Surviving.

Chapter Twenty-One: Sophie

Conner's POV

        I can't believe Laken never told me that she was from Woodbury. We used to laugh at the people who lived there!

"Conner?" Carl asks from beside me.

I turn to look at him and snap, "What."

He flinches and I instantly regret being so harsh. 

"What do you need, Carl?" I ask a bit softer.

"Can we stop to rest?" He asks, breathless. "Everyone is sluggish and it's slowing us down. Don't you want to get to our camp as quick as possible?"

I look behind us to find Laken leaning against a rotted tree, Rick leaning against Carl, and Lainey's just standing beside me, but I would be able to see her goosebumps and shivering from a mile away.

"Yeah. I guess we can," I reply, "For the night, at least."

We find a nice, secluded area and set up camp. I walk over to Lainey and wrap my arms around her, running my hands along her back to warm her up. 

"You okay, Lai?" I ask tentatively.

She breaths deeply and nods as she buries his face in the crook of my neck. I glance down at her jeans and thin t-shirt. No wonder she's shivering.  I shrug off my heavy leather jacket and place it around her thin shoulders. I hear a mumbled thank you. She wraps herself in it as much as she can. Her shivering isn't so bad now. I tighten my arms around her. Wishing this never happened. But, also if none of this had happened, I wouldn't have met her. I wouldn't have fallen in love with her.

"Hey Conner.." I hear and feel a tap on my back. 

I turn around and see, of course, Laken, looking up at me with regret in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." she says and lowers her eyes to the ground.

"It's okay, Laken." I say while Lainey looks over her shoulder at Laken. "I just wish you would've told us."

She nods a couple times, "Okay."

She walks away and sits on a tree stump on the edge of camp. I look down at Lainey and see she's looking up at me with a certain look in her eyes. 

I smirk at her and whisper in her ear, "Whatcha thinkin' about, babe?"

Her entire face turns beat red and she bites her lip and looks away. I bring a finger up to her chin and I turn her face toward me so she's forced to look at me. She narrows her eyes and sticks her tongue out at me.

"You better put that back in your mouth, Little missy." I say, holding back my laughter.

She grins goofily and snorts, "Or else what?"

I lean closer to her and glance down at her lips. I can see she wants me to kiss her. She even leans in a bit.

Just to tease her, I pull away and say. "I guess I'll have to come up with something."

She pouts and crosses her arms and looks up at me with those big blue eyes. God, I could get lost in those any minute of the day. I begin to lean in, inches at a time. Just as my eyes close, I hear her giggle.

"Nuh-uh. Not this time, baby." She drags out the 'y' and grins evilly up at me.

"Be glad I love you. Or I don't know what I'd do." I say laughing.

"Shut the hell up! People are trying to get some sleep here." Rick says from his spot on the ground. "If you want to do stuff and thaangs, you need to go somewhere away from here."

Lainey rolls her eyes and laughs, "Fine Ri-."

Before she could finish, a little girl comes from the trees. She looks about 13. Rick draws his gun and so does Carl. Laken's snoring behind some bush, I can hear her. And I draw Lainey behind me.

Lainey scoffs at all of us, "Are y'all serious?"

She walks towards the girl and sticks her hand out," Hiya. I'm Lainey. What's your name?"

The little girl looks at all of us one by one and says in a surprisingly loud voice for a girl her age, "I'm Sophia Emad Alaeetawi. Nice to meet y'all."

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HEY GUYS! 

LONG TIME NO SEE!

sorry this is a sucky chapter.

Buuuuut the last few weeks have been sucky.

Love y'all!

~Lizballz