Title: Tribe 3: Wonderwall
Chunk 19: Sections 91 thru 95
Fandom: The Tribe
Author: PinkTribeChick
Summary: I said maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me . . . Life goes on for the Mall Rats after the Chosen take over the city.
Extended Summary: Essentially, this is an Alternate Universe story for Series 3 and beyond of the Tribe. I won't say anything more than that, because I don't want to spoil anything for those of you who have never read this before
Rating: Teen
Pairing: Too many to name! But Bray-Amber, Lex-Zandra, Ryan-Salene, and Jack-Ellie, for starters. There will also be some Tribe-character with original character pairings.
Author's Notes: Again many thanks as always go to Brett The Mole, as he was the one who talked me into sharing this story with others when I first started writing it, and he was the one who kept bugging me to complete it. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you, Brett! And major thanks to Ariannya, Whit, and all the others who at various times read and proofed sections for me and gave me their invaluable feedback.
This chunk ushers in the start of my three top favorite pairings of the story. I hope you like them as much as I do!
Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!
Disclaimer: All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Troy Wisneski belongs to the author Paula Boock, from her Tribe novel "Power and Chaos." Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick.
Tribe 3: Wonderwall
Sections 91 thru 95
Lysette linked her fingers through Jack's as she led him down the street. They walked past building after building, and Jack was starting to wonder where they were heading. Suddenly they stopped in front of the hospital.
"Here we are," she said, smiling.
"You brought me to the hospital to cheer me up?" Jack asked in disbelief, staring up at the building. "That's morbid!"
"No, I brought you to see Ellie," Lysette responded. "TaiRon came by the mall a little while ago to let us know that Ellie had woken up, and she was asking for you. I think you'll feel better once you see her."
"Alright," he said, giving her a strange look. "I don't know how it's going to make me feel better, seeing as it's my fault that she's hurt herself, but alright."
"Just follow me, Mr. Sad Sack," Lysette said, walking off. Jack sighed loudly, following her into the building. They went up the stairs to the second floor, where Ellie was. Walking down the hallway, Jack latched on to Lysette's hand nervously. She smiled at him reassuringly, even though she was just as nervous as he was. The first thing she saw when they walked up was Todd sitting outside the room with Alice.
"Jack, Lysette, hi," Alice greeted them, standing up and hugging both of them. Lysette and Todd avoided making eye contact with each other.
"You must be Lysette's friend, Todd," Jack said, putting his hand out.
"And you must be Jack. You're all Ellie ever talks about," Todd said, standing up and shaking Jack's hand politely. Jack looked back over at Alice.
"How is she doing?" he asked.
"She's awake, finally. Dal's checking her out right now to make sure she's okay. You can go in and see her if you want, once he's done," Alice said, smiling in relief.
"That's good to hear. She really had everybody back at the mall worried," Jack said. The door opened, and Dal walked out.
"She seems to be okay, aside from the cuts on her arms. But those will heal," Dal said. "You can go see her now, if you want."
"Jack, you go see her by yourself, okay? I'm starving. I'm going to go get some food," Alice said. "Todd, Lysette, do you want anything to eat?" They both shook their heads, still trying not to look at each other. "Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." Alice and Dal walked off. Jack looked over at Lysette.
"Will you be okay out here for a few minutes?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine, Jack. Don't worry," Lysette said, quietly. "You just go talk to Ellie." She smiled at him. Jack nodded and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Todd sat back down, crossing his arms over his chest. Lysette just stood there, looking off down the hallway at nothing.
"Hi," Todd said hesitantly, still not daring to look at her.
"Hi," she responded.
"How have you been, Lysette?" he asked, looking at her. She had her back to him.
"Oh, I'm fine. Doing great," she answered, forcing a smile, turning to look at him, "You?"
"Things are okay. Been working a lot at the farm. It's almost harvest time, you know," he said politely. Their eyes finally met. "So, you and that Jack-bloke seem pretty close."
"We're just friends, that's all. He's been a good friend to me the past couple of weeks," she snapped at him defensively.
"Okay," he said slowly, startled by her reaction to his remark. "You've been feeling okay? No panic attacks or anything?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, aside from feeling a little nauseous. My stomach's been a little irritable the past couple of weeks," she replied. His brown eyes looked at her stonily, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "How are the girls?"
"They're fine. They just miss you, that's all. Especially Sydney. She doesn't understand why you left," he said.
