Turf Wars Chapter 16

(Wendy/Cana) – Respect

…

"Cana?" Wendy called as she searched separately for her partner. "Cana? Where are you?"

In her determination to get that free A, Cana had taken off running, leaving Wendy and her much shorter legs behind.

Wendy was about to call out Cana's name again when she heard a moan not far off. The small blue haired girl took off running. When she located the source of the moan she found none other than Cana.

The black haired girl was lying in a ditch, clutching her ankle, dried blood on her forehead. "Cana!" Wendy called she carefully slid down into the bottom of the ditch. "What happened?"

"I fell, what's it look like," the older girl said exasperated. "I was running and then this huge ass ditch just appears out of nowhere and I go tumbling down the rabbit's hole."

Wendy stood looking over her injuries for a second before helping her up out of the ditch. It was difficult as she had to help shove her out over the top and Cana accidently kicked her in her shoulder. After the older girl was out of the ditch, Wendy climbed out herself.

"Let me help you before we start going on again," Wendy said to Cana as she started walking away.

"How can you help me?" the senior scoffed.

"My parents are doctors and I help out after school and on the weekends at their clinic," Wendy replied, ignoring the rude tone. Her parents always taught her to help anyone she was capable of helping, no matter the person.

"Fine," Cana said as she sat down, extending her foot toward the younger girl as she unzipped her bookbag and pulled out a huge bag of basic medical supplies.

In minutes Wendy had wrapped Cana's ankle after declaring it was just a bad sprain and her cleaned and bandaged the medium sized cut on her forehead.

"Not bad, for a kid," Cana said, but not quite as rude as before.

"Thanks," Wendy smiled as she zipped her bookbag back up and stood up, helping Cana up. "So where to now?"

"There is a small path over that way," Cana said pointing, "that looks like it leads to the top, or at least close to it."

"Okay," Wendy replied as she started off in that direction, Cana walking slightly in front of her.

…

After following the path for several minutes it led the two through a small patch of forest, only about the size of a classroom, but it was filled with beautiful flowers that hung from the tree branches.

"What are these?" Wendy asked, getting a closer look at the flowers, "I've never seen flowers like these before."

"Neither have I," Cana said as she touched one of them. She wiped the most of the pollen off on her pant leg as she turned to admire the scene.

The flowers were attached to vines that wrapped around all of the tree trunks and branches and they hung down, about a foot from the branch they were attached too. They looked like Hibiscus flowers but had more of a gourd shape. The colors were more colors too, reds, greens, blues, blacks, whites, pretty much every color.

"Come on, we can stay here forever," Cana said as she limped out of the forest patch.

Wendy ran to catch up to the older girl as they continued along the path as it wound its way around the mountain.

…

"You know, alcohol is disgusting," Cana said suddenly, catching the smaller girl off guard.

"But why do you drink it so much," Wendy asked, not completely sure why Cana mentioned this.

"Because it helps numb the pain," she said with a small smile, her eyes a little murky.

"What pain?" Wendy asked, thinking that she was in physical pain.

Cana wobbled a little, putting too much weight on her hurt ankle and toppled over. Wendy let out a small yelp in surprise as she ran to the girl and pulled her into a sitting position. Cana's eyes were completely glazed over as she started mumbling random things.

Wendy started freaking out, she couldn't think of what caused this to happen as she racked her brain for any bit of information that could be useful. But she came up empty. She could think of no reason why her eyes would be glazed over like this.

"I miss my mom," Cana said suddenly. "It's been almost ten years now."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Wendy said as she put one of Cana's arms over her shoulders and helped the girl up. "But we have to get to the top, remember, that free A." Wendy just hoped that if they got the top the principal would know what to do.

"Gildarts is a shitty father," the older girl said again. "Was never there," she continued.

"But he really loves you now," Wendy said.

"He's trying to make up for not being there until my freshman year, and he isn't doing a good job at being a parent. I mean, what parent would let their underage child drink alcohol, and as much as I do? He even buys it for me. I just wished he would be a parent for once and so 'no'. Put his foot down and give me limits."

"If he's not used to being a parent, then maybe you have to bring it up first," Wendy offered. She didn't know what she could say to be honest. Her parents were alive and well, still married.

"I don't know," Cana said as she limped along with the help of Wendy. "I guess I'm so used to being alone and not having limits that I can't bring myself to want them but at the same time I do want them, just because it would be he is trying to be a father. Trying to take responsibility."

…

By the time the two had made it to the top, Cana had gotten over whatever it was that had made her like that and had been impressed that Wendy had managed to half carry her up the mountain.