Lying With Temptation

by Sm Donaldson

  “Yeah, Oh…this smells and looks awesome.” I say as I sit down at the counter.

  Lydia jumps up, “Linc honey what would you like to drink?”

  “Oh I can get it.”

  “No you sit and eat, we have juice, milk, coffee whatever honey.”

  “Um juice is fine.” I say as I pile food on my plate.

  I hear Gabby come in the room, “Holy Crap Lydia, I’ve missed this. I Love your breakfasts.”

  She sits down next to me at the bar and starts filling up her plate. Lydia looks across at her, “So Gabby, Anna told me Elle woke up while you were there last night.”

  “Yeah. They are still watching her though.”

  “Um do you know if anyone has said anything about the arrangements for Leslie?”

  “No ma’am, no one said anything.”

  “Well, sweetie what actually happened?”

  Gabby takes a deep breath, “Well, she said that…someone called her and said that Reece was with someone else at the bar, so she and Leslie were on their way down there. She was speeding and ran the red light. Leslie’s side took most of the impact.”

  Lydia swipes a tear from her eye, “Honey, I’m so sorry. I know you and Elle were close.”

  I hold Gabby’s hand down below the edge of the counter. I know she is feeling guilty for all of her feelings toward Elle. She grips my hand tight, “Well, we did grow up pretty close, but with everything that happened last year and this year…I…I’m not happy she’s hurt or that Leslie died. However, it doesn’t really hurt me like it would if it were Cade. Does that make any sense?”

  Lydia looks at her and nods her head, “Yes sweetie it does. Are you going back down there today?”

  She nods, “I told her I would so yes I am.”

  ~*~

  After we all clean up the breakfast dishes Gabby, Anna and Cade decide they are going to the hospital. Lydia has gone to work, so Daria, Russ and I decide to go with them. We all climb into the Tahoe and drive to the hospital. When we walk into the waiting room I see some familiar faces from the weekend some of them came to see Cade. I also catch the glare from that guy Reece. Who I’m guessing is Anna and Gabby’s mom comes over and hugs them. Gabby looks over to all of us, “Mom these are my roommates, Linc, Russ and Daria…who has become the light of Cade’s life.” Cade rolls his eyes. “Guys this is my Mom Jillian.”

  We all nod with the pleasantries. I can tell from her Mothers expression she isn’t thrilled at the idea of all of us being roommates or being here for that matter. I remember Gabby telling me that her parents kind of blamed her for the whole Elle/Reece/Gabby fiasco. We had a little while before they could get in to visit Elle, so we sat together and passed the time by talking about our classes and football. Some of the guys that came up to visit talked with us. I couldn’t help but notice Gabby really didn’t speak with any of them…Reece just stared at me. Had all of these people really treated her like this? Gabby is one of the nicest people on the planet and for her to basically go out of her way and not speak to them…that means they treated her awful. I did notice a few of the girls spoke to her and asked her about school, they must be some of the ones she kept from beating the crap out of Elle. Reece is still staring a whole through Gabby and I, I mean we are just sitting here, I have my arm thrown over the back of her chair, but so what. He finally gets up and strolls over to us, “Gabby can I speak to you outside?”

  She looks around and then up to him, “No.”

  I move my arm that’s around her so that my hand is on her shoulder, so she knows I’m there. I can feel her relax into it.

  He looks back at her, “Um Yes.”

  She looks at him, “No…Not now.”

  He makes a move to grab her arm and before I could move Cade was up out of his chair. Gabby being Gabby stands up, I’m right there with her. She looks at Reece with a disgusted look, she speaks through her teeth to keep it quiet, “Fine, we’ll talk but if you put a hand on me…let’s just say it’s a damn good thing you’re at a hospital.”

  Everyone looks at each other and she goes to walk out the door with me behind her, Cade sat down once he saw I was walking that way. Reece looks back at me, “We don’t need a chaperone.”

  I look at him calmly, “No you don’t, because she will kill you, but I go where she goes.”

