Bonjour :)
I'm just going to warn you right now about this chapter, because it does get a bit, um, violent, towards the end. Yeah. And a bit sad. Just a warning.
Thanks again for reviewing you guys, hope it's alright, and trust me, Flora's situation will get better in time :) ~nellen xx
"Ugh, the door's open Clive!" Luke yelled, pausing his game to answer it. He scowled at his visitor, who was standing awkwardly on the bottom step, "well come in then."
"Nice to see you again too Luke," Clive laughed, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry about this, Flora sort of forced me on you."
"Yeah she did, she said you'd explain that," the boy frowned, cannonballing back into his armchair and resuming his game.
"Mark wanted to visit," Clive replied, mirroring the boy's frown.
Luke didn't need to hear any more, knowing straight away what was up. "You-you know what they'll be doing don't you?"
"One prefers not to think of one's friends that way."
"No, I mean seriously," he continued, the frown deepening, "if she wanted you out because he's coming round, it means she's trying to protect you."
"What? I don't understand," the older boy mumbled, and Luke shook his head.
"Of course you don't, you think everything's fine. You don't really know what goes on."
"Well what does go on?"
"It's up to Flora to tell you," he replied curtly, "now either shut up or help me kill a few more zombies before the inbetweeners comes on," he muttered, throwing Clive a control of his own.
Despite having little practice and a lot more Flora based questions, he decided to save them for later, and soon worked out the basic controls for the game. It'd been so long since he'd played any video games like this, and soon the competitive teenager within had, much like the creatures in the game itself, clawed its way out.
"Oh my god why aren't you dead yet?" He growled, fingers twitching as he tested all of his attacks out on a slowly weakening member of the undead.
"Try X and the left triggery thing at the same time," Luke pointed out, holding out a hand for a high five when it worked. "When you finished with that one come and help me up on the roof, I'm taking on about three waves' worth at once here."
There was, as Luke said, "no hate on a battlefield except towards the enemy," and the two quickly put whatever differences they had behind them for an hour or so, almost glad to have each other's help as they sliced and stabbed and shot their way through level after level. They played well on into the night, completely forgetting their animosity, and the program Luke wanted to watch, and Flora.
Flora.
She'd give anything to be with them at that moment, as anything had to be better than a night with Mark.
"Who was he?" He yelled angrily, slamming his hand against the wall he had Flora pinned against, "who was the boy you were with?"
"N-no one," she stammered, eyes wide in fear. She hated it when he got like this, his mood swings scared her, but she was too weak to fight back.
"I know when you're lying," he spat, pressing his face up close to hers, "I can tell. Now you tell me, who was the boy?"
"He-he's just a friend!" She squeaked, tears spilling out over her cheeks, "I- we're not that close!"
"Really? Because you looked pretty close to me!"
"We aren't! Please Mark! Don't do this!"
"Flora, I try so hard not to, but you know what? Sometimes lying little bitches like you deserve it," Mark snarled. Flora whimpered, head drooping in a small nod. She looked up into his wide eyes, which were twitching angrily at the corners, before closing her own and bracing herself for what she knew was coming.