“I don’t think I could do it,” Carly admitted. “Even if I wanted to go, there’s no way I could show up by myself. I just… couldn’t walk in there alone.”
“You don’t have to go alone,” Crystal said. “You could come with Abel and me. You two seem to be all chummy lately anyway, so I’m sure he won’t mind if you tag along.”
“Abel’s taking you to the dance?”
“Yeah, I told you that a couple weeks ago. It’s not new information that he’s my date.”
Carly had somehow forgotten they were going together. Maybe it’s because Abel hadn’t mentioned it. “Well, I’m not going to be a third wheel, so—”
“You won’t be a third wheel,” Crystal insisted, although none too convincingly. “Abel would probably feel a lot better if he could keep an eye on you anyway.”
“You can’t talk me into going, Crys. Besides, I bought that dress for Gabe, and… And even if he were to show up at the dance… Well, I don’t think he deserves to see me in that dress.”
“He should have to see you in that dress, Carly,” Crystal countered. “If you really want to hurt him, let him see what he’s missing.”
Carly gave a slight nod. “Like I said, I’m not crashing your date.”
“Well, you’ve still got a couple days to change your mind. Let me know if you do.”
* * *
“What’s this? My daughter leaving for school of her own accord?” Howard asked as Carly met him in the kitchen the following morning. “No excuses today, I take it?”
Carly poured coffee into a Thermos, taking a drink as she headed for the door. “I guess not. See you at school.”
“Any reason you’re leaving so early?” Howard called after her.
“I need to catch someone before class. Later.” She grabbed her messenger bag and jogged out to her Jeep, her fingers pausing on the driver’s door handle. Her gaze lingered on the trees surrounding the manor, whispers creaking through the leaves.
She wasn’t alone.
We both know the monsters are gone, Gabriel. I don’t need you looking out for me anymore.
There was no reply. Then again, she wasn’t expecting one.
A shiver trailed down Carly’s spine as she jumped into the Jeep and headed off to school. She didn’t appreciate being watched, but there was nothing she could do to stop him. Gabe was going to do whatever he wanted, especially now that he didn’t have a girlfriend to advise him on what was appropriate.
Carly scanned the high school parking lot for Abel’s PT Cruiser as she pulled in. It wasn’t there yet, which meant Abel and Esther weren’t either. She turned up Dawes as she settled back in her seat and took a sip of coffee. At least she could get a caffeine fix while she waited.
A car made its way into the lot a few minutes later, but it wasn’t a PT Cruiser like Carly had been hoping. It was instead a black Jetta. Gabe parked in one of the spaces down from the row behind her, and Carly sunk in her seat to spy on him through the side mirror.
Gabe had ripped her heart wide open and she could barely stand the sight of him, yet her complete attraction to him couldn’t be ignored. It was more than mere physical attraction—there was a connection between them that Carly had never been able to explain. But they were over, and it was time for them both to move on.
Gabe ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he slung his bag over his shoulder. He locked up the Jetta, his gaze landing on Carly’s in the mirror. She slumped lower in her seat, although she didn’t tear her eyes from his reflection. Damn him for still having an effect on her.
Not all of us can fall out of love at the drop of a hat, Gabe’s voice permeated her thoughts.
What do you expect when you totally and completely betrayed my trust? she telepathed back.
He nodded as if he’d heard her, and turned to head inside.
Carly closed her eyes, waiting for Gabe to respond. But he was gone from both the parking lot and her mind when she looked up again. A few more cars were making their way in now, including Abel’s PT Cruiser.
Carly jumped out of the Jeep, toting her coffee as she raced over to greet them.
“Morning, Carly,” Abel spoke as he climbed out of the car. “I didn’t expect to find you waiting for me. But then again, I’m not complaining.”
“I wasn’t waiting for you,” Carly informed him as she turned to Esther. “I’d like to speak with your sister, if that’s all right.”
“Okay, whatever,” Esther agreed with a shrug.
Abel shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, and said, “I guess I’ll see you guys at lunch?”
“I guess,” Carly replied, and he walked away. She turned to Esther, and said, “So.”
Esther stared back at her without even a hint of a smile. “So.”
“I, uh, I know what happened between you and Gabe—that you two… Well, that you slept together.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I’m so sorry, Esther. I mean, I don’t know what else to say,” Carly apologized. “If I would have known—”
“What, Carly?” Esther snapped. “If you would have known, then what? What good would it have done?”
“I don’t—”
“You still would’ve fallen in love with him. You two still would’ve ended up together. As far as Gabe’s concerned, I’ve been out of the picture a long time. Please don’t assume I’m disillusioned about that.”
“We’re not together now,” Carly offered, as if that would somehow make Esther feel better.
