EMILY***"I'm still bent on exposing him," Tiffany said.We were in her room. It was two days after we had had our conversation, and we hadn't come up with any good ideas so we decided to meet again to talk things through when we had come up with a few ideas. I had gone to my room relieved that day. My plan had worked and best of all, I hadn't had to blackmail her to get her to do what I wanted. This was no longer about me. I didn't have to get involved with Gabriel. I could just give her ideas and let her go ahead with them."For what happened to him growing up, as you had originally planned?" I asked."Yeah, why?" She asked, looking over at me."How about exposing him for what he did to you? The problem with telling people what happened to him growing up is that he might get sympathy and you might end up being the bad person. What happened to him wasn't his fault."The fact that I had managed to convince her had made me bolder. I was no longer afraid of telling her what I thought.
GABRIEL***“I’m leaving,” Harper said as she got up from beside me on my bed. I didn’t protest. I didn’t ask her why she was leaving, I already knew why. She had probably said something and I had probably missed it while being lost in thought. She picked her bag off the floor and made her way out of the room and I was left alone with my thoughts.A part of me felt relieved and I felt guilty for that. But at least she would no longer feel all alone while being next to me. At least I wouldn’t hurt her. I was thinking about my conversation with Harry. It was all I had been able to think about since we parted ways. I couldn’t even think about the fact that he had texted me after, saying he hoped we could try to be friends again despite what happenedBefore the conversation, it was all I could think about, all I could hope would happen. But the conversation had taken such a turn that it was the last thought on my mind and it didn’t even offer the comfort I expected it to. I was in distre
GABRIEL***It was raining outside, but I didn't care. I was going to find her at all costs and we would talk things through. I would apologize. My pride didn’t matter anymore. I had already lost enough because of it- I wouldn’t let it make me lose anymore. I was going to apologize today because I didn’t know what would happen tomorrow.Life was unpredictable. What if I woke up and she was no longer there, just like what had happened in high school? Life had awarded me another chance to make things right and I wouldn’t pass it up this time. I didn’t know where to start looking for her but I would look through every room of the school if that was what it would take to find her.I was walking aimlessly and I decided to start with her dorm room. That was where she was most likely to be, given the weather. All along a voice whispered, saying that I should change my mind before I ruined things more than I already had. But I refused to listen to it. I had listened to it for long enough and
Bakersville High School***“How do you feel about your first day at your new school?” Louise asked as she straightened Gabriel’s clothes.“I feel great,” Gabriel said and gave the biggest smile he could muster.He was lying.Gabriel was anxious. He was afraid, but he knew he couldn’t tell Louise that.He was just a child, but he had learned early that Louise had many things that worried her and he didn’t want to be one of them. He didn’t know then what those things were, he just knew that sometimes when she thought he wasn’t looking, Louise would cry while looking out of the window.They had moved during the school break. His parents had made the decision and he had hoped that as the only child they would at least ask him how he felt about it but they hadn’t. In fact, his father had called him aside and told him that it was because of him, because of how he always had a way of ruining things.He had ruined their marriage by being born, that’s what he said, and that’s why they needed
EMILY***“I asked what was going on,” Harper asked again.I dried my tears and got up. Gabriel had already gotten up and was standing in front of her.“I found her crying in the rain and I couldn’t leave her there,” he said. I walked over towards them. I would have to explain myself. I wouldn’t let him fight this misunderstanding alone.“I know it looks suspicious but it’s just like he said,” I said, “he found me crying in the rain and he brought me into his room and gave me a change of clothes. I understand your frustration.”She laughed.“Is that it? If it really is, then why is he crying, too? If it was about getting you out of the rain why didn’t he take you to your room? Why did he bring you into his?” she asked.Her voice was shaking. She was angry. She had every reason to be. I would be too if I was in her shoes. She started pacing around the room, and that seemed to make her even angrier. Gabriel and I stood where we were, looking at the floor, looking like kids who had been
EMILY***“I need your help,” I said as I walked into Harry’s room. He was the only person I could think of who could help with the whole situation. I had left Gabriel alone but I knew that he was vulnerable and he needed to be with someone at that moment. I had made it so that he couldn’t be with his girlfriend so I needed to make sure he was not all alone.“Is everything okay?” he asked as he walked after me into the room. I was pacing around frantically.“I know you and Gabriel are not on good terms but he needs your help,” I said.“We’re actually on good terms,” he said, “what happened?”“You are?” I asked, wondering when that happened.He nodded. I would ask about that later, it was not what was most important in that moment.“Someone wrote an article saying that he has abusive tendencies and posted it on the school bulletin board,” I said and I immediately felt guilty for saying ‘someone’ because I knew who it was and worse, I was the one who suggested that they do so. I hoped
GABRIEL***“Open up, man,” Harry said as he continued pounding on the door.I was seated at the foot of my bed, wondering how the roof over my head hadn’t already caved in. my world was crashing down, why wasn’t the real world in shambles? Why was real life going on oblivious to the fact that my life was falling apart? Was that fair? It didn’t feel fair. It didn’t feel right.“Go away,” I said, “I want to be alone.”“I’ll let you be alone any other day, just not today, okay? Open up, man. I’m not leaving until you do.I got up and went to the door. If I knew anything about Harry, it was the fact that he meant what he said. I opened the door and he hugged me immediately.“I heard what happened. I am so sorry,” he said.I tried my best not to cry. I couldn’t cry in front of him. I needed to keep it together.I needed to, but he kept saying that he was sorry and he kept patting my back and I couldn’t hold in my feelings for much longer. I let myself cry. My life had already fallen apart
EMILY***“We need to talk,” I said as I walked into Tiffany’s room.She had just woken up, and I could tell that she had slept well. She walked slowly behind me into the room and went back into her bed. She lay there as she stared at me lazily. Meanwhile, I had barely slept. Not only was I worried for Gabriel, I was also worried that Tiffany would do something crazy if I fell asleep and so I stayed awake, keeping watch, hoping and praying she wouldn’t start another fire. I had come to see her first thing that morning.“What’s up?” she asked when she noticed I wasn’t saying anything.I was lost in thought. I didn’t know how to tell her that she needed to stop without sounding hostile. I didn’t want to sound angry. I was still at risk of being exposed by her after all. Harry had been right. I shouldn’t have messed with her. I shouldn’t even have approached her directly.I should have reported her or something for trying to threaten my well-being. I should have protected my fresh start