What's the worst that can happen when you're forced to co-captain with your rival?
Nova Shields can't stand Leo Hendrix. She hates his arrogance and obnoxiousness, that crooked smirk he does when he thinks he's right. Leo can't stand Nova's wits, t...
Backhanding Leo across the face probably wasn't my finest moment. I just couldn't help it. As soon as I heard the word 'Mom' come out of his big obnoxious mouth, I wanted to strangle him.
I've definitely got some unresolved anger issues.
Tensions are high, nobody up to now has said a single word to me apart from Tara. Leo is in a complete strop, giving me the occasional 'I want to kill you' stare. I know North is definitely going to hear about this some way or another, and I'm definitely not looking forward to his reaction.
Relief is an understatement about having Tara in this group. We've gotten along well, we're both similar ages and seem to have mutual opinions on most things.
She glances over at me as the Hercules lifts off into airspace. "So, how come you slapped Leo? I didn't hear the conversation, only the force of you whacking him across the face." She snickers.
"I'm not proud of it, believe me. He was about to make a comment about my Mom and I just lost my shit." I shrug awkwardly, looking down and fiddling with the bandage wrapped around my thigh.
"Your Mom?" Tara looks at me inquisitively.
"Well, my lack of. I did have a Mom. She vanished into thin air," I mumble, not bothering to keep my cards against my chest. Tara stares at me like I've just said the most obscene comment known to man.
"Vanished? How is that possible?" She gasps, placing a hand against my shoulder.
"I've been asking myself the same thing for the past seventeen and a half years." I sigh, thinking back to my childhood. The way Mom would always give me a kiss on my forehead before I went to school, the way she would collect me at the end of every day with a smile on her radiant face. Every day after school, she would take me and my delinquent half-brother into Spring Hill town centre and let us pick out a 'sweet treat'.
'A sweet treat for the sweetest kids.' She would always say. Nicholas was anything but a sweet kid. Me on the other hand, I was quite a sweetheart back then.
Fuck, I'm choking up. I've been on a no-cry streak for the past 10 years, probably because I barely talk about her. I feel so emotional today for no reason as I blink back my tears urgently. Tara gives me a thoughtful half-smile.
"I can't imagine how tough that must have been, especially when you were such a little kid. I'm sorry, Nova." She says softly, patting my shoulder. I give her a slight nod, relived that my tears have retreated back behind the eye sockets rather than spilling down my cheeks.
