“Oh.” After a moment, Christie started laughing too. And taking Josh’s hand, they walked off to dance leaving Elliot feeling like the world’s biggest douche.
If it was true, and Gemma really did like him, fuck! All that time he spent rambling on about a fantasy that was so far out of his reach, and completely, one hundred percent pathetic and delusional and one-sided, with the way Josh was making him finally see; she must have been devastated. He knew he’d be. But he didn’t know what to do. He’d just spent over two months pining after an idea only to have his best (male) friend throw ice water on the idea, making him wake up. And he adored Gemma, but he didn’t know if he liked her as more or if just staying friends was better. Which would hurt her less, he wondered. He didn’t want to pretend to want more if he couldn’t find the feelings, but then, he didn’t want her to continue pining over him if all he could feel was friendship toward her.
“This sucks,” he said to no one. He’d never felt more alone in that moment. His friends were all dancing, laughing, having a good time. But he had no one. And it was of his own doing. He knew now if he’d seen a glimpse of reality, he’d have asked Gemma ages ago to come with him tonight, even if it was just as friends, because they always had fun together. They could dance, laugh, carry on like everyone else was doing, and he wouldn’t be sitting at a table, watching the action happen. But his pathetic pining had sent her off to find someone else to share her joy with.
And what would he do if he found out that someone else ended up stealing her affections away and she no longer liked him like that? He’d just found out, hadn’t even had time to realistically contemplate his own emotions and for her to already by casting hers for him aside? Would she do that so easily? Shaking his head at his dramatics, especially after just telling himself that while yes, he liked Gemma, he didn’t know if he liked her liked her, Elliot mentally berated himself. “Get a grip, Wade,” he murmured.
Just then, as though he knew he was being thought about, he saw Ryan Matthews walking across the dance floor, Janey Stanton tucked under his arm. Elliot knew their break-up wouldn’t last long. It never did. But then he started to think about Gemma again. She’d told him she was going to be with Ryan tonight, and if he was there with Janey, Gemma was probably hurt over that now on top of his stupidity. He knew he should find her, try to fix things.
“Hey, Ryan!” he called, standing up to get the older boy’s attention. They didn’t know each other, not really, so Elliot was banking on the senior being friendly and not wary of him.
As Ryan Matthews walked up, he shook Elliot’s hand. “Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“Good, good,” Elliot replied. “Hey, listen; do you know where Gemma is?”
“Gemma?” Ryan asked, his face a mask of confusion.
“You know, that girl in your gym class. The one always wearing a ponytail,” Janey chimed in. Though Ryan still looked lost. “Geez, Leighanna’s step-sister.”
“Oh, yeah! Gemma Grady. I do have gym with her,” Ryan smiled, seeming mildly embarrassed.
“Yeah, she said she was comi….” Elliot stopped speaking as quickly as he’d started. He didn’t need to say anything more as this whole exchanged replayed itself quickly through his mind. The way Ryan spoke was almost as if he barely knew who Gemma was and that went against what Gemma had insinuated by saying she was hanging out with Ryan. He didn’t want to humiliate her by calling out her lie, especially to people like Ryan and Janey. “Uh, yeah, she said she’d meet me here. But I haven’t seen her yet. Hope I didn’t get stood up,” he laughed nervously, trying to play it all off.
Ryan laughed then too. “No offense, babe,” he looked at Janey who only shrugged, her attention on her nails, “but that Gemma is definitely a cutie. Surprised she doesn’t have a line of guys following her everywhere. You’d do best to hang on to that one. We’ll let her know you’re looking for her if we see her.”
Elliot nodded solemnly watching Ryan and Janey walk off. He always knew Gemma was beautiful. He’d have to be blind not to notice. But it was unpretentious compared to Trisha. Or even Gemma’s own sister. Where both Trisha and Leighanna were blonds, with Leighanna’s hair being more of a dirty blond color and always seemed to have some new hairstyle, Gemma was a brunette who liked ponytails for the ease they offered. And where Trisha and Leighanna had pale skin they brushed in makeup, Gemma had clear olive skin. Still, he felt like the world should swallow him whole for not noticing what was right there the whole time, for not noticing what everyone else apparently had.
