𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬, 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫. ►

CHAPTER FIVE: THE NINA PROJECT 1

trigger warning! mentions
of blood ahead/graphic!

Hearing that Max had been stuck in a trance worried River and Mike even more, and that was very easy to tell."You guys can go." Jo spoke up, wiping the counter.

River didn't know what to do. Go to Max, and be her extra guard when she had like 5 already, or stay with Jo, who would just have Andy.

"Do you have a walkie?" River turned to Andy, and he gave her a weak shrug. He was only used to phones.

"I'm sorry, I was just never into the nerdy shit." Andy laughed lightly after cracking his joke, and watching as Jo shook her head quietly.

"How is that nerdy?" Mike gave a look of disgust to Andy who shrugged, and River interrupted both of them.

"Well, how do you feel?" She was ruling her priorities out, seeing who she really needed to be with, at the end of the day, though. It was Jo. Jo had no protection, and while River and Mike weren't much, they were something.

"Fine." Jo shrugged, and she looked around,  she was clearly lying. Her expression was just an uneasy one, and she blew out air from her mouth nervously.

Because Jo just thought she'd been going crazy these past few days, with the visions, the nosebleeds and headaches. But she was not going crazy, apparently she was going to die.

"Right, cool. Then let's go, R." Mike had already grabbed ahold of her hand, and he was already walking when he said this, but when River didn't walk with him he already knew what was going on.

She looked back to Jo, and Mike sighed, watching as he let go of her hand.

The older girl in the room let out a nervous giggle, glancing to all who awkwardly stood there. "I-" She stopped herself, and she gulped once, looking to River and only her. "I'm good." her voice sort of cracked when she said this.

If she lied, it wasn't as if it'd go away. If she lied her chances of straight up dying we're even bigger. Jo not wanting to be a burden was way less important than this.

"Okay." She muttered, "You." She pointed to River, who stood up straight, shifting once she did, "Just you, though."

She gestured for River to get up, and follow her into the break room, leaving Mike and Andy alone. The two boys sending mutters to Jo and River in attempt to not be left alone.

Jo shut the break room door, she locked it and turned to River who still stood there, tilting her head.

River just waited, because she didn't know how to ask about this. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to comfort Jo, who was clearly distraught as she began to explain her feelings.

"I've been feeling the symptoms." Jo let this out as if she was ashamed. She didn't look River in the eye, and her voice was small.

River reacted with only a nod, because she knew, she could tell, and she let Jo go on.

"Mostly just-just nightmares. Some with you know," Jo was clearly talking about Billy, "And some with just other shit that bothers me." She finished off, clearing her throat.

What went down between them two was never really known by others. Hell, not many people even knew they were dating. It all happened inside.

Jo felt like the only person who knew at the time was Steve, because he had walked into the room at a party two years ago her and Billy were in, and he saw.

He didn't just see, he interfered. Jo remembered it perfectly, so perfectly she could recite the whole scene again.

Just because no one has ever checked on her, Steve was the only one, and it stuck out to her.