just when things start to grow better between you and joel, everything falls apart when you find out that joel was planning on trading you off to tommy.

you’d overheard the conversation, about how instead, it’d make more sense for tommy do it than him, since the fireflies are his guys.

and then, you heard tommy tell joel words that put it all in perspective: “i’m not taking that girl off of your hands.”

yeah, that’s when the abandonment starts to sink in.

because you thought things were finally turning up between you, now without all of that distrust and tension between you, which was there from the beginning, especially when tess got infected and died.

since he was the one that was left to deliver you to the fireflies for that so-called cure that your immunity can supposedly create.

hearing enough of that conversation between the brothers, you decide then and there that you’re not going to stick around.

not for joel, if he really does want to finally be rid of you, or for tommy to take under his wing and drag along the country to get to the fireflies.

no, you wouldn’t have that.

so, without any reconsideration or hesitation, you took off with one of the horses and end up at some deserted house, not realizing that tommy and joel had quickly gone after you and tracked you down.

and when they find you, tommy letting joel go in first to let you both have the conversation that you need to have, going back with him is the last thing you want.

his conversation with tommy is all that rings through your ears as you quickly get into it with joel.

you were angry and hurt that he wanted to abandon you, and he didn’t even want to acknowledge it.

even though you were previously growing closer, and the fact that he was starting to care about you, he was pushing you away.

just like he is now.

his next words that finalize the conversation is what gets to you the most.

“and we are goin’ our separate ways, princess. and that’s final.”