  Gabby looks at me and I see a shimmer in her eyes like she’s going to cry…Oh hell no if he makes her cry he will need this fucking hospital.

  He stops in front of her out in the hall. I lean against the opposite wall to give them space. He folds his arms across his chest, “What do you think you are doing dragging you’re little crew from college here?”

  She glares at him, “First off, I didn’t drag them here. Second off, they are our friends here to support Cade and I. Third off, it’s none of your freaking business.”

  He looks at her, “What kind of friend are you?”

  She looks at him as if he’s slapped her in the face and I’m ready to pounce on him. She shakes her head, “I am a real friend, I don’t fuck around with the guy my best friend like. I don’t talk shit about people behind their back…I don’t tell everyone about their personal business…or intimate details about their life…like you or Elle for that matter.”

  “How dare you talk about her like that in the shape she’s in.”

  “Oh really, you know why she’s in that shape? She was going to the bar because she heard your whore ass was there with someone else. So I can say any fucking thing I want to after the things you guys did to me last year.”

  He ducks his head down, “Whatever Gabby, you go sit back on your high horse and act like you didn’t enjoy the time you and I spent together.”

  At that point I push myself off the wall and stand in between them, “Ok so I’ve let you guys talk, but you will not talk to her that way. For your dumbass information, most girls don’t like being treated like a side item and they don’t like having their sex life spread around town. Especially from an asshole like you, who treats someone like you treated her. If I wasn’t really trying to be a nice guy right now, you’d be in a bed in ICU but, since I’m being a nice guy…Gabby and I are going to go get a soda and come back, when it’s visiting time.”

  “Oh so I suppose she told you that sob story about, me how I didn’t take my time with her since she was a virgin, how I was just this horrible person...”

  I grab her hand and go to walk off before I deck his ass, “No I could’ve figured out you’re a horrible person all on my own.”

  When we get around the corner waiting for the elevators Gabby looks up at me and I can see the tears brimming in her eyes, “Shh…hey don’t cry over that asshole…then I will go back and kick his ass.” I pull her into a tight hug.

  As we step into the elevator, she pulls my face down and kisses me, “Thank you. For being here, for everything…”

  I smile like the goofy idiot I know I am… she laughs.

  I brush her hair from her face, “YOU are very welcome…anytime for you pretty girl.”

  Chapter 22

  Gabby

  I can’t believe Linc just did that for me…no one besides Cade has ever really stood up to Reece for me…well except when he was at that party with us. These feelings I’m getting for Linc I’m sure hoping he can feel too because, I think a heartbreak from him would COMPLETLEY devastate me. We are standing so close in this elevator, I would love to act out one of those movie or TV show scenes where, we push the stop button on the elevator and have wild passion filled mind blowing sex right here, without a care in the world.

  I try to stifle a giggle, but of course Linc heard me, “What are you giggling about?”

  “Oh nothing, just thinking about a movie.”

  He laughs, “Okay whatever…”

  About that time the elevator doors open and we walk down to the snack bar. We sit down with some nachos and drinks. He looks over at me and smiles. I laugh, “What?”

  “I still wanna know what you were
thinking and giggling about in that elevator…since you had just kissed me and all?”

  I laugh, “Oh wouldn’t you like to know.”

  “Yes…I really would…you are letting my imagination run wild here.”

  “Good…gotta keep you on your toes you know.”

  He smiles at me and I really could just melt right here in this seat…a puddle of mushy girl goo. “I really do appreciate the way you handled the whole Reece thing. Cade would’ve beat the crap out of him and we didn’t need that here. I think your calmness kinda scared him.” I laughed, “You know that whole speak softly and carry a big stick think.” About that time my phone chimed that I had a text.

  Anna: Come back up here now…

  Me: Okay on my way.

  Come on we gotta go back up.

  As I round the corner into the waiting room I can hear soft sobs…I get to Anna, “What is going on?”

