Save Me (12 page)

He probably forgot I was even in the room. Of course he did. Look at her. A perfect leggy blonde, with curves in all the right places, and clearly successful at keeping herself alive on her own. Unlike me, apparently.

"Sure." Yeah, I'll just go cook. It wasn't like they needed me around for anything else. I could hear them talking about old times and laughing from the kitchen. Not that it was far from the living room, but I was hoping I could block it out. From their conversation, I gathered that Janet was at the military base down south. So it wasn't just a story. Apparently, there was a small military town there that took people in, if they were appropriate, whatever that meant. That was where Danielle and her baby went. Will never said why he didn't go with them. My curiosity over that decision returned. It didn't seem like Will to choose going off on his own rather than staying with others, especially these people who he obviously felt comfortable with.

I prepared dinner for the three of us, and by prepared, I mean I opened a few cans of chili, mixed in a can of sweet corn and heated it. I took the bowls into the living room and handed them out. Will and Janet took the steaming bowls and continued on with their conversation. No acknowledgement. No thank you. I shook my head in disbelief. Not that anyone would have noticed that either.

"It's really not too bad. You should definitely go Will. You'll be safe there."

I noticed she said 'Will' should go, no mention of me. There's nothing like pretending a girl doesn't exist while you are sitting in her home, eating her food, that she cooked for you!

"I don't know Janet. I'd really like to see Danielle and the baby again but I'm not sure about the place." Will shook his head as he spoke. "You know how I feel about that."

Well, at least she did. I guess he felt much more comfortable talking to Janet about whatever it was that kept him from going to the military base than he did with me.

"Well, think about it. I won't lie, it is a real bitch getting there. The closer you get, the worse it is. There are pockets of small groups, some not so friendly. Plus the hordes. They're a lot more common out there, but if you can get past all that, it's a safe place." Janet tossed her bowl onto the coffee table, unconcerned with any sort of clean up.

"What's it like inside?" I asked, trying to interject into the conversation, tired of sitting quietly like the good little servant.

"There's families set up in the military housing, a small school, even a medical clinic." She answered, but continued to look in Will's direction as if he had asked the question.

I decided to make my presence noticed, regardless of her rudeness.

"I heard they were working on a vaccine....or even a cure?"

"Yeah, there's been talk of that but, I don't know how true it is. There's some buildings I don't have clearance for. I don't really know what they do over there but the rumor is, it's an experimental lab." She actually managed to glance at me briefly as she answered, still directing most of what she said at Will, who seemed oblivious.

"So there could be a cure?"

She eyed me up and down, one eyebrow raised. "Look kid, I wouldn't get your hopes up. We are just going to have to adjust to this world we have now. The sooner you face that, the better."

"I'm not a kid," I mumbled, immaturely.

Janet let out a loud belly laugh. "Sure you're not. What are you sixteen?"

"I'm almost nineteen!" Okay, I was sounding more childish by the second, but I couldn't stop myself. This chick was pissing me off.

"My mistake, you're
eighteen
." She snickered. "Listen honey, you are still just a child. You have a lot of growing up to do."

"I'm not a child." I just couldn't stop my mouth from moving. "Will is not exactly an old man either ya know?"

The bitch laughed harder.

"Will is 23."

My mouth dropped open. Well that shut me up. I had no idea how old Will was. He looked so young. I assumed he was a year or two older than me. I looked to Will for confirmation, not wanting her to be right. He gave me a slight nod, letting his eyes drop to his lap.

"Well, this has been fun." Janet stretched her arms out over her head and yawned.

"What kind of sleeping arrangements ya got here?" She asked, patting Will on the leg.

"Pretty decent actually. Andi, can you get the dishes while I show Janet around?" Will asked not bothering to look in my direction and left the room to show her around. It clearly wasn't an actual request.

