't take a chance?"
"I..." I sighed, not knowing what to say...but just as I was about to say what I really wanted to say, I found myself saying, "I don't know."
He looked at me and laughed nervously. "Wow!"
" 'Wow' what?" I asked.
"I never knew you'd be this way!"
"Jake! Again, I dont wanna' hook-up over fe-" I started.
"But its not fear, Hayley! It is most certainly not fear! I have loved you ever since the day we were truly friends! And it hurts every day, waking up in this shit-filled world, knowing that when every day goes by-"
"Jake-"
"Knowing that when every day goes by there's a good chance I'll lose you and never get to see you ever again!" He finished which shut us both up really good. Until I found some words that I needed to say.
"Jake...the truth is...I love you too, but I wanna wait and have this special moment on a normal person's day. Not waking up in your arms, making sure were still alive and not dead and not in the clutches of Ramens! I never asked for this! I never asked for this danger were all in! For this risky chance! I never expected to be betrayed by my best friend, or to almost kill you! And I, sure as hell never expected to fall in love with you, Jake!" I finished, tears now streaming down my cheeks.
"What did you say?" He asked, looking choked up.
"I never expected to fall in love with you...Jake." I re said, and he pulled me into a kiss.
And just as I started to feel the kiss too, he pulled his lips away. "Wait," He said, letting go of me. "I just wanna know one thing."
"What?" I asked.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He answered.
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(This part of the chapter is in Derek's P.O.V.-Point Of View-Enjoy!)
"Well okay. But wont they find Bobby and the others?" I asked which made Rick stop.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"Well, the fight was right by the tree, so wouldn't other Ramens find them up in the tree?" I said and Rick threw the bags down the stairs, and put the boulders back where he removed them.
"Your right," He looked around, then stared at me. "Lets go!"
We ran back towards the tree, and as we got there, we heard Bobby talking to the others.
"Alright," Bobby said. "I can see some Ramens coming about a mile from us from there cool expensive binoculars, but there are too many."
"So come with us!" I said and they leaves and branches rusteled. I scared them. "Come on! Hurry!"
"Shh!" Rick ordered and I saw two large object fall from the tree. They were three trunks tied together with rope that way they couldn't lose there stuff. Then Sam and Bobby emerged from the tree to the ground.
"Hello, again, Rick!" Bobby said, and they hugged. "Long time, no see!" He said sarcastically.
"Yeah, but tell your other man to get the hell out of there before he gets killed! We need to go now if were leaving to my shelter!" Rick replied and Bobby knocked on the tree's bark.
"Come on now, Stan! Time to go." Bobby then backed up just as Stan jumped down to the ground, two back-packs in hand.
"Had to get the food!" Stan said with a smile, and we headed back towards shelter.
"Oh no!" Rick said, he was leading the way with Bobby, catching up from the years they missed. "Ramens!"
"Then let's go!" I said and we all dashed towards shelter.
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(Now its back into Hayley's P.O.V.-Point Of View-Enjoy!)
"I just wanna know one thing."
"What?" I asked.
"Will you be my girlfriend?" He answered.
I just stood there, thinking. To myself and to him, even though he couldn't hear what I was thinking, he acted as if he did. His face went from romantic, to serious, to hurt.
"Oh," He said and walked towards the door. "I get it. Your in love with me, but you don't wanna be my girlfriend...I get it!"
"Jake!" I said but it was too late, he slammed the door behind him as he stormed away from me.
The truth is, I would be his girlfriend in a heart-beat! I just didn't know what to say. I wanted to be his girlfriend, I really did, beleive me I did, but...I just didn't know if the was the perfect time.
I ran outside into the room where Jake's hospital bed thing laid. Zo was still in the other room down the shelter hall, and I wasn't gonna disturb her.
"Jake," I said, catching up with him by the stairs. "Where are you going?"
"To find the others!" He said and I grabbed his arm.
