When Worlds Collide (Taynew)

episode ✍️ 13

New stood there, head down, not speaking. His silence spoke volumes, his emotions a storm brewing just beneath the surface. Tay, his patience wearing thin, glared at him.

“What, are you just going to stand there like that? Take as many fruits as you want, and let's get out of here. Also don’t nag me, or I swear, I'll lose it,” Tay snapped.

New's eyes filled with tears, but he quickly wiped them away. His voice trembled as he spoke, "I'm sorry for asking you to stay last night. You can go now on your own. I'll manage by myself. You don’t have to bring me with you. I'm sorry for taking your time." Tears welled up again, but he quickly dried them.

Tay's expression softened slightly, but his frustration was still evident. "Okay, then go that way. Don’t get lost and cry out for help."

New responded, "I won’t. Even if I get lost, I still won’t ask for your help." He was crying now, his eyes red from the constant rubbing. Tay couldn’t help but notice.

“Are you a girl or what, crying like that?” Tay muttered, trying to mask his concern with annoyance.

New shot back, “I am not crying, and I’m not talking to you anymore. Go away! Why are you still here?” He continued to rub his eyes.

“Can you stop doing that?” Tay asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice.

“What?” New shouted.

“Stop rubbing your eyes. They’re getting red, and it will hurt later,” Tay explained.

“You don’t have to care. You want to go home fast, just go. Don’t talk to me,” New replied, his voice breaking.

“I brought you here, so I have to take you back. Let’s go,” Tay insisted.

“I don’t want to go with you,” New said defiantly.

Tay closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “Are you actually enjoying being here? Don’t you want to go home?”

New replied, “I don’t have to answer you.”

“You don’t have to answer me. Let’s go,” Tay said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“No,” New said again, more firmly this time.

“New, don’t make me too angry. I don’t like hearing ‘no.’ Let’s go,” Tay warned.

New's voice trembled as he said, “Then what? Are you going to kill me? You shouted at me, blamed me for being with you, and for not shouting for the helicopter. So, I told you to go away from me. What is your problem now?” He was crying openly now, his sobs punctuating the tense silence.

Tay thought, “Why don’t I want to go without him? I also don’t want to leave him alone.” He shook his head, feeling a mix of frustration and protectiveness. “He is really hard to handle. If anyone else talked to me like that, they would be dead by now.” Tay got closer to him and said, “If you had shouted for the chopper with me, it would have been louder, and they would have heard us. We could have gone home. But because you were eating fruit, they went away. What do you expect me to say to you?”

New looked at Tay and said, “Why do we have to go on the chopper? Weren’t we getting close to the farm? So why call for the chopper?”

“Are you really asking that question? We didn’t know which side we were on. The chopper must have been sent to find you. They must be worried,” Tay explained, his voice softening slightly.

“Next time when they come, I will shout. But now, I will go on my own,” New said stubbornly.

“Why are you being stubborn like a child? You didn’t even walk carefully, and now you say you'll go on your own,” Tay replied, exasperated.