I could hear the two laughing from one of the bedrooms while I washed their dirty bowls. I couldn't believe Will was actually 23. I wondered how old Janet was. She was older than Will for sure, but clearly I was an awful judge of age. Not that it really mattered. I wasn't looking to get to know her. In fact, I didn't want to know anything else about her. She obviously had no interest in me since she practically ignored me since she laid eyes on me. The only thing I wanted to know was when she would be gone. If the military settlement was so great, what was she doing all the way back here? She was trying to convince Will to return with her, that much was clear. He didn't seem like he really wanted to go but I couldn't be positive she wouldn't change his mind. Will did hang on her every word. Pushing the thoughts from my mind, I couldn't let myself think about that. I sure hope she was planning on leaving in the morning.

After the dishes, I decided to settle in on the sofa and read for awhile. Will and Janet never made it out of the bedroom. I guess she wasn't so tired after all. They stayed up talking and laughing for hours until even I was dozing off in the living room. I wasn't sure which room she had settled in, but if I had to guess she was sprawled out relaxing on my bed. She probably had her mud caked boots on my quilt and Will probably wouldn't even notice.

After a few failed attempts to spend the night on the sofa I headed for the bedroom fully expecting to find Janet completely taking over my room. I opened the door slowly, scanning the dark room with the LED lantern. My bed was clear, thankfully. I checked out the other beds and they were empty as well. My heart thumped quickly as thoughts of Will and Janet sneaking off while I slept, leaving me behind, forced their way into my mind. I tried to push away the images, not wanting to believe Will would do that to me. I didn't really know though. He seemed more than a little happy about seeing Janet and easily forgot I was around now that she was here. If he had to choose between Janet and me I'm sure I wouldn't stand a chance.

A little voice in my head instructed me to just get into my bed and not worry about it, but I couldn't let it go. I had to know for sure that Will hadn't left me. I went to the other rooms to check, praying my suspicions were wrong. I checked the room Mr. and Mrs. Allen slept in. It was empty. My heart sank further. I walked down the hall to the room that was my parents' and slowly opened the door. The LED light of the lantern picked up two figures asleep on my parents bed. Will was on his back, shirtless, with Janet half draped over him like their bodies were an extension of each other. Will's missing shirt found Janet's otherwise naked body. A twinge of pain shot through my chest. Seeing them there like that almost seemed worse than finding them gone. I stood there looking at them, unable to unroot myself from the spot. It didn't make sense that this would feel like a betrayal to me. It wasn't like Will and I were anything but friends. He and Janet were obviously closer.

Will started to shift a bit, moving even closer to Janet. My feet took over from my brain and backed me out of the room. I turned off the lantern and nearly ran into my old bedroom. I didn't want Will to wake up and see me there looking at them like some sort of creeper. I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest, thrown on the floor, and stomped on. I had no right to feel that way. Will and I were just friends. He owed me nothing. In that moment though, seeing them there like that, I didn't care. I wanted Janet gone. I wanted to be the one in his bed, limbs intertwined, sleeping peacefully.

Walking into the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. What was I doing? Will and I were just friends. Not even good friends, if you looked at how things had been this past week. They had history. And from what I saw in the bedroom, something more. What did I have? I couldn't compete with Janet. She was older, more experienced, beautiful, and sexy as hell, even in a zombie apocalypse. She was a woman. I was a girl. The reflection of the girl I used to know stared back at me. Once she had been funny and lively, a pretty girl. She had hopes and dreams as well as enthusiasm for everything she did. I wasn't her anymore. Dreams and enthusiasm faded into cynicism, mistrust, and anger. The face that was once pretty was now tired and scarred. That wasn't the kind of girl a boy picked. I spent so much time trying to push Will away, believing I didn't need him and that he would leave anyway, one way or another. But, I didn't want him to leave and even more, I didn't want him in that bed with Janet.

"So what
do
you want?" I asked my reflection aloud. As usual, she didn't answer.

"Andi?"

I jumped, nearly smacking my face into the mirror. Will stood looking sleepy, behind me.

"God, Will! You need to stop the ninja stuff"

He held back a small laugh. "I didn't mean to scare you. What are you doing?"

