The Girl he Wants

36- For the Best.

RECAP: When they arrived at the dock to board the ferry to Governor's Island, Elizabeth awoke from a nightmare of Jay and Asher telling her they didn't care about her. Once off the charter, Asher attempted to apologize to Elizabeth but she warded him off to gain space. Mr. Gaz caught Natalie and Sam being flirty, as well as Hanes and Ruth kissing. Elizabeth couldn't sort out her thoughts and feelings, but fortunately Finn saw her trouble and offered up a little advice. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Thanks!

***FINN'S P.O.V***

Finn grins at Elizabeth, literally watching the heavy cloud around her lift second by second. Her smile becomes genuine and the twinkle in her eyes more distinct. Finn couldn't be happier for helping her, but his joy quickly fades when he is tapped on the shoulder and turns to lay his caramel eyes on Willow.

Willow steps up beside him and Elizabeth walks a little quicker, giving them their space. That doesn't seem very helpful to Finn; he doesn't want to talk to Willow.

"Hey." Willow attempts to start a conversation, but Finn keeps his mouth close and his soft eyes trained forward.

"Are you mad at me?" She questions him, but he again doesn't answer. Keeping his arms crossed over his chest and his chin high, he avoids her gaze without fault.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Willow nod her head and sigh. "I'll take that as a yes."

Finn clears his throat. "You betrayed my friend."

"I didn't think-"

"Yeah." Finn remarks, anger sizzling in his mouth.

"Okay. Well, I guess I deserve this." Willow's head tilts up to meet his gaze but he doesn't move his. "I am sorry, though. I won't start another rumor."

Finn blinks, and decides that grudges just make hearts heavy. "I forgive you." He finally looks into her gaze, wearing a grimace.

Willow perks at the sound of his words. "You mean it?"

"Yeah." Finn responds, letting his grimace fade. He takes in her smooth, light freckles and her pretty crystal eyes. He doesn't tell her that he won't be able to trust her as much as he had or that he won't be sharing anything with her soon, but that's for the best.

***JAY'S P.O.V***

   They stand outside of the Governors Island National Monument, listening to the tour guide's explanation of its reason for being built for the U.S. Army. Apparently, the place took part in the Army's social, political, and economic tapestry.

   "This is Fort Jay." The tour guide says through his pearly teeth, and a few people turn to glance at Jay, including Asher.

   "That's funny." Asher laughs, nudging him. "You have the same name as this place."

Jay keeps a straight face and shrugs. Who cares?

The Fort is huge, with many towering walls branching off in all different directions, making the architecture of the building--if you were looking from above--to seem as if it was designed to be appear in a star shape. The outside of the fort is made of huge, faded bricks that stand many feet taller than Jay. There's a divot in the ground in front of the fort, but the group of teenagers is standing on a pathway above, directly in front of the colossal entrance.

The tour guide rants on about how Fort Jay was occupied by the British during the American Revolution. But then, in 1783 it was surrendered to the Governor of New York. Fort Jay fell to ruins by 1806, and reconstructed by December 1809. To Jay, it sounds like the old place is useless, but apparently it's fascinating to Mr. Gaz and the tour guide. The two are tossing back and forth information and ideas like they've just figured out what dark matter is.