The Differents | ✓

F O U R T E E N

I tried to catch up to him after class but as soon as we were dismissed he strolled out and headed quickly down the hall. Sighing, I mourned the loss of the fragile friendship we had. Even if I was able to rebuild it, it would never be the same now that I was about to leave the Core for good. My only hope was to try talking to Bear.

But to talk to Bear meant having to dig up the events of a few months ago, and I didn't want to go back there. Then again, if I were to leave the Core for good, I wanted to leave it with as little emotional baggage as possible, leaving behind me all of my conflicts neatly tied up and dealt with.

That evening, I made my way to the section of the sleeping building I knew Bear's room was in. You're just going to apologize and ask him a simple favour, I told myself, and then you'll be done with him, and you'll be done with Sniper.

Reaching the door marked with Bear's number, 0765, I knocked lightly and waited. Bear answered a few moments later, opening the door a tiny bit to see who was there. Upon seeing me, his expression stiffened. "What do you want?"

"Ouch," I said, feeling my expression shift into a cold mask of faked indifference. "Not that you care but I came to apologize." He made no move to open the door wider but he didn't close it, so I took it as a signal to keep going. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry for, uh, well, playing a role in what broke the team apart those few months ago. I really didn't see it coming and if I had known that pushing Captain and getting out of control in the simulation and asking all those questions when I shouldn't have would have done this to us, believe me, I wouldn't have. I don't want to have to keep carrying this around like a burden, so I came to apologize and hope that you could forgive me so we can put this behind us."

"So, you came to apologize not because you feel sorry, but because it's a burden to you," Bear said dryly.

I was too surprised to say anything for a moment. Of course I hadn't meant that! "Bear, of course that's not what I meant! I meant that it feels like a burden because I don't like owing people things! I don't want to leave this place knowing I still have people I've hurt back home. Don't you see?"

"Leave?"

"Yeah, like... like if I ever become Normal," I stammered out. "I don't want to live somewhere where my life is going to be perfect but always have the thought of my old team back home who might be still hurting from what I did to them."

"Wait here," Bear said, and disappeared into his room.

I did as he asked and waited patiently outside his door. After a few minutes had passed and there was still no sign of him, I pushed at the door cautiously, opening it enough for me to slip inside. "Bear?"

He had his back to me, standing over the bed and gesturing wildly. When he heard my voice, he turned around abruptly. "I thought I told you to wait at the door!"

I shrugged. "You didn't come out for a while so I thought I might as well come in."

A voice came from behind him. "Teddy, can you move?" Bear reluctantly shuffled to the side, exposing Captain sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and slightly puffy. She jumped when she saw me and appeared to shrink into herself.

I stood there, not knowing what to say to her. Turning to Bear, I asked, "What is she doing here?"

"That's none of your business. But if you're here to apologize I suggest you start with Captain."

I sighed and leaned against the wall. "I came here to apologize to Bear, but you deserve an apology as well," I said, addressing her. She sniffed a little and smoothed back her short, blonde hair, adjusting her posture to make her seem like a different person than the frail girl I walked in on. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you, and for pushing you and all that. I hope you can forgive me so that we don't have to hate each other forever."

"I never hated you," she said quietly. "I just wanted to make sure we were doing the best we could as a team. And when you and Sniper started acting out of turn, I felt it was my responsibility to make sure it didn't happen again."

I couldn't help myself. "So, you decided to pummel him while screaming?"

She tensed. "I... I couldn't help it. One of my Differences is not being very able to control my emotions. One minute I'll be really happy and the next I feel like screaming. I take medicine sometimes to help but it wears off after a few hours. I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to do what I did."

I sighed and relaxed my shoulders. "Alright. I forgive you. But I think you should tell Sniper what you just told me. I think he's still a little afraid of you."

"I think that would be a good idea," Bear said. "The four of us have been divided ever since that day."

"How about you try to apologize to him tonight at the evening meal?" I asked Captain. "You can do it on your own terms, but somewhere like that would mean Bear and I are there in case we're needed and so we can see and maybe help."

She nodded. "Okay. Tonight at the evening meal. Okay."

"Good," I said, smiling a little. "Then I'll see you then."

Captain smiled a little at me before I turned to go back to my own room. At the door, I remembered the other reason I had come to see Bear, and turned to him before he could close the door.

"Do you think you could do me a favour?" I asked him.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Sniper and I had an argument of sorts and now he isn't talking to me. Could you just tell him that I'm not going to hold a grudge or anything against him and that I don't think any different of him because of the argument?" Without context, it seemed a harmless request, but if Bear remembered to tell him, he would know that I would be going ahead on the plan without him, but giving him the peace of mind to know I didn't think any less of him.

Bear nodded.

"Oh, and by the way, why was it you sided with Captain after the fight? I thought you and Sniper were really good friends."

"Oh, I just really think she is a good person. I think she deserves way more than she gets and the least I could do was help her when she was in a bad place. I'm sorry for not helping you and Sniper, but I had to make a choice, and that's what I did."

I laughed a little. "I thought it was because you liked her!"

It was his turn to chuckle. "Arthemis, I don't like girls," he said as if it was already obvious. Maybe it was, and I just hadn't noticed. "Now get out before a Mask sees you."

He closed the door gently and I hurried back to my room.

*****

A/N:
Is it just me or are my chapters getting longer? Either that or I'm having more and more trouble finding a good place to split it for the Wattpad version lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this last chapter even if it was mostly dialogue. As always, vote and comment if you enjoyed, or leave a message on my board, or heck, even send me a DM. I don't care but the little messages of support really make my day and encourage me to keep publishing chapters. So thank you everyone who has read up to here, and those of you with plans to keep reading!