It's a Love Story ~carl grimes book~

chapter 27

"no, no way in hell! that was not the deal" gregory said "you people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. so any arrangement we had is now done- null and void" god his voice is annoying "we aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. hmm? we don't know each other" he said sitting down "I owe you  nothing. in fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk."

"oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and sasha saver this place. your courage was inspiring" jesus said, you giggled

"do you have something to say to me?" gregory asked you

"oh, me? yeah. I've got a lot to say to you" you said

"while I'm here to listen" he said

"first of all, we need to fight. if we don't, your people will die. you will die. is that what you want? second of all, sitting in here on your ass while all of us work ours off kinda makes you a shitty leader. if you don't like what we're doing, you can get the hell out. you can live outside the walls."

"you see, that's where you're wrong. I can't live outside the walls I run this place! who do you think would lead other than me?" he asked

"oh I don't know maybe the two women that have BEEN running this place while you're just running from the truth"

"they can't lead this place"

"well, then I will. everyone here knows I could do it better than you and I'm only 15"

"you can't, you're a woman. women don't know how to do shit like this" he said

"women can't do shit like this" you scoffed "you know what, gregory? you're a dick" you said, punching him in the jaw "did that hurt?" you asked with a pouty lip "oh, i bet it didn't because I'm just a woman" you added. gregory looked at you with wide eyes and you just gave him a kind, sarcastic smile and returned to Carl.

"that was pretty bad ass" he whispered in your ear as everyone was talking

"thank you" you giggled

"jesus, don't you work for me?" gregory asked "aren't we friends?"

"gregory" Rick said "we already started this"

"you started this" he said

"we did" Rick said "and we're gonna win"

"these are killers" gregory said

"we're all killers" you butted in "oh, except for you. you don't know what it's like out there, gregory. out there, you have to become someone that you don't want to be. you have to become a survivor, not a person"

"is this how you want to live?" Rick asked gregory "under their thumb, killing your people?"

"sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like. sometimes, ricky, you have to count the blessings you have"

did he just say ricky?

"how many people can we spare?" maggie asked "how many people here can fight?"

"we?" gregory scoffed "I don't even know how many people we have, margaret"

what a leader you are

"and does it even matter? I mean... w- w- what are you gonna do? start a platoon of sorghum farmers? cause thats what we got. they grow things. they're not gonna want to fight"

"you're wrong" tara said "when people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean people just-"

"let me stop you before you break into song, okay?" gregory said "and by the way" he cleared his throat "who would train this cannon fodder?"