  “Well, the doctors just came out and told Mary and Todd that Elle had a blood clot that burst and they had to put her on life support. They think it went to her brain, they won’t know for a couple of hours they are doing some scans and some tests to find out.”

  I feel deflated, “She seemed fine last night…were they expecting anything like this?”

  “No they said it was always a slight risk from the surgery and the accident, but they weren’t really worried about it.”

  ~*~

  A couple of hours pass by and they finally have come out to update her parents. From their reactions I don’t think its good news. I walk over to my mother, she looks at me and we step outside in the hall, “They said the clot did go to her brain and for all purposes she’s brain dead.”

  “I’m really sorry for them, so what happens now?”

  “Well, they are deciding about the life support, but prepare yourself.”

  “I’m prepared.”

  “And I think it’s time you ask your friends to go, this needs to just be her family and friends now.”

  “Excuse me, they are here to support Cade and I.”

  “Well, you guys need to have your real friends around right now, not some stragglers you’ve brought from college.”

  “Look, these people are my real friends. The people from here aren’t my life anymore and really for that matter neither was Elle. I’m here out of respect that’s all…we didn’t have a friendship anymore. You can’t be friends with someone you don’t trust.”

  “Oh Gabby grow up, get over yourself…see the bigger picture.”

  “I did see the bigger picture Mother, when she betrayed me. The guy part didn’t bother me as much as the betrayal by my best friend, then when they came to town for the game and acted like that, I was really done.”

  “Gabby I…”

  Right then Mary sticks her head out the door and asks me to come in there to say my goodbyes. I look at my mother with a cold stare and then back to Mary, “Yes Ma’am.”

  They lead me through a set of double doors and into her room, where they’ve unhooked everything and her monitors are beeping slower and slower. I walk over to the bed and grab her hand, “So Elle…this is it huh…” I wipe a tear from my eye, “So I hope you are somewhere that you aren’t feeling pain right now. You hurt me Elle in so many ways, but I still don’t think this was karma.” I lean over and kiss her forehead, “I’m sorry this happened to you and I wish we could go back to being ten in a tree house, but that all ended…I loved you like a sister and I really do hope that you are in a better place.”

  I walk back out into the waiting room where everyone looks at me, I calmly walk over to where my friends are sitting and grab Linc’s hand and they all stand up and follow me out of the room.

  No one asks any questions as we drive back to Cade’s house, when we get out of the car I go straight inside Cade’s and up to my room there. I crawl into the bed and a few minutes later I feel the bed dip down and I look up to see Linc crawling into bed with me.

  “Hey how are you doing?”

  I rub my eyes, “I’m fine, just mentally worn out. My mother doesn’t help matters any.”

  “Yeah I kinda got the vibe she didn’t like us being there.”

  “Yeah, she was kinda a bitch to me about it…she still thinks this place is my life and that all of these people are my life. She kinda thought Elle and I would work things out…or that I would be the one to give in the way I always had in our friendship.”

  He reaches and brushes the hair from my face and put my hand around his neck and pull him to me. The kiss starts out slow, but the longer it goes the needier and demanding we get of each other. His hands run down my sides and I pull him over on top of me and he settles between my legs. I can feel just how much he wants me and I really want him. I tug his shirt up over his head and run my hands down his chest. He pushes my shirt up and tugs the cups of my bra down. He puts his mouth on my breast and start teasing me. A moan escapes my mouth.

  Knock knock knock!

  “Shit!” I whisper. He tries not to laugh.

  I speak up, “Who is it?”

  “It’s Anna. Hey Mom is down stairs and she needs to talk to you.”

  I keep pushing Linc’s mouth away, so I don’t giggle. “I’ll be down in a minute, I was napping.” Linc has this huge grin on his face.

  “Okay I’ll let her know.”

  I look at Linc, “As much as I would LOVE to continue what we were just doing, I need to go see what my mother wants.” I stand up and adjust my clothes, “Are you coming down with me?”