“I’ve heard that, too,” Esther said, her dark gaze flitting away.
“I just… I don’t know, I’m worried this might change things between us.”
“How would it change things between us? It’s definitely changed things between you and Gabe, but you and me? Carly, maybe you haven’t noticed, but we weren’t really that close to begin with.”
That hit Carly right in the gut.
“We all know Gabe’s your best friend,” Esther went on. “That he’s the one you spend all your time with. And Crystal’s a close second, but me? I was nothing more than a sidekick to both of you.”
“Esther,” Carly choked.
“Look, this whole thing between you and Gabe is between you and Gabe. It has nothing to do with me, nor do I want it to. I’m dating Jeremy, and he’s my life now. I know we’re all supposed to stick together, but I just need a break from all this for a while. I need a break from you.”
Carly took a step back. “Yeah, I… Whatever you want.”
Esther had nothing more to add as she turned to head inside.
Carly stood dumbfounded, not sure what to do or think or how to react. She was losing friends left and right and, at this rate, soon might not have any at all. Apparently, she hadn’t just lost Gabe—she was losing everything.
Carly took a sip of coffee and forced her feet along the sidewalk. With the way this day was already going, she prepared herself for the worst as she stepped into the school lobby. What she got instead was Abel leaning against one of the pillars lining the entrance, his eyes glued to her.
“Did you forget your way to homeroom or something?” Carly asked him.
Abel stepped up to face her, concern in his dark eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Look, Esther told me what she was planning to say to you. I tried to talk her out of it, but she had her mind made up. I guess I can’t blame her—not after what Hutchinson did to her. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” Carly insisted.
Abel reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, sparks sizzling between them as he drew his fingers back. “You can talk to me, Carly. You can trust me. I hope you know that.”
“I, um…” What the hell—who else could she talk to? “I… have to sit through class all day with them—both of them—and they hate me.”
“They don’t hate you, Carly.”
“How did any of this happen?” she wonder
ed, shaking her head. “How did I get here, Abel? I mean, it feels like you’re the only one I can really talk to right now.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he asked.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do know what you mean, and I’m sorry, but I don’t have an answer for you. We all make our choices, Carly. Gabe made his choice, and now he’s living with the consequences.”
“And so am I,” Carly observed.
“Well, there’s the obvious option,” Abel pointed out. “You could forgive him. You could just let it all go, and forgive him, and get back together with him. You could just say the word, and everything would go back to the way it was. Hutchinson would be your boyfriend again like nothing ever happened.”
“You make it sound so easy.” It did sound easy, and Abel was right—Gabriel would take her back in a heartbeat. But there were too many levels to Gabe’s lie to forgive all at once, and then there was the matter of his other lie about the placement of the amethyst skull…
“Too bad it’s not so easy?” Abel guessed.
“Yeah,” Carly agreed, feeling just the teensiest bit better. “Too bad.”
“I know I can’t fix any of the crap with Gabe or my sister,” Abel said. “But I can take you out for coffee at lunch if you’d like. I figure there’s at least a fifty-fifty chance you’ll need a caffeine fix by then.”
Carly grinned. “Only a fifty-fifty chance, Abel? It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
“Easy now. I was merely giving you the benefit of the doubt. I figured it wasn’t nice to call you out as an addict considering the day you’ve already had.”
“Is that so?”
“It is so,” Abel confirmed just as the first warning bell of the morning rang. “I’ll walk you to class.”
“Sure,” Carly agreed, leading the way down the hall toward homeroom. “And yes to coffee at lunch. Unless you’re getting sick of hanging out with me so much?”
“Sick of hanging out with you, Carly? That’s just not possible.”
* * *
“What are we watching?” Abel asked as he settled into Carly’s family room sectional Friday evening.
He and Crystal had come over with the intent of watching a movie, and Carly couldn’t be more grateful for the distraction. Abel and Crys seemed to be the last two friends she had in the world, and she wasn’t about to take them for granted. Esther’s harsh speech, if nothing else, had encouraged Carly to truly appreciate the relationships she had left.
“Nothing scary,” Crystal promised, dropping into the seat beside Abel. “I already told Carly I can’t handle scary.”
Carly sat on Abel’s other side and handed him a bowl of popcorn. Silver sparks ignited where their fingers met, and she looked at the television as she snatched her hand away. “Well, Abel, I’m afraid if you’re hanging out with a couple of girls on a Friday night, you’re stuck watching chick flicks.”
He let out a laugh. “Duly noted. What chick flick are we watching?”
Carly pushed play on the remote. “You’ll see.”
“Soda, anyone?” Howard offered as he stepped into the room. He set a few cans of Coke on the coffee table and looked to Carly. Her father had been more than accommodating since she’d gone back to school. “Need anything else, sweetheart?”
