“It’s okay; I’m fine, really.” I also forgot how he watches over me like a hawk with its young these days. Maybe he, too, has noticed the change in me though I’ve done a pretty good job of hiding it. I’ve been pushing myself to the point of exhaustion these days to get rid of some of the pent-up anger and frustration, but today I seem to have reached my breaking point.
The party is in two days, I can hold out that long, but it’s getting harder. I know something’s going on back at the house, but Gabriel isn’t talking, and I can’t blame him because I’m the one who asked to drop it until after the party. “I know you’re pissed, but you can’t hurt yourself; let me see your hands.”
“My hands are fine, I just….”
He still removed the gloves and checked for himself anyway. “Let’s go for a walk in the gardens.” I wanted to tell him that wasn’t going to work this time but felt like an ungrateful brat, and then I remembered. “I can’t; I have to practice with the girls in about ten minutes.”
“What is it that you all are practicing anyway?”
“I can’t tell you; it’s a surprise.” And one of the only things I look forward to these days. I felt honored when the twins invited me to join the dance; they and a few of their friends had planned for their special night. What I hadn’t expected was to be asked to take over the choreography after the first day or for them to praise my efforts when I turned it into so much more.
It’s a nice distraction, and I’m not sure the twins hadn’t suggested it just to keep me preoccupied, but whatever the reason, it’s the most fun I’ve had in a while, especially with dance. Gabriel hasn’t left my side since I met with Greta except for when we’re at school, but even there, he hovers. It’s almost difficult to remember what things were like just a few short weeks ago. The rapidity in which things have changed on campus is something I thought only happened in movies.
I have friends, acquaintances, and in the twins, accomplices. They still keep things from me at the order of their brother, no doubt, but some things they share. That brings me to why I’m so pissed this time. Victoria, in the middle of one of her online rants, had denigrated my mother’s memory.
I guess they would’ve kept that from me as well, but Tasha, who doesn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to know, mentioned it in front of me, and now I want blood. But I can’t tell Gabriel that; he’d only tell me not to worry that he’ll take care of it. “Okay, keep your secrets; I’ll be in the study room if you need me.”
Huh? Oh, he’s talking about the dance. Of course, he is; he’s not a mind reader Gianna, he can’t possibly know what you’re thinking. “Okay!” I felt guilty when he kissed me because I wasn’t being honest, but if I don’t do what I have in mind, I think I’ll suffocate. He’s going to be pissed, but it can’t be helped.
I walked down to the studio where the others were starting to gather, pleased that I’d learned how to navigate this place in such a short time. I felt guilty, too, about what I was about to ask these girls to do. “Anna, Rosa, I need a favor.” I looked around at the rest of the group. Tasha, Eliza, and Monique, “we’ll be right back.”
I took the twins’ hands and led them to the other side of the room. “I need a favor. I need you to get me out of the house without Gabriel knowing.”
“Huh! Where are you going?”
“I need to go to my house; I won’t be long.” Anna studied me as if she could see through the bullshit.
“Tell me the truth, why do you want to go there?” Rosa was the one to ask. I couldn’t lie to them, not after everything they’d done for me.
“I need to have a conversation with Victoria about what she said about my mother. I can’t let her get away with it.”
“Fine, we’ll help you.” Anna agreed.
“Anna!”
“It’s okay, Rosa, she has to do this. Think about what we’d do if it was Ma. Now help me figure out how to get out of here without anyone noticing.”
“Oh, you don’t have to come with.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. My brother is going to find out one way or the other, and when he does, it will be better for us if he knows we went with you than if we let you go on your own. Besides, we won’t help you otherwise.” There was no way around it, and I needed their help. Who better to know the hidden places needed for escape?