Into Ruin

Chapter 25 Karl

Melinda gave Gunnar a playful nudge as they walked back to his apartment in the semi-occupied hallway.

"That was uncool to hide the cream soda above the cupboard the whole time," she said.

He looked down at her with a small smile tugging on his lips. It had been fun to watch her run around the apartment in a panic, and he just couldn't work on any more of those reading words. If there was one thing he was good at, it was avoiding book learning. After a handful of these sessions, Gunnar was finding her less annoying and stuck up than he had before. She was still not someone he'd go out of his way to protect, but he could tolerate her for the lessons.

"You gotta learn to inspect every corner of your surroundings."

Melinda crossed her arms across her cropped top. "You didn't even tell me it was hidden."

"Life doesn't spell out its lessons like you do."

Melinda rolled her eyes. "Hilarious, Gunnar."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" a voice called from behind the two of them. It had the same tone Gunnar had been studying and trying to copy last week.

"We're walking," Gunnar replied without slowing his pace.

When Travis grabbed him by the neck and pushed him up against the brick wall, Gunnar realized he should keep more of his comments to himself. "Do you think you're tough since they released you from our little prison?"

Gunnar didn't look in a lot of mirrors, but staring down a similar same dimpled chin and thin nose gave him the chills. Travis didn't dare leave any stubble on his chin like Gunnar had gotten used to doing. Gunnar winced as Travis' grip tightened around his throat. He needed to find a way to get away from Travis once he could breathe again. None of the blurs passing by stopped to intervene.

Melinda tried to pull Travis' arm away, letting Gunnar take in a small gasp of air before the grip tightened again. "Travis, stop it! He wasn't doing anything."

"Really, because from what I've heard the two of you have been spending plenty of time together the past few days. I was very clear that he stay away-"

Melinda maintained steady eye contact with Travis despite being at least a head shorter. "That he stay away from what, Travis? When exactly did you have a conversation with Gunnar?"

Travis clammed up and dropped his arm from around Gunnar's neck. Taking a deep breath, Gunnar's fingers crawled up to his neck to the familiar invisible bruises

"When I found out he'd been impersonating me and trying to get close to you. Now he's trying a new tactic."

Melinda stared in the distance for a moment like she was piecing something together. Gunnar stayed where he was. There was no reason to give Travis an incentive to bruise his healing ribs.

"We're going to go see the director."

Melinda scowled. "You really think your dad wants to mediate your little paranoid fight."

Travis hovered over Melinda, a good head taller than she was. "He should know what our newest arrivals have been doing."

Melinda took a step back and placed her hands on her hips. "Knock yourself out."

"I don't know what's gotten into you, but I don't like it," he whispered to Melinda, loud enough for Gunnar to overhear.

Gunnar wasn't too bothered by their troubles in paradise as long as Travis didn't blame him for the shortcomings. But given the experiences he'd had with so-called father figures in his lifetime, he knew men were too proud to see or admit they were the problem. It was much easier to rough up the woman and her kids or throw something at the wall.