ASUNDER (I) : tmr newt

39: I'm Joking

39 Michelle Day 12

There is dust caking my face when I wake up. My skin sticks against the rough floor as I peel my face up and off the ground. My shoulders ache and bones groan under the pressure of supporting my shoulders.

"You've got a lot of freckles on your shoulders."

I shrug up my red plaid flannel over my pale shoulders, covering my tank top completely. I recognise Gally's voice without glancing back. When I glance out the window, I notice it is barely the crack of dawn. What is he doing up so early?

My eyes find him over my shoulder, and I glare as my hands find the buttons running down my shirt. I stare him down as I button myself up, my hair falling into my eyes.

"And you reek, when was the last time you took a shower?"

I stand up, my thick boots manage to grip on to the dusty ground. When I glance up, I notice the drywall on the ceiling is already flaking off and down on to the ground.

"Yesterday," I tell Gally, not sparing my eyes from the ceiling. "We're going to have to redo the ceiling today, before we can begin any work on the floor."

Gally crosses his arms, moving closer to me. "Weren't you and David working on that last night?"

I glance at him. He is standing so close to me our shoulders brush. Stepping off to the side, I draw my attention back to the white flakes falling from the roof. "Yeah, we did."

I haven't forgotten the last interaction between David and Gally. When they stood next to each other in some weird primal "I'm bigger than you" contest where they both think they have won, and in reality both are losers. I know that rivalry isn't over from the way Gally stiffens at the thought of David and I being alone together.

"You know he only wants to get your shucking clothes off."

I blow a hair out of my face. "I came to help him, to help you not have to redo the walls tomorrow."

"Sure," he backs away from me, moving towards a wall. "That's why he skipped out on dinner, and that's why he is always staring at you."

"And so what, maybe I'm staring at him back," I snap.

I'm not. David and I are just friends. Just like Gally and I are just friends. If Gally has feelings for me, he needs to push them aside. We're supposed to be teaming up to take down Leo and Alby, and that whole regime. I don't have time to be concerning myself with Gally's petty emotions.

"Keep your voice down." It's not a suggestion, and it makes me actually stare at Gally. His cheeks are tinged peak, and his arms are on his hips as he stares me down. He tries to command the situation by seeming bigger and stronger than I am. I'm not stupid; I know Gally is shorter for a guy. Shorter than David, in fact. It doesn't even matter that I am shorter than both of them either, because when I place my hands on my own hips I watch him blink.

It's a flinch.

"Why?" My lips curl around the word, and my brow furrows.

He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping closer to me. "Alby is looking for any excuse to banish you, and he hasn't had any ramifications about believing false allegations before."

I remember. It was dark on the day that they tried to banish me. So dark that my blood look the same as the colour of the dirt they dragged me through. The pain my ripped knuckles felt as they tried to rip the collar off around my neck, and the watching shadows as they stared me down won't be forgotten.