"Well, of course she wouldn't. She's only three. She's not going to understand things like that," she commented. "But I would like to see them from time to time."
"Alright. Well, I'll see what I can do. And you're always welcome to come out to the farm and visit them," he responded. Lysette's stomach started to feel like it was on a roller coaster. She put her hand over her mouth, feeling like she was about to be sick. Todd couldn't help but notice.
"Are you okay, Lys? You look a little green," Todd inquired.
"I don't feel so good. Where's the bathroom?" she asked.
"Down the hall, to the right," he directed, pointing. Lysette took off running, her hand still over her mouth. Todd sat back again.
"Ellie?" Jack said, stepping into the room. He closed the door quietly. Ellie lay in the hospital bed with her eyes closed. "Ellie?" She opened her eyes slowly. She looked at him and smiled.
"Hi, Jack," she responded softly. Jack walked over to the bed, taking one of her hands in his.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like I've been run over by a mack truck," she said. Jack smiled. "But I'm happy to see you."
"Well, I'm happy to see that you're okay," Jack said. "You really scared everyone, pulling a stunt like that." She looked so little and helpless laying the bed, surrounded by pillows and blankets.
"I didn't mean to cut myself that badly. Todd knocked on the door and startled me as I was doing it, and I jumped, and the razor went a little deeper than I intended," she said. "I wasn't trying to kill myself, Jack. Really."
"I know you weren't. But you're hurting yourself. Why?" he asked.
"I just feel so miserable," Ellie said, her eyes filling with tears. "I hate living at the farm. I always did. And having to leave you behind only made it worse. I'm just so sick of Alice and everyone making decisions for me. It's my life. I should be making my own choices. I'm old enough to."
"So you chose to cut yourself?" Jack responded.
"It eased the pain a little. But the more miserable I felt, the more I would cut, and after a while, cutting just once didn't ease the pain. So I would cut myself several times, and the pain would subside," Ellie said. The more she talked, the more Jack realized her problem wasn't his fault at all. Her problem wasn't even the lack of control she had in her life or anything else. It was just all in her head. Things weren't as bad as she thought they were.
"But cutting only eases your pain temporarily. You should have just talked to someone about how you were feeling. It would have been much better than slicing yourself up, Ellie," he said.
"At least I finally have control over my life now. Alice and Todd said that whatever I want to do once I'm better is fine with them. I'm hoping Alice will let me come back to the mall," Ellie said, smiling. "And we can be together again. If she doesn't, then I'll just refuse to stop cutting myself." Jack's eyes widened in shock.
"No way. You need to stop cutting yourself for your own good, not because you want Alice to let you come back to the mall. You have to stop cutting because you want to, not because of me. I'm not going to be your crutch, Ellie," he said.
"But I want to stop cutting for myself," she insisted, her lip quivering as she started to cry.
"No, you want to stop cutting because you think that if you do, Alice will let you have your way. That's not the way it works, Ell. You can't keep hurting yourself every time Alice disciplines you or keeps you from doing something that's not good for you. It's not right, and it's not healthy," Jack said. "You almost killed yourself once doing that. I'm not going to let you do it again. Especially not because of me. I'm not worth it."
"What are you saying, Jack?" Ellie asked, pulling her hand away from him.
"I'm saying that I'm not worth hurting yourself over. And to prove it, I'm breaking up with you," he replied. "It's what I should have done in the first place. Maybe if I had, none of this would have happened. Either way, you need to get better. And you have to do it without me; otherwise we both know you won't do it at all." She sat there crying silently. "You have to learn to be strong again, find yourself again. I can't keep being your excuse for everything you do, and I can't go on being the center of your life anymore. I'm sorry, Ellie."
"No, you're not. You just want out because you don't love me anymore, and this is the perfect excuse," she snarled angrily.
"That's not true. I do love you. That's why I'm doing this. You have to get better, Ellie, and I'm not helping you do that by staying with you. I have to do this," he said, backing away toward the door.
"Fine! Break up with me if you want! But don't come crawling back when you come to your senses! Because I don't love you either!" she yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her words stung, and he bit his lip, trying to stay calm and keep a level head.
"Don't say things you don't mean, Ellie. You'll only regret them later," he said, trying not to cry. "I love you, Ell. Don't ever forget that. And someday, I hope you'll understand why I'm doing this. Good-bye." He opened the door and stepped out.
