Levvergent

Chapter 8

I've noticed everything I do is for Jared. He makes me happy. Molly comes back from breakfast, "I saw you got in a fight with Peter, what happened?" She asks, "I was just in a mood," I answer.

"Raven, you don't just go 'in a mood' and punch someone,"

"Okay, Peter said something I didn't like and deserved to pay for it," I explain.

"You have anger issues."

"Maybe."

"What's he say?"

"That Jared means nothing now that he's dead."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I know but my bad instincts told me to punch him."

"Well you are right about one thing."

"What?"

"You have bad instincts."

"Shut up!"

"I'm just saying."

"By the way, who have you been sitting with at lunch?"

"Well that was random."

"I know but I'm curious."

"I met this girl named Maya and a boy named Grant."

"How'd you meet?"

"While you were with Jared one time we started talking and became friends."

"Oh."

I hear a knock on the door, "Who is it?" I shout. "Peter!" Tobias beats me to the door, "Look, if you're here to take another hit at my kid then leave," Tobias tells him. "Johanna is making me spend 'forgiving time' with her," Peter says. I cross my arms, "What if this is some sort of trap?" I ask, "It's not, we'll have security following us," Peter explains. "Fine," I agree.

I walk out and Tobias closes the door. "Look Raven, I'm as pissed about this as you are but don't make it seem like its my fault cause I'm not the one that punched me in the face," Peter says. We walk together outside, we sit silently for hours. Johanna walks up to us, "I haven't heard an apology," she says.

Peter and I don't budge. "I guess if you don't apologize to each other you'll have to spend another day together," she threatens, "I'm sorry!" Peter and I say simultaneously. "Good," Johanna smiles, then walks away. I get up and go to my living quarters. In the living room is my mom and a security guard.

"There you are! This man needs to talk to you," she says, "Um, okay," I say. He takes me outside, and everything goes black for a second. When the darkness clears up I see Jared, running towards me. "Jared?!" I shout, we hug for a while.

"I have a question," he says, "anything," I say. "Choose," he says, "if you take the serum I kill them. If you save them I destroy the serum." He points towards a syringe filled with revival serum, then he points a gun towards the hackers in Johanna's army. "What?" I ask, "no." He shrugs, then points the gun towards me. This is so unlike him. Jared would never threaten anyone's life. Unless this isn't real.

"You aren't Jared," I say. "Maybe I'm not. But wouldn't it be better to believe I am?" He asks. "No," I answer, "because the real Jared is irreplaceable." Everything goes black again.