Cruel World (The Tribe Book 1)

22. KC

TRIGGER WARNING: Slight mention of attempted suicide from previous chapter.

The next morning, Martin and I are sat in the café, Brady in the carrier on my chest, fast asleep. Patsy and Cloe are at the table next to ours, Bob resting next to Patsy, and they are commenting on Bray apparently moping at the back of the café about Trudy's suicide attempt.

Dal comes up the stares, and is not-so-subtly glaring at Bray, making his crush on Trudy all the more obvious as he blames Bray for her suicide attempt. Eventually, he drifts over to where Jack is eating his breakfast quietly, most likely about making a wind turbine.

Amber comes into the café and the two of us decide to do some laps around the mall and just talk mindlessly. We walk past towards Trudy's room and see her sitting on the bed, staring somewhat blankly into nothingness.

"Trudy?" Amber calls as we duck our heads in.

"Are you ok, Trude?" I call, and she seems to snap out of it.

"Hi, sorry I was just thinking," Trudy mutters as we sit in her room with her.

"About?" Amber prods.

"Everything, all the stuff that's gone on since we got to the mall," Trudy reveals with a sigh. "Wondering how I ever let myself get so deep and so obsessed with Bray, when I seem to get nothing but hurt out of it."

"Because guys tend to suck, and sometimes we need that to learn exactly how we should be treated, and what we really want and deserve," I tell her gently, and she nods with a smile.

"Even though it's extreme, I think I honestly needed this reality check to see that I truly deserve better and that this has to stop. It's bad for you guys, and especially Brady, she's so little and just needs her mom. And of course her dad and stepmom," Trudy smiles, and I give a big one back.

"Just give me a bit of time and I think I'll be over him completely and maybe even ready to look for someone I really like and would treat me right," she shrugs.

"You go girl!" Amber cheers, making us laugh.

"Don't forget, Flynn from the Vipers is really cute, and he thinks you're beautiful," I tease her with a nudge, making her blush. "I'll have him come over through the secret passageway, since we can't open it, only they can, and spend time with you more once you're ready."

"Or we just invite them over more regularly, or just have them live here and we merge the tribes a bit," Amber suggests.

"Maybe eventually but I think I'd leave that choice to them," I sigh.

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Next morning, we are once again woken up by Brady screaming, which is weird because Trudy has become a lot more attentive to her since the incident. As Martin and I head upstairs, Cloe has come out of Trudy's room with Brady and a notepad.

"What's that?" I ask her as Martin takes Brady from her.

"I found it next to Brady," Cloe tells me. A few of the others come into the café as well, curious.

I take the notepad and read it.

"It's saying she left," I gasp out in shock. "Her and Dal went to find a new life in the country side, apparently."

"But yesterday she was so positive," Amber says, confused as she comes behind me to read the note.

"I know, and she wouldn't just leave her baby," I say but then pause, noticing something.

"What?" Martin asks, seeing me tense.

"This isn't Trudy's writing," I mutter, scanning the note.

"No, but it's Dal's," Amber realises.