[complete] #2
"This isn't amusing. You're smiling, and your face is all bruised and bleeding. Is that not putting you in more pain?" Ren shifted on her feet and placed a hand on her hip. I smiled wider when her cheeks began to flush.
"Maybe just a t...
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G A B R I E L
I didn't react when I found out she was captured. I knew something was still off, and I stood corrected when she escaped custody a while afterwards. It was my gut telling me not to let my guard down yet, and I wasn't going to.
Especially not when we were driving to a safe house with the FBI.
"Two, maybe three days," Serenity was sitting next to me in the car, talking to her mother on her phone. "Of course, I'll be back home... I told you this is what the FBI said... Yes, the FBI... Well, you're supposed to care because a nut job is- you know what? I'll call you later... I told you to not worry about me. How is that making this just your problem? If the FBI is involved, surely it's everyone's problem. Oh my- I'll call you when I have to."
She abruptly hung up and sighed. Her cheeks were flushed, and even though she was whispering into the phone the whole time, she knew I would've heard anyway. Ren was embarrassed. Her eyes didn't meet mine for the rest of the ride, so I held onto her hand tightly, relieved when she squeezed my hand back.
I wasn't too sure what was going on. My head was still in a state of numbness, making me nod to everything that was said to me. The words went in one ear and out the other. Sometimes, Ren spoke to me, and I couldn't understand what she was trying to say. I didn't think she minded that I was out of it most of the time. She understood and had all the patience in the world to stay with me anyway.
I almost said how much I loved her last week when we were laying on her bed, and she read to me. I wished I did, but if I opened my mouth to say those words, I would've cried. Every time I cried, she did, too, and it broke my heart.
When we got to the safe house, the FBI got out of the car first, opening the doors for us before leading the way into a small building. It was cozy. With Ren glued to my side and having my friends here, safe with me, I was relieved.
But not all of them were here.
My eyes wandered around the room, narrowing on hallways I couldn't see, back to River, his mother and Nia. None of my family members were in sight. One of the FBI agents said they had my house protected, and I wasn't sure I trusted them to do that. Nothing was explaining the absence of Nico and Zion. Pearl was next to River. They were conversing. Maybe about our friends' whereabouts.
I took a step to ask them but stopped. I didn't want to talk to Pearl yet. Something was holding me back from even looking her way. Yes, I was mad at her for choosing to hurt Zion instead of letting Zandra kill me, but what else was she supposed to do? Zion would've taken my place if I hadn't hurt Zandra the night I escaped. That was why I was angry.
