Chapter 27: A Division Between Friends
"You sure you’re okay D?" Val asked as the group training session was wrapping up and everyone was gathering their things
"I did take a pretty bad hit to the head, Thanks Roxanne, but I should be fine." as he said this Max came up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulders, standing proudly next to him.
"D’s a lot tougher than he looks, he’s had more fights at school than any of us had and we’ve only been here a few weeks." Max said as he laughed, however D didn’t necessarily find the fact he’d had to fend for his life multiple times all that funny. So he just kind of stood there while everyone laughed at his expense.
"Whatever, I don’t get into a lot of fights. People pick fights with me and I finish them." He said in his best tough guy impression as he crossed his arms.
"It’s alright D, every party needs a bruiser to start fights in the tavern." Nashoba said as he pulled his shirt over his head.
"If anyone is the bruiser, it would be Max. You felt one of his punches in that fight, you know I’m right."
Nashoba finally pulled his shirt down his body and onto his chest. It was a black and green cringy gaming shirt, D snickered and pointed upon seeing it.
"Hey! Leave my prized possession alone. I’ll have you know this is my good luck shirt, and I’ll be wearing it as much as I can before the trials."
Everyone began chuckling and snickering at his pompous declaration, especially Roxanne, the most fashion savvy out of the group.
"Green was sooo last fall just F.Y.I Nashoba, I can take you shopping for some better clothes if you want?" She said, barely being able to contain her laughter.
"How the hell did we go from making fun of D, to everyone laughing at me!" He yelled as he crossed his arms.
Val finally chimed in, but not to defend her friend as she said, "Because you put on that silly little shirt of yours Nash. I’ve told you before there’s no such thing as good luck."
"Say what you will, but the elders of my tribe believe if you appease the spirits of the land you can call fate into your favor."
The group, not wanting to bash Nashoba’s beliefs simply shrugged and they dropped the subject.
D looked over to Max and noticed he was wearing a different shirt than the one he’d brought with him. It was a nice button up shirt, and since they weren’t going to class D knew that could only mean one thing.
"You’re not coming back to the dorm with us? Are you?" D said, more of a statement than a question since he already knew the answer to it.
Max looked at him as he hiked his bag onto his high shoulders. A broad smile laced his face as he said "Nah, me and Izzy are having our first real date tonight. No party, no friends, just us."
"woah," D said, slightly jealous that Max and her were already attempting to go steady, when he was all alone on the relationship front.
D hadn’t really thought about romantic relationships much while he lived in his father’s mansion. He didn’t know why he was so jealous of Max either, maybe it was because he’d liked Izzy just a little even if he wouldn’t admit it.
"You think she’d want to participate in the trials with us?" D asked plainly, as if he wasn’t asking Max to ask his new potential girlfriend to risk her life along side all of them.
"What? No, I wouldn’t ask her that. She doesn’t even want me participating in the trials truth be told."
"What does that mean?" D asked, taking a step closer to Max and looking at him warily.
"It means, it’s dangerous man, and she cares about me. Would you want someone you care about to do something like that?"
D stopped for a second and tried to think of someone he cared about how Max cared for Izzy, the only thoughts that came to his mind were that of Scarlett’s red hair and pretty lightly freckled face. He immediately shoved the rancid thoughts away to where they could not reach him.
Max was still standing in front of D awaiting an answer, D just looked at him as he said, "No, I guess not. You’re still in this though right man?"
"Am I still in this? D I wouldn’t be here training with all of you if I wasn’t still ’in this’" Max began walking away from D, no doubt fed up with his loyalty to their mission being questioned.
"Max wait!" D cried out, Max stopped right beyond everyone and let out a breath as he turned around.
"What?"
"I’m sorry for questioning you, it’s just people can get in their heads when it comes to people they care about. I know you’re in this for the long haul." He nodded as he said those words.
Max didn’t say anything, he simply nodded back and began walking off into the forest in the direction of Izzy’s house.
The group stood in silence for a long moment as they finished grabbing up their gear, and began walking as a group in the opposite direction.
Val was the first to break the silence.
"So, who do we know that we can get to replace me in the trials? Any ideas?"
D looked at her from the corner of his eye, still unsure as to why Val had to suddenly drop from the trials. His suspicions would go unanswered as he didn’t want to ask her about it again and make another one of his friends upset with him.
D thought hard about who he could get to replace Val, they needed someone capable and they needed them now. D found it hard to think with the thoughts of Scarlett clouding his mind.
That’s when a figurative light bulb went off in his mind, shedding light on his problem
"I know who we can ask...It might not work thought."
The entire group looked to him in a silent question, who?
"I’m going to ask Scarlett to join the trials..."