Maybe unleashing Maddie on these boys was a really bad idea, one Nick might regret later. But right now she was too annoyed with their behavior and their callousness towards this stupid game to truly care just how much the other girl yelled at them.
She wondered if maybe she should stop this before it got too out of hand, but so far Maddie hadn’t done anything, although she had to wonder just how effective she would be against the other girl, especially while she only had one good hand. Nick supposed she would cross that bridge if or when they came to it, but for right now things didn’t seem like they had reached the ‘pull Maddie off of the middle schoolers’ level yet.
Then the other girl scowled and seethed, her words scaring Nick just a little bit, but she wouldn’t admit to it. “Just, don’t damage them.” Because the last thing she wanted was to be explaining to parents or the medics why the boys had been injured. Not that she actually thought Maddie would get to that point, but it never hurt to be prepared, right? Nick was almost certain she could tackle Maddie to the ground if she had to – that didn’t require the use of both hands.
Nick moved forward when Maddie did, staying to just the right of the other girl. Her gaze firmly focused on the taller girl as she began to address the boys. It had never occurred to her that Maddie would have a stronger dislike of this game, due to family history. Maybe she should have remembered that the other girl had just recently lost a brother to this, or lost him again.
Three family members? For a moment Nick just kind of froze. She hadn’t been aware that the Johnson famly had suffered so many casualties to the infection. Despite the kind of pity she now felt for the other girl, she could still recognize that this was getting out of control.
The boys kind of starred at Maddie in horror; still the ringleader opened his mouth and made some snide remark. “Maybe your family members were just stupid enough to get bitten,” he paused, trying his best to look brave. “I’ve heard you Johnsons aren’t all that smart.”
If Nick had been worried for the boys safety, she was definitely that much more concerned now. How would Maddie respond to the boys words? Reaching out her good hand, she laid it on the other girl’s shoulder in an attempt to kept her from lashing out. “Ignore him,” She murmured. “He’s not worth it.”