Apocalypse Love

The Cooperative

Two weeks later
   Gallant and I are goofing in the halls, chasing each other like we're suddenly kids on the play ground when I collided with a shoulder. I halted to a stop to see Ms.Venable standing there a stare of evil in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing Miss Adams?" She hissed out. "Uh...I was just..." I look over my shoulder to see that Gallant had ran off. "Trying to make up a lie?" She questioned. "No, I was just in a rush to get to the books" I tell her. She squinted her eyes at me, as if she didn't believe me. "Have you been procreating Miss Adams?" She accused me. "No, because it's obviously against the rules, but seeing you're the only one who gets something up their ass." I had no filter and this time it would get me in trouble.  Smack! I had felt the sting on my cheek as it echoed through the halls. "You are a disgusting woman Miss Adams and if I ever hear anything so foul come from your mouth again I will lash you!" She hissed out as I held onto my cheek. "You keep threatening me, but your bark is worse than your bite" I retorted back. She stepped closer to me "We'll see about that" she stated. She then walked around me and I suddenly could breathe. Why did I have to say anything? "What did you go do that for?" Gallant asked me as she sees me come around the corner. "I don't know! It's like I couldn't control my mouth" I shrug my shoulders. "You better hope this doesn't come back to bite you in the ass Adams" he warned me before walking away from me.

The next night cocktail time came around we all joined in the lounge. "What are you always reading about?" Gallant teased as I keep my nose in my book. "Anything to get me away from you people" I half joked, causing him to roll his eyes. "You love us and you know it" Gallant tells me over the classical music that plays on the radio, the same music that's played since we've gotten here. Gallant rubbed his temples. "This song, the same one every night" he groaned as I close my book set it down on the coffee table in front of me. "Oh, here we go" Andres the groaned. "Where is it even coming from? And why do we have to listen to it?" He shot from the sofa. "What are we missing here?!" He rises his voice. "About 99% of the worlds population" Stu reminded him. "Would've been better off dying with them" Gallant responded as he walked over to Mallory and picked a drink off her tray. "Speak for yourself, darling" his Nana spoke. "We wouldn't have to drink this...whatever this is" he shakes his head as he takes a sip of the sparkling water. "It's sparkling water..." Andres informed him. "Hey, did you talk to Venable yet?" Mallory asked Coco who is sitting next to me. "No, she creeps me out" Coco whispered. "It's not fair that they get to be purple and not me" Mallory sighed, disappointed in her friend. "Okay, he refused to touch my hair if he was a gray and his Nana has been to the Oscars and best friends with Natalie Woods so fucking get some perspective" Coco hissed out at her. "It just plays over and over...24 hours a day" Gallant mumbled under his breath. "Maybe it's Satan's Spotify playlist?" I suggested to Gallant, obviously teasing him. Andres and Stu begin to chuckle at my joke but Gallant didn't find me funny. Just then the double doors and two people I've never seen before slowly walk inside. "Ohhh..." Gallant Nana looked towards the same direction. A young man and woman dressed in purple step further into the room, looking around. "Well,well,well. New blood" Gallant Nana approached them both. "Come in, don't be shy" Dinah spoke to them. The younger man's eyes go wide "Woah, you're Dinah Stevens" he stated. "My mother used to watch your show. She said you'd beat the pants off Oprah any day" He added. "Bless her heart. A million of her and I wouldn't have been replaced by that telenovela" she sighed. I stand from the sofa and appoarched the young man. "Uh, so what's happening out there?" I asked him. He's taller than me, with brown sandy hair that's styled in small spikes but far to young for me. "It's all gone. Everything" he stated. My heart sank in my chest as my breath hitched in my throat. I mean, what was I expecting to happen? The missiles missing  somehow and we could all leave one day? Suddenly Ms.Venable stepped into the room, her cane echoing off the floor. She lazily rang the dinner bell like she had done every night for the past week.  "Dinner is served" she hissed out before giving me a death glare. Ms. Venable didn't like me and that was obvious, she always makes rude comments towards me when she can or give me death stares when we're in the same room together. Ever since yesterday it had gotten worse. I had definitely stuck my foot in my mouth this time. I was going to lay the price and it was gonna hurt.