Weapon Of War (Clementine x Louis)

Chapter 20: Jealous?

    For the first time Clementine saw things in a new perspective. She saw herself in a new light. "So what do I do? There's been so much bad I don't know the me before it all."

    "A friend once told me 'bad things happen to everyone and it's hard to be yourself after they do. But you have to try' you don't know any other you. I think you need to find that." He noticed Clem was very quiet.

    "You knew Lee?" He used to tell her the same thing. It was in such a buried memory it only resurfaced when she heard it.

    His smile was so warm it felt like a fire in a blizzard. "I did."

"Why didn't you tell me? I took his last name it was no secret." Her brain scrambled for an answer. Lee meant everything to her.

    His eyes saddened. "How did he die?"  He knew that his friend was gone but he was unaware of how it happened.

    "I killed him, because I loved him..." she trailed off. It wasn't a memory she wanted to revisit.

Her eyes went dark. The shadow of her past cast over them drowning her in her own guilt. Chuck hadn't realized what had happened to his friend. "I am going to be here all break. I want you to come to me in my office everyday."

She raised her gaze. "Why sir?"

"I want you to talk. I want you to tell me every emotion you felt on the field. I want you to tell me about every person you've ever lost."

The thought of having to explain everything she felt made her stomach churn. "I apologize sir but how is that going to aid me?"

"Because you need help whether you realize it or not. You have a lot of rebuilding to do this will only make it easier." It took a minute for her to process what he had just said. "It's not an offer it's an order."

     "Yes sir, I will talk with you everyday."

    Chuck knew that she didn't know what she was doing or how she felt. He also knew that the only way to make sure she showed up was to give it as an order rather then a choice. "Dismissed-"

    "Clementine you have a visitor," the woman at the front desk popped her head into the head masters room. Clementine cocked her head to the side "his name is James. If you don't know him I can-"

    Before she could finish Clem was hustling out of the room. She almost ate it coming down the stairs but there was to much adrenaline coursing through her veins. She past her friends on her way.

   "Clementine?" Marlon questioned.

   AJ was standing with Louis as she passed them. "Clem where are you going?" Louis asked. He had never seen her in such a rush.

    "He's here!" She gasped as she looked back at them.

    Louis looked at his friends then down at AJ. A pang of jealousy struck his chest. He didn't like the feeling of being jealous. It felt dirty. Even though he didn't really know what he was being jealous about.

     Clementine made it to the front doors of the main building. Looking out on the courtyard she saw I tall man with dark hair facing the gates. She hurried down the stairs. Once she got the bottom she looked at her crutches. She hadn't realized that everyone was following her. They all stopped once they were out the front doors. Louis in particular noticed her removing the crutches from under her arms. His eyes widened.

    She threw them to the side. She pushed her pride down and took a breath. She placed her new foot on the ground. She took a step. Her first step in months. She warbled a little bit stayed up. "James?"