THE NEW GIRL

130. LULLABY.

ANDRÉ'S POV:

I was seated on a sofa in my room while I concentrated on my assignment in my laptop when I heard some mumbling and I looked at Gabriella on my bed fast asleep. She stayed over last night.

She's just having a dream.

I focused back to the assignment but I couldn't. Gabriella drew my attention. Something caught my eye this time. Her forehead was creased and soaked with sweat. She mumbled something I couldn't get. Her head kept on turning to the left and right as the words that left her mouth increased in number and volume.

"I'm scared." She said. "No, no no don't touch me." She was breathing heavily now. "NO! DAD! YOU'RE LYING!" She screamed in fear. "No! No! Leave me alone! Leave me!"

"Brie?" I rushed to her immediately. From her upper chest to above was soaked with sweat. Even her head was drenched with sweat. "Baby wake up." I shook her gently.

"NO! NO!" She shouted as she pushed my hands away. "Leave me alone!" Her lower lips trembled and it seemed that she was about to release a sob.

"Brie it's me — André. It's Dré." I went fully on top of the bed and brought her body up.

"Dré?" Her body softened as she said it.

"Yes, Dré. It's me. Open your eyes." I cupped her face.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she turned and looked at me. "Dré?" She whispered.

"It's okay." I hugged her.

"I-I-I had a nightmare Dré. Actually I had nightmares. They were all scrambled up. One second I'm in a dream, the other second, I'm in another. They were all scary Dré." Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"It's okay. It's okay Brie." I gently stroked her hair with my fingers.

Brie remained like that for a couple of hours. Scared, paranoid and shaky. She didn't want to leave my side, neither did she allow me to leave her side. Even Diamond couldn't make her go back to the bubbly Gabriella. I was running out of ideas but I finally found one. One that I did not agree to at first.

I sat on the bed and stared at the number on my phone screen with great hesitation. I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I still have her number printed in my mind.

I looked back at Gabriella who was sleeping again with Diamond laid next to her also in great slumber then back at the number. I stood up from the bed slowly and also secretly crept out of the room.

As I descended down the stairs after closing the door, I dialed the number I thought I could never have dialed in my life — even though I was at the verge of death. It began to ring.

Immediately, she picked and I rolled my eyes.

"Hello?" Her soft feminine spoke through the speaker of the phone. "Please who is this?"

"Don't you have truecaller on you phone or you didn't check the ID of the caller before picking?" I spoke arrogantly to her.

There was a second of silence before she spoke. "André? Is it you?" I heard her gasp a little.

"Yes Anna, it's me." I said while my hand was in my pocket.

"How-How are you?" She inquired.

"Last time I checked, it isn't your business." I spoke.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Her voice became sad and that irritated me so much. I was losing my patience.

"Look, the reason why I'm calling is if you and Gabriella can....do whatever the two of you we're doing the other day."