Before he could berate himself further, he caught a glimpse of blond and giant. Leighanna was walking up to him, with her boyfriend, Trent Davies. “Was that Ryan Matthews talking to you?” she asked him, a frown on her face as her blue eyes scanned the crowd.
“Yeah.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Gemma said they were going to the movies to hang out. Why would she say that if it wasn’t true? He better not have ditched her to get back with Janey, for the millionth time.” Leighanna spat as she pulled her cell phone out of her small bag, assumedly, to call Gemma.
Elliot’s breath caught in his throat at Leighanna’s words. Gemma had told him she would meet Ryan at the dance, but told her sister they weren’t going at all. Tiny prickles started to play along his spine; like there was something he should know but kept missing. It was when Leighanna said Gemma wasn’t answering, Elliot saw what he was missing. It was the moment he’d asked Gemma about the dance. She had been non-committal, stalling, playing it off, until he mentioned his obsession, and then her face changed, her body stiffened, and she suddenly had plans.
Except those plans were all a lie.
“Oh Jesus,” he exhaled heavily.
“What? What is it?” Leighanna asked, her phone pressed to her ear again. “Come on, Gemma. Pick up the damn phone!”
“I think she made up the story about Ryan. I mean I know she did. She told you she was going to the movies, but she told me she was meeting Ryan here.” Elliot hung his head. Man, was he an ass if Gemma had to make up stories just to keep away from watching his infatuation. “This is all my fault.”
“Finally figured out how much of a dumbass you’ve been?” Trent spoke for the first time, getting straight to the point. Seemed everyone was ready to point out his stupidity. “Anyone with eyes could see how irritating you are when it comes to Trisha. I’m guessing Gemma figured she’d spare herself the agony of watching you act like a fool.”
While Trent was right, he didn’t even know the half of it, Elliot figured. Which he knew was good; because Trent was a big guy, and he’d probably hit him if he knew that he’d essentially tortured Gemma for months over a stupid crush that really had no shot and was the least mentally healthy thing he could think of. “Oh God. I gotta find her.”
He didn’t stop to wait for anyone to say anything to him. He just flew out the door, not even bothering to tell his sister he was leaving, not that she’d care, seeing as she was with Josh. Jumping into his Honda, he tried to rack his brain over where to look. He knew Gemma well enough to know she wouldn’t stay home. If by some chance anyone drove by or came home early, she wouldn’t want to have to explain her presence. So he figured she probably went out like she said she was just to keep her lie from being unearthed.
As he started his car, the Fairview Mall popped into his head. There were stores and a theater over there. Perfect place to hide for a bit.
Gunning the engine, he drove off into the night.
CHAPTER TWO
She walked around Barnes and Noble, until it closed at nine-thirty. She’d bought the latest zombie craze book, knowing she’d probably love it though she would outwardly mock it since not even Elliot knew of her fascination with the undead. Vampires had always been her favorite, but lately, like the rest of the world, she’d taken to the rotting creatures with rapt attention. There was something fascinating about the survivors. Unlike with vampires, no one really wanted to become a zombie. At least, she didn’
t think anyone did. The world was a weird place, so who knew really.
Knowing she still had probably another couple hours to kill until it looked reasonable for her to return home, she shoved her purchase into her jacket and decided to make the short trek toward the Fairview Cinemas. While not being far from the bookstore, she still had several other stores to pass before reaching the aging theater, and the wind was starting to get nippy.
Gemma could see neon signs lighting up the path as some places had yet to turn out for the night. This strip mall was aging and she wondered how much longer if would be around before someone came in and bought it, tore down or changed it.
Feeling a chill run through her from a gust of wind, she picked up her pace. It would no doubt be a bitterly cold winter.