"Screw you!" was the last thing she screamed before he shut the door. He turned to look at Todd. Todd had a shocked look on his face.
"What did you say to her?" Todd asked.
"I just broke up with her. She's got to get better, and the only way she's going to do it is without me in the way. I know that, you know that, and so does she," Jack said, walking over to him shakily.
"Yeah," Todd agreed. He stood up. "I'll go see if I can calm her down."
"Where's Lysette?" Jack asked.
"She's in the bathroom. I think she's throwing up," Todd said, putting his hand on the doorknob to Ellie's room. He stopped for a moment, turning back to face Jack. "Be kind to Lysette. She may seem like she has nerves of steel and she's strong, but it's very easy to break her heart. I should know. But she deserves to be happy, and she needs a friend. So just be good to her, okay?"
"I will, don't worry. And take care of Ellie for me," Jack responded. They smiled at each other for a briefly before walking off in opposite directions.
"Lysette?" Jack said, knocking on the door to the bathroom. No response. "Lysette?" Still no answer. Cautiously, Jack opened the door and walked inside. He could hear her sniffling in one of the stalls. He walked along, bent over to look underneath each of them. In the very last stall, he could see her Doc Marten-clad feet. He knocked on the stall door. "Can I come in?" He heard the door unlock, and he pushed it open. Lysette sat on the floor, curled up in a ball, crying and shivering. Jack knelt down beside her.
"Are you okay? Todd told me you got sick," Jack asked, a concerned expression on his face. She just cried harder. Jack sat down beside her and put his arm around her, holding her as she sobbed.
"I'm so scared, Jack," she whispered, laying her head against his chest.
"Scared of what?" he asked, stroking her hair gently.
"I've been denying for the past couple of weeks, but all the signs are there. Nausea, throwing up, weight gain, cravings, eating more than usual, and three skipped periods," she said. "I can't keep acting like it doesn't exist. For better or worse, I'm pregnant, Jack. And I'm just so scared." Jack's eyes widened momentarily at what she said, as she cried again.
"Shhh . . . it's okay. It's okay, Lys. A baby is not a bad thing," he said.
"It is when you're barely on speaking terms with the father and not actually with him anymore," she moaned. "I don't know how I'm going to tell him. I don't want him thinking that he has to be with me just because I'm having his baby. I'm not even sure if I want to be with him, regardless of the baby."
"Well, then don't tell him," Jack said soothingly, rocking his best friend in his arms.
"What? He has the right to know. Besides, he would eventually find out anyway," she responded in disbelief. "There's no way around it, Jack. I'm stuck." The wheels were already turning in Jack's head. She was his best friend, and he would do anything to protect her.
"There is a way around it. It's not like you're going to be seeing him that much. It wouldn't be that hard to hide. And you don't even have to hide it if you don't want to," Jack said.
"What are you saying, Jack? You're not making any sense," she questioned.
"Tell him you're pregnant, but tell him I'm the father," he answered. Lysette stopped crying and turned to face him, wiping her eyes.
"No way! I'm not going to let you do that! What would everyone think? Especially Ellie? She would be heartbroken!" Lysette exclaimed. "Besides, this is my problem. I don't want to drag you into it."
"But you're not dragging me into it. I want to do this. Anyway, Ellie and I broke up, so I don't care what she thinks," Jack said.
"Liar! You want her to think that I'm pregnant with your baby so she'll get over you faster! This has nothing to do with me. You're not offering because you care about me!" Lysette argued.
"Now that's not true. I really don't care what Ellie thinks. Besides, it'll be awhile before we see her again either, so it wouldn't matter. She'll probably have moved on by then. And who says I don't care about you?" Jack said. "You're my best friend, Lys. You know I would do anything to help you out. I love you." He touched her cheek gently. "Please, let me do this. I want to." Lysette closed her eyes, thinking for a moment. "Please?" Lysette screwed her face up, opening her eyes.
"Alright. We'll do it. But what are we going to tell the Mall Rats?" Lysette asked.
"The same thing that we're going to tell Todd and Ellie. That you're pregnant with my baby," Jack answered.
"And I'm three months along? You and I have only known each other for a month, Jack. What about that?" she inquired.
"Umm . . . we'll just say that you're only a month along. No one will know the difference, except for Dal. Cause no matter what you say, he's going to be your doctor, because I know he'll keep his trap shut," Jack suggested.