  He gives me that one sided grin, “Um no, I’ve ugh got something I need to take care of…in the bathroom.”

  I giggle, “Sorry…I wish I could help you with that.”

  He pulls me to him, “We’ll see about you helping me out later.”

  I give him a quick kiss on the lips and go down stairs. As I reach the bottom step I see my Mother in the foyer. I walk in there with her, “Hey let’s go to the kitchen.”

  She follows me into the kitchen, “So Gabriella, are you planning on coming home this visit or are you going to stay holed up over here?”

  “I planned on staying in my room here.”

  “Look young lady, I was always understanding of your relationship with Cade and Lydia was always nice enough to let you stay over here, but you and your sister need to come home.”

  “Okay, maybe later.”

  “Um no now, and you’ve been asked to sing at Elle’s funeral.”

  “I’m not singing at her funeral.”

  “Yes, you are I said you would.”

  “Well then you can tell them that you spoke too quickly. Because I haven’t sang in front of anyone in a long time and I am not singing at a funeral.”

  Chapter 23

  Linc

  I felt guilty coming down the stairs; I could hear Gabby and her mother before I made it down there. As I reach the bottom of the stairs, I see Anna walk into the kitchen. Then I hear more of the argument.

  “No Mother I am not singing at a funeral. Like I said I haven’t sang in a long time.”

  “Mom, Gabby, chill out everyone can hear.”

  I hear their Mom, “Well everyone wouldn’t hear if she wasn’t over here hiding out.”

  “Mom I’m not over here hiding out. We stayed here last night because you guys weren’t home and Anna didn’t want to stay by herself.”

  Her mom pipes in again, “Well will you be staying at home tonight since they are doing the funerals day after tomorrow?”

  “No, I have to get back to school.”

  “Gabriella Lewis, you will stay for the funeral.”

  “No I’m not.”

  Anna breaks in, “Mom, Gabby stop. Gabby just stay until the funeral and then leave right after. Just stay over here until then. Mom leave her alone; she doesn’t want to sing at her ex-best friends funeral you can’t make her….and for what it’s worth I don’t blame her.”

  Her Mom storms past me and out the front door, slamming it.

  Gabby and Anna w
alk into the living room and flop down on the couch.

  Cade is the first one to chime in, “What the fuck was that all about Gabby? Why is she acting like you’ve never stayed here before and…?”

  Gabby stops him, “You know she’s always thought the sun rose and set on Elle’s ass. Even after everything that happened she still thought we would sort it all out.” Gabby throws her hands in the air.

  I walk over and sit down beside Gabby I lean over and whisper to her, “Hey lets go for a ride somewhere. Just you and me…you need some time to think and process all of this.”

  She smiles and nods. I speak up, “Guys, I’m going to take Gabby for a ride. She needs a little bit of time to process and all.”

  Daria looks up, “Yeah get her out of here for a little bit, she needs to breathe.”

  Anna nods and Cade gets up and pulls her off the couch into a hug, “Look Gab we gotta get through the next few days, so go get some peace and quiet. We’ll be fine.”

  Anna looks up, “Hey Russ and I are gonna go grab some pizza and wings to bring back here in a little bit. I’m sure Mom will be over at Mary’s house and Dad is still with Leslie’s Dad. That way Lydia won’t try to cook for us again, these guys eat like horses.”

  The three of us all balk about how much we eat. Cade laughs, “Shit Anna she’s used to feeding growing boys.”

  ~*~

  I look over at her as we pull out of the drive way, “So where to?”

  She looks over at me, “Um just take this street to the main highway that we came in on and go south. You’ll see a sign for McLarron Lake, turn there follow it to the end.”

  Once I pull up to the lake I have to wonder if this is the lake she’s told me about. “Gab, hey is this where you guys hung out in school?”

  “No, we past that lake on the way in yesterday. I like to come here alone and think, not many people come here. You can’t put boats and stuff in here so not that many people come here.” She walks over to a little dock and sits down.