Damn, Will was adorably sexy when he was sleepy. His dark hair fell casually around his face in a way it never did when he was awake, the perfect frame for those irresistible sparkly eyes. I let my eyes drop to his lips, soft, full, the kind of lips you just wanted to taste. Will's mouth spread into one of his sexy crooked smiles, snapping me out of my trance. Oh God, what was I doing? Warmth spread across my cheeks in embarrassment.

"Uh..." I looked away, unable to find my words.

Great. I was staring at his mouth and he knew exactly what I was doing.

"Hey," Will chuckled, poking his face around me to catch my eyes. "Everything okay?"

"Fine!" I slipped around him, practically running into my room and slammed the door shut.

He wasn’t allowed to do that. He couldn’t sneak up on me looking all sleepy and sexy, giving me that damn crooked smile. He couldn’t stand there making me want him just by looking at me, not after what he did, not after he was with her, all over him, in my parents bed. I crawled up into my bed, wrapping the quilt up around my neck. I heard Will’s footsteps pad back down the hall to the bedroom where he was probably climbing back in bed with Janet. This woman really needed to go!

~Chapter Eleven~

I was hoping that Janet would be on her way in the morning but as luck would have it, Will asked her to hang around a bit longer. I wanted to ask how long a bit was, but I figured I’d made enough childish comments last night. Being a bitch really wouldn’t help my case. She was in the shower, taking an insanely long time, when Will pulled me into the living room to talk.

“What’s your problem with Janet?”

“Are you kidding?” Could he really not see how she was treating me?

‘No, Andi,” Will’s mouth straightened into a line. “I’m most certainly not kidding.”

“Well, she hates me for one thing.”

Will’s eyebrow rose. “Why would you think that?”

Could he really be that blind?

“She’s rude. She insults me. She acts like I’m not even in the room. It’s clear she doesn’t like me.” I stood with one hand on my hip, standing my ground.

Will stood there looking at me like I grew a third eye. He really didn’t seem to notice what a bitch she was being to me.

“Andi, I think you are just misinterpreting things.”

“No, Will. You are just blind to the fact that your little girlfriend hates me!” I huffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest and turning so my back was facing him.

Will pulled one of my arms free and pulled me back around. I tried to resist. I was being childish again, but I didn’t care.

“Look, Janet just takes some getting used to. It’s not personal. I swear. She doesn’t hate you.”

He was smiling, like this was amusing him.

“Are you finding this funny?”

“No, of course not.” He was trying to hold back not only the smile but laughter as well. “It’s just the ‘little girlfriend’ remark.”

Okay, so he’s smiling at the thought of her being his girlfriend. Great. I pulled my arm back from Will and tried to walk away. This was not the conversation I wanted to be having especially since Janet had to come out of that shower eventually and I didn’t need her laughing at me too.

“Wait, Andi, it’s not like that.”

Will tried to keep me from leaving but I was determined to get away. I stomped, childishly, down the hall to my room, slamming the door hard. Will followed, standing outside the door. It didn’t lock so he could have walked in, but I guess it just wasn’t worth it to him. A moment later, I heard Janet emerge from the bathroom and muffled voices outside my door, then footsteps walking away.

Tears burned in my eyes and I fought hard to keep them back. Meeting Will had awakened something in me that I kept hidden for so long I thought it was gone for good. I wanted to stomp right out there and tell her she had to go, but I was afraid that Will would go with her. After what I saw last night, if he had to choose between us, I'm betting it would be her. Before I met Will, I wouldn't have cared if someone left. Hell, I didn't mind being completely alone. Sure, I ran into others often enough and sometimes they wanted to hook up as a group or invited me to stay with them. I had been with a lot of other people over the time since the outbreak. Some I had liked quite a bit, others not so much. I had to admit, I did feel safer with others around and the company was nice sometimes. The thing was, in the end, it was never worth it. Most of the people I had been with, I didn't miss. We parted ways, or they were dead, and that was that. It was different with Will though. I didn't want him to go.