"But then it will look like you were cheating on Ellie for the entire month that you were still together after she left. Do you really want everyone to think that?" she said.
"I can handle that. I don't really care what anyone thinks. I just want to help you," he said. Lysette closed her eyes, laughing quietly.
"You are a piece of work, you know that? You are absolutely amazing, the best. No normal guy would do anything like this," she said, scratching her forehead.
"But I'm not any normal guy. I'm Jack, your best friend," he said, grinning. "And now, your boyfriend and the father of your baby." He kissed her on the forehead. She smiled at him gratefully.
"Thank you, Jack," she said, hugging him tightly. "I hope you won't regret this."
"I hope you won't either. But as long as we stick together and keep our stories straight, we'll be fine," he said. "Now why don't we head back to the mall? You need to get some rest, and so do I. It's been a long day." She nodded silently, and he helped her up. They walked hand-in-hand back to the mall.
Lysette sat quietly next to Jack in the café while everyone ate. She picked at her food with a fork. Aside from feeling nauseated, she was very apprehensive about telling everyone about the baby. She had no idea how they would react or what they would say. And she couldn't help hoping that no one would suspect the truth about who the father really was. Jack smiled at her reassuringly, holding her left hand in his.
"It'll be fine," he whispered to her soothingly. "I promise, these guys won't bite. And they won't be mad at you." She smiled back halfheartedly at him.
Amber and Bray sat across the table from them with little Michael, feeding him and eating their own food intermittently. Amber had noticed Lysette and Jack's closeness, as well as Lysette's change in appetite. She wasn't stupid. It wasn't all that hard to figure out what was wrong. She was just waiting, trying to give them the chance to come clean about it on their own, rather than just asking bluntly.
"Are you feeling okay, Lysette? You've barely touched your food," Bray inquired. Lysette's eyes widened as her face turned a bright shade of red. She looked like a mouse caught in a mouse trap, all frightened.
"I - I'm fine," she said in a very quiet voice, looking down at her food. She slyly looked over at Jack, only moving her eyes, biting her lower lip anxiously. Jack nodded slightly. He stood up, Lysette's hand still clasped in his own.
"Guys, I have an announcement to make. Actually, we, that is Lysette and I, have an announcement to make," Jack said. Everyone's eyes turned to them, and Lysette felt like she was under a microscope, the way they were looking at her with such curiosity. "I doubt any of you know this, but Lysette and I have been seeing each other secretly for the past month. And not only have we fallen in love, but she's pregnant." He paused for a moment. "With my baby." Everyone just stared at him in disbelief. "That's all I needed to say." He sat back down beside Lysette.
Everyone sat in complete silence for several minutes, no one saying anything, just letting it sink in. Lysette could feel everyone's eyes on her, and it made her uncomfortable. Amber was actually the only one other than Jack that was smiling. She didn't want to know what they all thought. She just felt like curling up in a ball in her bed. Tears filling her eyes, she clamped her hand over her mouth and ran out of the room.
"Lysette!" Jack called to her. He got up to run after her, but Amber stopped him.
"Let me go talk to her, okay?" Amber said. Jack nodded, sitting back down as Amber left the room. She walked down the hallway to the room that Lysette shared with Sienna. Lysette was curled up in the middle of her bed, crying. "Is it alright if I come in?" There was no answer. Amber walked into the room and sat down gently on the bed beside Lysette. "It's okay, Lys," she said, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"No, it's not!" Lysette exclaimed. "I can only imagine what they must be thinking about me right now. 'Oh, what a slut. She messed around with a guy that already had a girlfriend and got herself pregnant.' And it's not true! I did nothing wrong!"
"For starters, they don't think that. And even if they did, none of them are mean enough to say that. And for seconds, why don't you tell me what the truth really is?" Amber responded.
"The truth is that Jack and I really are in love, and this baby is his. He and Ellie were never entirely together after she left, so it wasn't exactly cheating," Lysette said softly.
"And are you always so quick to believe that people think badly of you?" Amber asked.
"No," Lysette said defensively. "I just don't trust people very easily. And I can't stand silence. They just sat there and said nothing. That's worse than anything bad they could have said."
