It's been almost eight months since they left the farm. Despite Rick killing Shane, Emily and Carl remained the best of friends. This changes when feelings that weren't there before spark up and change their friendship forever.
When the group finds...
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The fire crackling in front of us gave a peaceful vibe despite what we had just been through. Judith's coos just made the scene even more peaceful. I watched as Carl played and held his baby sister close. Every now and then I would tickle the little girl to get a giggle from her, but I mostly watched.
I watched the boy I cared about most begin to become himself again. Something had changed ever since the prison. He wasn't cold hearted like he had previously been. The happiness that radiated in his smile as he held that sweet child gave me hope. I smiled as I watched the two of them together.
A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn my head and see Olivia standing over me. The upset look on her face caused my previous hope to fade quickly. "Olivia, hi." I stated, abruptly as I stared up at her.
"C-can I talk to you?" She asked in a small voice. Not taking my eyes off of her, I nodded quickly. She stepped away to let me get up off the cold ground.
I turned to Carl once I was on my feet. "I'll be right back, okay?" I told him.
"Just be careful, okay?" He insisted, grabbing my hand as I went to walk away. "If something happens, yell. I'll be there in a second."
I gave him a smile. "I know, Blue Eyes. I'll be back."
He finally released my hand and I followed Olivia to a spot farther away from the fire, but still in everyone's sight. I stood quietly in front of Olivia as she leaned against a tree for support, trying to find her words.
"Alex told me what happened while we were separated." She finally said in a quiet, shaky voice.
When she didn't say anything else or even looked at me, I immediately jumped into trying to explain our awful actions. "Liv, it wasn't the way you think it was. We kissed because it was-"
My words were cut off abruptly when she wrapped her arms around my neck. I staggered a second from the impact before gaining my balance and holding myself and Olivia up. We stood there for a moment as she hugged me.
With wide eyes and confusion written on my face, I asked, "Um, w-what exactly is going on here? I thought you were upset with me?"
"I'm so glad you're okay." She breathed out in a cracked voice. It felt as though my heart had melted at her words and I wrapped my arms around her, as well. "Of course I'm upset about the kiss, but the life and innocence of one of my best friends is more important."
She pulled away and wiped her tears from her face and it was then I felt the wetness on my face. I had been crying and didn't realize it. I wiped my face quickly and said in between hiccups, "I thought you would be mad at me and our friendship would be ruined. I would never be able to forgive myself for hurting you."
She shook her head at me and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "This life is so unpredictable and time moves by too quickly to just live in hate and anger." She stated, a sad expression crossing her face as she addressed a thought. "I learned that when Patrick died. I was always so awful to him, all because I thought he was geeky. I know now that I shouldn't have done that. After he died, I couldn't forgive myself for saying and doing all those awful things to him. I realize that life is too short to be hateful. Even though the initial shock of all of this hurts, in time we'll all move on and forget about it."
