Ava And Ivy

7 (Relationships)

A/n i hope this updated version of the chapter is way better, and i apologize in advance because i know in the future i will read this and just "Ew." and delete it and hopefully try again:')

*Ivy's POV*

I didn't return the next day. Ava didn't text me, and I busied myself with experiments on canned food and gunpowder. She didn't need me there today. And although it hurts to admit, Reese bothered me more then I would have hoped.

I slowly blinked with my half glued together eyes, and took another sip on my weak, bitter, coffee. I was running out of coffee.

"Almost like in secondary. At least emotionally." I almost chuckled. It was funny because it was true.

"If you speak back to me again I will report you to the principal, you ignorant girl." That one teacher despised me. I nearly didn't graduate because of them. I excelled in all classes except theirs and I was kept back a year. Twice. A prodigy child aiming for great things kept back? The embarrassment was unbearable.

The memory made me cringe, and I had to take a few deep breaths to remember that there was no point letting my anger flare up. I was not there. It was over.

I think that was the year that I realized that achievements and excelling in the education system was key to my success. I had needed academic validation or I slowly fell apart. However I no longer needed it since society had crumbled.

That made me smile. A weak smile, but one nonetheless.

I needed more coffee.

*Ava's POV*

I made a pretty breakfast for Reese the next morning, with cut up tomatoes, fresh glass of water, and some herbs. I moved the food to look like a smile. As much as it wasn't impressive I was drying my clothes from my sprint to and from a river close to the village where I had filled up some bottles, outran the zombies, turned the water into drinkable water with some equipment I borrowed from Ivy ages ago.

"Hey, you hungry?" I walked under the tree with the paper plate and reached it out to him. He looked down. A small part of me fell.

"I'm..." It was weird trying to say it. I never apologized before. Never unless it was to my parents. They were an exception.

"I'm sorry." I finally finished my sentence but he barely stared into my face with a look of slight disbelief and confusion.

"Apologizing to a crumpled up piece of paper won't help."

"Oh, I- ..." Honestly that felt like a punch to the gut because he was right. Apologizing didn't fix anything.

"But no worries, I forgive you. I know you didn't mean to be rude."
"Just don't do it again." He smiled at me, and I smiled back, but it didn't reach my eyes.

"Thank you," I nodded my head and bit my lip. He pat the ground next to him and I sat down.

"I just get a bit emotional sometimes. Everything feels like a blow to the gut." He sighed, and picked up a slice of tomato.

"If you ever need anything I'm here to help." I gazed at him with hope in my eyes. Maybe I couldn't undo what I had already done, but I could help the future.

"...You promise?" He asked reluctantly.

"Yes. I promise" I stuttered on the words, because I didn't want to contradict myself later on. That would make me a terrible friend.

***

The next day I woke up and made a neat breakfast for both of us, using the last of the ripe food and most herbs I had. Now I would either have to fast for until more food was ready to be picked or travel past the bridge on the river to the forest to see if I could find anything edible. Worst comes to worst, hunt for hopefully uninfected animals. I would have decided to raid nearby houses or the supermarket but my now most food was rotten, and it was too dangerous with the hungry zombies roaming about. Fun fact, I was vegetarian. This made survival harder, especially as hunting became more and more enticing, even nearly necessary.