The Apocalypse: The First Year

The Ties That Bind

"I've never really done this before." I say to the girl sitting across from me in the backseat of my dad's Toyota Camry.

"Me neither." She smiles shyly and looks away briefly, a blush evident on her pale white face.

"Lindsey it's okay." I tell her, turning her face back towards me.

"I might be bad at this." She says.

"Me too." I reply and we both giggle a bit. "Are you ready?"

"Mhm." She nods. Lindsey and I were about to share our first kiss. One of many that we'd share in the backseat of my dad's car. It wasn't the most romantic place but it was the only place we could have privacy.

Nosy parents and all.

But I guess at fourteen I guess privacy is a luxury I'm not yet given.

Lindsey and I lean forward at the same time and the moment our lips touched I knew I loved her. I knew it and I wanted everyone else to know it. So I came out to my parent's that very night. And they were more understanding then I ever thought they would be.

–

"Do you like my sister?" Kyla comes up next to me and asks.

"I-"

"Cause if you do, I'm gonna have to get to know you better." She says cutting me off. I give her a confused look and she just smiles. We're walking towards the highway now. We were up at the crack of dawn to head out. Ashley hasn't said a word to me all morning and now Kyla wants to play twenty-one questions.

"I don't think now is such a-"

"When do you suppose we have this conversation then?" She questions with a raised brow.

"Um... I don't know." I shrug.

"We're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, Spencer. There's never gonna be a right time to have this conversation." She says and looks back at her sister. "What are your intentions?" She questions.

"Huh?"

"With my sister? What do you want to happen with her?"

"Kyla I don't think this is-"

"Look." She says, cutting me off again. "Ashley's the only family I have left and even though this world is really crazy right now, I won't let some blonde beauty break her heart." She says pointedly and I turn and raise a brow at her.

"Blonde beauty?" I question with a smile.

"Logistics." She shrugs.

"What does that even-"

"Anyways..." She says, cutting me off once again. I can't complete one sentence with this girl. "You're sixteen right?" She asks.

"Yeah." I nod.

"Well Ashley's eighteen and she's had a lot of girlfriends and a lot of girls break her heart. I won't let you break it too." She says and walks back to her sister.

"What was that all about?" Glen asks, catching up to me.

"Apparently everyone thinks I'm in love with Ashley and Kyla just had a little chat with me to make sure I didn't break her sisters heart." I tell him.

He glances back at them, then turns back to me. "Oh. Well you do like her don't you? You can admit it to me Spence, I'm your brother." He leans closer to me and says.

"I still know hardly anything about her." I point out.

"So." He shrugs. "That doesn't change what you're feeling in here." He says pointing to my heart. "Or down-"