Left Behind -Gally-

Chapter 15

Emma sat on a stool, legs swinging back and forth. She was sitting on the kitchen counter, watching Frypan cut vegetables. She had already finished cutting hers. "Stop giving me that look," he muttered.

She tilted her head to the side. "What look?"

"That one," he pointed the knife at her. "That smug look you have when you prove someone wrong."

"Well, I wouldn't look like this if you hadn't doubted my skills." Frypan had doubted she could chop vegetables as fast as him. Turns out, she was faster.

"If I knew my ego would take such a massive hit, I wouldn't have agreed when Alby asked if you could join me."

Emma gasped fakely, placing a hand on her heart. "And here I thought you enjoyed my company."

"I do when you're not showing off."

She chuckled. "I'll go slower next time."

The cook rolled his eyes. "I wished I had known I'd get work done twice as fast. I would have requested to make you a cook."

"Sorry, Newt figured it out first."

"So that's why he argued to have you work in the Gardens." Newt fought to have Emma work in the Gardens, but not for that reason. She trusted him the most at the start. It made sense. "How's your ankle?"

"Fine," she responded. "It's fine." It had started to hurt after she walked too much the previous day, but it was getting better. She decided not to make that mistake again. Walking a short amount seemed to be all right.

She set down her knife and picked up a potato. "When are they going to let you go back to work in the Gardens?"

"Next week, I think." That was the plan. Newt and Zart were hesitant, but Jeff said it would be fine if she didn't do any heavy lifting. "I can't wait." It had been two weeks. The original plan was for a week of rest, but her ankle still hurt after a week.

Frypan laughed. "Only you would be excited to go back to work. If I got hurt, I'd be in bed for weeks." She set the potato down but kept her fingers on the side.

Emma leaned back. "If you were hurt, the entire Glade would starve."

"Well, now that-"

"Hey, Fry," Gally greeted Frypan.

The two stopped talking and turned to look at him. "Hey, Gally." He knew what the Builder wanted. Without saying anything, he grabbed a cup and handed it to him.

"Thanks." Emma stared at Gally, her shoulders falling in dismay. She was hoping after their conversation the previous day that they were friends. Was she wrong? Was he messing with her? Before she could say anything, Gally looked at her. His upper lip twitched faintly. "Emma."

"Hey, Gally." She was relieved, happy to be acknowledged.

"She bothering you, Fry?" There was a teasing grin on Gally's face.

Frypan chuckled. "Bothering? No. Bruising my ego with her cutting skills? Absolutely."

"Shouldn't have let her join then."

"Hey," she playfully nudged Gally. "You'll be thanking me come dinner."

"I'm sure," he responded. "Thanks again, Fry." Silently, he walked away with the glass to get water before heading back to the Builders station.

Emma watched him, smiling faintly. He had joked with her. That was a good sign. That meant they were friends. "I guess you finally got ole Captain Gally to crack."

"Yeah, it took forever." Frypan was well aware. "I think falling off a ladder proved I wasn't a Creator." He chuckled at her words but didn't argue. Emma noticed two approaching figures, Winston and Jordan. At the sight of Jordan, her heart dropped. Quickly, she stood up, putting weight on her ankle. "I think I'm going to head back."