She passed several little shops, ignoring the lingering cigarette smoke that seemed to pour out of one of the side doors, and then looked both ways before crossing a nearly empty street. If not for the theater, the place would be deserted. As it was the night felt dead. It made her think about the darkness surrounding her and the book she’d just purchased. She wondered what it would be like if suddenly a zombie popped out of the shadows.
She imagined all the ways she would try to fight them off, using her keys, perhaps to take out an eye. In everything she read, the instruction was to destroy the head, so she wondered if she could possess enough strength to take one out. Thinking more about the mythical creature had her suddenly itching to get home and read her new book, despite not wanting to be embarrassed by her situation.
The theater was still a half block away when Gemma felt her hip buzz. She’d put her phone in her pocket, opting to not bring a purse or bag on this trip. Just as she was about to reach for her phone, she felt a strong arm grab her from behind, the grip tightening around her neck, dragging her down a lowly lit pathway between the State Farm and Mitch’s Pub that led to a parking lot. A quick image of a zombie taking control of her, trying to kill her flashed before her eyes before true panic set in. Ignoring her phone, and bringing her hands up to the arm, Gemma began to grab and claw, scratching to get free, while also trying to dig her heels into the ground to keep from being pulled anymore.
But nothing was working.
There was heavy and wet tobacco breath against her face, and the form pressed up against her back, was large and hard. She tried stomping her heel onto the foot behind her, tried to gain any kind of upper hand. But the grip around her throat only tightened, and her vision blurred a little, spiking her fear, as her ability to breathe became near impossible.
“You gonna be a good girl,” a raspy voice breathed into her ear. She heard herself whimper just as two other figures appeared in her blurry line of sight. “That’s right. You gonna be nice an’ good.”
Everything became disjointed after that. Gemma could distinctly hear what sounded like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” blaring out of a speaker somewhere in the distance, the juxtaposition of the song and the circumstances beating against her mind. All she could think was this wasn’t fair. Then her mind focused on the tearing of fabric, a chill to previously protected skin, and the rushed words of several men surrounding her, but she couldn’t tell where they were or where she was, except for on the ground. Her throat hurt, her mouth was covered, and try as she might, she couldn’t bite or scream. Her struggle continued but the restraints were too great.
Then there was pain, white, hot pain spreading all throughout her lower body and across her back, as she scratched against the gravel and concrete. She tried to focus, tried to clear her vision and regain her breath, but the pain was so overwhelming, the agony too much for her to break through. And it seemed to go for eternity.
Until there was nothing.
LtB
He had pushed past the speed limit, flooring it to get north to the shopping center, not caring if a cop saw him or that he’d only has his license for a couple weeks. Elliot couldn’t say why, but he felt that something was very wrong, a tingle against his spine causing him to react. And it was more than just Gemma telling a couple lies to cover up her plans. He turned off Washington and checked his dashboard clock. It was just after ten; he hoped she was still there somewhere, maybe at the bookstore or at a movie. He figured it’d be the only thing open this late.
Driving down a bit, he saw the Barnes and Noble logo lit up at the mall. It was one of her favorite places to visit, even if she didn’t buy anything. Before he could relax that he’d made it to where he figured she’d be, he noticed the “CLOSED” appearance of the store. Empty parking lot, low lit lights.
Where would she go?
He saw the light for the movie theater up ahead and hoped to find her there.
Driving a little further down the road, heading toward the theater, Elliot saw a group of men, laughing, patting each other on the back, walking out from an alleyway. He would have ignored them completely, kept his sole focus on finding Gemma if not for the fact that one of the men was wearing a white shirt. And the other two were pointing and laughing at what appeared to be red stains. A chill settled on Elliot as he quickly parked his car and jumped out, rushing toward the alley.
He knew the anxiety he felt could be nothing at all. He knew those three men could just be leaving the pub after having too much to drink and one guy got sauce on his shirt from one of the snacks. He knew all of this, but he didn’t want to be wrong. He didn’t want to think everything was okay when it wasn’t. And he didn’t want to think everything was wrong if it was fine. But a large part of him wanted to be paranoid; he wanted to be wrong about assuming they were up to no good. He wanted to be wrong so badly.