"Silence can be a little mind-numbing, but it's not always bad. They were just shocked. I mean it was like you announced that you and Jack had eloped and didn't care what anyone thought about it. It's hard to think of something to say. Because there is nothing to say. There's nothing you can do to change it. It's done and over with, and in yours and Jack's case, this baby is coming," Amber said.
"How do you feel about it?" Lysette asked, sitting up and drying her eyes.
"I think it's wonderful. Babies are wonderful things. New life is always happy news. And I'm sure the others feel the same, they just didn't know how to say it," Amber replied.
"Really?" Lysette said.
"Really. And I think you and Jack are good for each other. I've seen him smile more in the past month that he's known you than I have in the entire time I've known him. You make him happy, and that's what's important," Amber said, putting her arm around Lysette's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. Zandra walked hesitantly into the room.
"Bray wanted me to come and make sure everything was okay," Zandra said.
"We're fine, Zan," Amber said, smiling.
"And, congratulations, Lysette. Jack's a great guy," Zandra said, coming over and giving Lysette a hug.
"Thanks, Zandra," Lysette responded.
"Hungry at all?" Amber asked her.
"A bit," Lysette admitted.
"I'll go make us some soup, and then we can hang out and gossip for a little while," Zandra offered.
"Sounds good," Lysette said. Amber nodded in agreement. Zandra walked out of the room to go make the soup.
"Things are going to be alright," Amber said. Lysette just smiled.
Everyone had left the café to get ready for bed. Zandra rustled around in the food store, looking for the can of chicken noodle soup she had seen the other day. It still seemed strange that Jack was going to be a father in about nine months. Everyone was growing up faster than they wanted, and it was scary. She stepped back from the cabinet, looking at the upper shelves. On the very top shelf sat a single can of chicken noodle soup, where she couldn't reach it.
Zandra looked around the café. The ladder was leaning against the wall nearby, and Ryan and Lex sat on the other side of the room talking. She had two choices. She could get one of the boys to get the can for her, or she could climb up the 4-foot ladder herself and get the can. Knowing Lex, he would refuse, and knowing Ryan, he would jump to do it for her. She didn't want Ryan doing anything for her. She refused to be accused of using Ryan again. She was an adult now, a mother. She could do anything and everything on her own. She marched over and grabbed the ladder, taking it back to the cabinet. As she set up the ladder, Lex left the room, and Ryan came over to the sink nearby.
"So, how's Lexi?" Ryan asked, trying to start up a conversation. "Is she finally sleeping through the night?" Zandra climbed up the ladder slowly.
"Yeah. I'm actually getting a full-night's sleep now, for the first time in months," she said wearily. "It's so nice." She climbed up the ladder and reached for the can. Even on tip-toe, she still couldn't get to it. It was too far back on the shelf. The ladder started to wobble as she stretched up. "Ry-aan!" she screamed as she fell backwards. Ryan raced over and caught her before she met the floor. He held her for a moment as they stared at each other, breathless.
"Are you okay, Zan?" he asked, looking intently at her. Her curly blonde hair fell softly about her shoulders, and she wore a turquoise turtleneck sweater that, despite looking like something the old Zandra wouldn't have worn, looked pretty on her.
"Yeah, I think so. I'm just a bit shaken," she replied, gazing into his eyes. She had never noticed before how incredible looking he really was, with his blue eyes, white blond hair, and muscular physique. She couldn't help wondering what had taken her so long to notice him. "Thanks, Ryan." He still hadn't put her down on the floor. Something about holding her in his arms felt so right, and he couldn't explain it. All he knew right then was that he had never gotten over her, and he never really would.
"No problem," he said quietly, lowering her feet to the ground. His arms stayed gently wrapped around her waist. He brushed a strand of her hair off of her face, letting his hand fall under her chin. Leaning toward her, he tenderly kissed her. And he was surprised to find that she kissed him back. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, running her fingers through his hair as they continued to kiss. He stopped for a moment, looking at her strangely. Then they kissed again. Zandra pushed away, gasping for air.
"I have to go back to Lysette's room. I promised her and Amber we would hang out for a little while," she said. "They'll be wondering where I am." She kissed him once more. "Don't tell anyone."
"I won't if you won't," he said. He kissed her on the forehead, and she walked out of the room feeling like she was on cloud 9. (He-he - sorry for the pun - couldn't help it!)
That's all for now, folks! Thanks again for reading, now please go and tell me what you thought of what you read! I love reviews – they keep me going! Toodles until later . . .