Us Against the Apocalypse

15 - Saying Goodbye

The meeting had ended on the conclusion that they'd leave in two days, giving Bluebell both time to relax and say her goodbyes. She'd decided to do the latter right away just in case anything changed but didn't have many friends except for the debatable Nick and Ryder. Even if it did just agitate them, she'd rather tell them what was happening than leave out of the blue. Hopefully they'd appreciate that.

She was confident Ryder would, even if he wouldn't say anything.

Nick, on the other hand, was a lot less open-minded, and would probably just accuse her of annoying them on purpose. It was his own fault for refusing to attend the meeting.

Bluebell had slept right away after the meeting ended and had just recently re-entered the courtyard with the fading hope of finding Nick and Ryder. They weren't out here today, but Arlo was, which was an infrequent occurrence.

She knew that talking to him would only reopen the confession topic, but she was willing to take that risk as she hurried over.

'Are you ready to leave?' she questioned, almost falling over her own feet.

'Already? No?' Arlo seemed confused and his voice was sharp, something that was unlike him especially now he'd calmed down.

'Oh, right, I was just curious...' Bluebell shook the thought off and focused on regaining her balance; she was still wobbling as she stood there and would rather not fall over. 'Have you said goodbye to everyone yet?'

'That's tomorrow's job, isn't it?'

Bluebell could remember when speaking to Arlo felt like talking to a brick wall, and being able to speak openly like this definitely cheered her up. 'I was hoping to find Nick and Ryder.'

Arlo shuddered. 'Ew, Nick...'

'He's a bit of a prick, but Ryder's alright and they're both still my friends. I'm guessing you guys don't get along?'

'Barely.'

Come to think of it, not many people got along with Nick - even Leo seemed against him to some extent. Maybe being the social outcast was what fuelled his angsty nature, or maybe his angsty nature was what pushed people away.

'Hey, Arlo, do you think this whole mission thing's actually gonna work?' Bluebell could do with some honest opinions from her closest friends - she herself wasn't sure on whether she'd made the right decision.

'I'm not sure, honestly. There's nothing in it for the rest of us. I came up with the idea for you and Leo alone, and I think it was selfish enough without dragging in the rest of us.' He rubbed his eyes and shrugged.

'So, you think it was a bad idea? The whole inviting you guys thing?'

'Nah.'

Arlo had failed to put Bluebell's mind at ease, but there wasn't much she could do about that. She was still desperate for reassurance, but Nick and Ryder definitely weren't the right people for that, and she didn't plan on seeing anyone else today.

'It can get really boring around here,' Arlo went on. 'So, I'm sure Harley was just as pleased to come along as I was. Don't let the whole thing bother you.'

'Thanks.'

Arlo had the good habit of unintentionally saying exactly what someone needed to hear. He'd always done it, only he used to cloak the comments in insults and that would override the whole thing.

'Do you know where Nick and Ryder are?' Bluebell asked, figuring that there was no harm in asking. 'I haven't seen them all day.'

'I don't really keep tabs on those two,' Arlo replied coldly. 'So maybe ask someone like Leo who actually cares.'