"You know, Ashley I'm fine now. We don't have to wait around here all day." Tom told me and I shrugged, sitting beside him on the floor.
"Tom, I know you're bored but Najarin did say it's best to make completely sure you're healed before we port out," I answered, crossing my arms when he narrowed his eyes at me. I didn't break eye contact until Tom finally sighed, giving me a weak smile. "I'm just looking out for a friend."
"Well, you did save me from whatever that toxin was. Alright, I guess I can stay here but if I have to you do too." Tom finally agreed and I grinned, crossing my legs before I leaned back against the wall. "Also you're welcome to sit in that other chair. At least until Najarin gets back."
Giving him a smile I climbed to my feet and as I walked over to the other chair Tom leaned back, wondering how long it would take until Kaz, Sarah and Peyton checked in on them. I'd barely eased myself into my chair when I heard Tom's scanner beeping and I turned my chair around before I started to pull it closer, with some difficulty I might add, as Tom answered the call.
"Hey Kaz," Tom said, blinking when I leaned in. "Wow...personal space invasion much?" He asked me as Kaz snorted, looking amused as I shifted back. "Yeah I'm kind of late checking in but we ran into a problem. There was this toxic plant and I…" As Tom told Kaz, Sarah, and Peyton who I had briefly spotted over his shoulder, the whole story I shifted my chair out of range. My friends listened but when Sarah saw me sitting by myself she frowned.
This time my scanner started beeping and when Sarah appeared onscreen I blew out a breath trying for a smile but she had already seen the way I'd been chewing my lip a few moments earlier. "Okay, what's going on? You don't look happy."
"I'm perfectly fine, Sarah. Tom's not sick anymore so I'm happy." I replied though when she frowned at me I sighed. "Alright so even after I saved Tom's life, or at least his Perim life, he kind of pushed me away before," I admitted, looking down at my sneakers for a few seconds. "He's just annoyed we can't leave until he's fully healed."
"That still doesn't excuse him talking like that to you, Ashley. From what I heard you practically saved him and that's how he thanks you?" Sarah argued, frowning as I just shrugged unable to think of a good response to her argument I glanced over to see Tom grinning at Kaz and Peyton the latter making my friend laugh.
"He's been through a lot these past hours, Sarah," I answered after a pause, pulling my chair further away from Tom who didn't even notice. "Thanks for checking up on us though. We'll port back once he's feeling better okay?" I added, climbing to my feet before Sarah could answer.
"Alright, but you shouldn't let him do that to you," Sarah answered, hanging up the call as I rubbed my eyes.
"Whoa, that's one wild story, Tom. So Ashley managed to get you to Najarin's castle and found the cure? Wild." Peyton commented and Tom shrugged, looking over as I sighed fiddling with my scanner as I resisted the urge to port back.
"Yeah but the Forest of life's not that dangerous. Not like Prexxor Chasm." Tom pointed out and I turned my head, eyes narrowed at him and he blinked unable to figure out why I was glaring at him right then. "So...what did I miss?" As everyone started talking at once I leaned back in my chair, deciding that if Tom was going to give me the cold shoulder I could do the same to him.
Najarin returned later and after checking Tom's arm agreed with my friend that he would be safe to port back to Chaotic. We'd barely returned when we spotted Kaz, Sarah, and Peyton the latter waving to us but before I had a chance to wave back Tom walked away leaving me standing there.
It took me a few seconds to recover but by then my friends had seen the way my face had fallen, and my shoulders slumped. At that moment I was seriously considering just porting back home but when Sarah waved me over, giving Tom a quick frown I brightened. As soon as I reached the table I noticed that Tom was sitting on the opposite side to me not even looking up when I settled myself into an empty chair.
The moment I opened my mouth, trying to tell my friends about the fact I'd gotten to meet Najarin Tom interrupted me and I blinked at him. "So instead of telling you guys that we needed help, Ashely dragged me all over Perim. Plus she's kind of the reason I ended up like this anyway" Tom told them and while Kaz and Sarah just stared at him Peyton managed a weak laugh noting that way I was now gripping the table.
"For your information, Tom I panicked. Najarin came to mind as the best person in Perim to help us so sorry if that wasn't what you'd do." I grumbled, pushing myself to my feet. Realizing he'd crossed a line Tom went to open his mouth this time only to see me staring at him with my arms crossed against my chest. "Next time you need help don't ask me."
With that, I turned around stomping away before anyone could call me back or see my eyes filling up.
Back in the real world, I had been reading one of my many horror novels when I heard my scanner beeping. Knowing instantly that my Perim self, or what I was calling it now anyway, was ready to come back I pressed the button. The memories of my Perim self flowed into my head leaving me shocked and then frustrated as I slumped onto my bed, going over everything that had happened while I was in Chaotic.
"The nerve of Tom, blaming me for what happened to him. I mean it was my idea to port to the Forest of Life to get a scan of Staluk but I didn't even know about those stupid flowers." I muttered angrily to myself, wondering how I was going to face Tom the next time I saw him. "I could always just port around Perim and avoid him that way. Plus it would give me some awesome new scans and I'd be doing everything myself. Maybe that's what I'll do tomorrow."