He wasn’t wrong.
LtB
Coughing, air fighting to regain its home in her lungs, Gemma’s vision began to clear. She was still on her back, still on the ground in the alley between the road and the parking lot. But she was alone. Rolling over, her broken nails grating against the gravel on the ground, she felt the cold air strike against her skin. It was then Gemma realized her shirt and jeans were torn, her jacket ripped from her body. With a strangled cry, she gripped her tattered clothing, including her torn jacket, and stumbled to stand. Her new book, still safely enclosed within her jacket, dug against her chest as she tried to cover herself the best she could, but was having little luck. Another cry tried to break free at that knowledge. She was so exposed with no way to fix it.
She didn’t even have a way home without being seen. Without anyone knowing.
It was then she noticed a figure moving quickly her way.
Panic seized her lungs again, her heart beating painfully against her chest. Not again, was a steady mantra running through her mind as she tried to find a way to finally escape. But the figure kept advancing on her and she was in no condition to run. “Please no,” she begged barely above a whisper, her throat raw and her lungs exhausted.
“Gemma? Oh God, Gemma, no.”
The figure slowed the closer it got, and soon became unmistakable in appearance.
“Elliot?” she breathed out, almost collapsing from the relief that it was him and not one of those guys again. She wouldn’t survive if it was those guys.
“Gemma, oh God, what happened to you?” He rushed to her side, trying to hide the pain her flinching at his presence brought about. His eyes quickly scanned her form. Blood covered her hands and around her mouth. She was also going to have black eyes. But most disturbing and heartbreaking of all, were her clothes. He could see her struggling to hold them together, could see her fighting to cover back up. And her legs had blood on them. Without even hearing her answer, Elliot knew what had happened to Gemma. Though he didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want it to be true.
“Elliot?” Gemma mumbled again, her body sagging against his. Her legs refused to hold her anymore.
“It’s okay, I got you,” he whispered into hair. He reached down and picked her up, cradling her trembling broken form against his body. He wasn’t the strongest guy in the world, but it didn’t matter
after seeing his friend like this. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”
“No!” she shouted, energy infused suddenly, her body pushing away from his, her legs kicking to get back to the ground. “No hospitals. They’ll tell my dad. No hospitals, he can’t know,” she cried.
“Gemma, you need to be examined,” he tried again as he reached his car. Carefully placing her back on the ground, he opened the passenger door, and helped her in. Rushing around, Elliot jumped into the driver’s seat and turned to look at his friend. “You need to be checked to make sure you’re… to make sure….” He couldn’t say it. It terrified him to think it.
“I can’t go through that. I can’t…can’t be touched like that, not again,” she whimpered. Shrugging off his jacket, Elliot placed it over her trembling body and turned the heat on full blast. “Please, I can’t. Not again, not again, not again.”
Nodding, but knowing he had to do something, Elliot inhaled deeply. “What if we… what if we…ugh!” He resisted the urge to punch the steering wheel, not wanting to scare Gemma further. This was all so frustrating. There was an emergency room only a few blocks from Fairview Mall that he could take her to, but he could see how terrified she was of even the thought of a hospital. “Okay, just hear me out. What if I called my Aunt Mary? She’s a nurse, she can check you out, make sure you’re okay. There won’t have to be a hospital visit.”
She regarded him for several long moments. He was Elliot. She trusted him with her life, even if he drove her crazy thinking about Trisha so much. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her or violate her trust. “Okay,” she replied meekly. She knew Mary, had met her a few times, and she was always nice. And she was a nurse, bound by confidentiality. She could help her and wouldn’t be able to say anything. That was for the best. The less people who knew, the better, Gemma decided. “Okay.”
The whole way to his aunt’s house, Elliot kept his eyes on Gemma while Gemma kept her eyes on the passing scenery. He was terrified of what would happen if he stopped looking at her. He knew she wouldn’t disappear, but he was afraid that she’d be hurt more if his eyes left.
Somewhere in Between Page 2