INNOCENT (Gabe's Trials)

Echoes of the past

The door to my apartment was unlocked and I hesitated for a moment before making my way inside -but only for a moment. After all, it was my fucking house and considering everything that I'd been through in the last 12 hours or so, whoever it was, the one tresspassing should've thanked God if he or she was getting out alive. 

Pushing the front door open further and reaching for the huge baseball bat I kept near the door, I made sure to make as little noise as possible while taking small steps towards the bedroom. I was so sick and tired of sneaking around, escaping mob mansions and having my life threatened, but I also knew that there was no other way for me to get the rest I so much needed. Appearently, a victim was still needed tonight and that victim was certainly not going to be me.

Just as I carefully approached the area, soft footsteps resonated through the door, my heart starting to furiously pump blood through my veins. The floor in my bedroom screached a little and that's exactly when I pushed the door in front of me open, getting ready to swing the bat and knock the intruder flat on his or her back.

A sharp scream broke into the silence a second later, my friend jumping back and tripping over her own two legs.

"Lila?" I said, confusion and a small trace of relief coating my voice. It took me a while to remember the text I'd received from her, the dots only connecting after helping my friend to stand. But come on now! Can you honestly blame me for forgetting such a thing after everything that I'd learned about Gabriel shocking the hell out of me?

"Where the fuck have you been, Jules? I've been waiting here for you to arrive home for the entire night and when you finally do arrive, you almost give me a heart attack." Lila panted, her voice shrill and angry, her hands slightly shaking. "And what the fuck were you trying to do with that thing?" She asked pointing at the bat I was still holding with one hand.

"What do you think?" I asked, sarcastically raising a brow. "I didn't know it was you, you little idiot. You scared the shit out of me too." Her laugh resonated throughout the room.

"Who could've been if not me?" That was a damn stupid question coming from my friend. Lila was way smarter than that.

"God, Lila! I don't know. An intruder maybe? A fucking thief?" The sarcasm seeping from my voice made my friend's eyes narrow on me, the look on her face, one of disapproval. Ok, so maybe I was being a little bitchy and even unfair to her, but it could've been a lot worse, considering I was already doing my best to control what little was left of my frail nerves.

"I texted you earlier. I thought you'd seen the message." Lila mumbled pouting, her eyes all sad and teary. God, she was good at making me feel like the bitch I was.

"I'd seen the text and trust me when I say that I tried to come home then, but I was rather..." I paused, searching for the right word to describe my situation. "...caught up with something." Something? I think you mean ropes, dear. You were being caught up with ropes. My conscience snarled, her ego still offended by Gabriel's means of persuasion.

"Jules, do you mind me being here? Because, I can go and come back some other time, you know?" My friend suggested, her eyes carefully following my each and every move, probably in the attempt to gauge my reaction. "Jules, what happened?" The question had left her lips in the form of a breathless whisper and I couldn't help but look at her. The sadness in her eyes took me aback. In fact, there was something completely different about my friend this evening. She seemed somewhat younger. Lost even.

Quickly shaking my head and dismissing her earlier question, I took a seat next to her on the bed and took her hands in mine.

"We can talk about me later. Now you tell me what's wrong. Has Kevin done or said something? Have you two fought?" Lila shook her head, her eyes tearing up once again.