“No, I think we’re good. Why, are you going somewhere?”
“I thought I’d meet a friend for coffee. Have fun, kids. And stand your ground, Abel. Make sure they let you pick the next one.”
“I will, Principal Morneau,” Abel assured him.
“We’ve been through this. It’s Howard at the house. Good night!”
“Going out for coffee with a friend?” Crystal asked as the front door fell closed. “That’s code for ‘I have a date.’”
“A date?” Carly choked.
Crys shrugged. “Paul Hutchinson goes out for coffee with lots of friends Gabe never meets.”
“Who do you think it’s with?” Abel speculated, scooping up a handful of popcorn. “One of the teachers maybe? The only hot one’s Mrs. Cromwell, and she’s married to that balding guy who owns the hardware store.”
“You think Mrs. Cromwell is hot?” Crystal giggled. “Seriously?”
He winked. “You don’t?”
Carly’s heart sank at the thought of her father out with another woman. Mom hadn’t even been gone a year yet… “You guys are joking, right? My dad’s not on a date right now. Is he?”
“I hate to break it to you, Carly, but he’s definitely on a date right now,” Crystal informed her.
“No, he… He wouldn’t do that…”
“Carly, you both moved here to start over. You’ve managed to do that well enough. Why can’t your dad, too?”
“I guess he can. I’ll, uh, I’ll be right back.” Carly hopped up and headed into the kitchen, stopping when she reached the wall of windows facing the Great Lake. Was her father seriously on a date right now? He couldn’t have already moved on from the woman he’d loved for most of his life, could he?
Carly desperately needed someone to talk to about this. Someone who knew her—someone who had been through the same thing. Someone who had lost his mother, too.
But Gabe wasn’t her friend anymore.
Carly peered out into the trees lining jagged cliffs overlooking the shore, her ears perking up at the echo of footsteps. She raised her nose in the air, Gabe’s scent permeating her nostrils. He was out there, all right, lurking around, keeping tabs on her. She didn’t know if she should be flattered or file a restraining order.
You lied to me, Carly reminded Gabe as she turned from the window. I loved you and I trusted you, and you still lied to me. My heart’s broken, too, Gabriel. I just hope you realize my heart’s broken, too.
“Carly?” Crystal asked as she stepped into the room.
Carly jumped out of her thoughts, blinking as she met Crystal’s gaze. “Y-yeah?”
“Are you coming back to watch the movie with us?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Carly replied, following the redhead back into the family room. She fell into her place on the couch next to Abel, determined to forget that Gabriel was right outside. “How’s the movie so far?”
“No one told me this has Drew Barrymore in it,” Abel replied as he gawked at the screen.
“Apparently, that’s not going to be a problem?”
He flashed a wicked grin. “Apparently.”
“I told Abel you’re probably going to catch a ride with us to the dance,” Crystal mentioned as she grabbed a can of Coke from the coffee table.
Carly picked up one of the remaining cans and cracked it open. “Why exactly?”
“I’m totally cool with it,” Abel was quick to speak up. “Really, Carly, I think we’ll have a great time.”
Carly didn’t want to go, but thought through what would happen if she did. Gabe would see her in the dress she’d handpicked just for him—he would see her in that dress, dancing with every guy in the room, and he’d finally realize that it was over between them. And once he realized it was over, maybe Carly could bring herself to let him go.
“It won’t be the same without you,” Crystal insisted. “You need to get out of the house and have some fun, Carly. Why not do it in that dress? Come over to my place at noon and I’ll help you get ready.”
“Noon?” Carly whined. “Is it really going to take all day to get ready for a high school dance?”
“If you’d stop chewing on your fingernails all the time, it wouldn’t take me so long to get you ready. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure there’s plenty of coffee to get you by.”
“I highly recommend that you don’t argue with her, Carly,” Abel urged. “Besides, how often does a guy get to take two hot girls to a dance? Please don’t take that away from me.”
Carly rolled her eyes, a small smile at her lips. “Fine, you win, I’ll go to the dance. But coffee will be required.”
Abel chuckled. “What’s new?”
&
nbsp; seven
It was after three when Carly fell asleep that night, but even then, her dreams wouldn’t let her rest. Her subconscious took her to a world where she was sprinting beside Gabriel through the woods, both of them in their primary forms. They were running from something or someone, although she wasn’t sure where they were headed.
Snow covered the ground, so Carly guessed it was winter. Her fox feet carried her through one maze of trees after another, until she finally came to a stop at a narrow stream. Gabe joined her on the bank, his pale blue eyes peering straight through her. He spoke a thousand apologies without saying one word.
Legends: Bloodline Book 2 Page 6