All Things Denied 12 - 'Sandy's Sleepy'

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Notes of a Journey Trilogy
Book 1
All Things Denied

Chapter 12 - 'Sandy's Sleepy'

A Gaby FanFic by PB

Nine girls, plenty of sodapop and pizza. What could go wrong here?


 

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Photo Credit: Used with her permission....“Let Me In”  © by simpledrama .
 


 
Chapter 12
 

“GABEEEEEE!” Brit squealed as she was joined by Darla and Sab in an impromptu greeting party.

“Hiya, Gabs!” Sab joined in.

“We thought you weren't coming,” Darla mentioned as she looped her arm around Gaby’s.

“Yeah … well,” Gaby dryly conceded.

“C’mon … it’s cold out here,” Ally whined as she peered out of the opened door.

Gaby was marched up the steps and into Sandy's flat by the three other girls.

“Gabeeeee!”

A second round of overdone welcoming ensued. Despite the greeting, she still wasn’t enthusiastic about being there.

“So what's first on the agenda, girls ... movie or food?” Sandy bubbled.

“Movie!” several voices chorused.

“Can you look after that Em? I'll get the drinks and snacks.”

“You okay Gabs? You don’t look too ‘with it’,” Britney inquired.

“Tired an’ a bit cold,” Gaby half-lied. “I don’t wanna be here ... ‘ow do you expect me to look?"

“Come on … we can snuggle!” she enthused as she pulled a rather unenthusiastic Gaby onto Sandy's sofa.

“What're we watching Em?” Darla asked.

“Bring It On!”

“Kewel … I haven’t seen that in ages!” Amy exclaimed.

“What's it about?” Bern piped up.

“Oh, you'll like it Bern. It’s about these…” Sab started.

“Shhhh! Don't tell ‘em Sab!” Britney insisted.

Sandy’s sofa very quickly became the choice viewing spot. Gaby ended up sandwiched between Britney and Maddy, with Amy and Ally occupying the other end. Sab, Bern and Darla were making themselves comfortable on the floor in front of the sofa. Em had started the movie and joined them just as Sandy returned with a tray of hot chocolate.

“Can I help?” Em asked handing out the cups.

“No … it’s okay … thanks, anyways!” Sandy replied.

“Here we go … popcorn and…” she passed a bowl up to Amy, “…Potato chips.”

Maddy snuggled up to Gaby causing Gaby to put her arm behind her girlfriend. During the film, Britney decided to copy Maddy and also snuggle up to Gaby.

“Is this what they mean by a chick magnet?” Gaby wondered. Once the movie started, she did everything she could to ignore the film including mentally re-hashing the day’s events and cat-napping. Thankfully, no one noticed.

After the film, Sandy got up off the floor where she’d been snuggling with Em."You guys ready to eat now?”

“I'm starving,” Ally stated.

“I'll help!” Em enthused.

“So what're we doing now?” Bern asked no one in particular.

Gaby discreetly checked her watch. “Only eight thirty! Geez ... this is gonna be painful!”

“How about nails?” Amy suggested, “I've brought all my stuff.”

“Food will be about twenty minutes,” Sandy announced from the kitchen.

“Maybe we should eat first ... ya know ... before we start stuff like that,” Sab proposed.

“We could play cards for a bit,” Darla suggested, “Then do nails after.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Britney enthused. Turning to face Gaby, she again asked, “You sure you’re okay, Gab?”

“I guess ... just a bit tired.” Any lack of enthusiasm in Gaby’s reply, was missed by her host.

“That's all that bike riding you do!” Amy put forward with an air of authority.

“Sandy? You got any cards?” Sab asked.

“Yeah ... I’m pretty sure I do,” Sandy answered.

"Um … what're the sleeping arrangements?” Gaby asked as Sandy disappeared into her bedroom.

“Don't worry about that Gabs! That's hours away,” Britney replied.

“That’s … what I’m afraid of,” Gaby mumbled under her breath.

Sandy produced a deck of playing cards and the girls started an impromptu round of pontoon. Gaby was ‘out’ first so she grabbed a seat in one of the plush chairs in Sandy’s living room. She used the time to watch the others and ponder her situation.

“Pontoon!” Maddy loudly announced.

“Aw...”

“Darn!”

“Nuther round?” Maddy asked while surveying the faces of the other girls.

“Okay,” Britney agreed gathering the cards up. “Gabs ... you in?”

“Nah ... I'll watch,” Gaby replied.

“Would ya check the pizza’s, then?” Sandy asked.

“Sure.”

“Careful of the oven door ... it sometimes swings a bit,” Sandy cautioned.

“Thanks for the warning,” Gaby called back, as she was about to open it.

After looking at the pizza’s, she decided that it would be safer to pull kitchen duty than to venture back out to the living room and the unknown – meaning the other girls.

“They okay?” Sandy called out.

“Few more minutes,” Gaby announced.

Taking the pizza’s from the oven, she then proceeded to cut them into slices. She then pulled out some plates and placed them on the counter.

Food’s up people!” Gaby called out.

The cards were quickly abandoned and the girls descended on the kitchen like a flock of locusts, quickly stripping the plates of food.

After debating the merits of cake, Sandy enquired, “So we doing nails now?”

“Leave that till later when we've changed!” Britney suggested.

“How ‘bout the hair!” Sabrina exclaimed.

“Great idea! Who’s first?” Darla asked.