"No your not!" I pulled him back away from the stairs, and stood in front of him. "You could get hurt...or killed! Then you'll lead them straight to us with your trail or something!"
"This isn't your choice." He said, trying to push me out of the way, but I planted my foot down hard.
"Your my friend and I have a say in!" I protested, which made him try harder, but my foot was pressed down really hard.
"You can't stop me!" He said.
"Oh yes I can!" I then grabbed his arms, trying to pull him back into the back room so we could talk privatley, but he pushed me to the ground and went up the stairs.
"If you take on foot out of this place...dont even think I'll forgive you." I said calmly, rising to my feet.
He looked at me, then the entrance/exit, and took one more step up. Then he walked back down and put his finger over his mouth.
"Shh!" He whispered.
"What?" I mouthed.
"Someone's coming!" He mouthed back.
"Zo!" I whispered, and he pointed a finger down the shelter hall towards the door where she was.
I walked down there and walked inside.
"Oh, hey Hay-" Zo started.
"SHH!" I ordered and a look of concern was on her face. "Follow me." I whispered, and she put her food on the table, making sure nothing would burn if Ramens were coming in.
We joined Jake by his hospital bed thing, looking back at the entrance/exit, watching each boulder get removed one by one. And then feet started down.
"Get ready!" Jake whispered to us, and we got ready.
And down the stairs came Rick, Derrek and three other people that we have never seen before. Rick went back up the stairs to replace the boulders.
"Everyone quiet!" Rick said. "Derek and I got in a fight with Ramens, we met some old friends-Bobby, Sam, and Stan," Rick introduced, pointing to each person. "and they helped us win-but that's not the point! The point is, Ramens are on our trail and-honey hand me that sand covered board, thanks-and as we were on our way back Derek said if Ramens are like Hornets...then they'll find Sam, Stan, and Bobby so we ran back, got them, and here we are. So shh!"
"Got it!" I said hugging Derek, knowing he was safe.
We all stood still by the back door, hoping Ramens didn't find us. We could the Ramens talking right above us, which made us freeze like statues.
Five minutes went by, which seemed to take longer then expected. Each second grew into a minute, a minute grew into an hour, an hour into a more hours. Until finally we heard the Ramens disappear.
"Whew!" I said, letting out a huge sigh.
"Alright, everyone stay quite still just in case. We can get back to normal in the morning." Derek whispered.
"Bobby, Sam, Stan, let me show you to the gues room where Derek, Hayley and Jake are staying for now." Rick said, leading Sam, Stan, Bobby, Jake, Derek, and I into a room in between the front and back rooms. We walked into a room full of beds. Each bed was placed around the room like a long narrow border, outlining the room with beds instead of lines. Each one looked the same, properly made, night side table on the left side of the bed, pillows, and covers. Plus a flashlight, and other stuff that is useful on camping, which is one way to look at this sick game!
"Here we are." Rick said, and we all walked to our own beds. Bobby took the bed by the door, and then it was Sam, then Stan, then Derek, then me, then Jake. We all sat down and commerced for a while when Zo walked in with a smile on her face.
"Took me a while to cut each meal into eight plates...but I did it just fine! Food's ready, come on!" Zo took us into, what seemed like a kitchen, but it had two beds in it also. Obviously for Zo and Rick. We all were cramped at the table, it was Zo, Rick, Bobby, Sam, Stan, Derek, Jake, then me. I sat right next to Zo, too. We all ate, and had conversations in whispers, laughing and having a good time...till a huge rumble shook the table, making the beverages tip over, breaking plates and glasses.
We all stood in silence, wondering what just happened. When a huge noise filled the air, making it all clear. Up above we heard words: "EIGHT BOUNTY ARE MISSING! I REPEAT, EIGHT BOUNTY ARE MISSING! WE NEED MORE RAMENS! I REPEAT, WE NEED MORE RAMENS!"
"Uh-oh!" We all said at different moments, and thats when the panicking started!