For the next hour or so Gaby, Em and Darla found themselves at the mercy of the other wanna-be hair stylists. After the nightmare was over, they found themselves with a ridiculous amount of styling foam and very sticky and stupid punk hair do's. Jules would’ve been so envious!

“I've got to wash my hair!” Gaby flatly stated.

“Me too!” Em agreed.

“Darla?” Sandy inquired

“Well … I can't leave mine like this!” Darla mentioned.

“You use my bathroom, Darla. Em and Gab ... you two go over to the house. It'll be quicker that way.” Sandy instructed.

“Good idea!” Em agreed, “C’mon, Gabs … grab your coat!”

If Gaby was feeling tired up to that point, she was fully awake when Em opened the main door to Sandy’s apartment.

“Bloody ‘ell! It’s cold out here!” Gaby cried out.

“Brrrr” agreed Em as she very quickly led the way across the paved courtyard to the Jones mansion! When they entered the kitchen door, a voice called out.

“Who's there? Is that you Sandy?”

“It's only us, Mary ... Em and Gaby!” Em replied.

Mrs. Jones then entered the kitchen.

“Oh ... hi, girls! My, those are rather … interesting … hairstyles!”

“Um ... you could say that,” Gaby timidly agreed.

“Everything okay over there? I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow,” Mary questioned.

“Everything’s fine … but Sandy suggested that we came over here to wash our hair. Darla’s using Sandy’s loo to wash hers,” Em explained and then looking at Gaby, she suggested, “We ... ummm ... kinda got carried away with the hair thing.”

“Well ...okay ... you know where it is Em, but please try to keep the noise down. Kevin's room is right above and I only just got him down.”

“Sure thing,” Em agreed.

“I expect I'll see you in the morning then ... goodnight girls.”

“G’nite, Mrs. Jones...” Gaby replied. It was only then she realized Mary was ready for bed.

“Night Mary!” Em quietly called out.

Gaby silently followed Em out to the main hallway and made their way to a door under the stairway.

“You take the shower ... an’ I’ll use the sink,” Em offered as she indicated the shower behind the opened door.

“Okay. Any shampoo?” Gaby inquired

“Hmmmm ... yeah ... right here!” Em quietly replied as she searched the cabinet beside the sink. She also produced its companion conditioner.

Gaby decided it would be easier to wash her hair if she just had a shower, so while Em got set to struggle in the sink, she stripped down and entered the soothing waters. She was enjoying the hot water cascading down over her skin when Em ruined the mood by knocking on the shower stall door.

“C’mon, Gaby … we're missing the party!” Em enthusiastically announced.

“Yeah ... okay ... if we must,” Gaby replied as she got out. It was clear by Em’s facial expression, that Gaby had pushed her buttons with the unenthusiastic response.

“What did you mean by that? Ya sound like you’d rather be somewhere else!” Em stated.

“You don’t really want me to answer that ... do you, Em?” Gaby dryly commented as she turned to face in Em’s direction.

“Rhod!” Gaby hissed, trying to remember Mrs. Jones and Kevin asleep upstairs.

“Shush! Mary might hear you ... and it’s Em … not ... Rhod!” Em firmly but quietly countered.

“Okay ... Em! But what have you done to your hair?” Gaby exclaimed in a loud whisper.

“Nothing … why?” Em wondered.

“I strongly suggest you turn around, wipe off the mirror and take a good look,” Gaby quietly urged, ever mindful that they might be overheard.

“Why?” she indignantly replied.

“Just take a look!” Gaby impatiently ordered. Em turned around and with a dry facecloth, wiped the steam off a portion of the mirror.

“Oh, shit!” Em whined, forgetting about the volume of her voice.

“Quiet!” Gaby hissed. “Upstairs ... remember? Now ... where’s the stuff you used?”

“Huh?”

“Your shampoo! C’mon ... we haven’t got all night!” Gaby urged.

“Okay, okay ... it’s right here!” Em grabbed the tube and read the label. “Oh bugger! Mum'll kill me.” In shock, Em passed the tube of ‘shampoo’ to Gaby.

“Henna conditioner with B2 .... that's the stuff we used on Sonia ... oh ... shit!” Gaby realized the enormity of Em’s blunder.

“I’m so dead!” Em moaned.

“It'll have washed out by the time we go back,” Gaby optimistically replied as she examined Em’s new head of red hair. “You must’ve accidently used Mrs. Jones’s hair colouring! If we have to … we can always dye it back ... can't we?”

“I guess. I’m … like ... so ... dead,” Em fatalistically stated.

“So you’ve said … look … let me get dressed and we'll go back to the flat,” Gaby offered.

“Apartment,” Em replied automatically.

“Whatever!” Gaby conceded as she rolled her eyes at Em.

Gaby quickly got dressed and together with a red-headed Em, ran across to Sandy’s place. The drop in temperature immediately struck the pair as they stepped out of the back door of the main house.

Shut that door!” Someone yelled from the top of the stairs that led up to Sandy’s apartment.

“Oh … my … God! Rh ... Em ... what have you done?” Bernie squealed when she caught sight of the two girls. Em immediately burst into tears and ran to her bedroom slamming the door behind her.

“Gab? What's going on?” Sandy asked as she came out of the kitchen.

“Um ... h-s-s-he had a bit of an accident with your mom’s hair colouring,” Gaby quietly admitted.

“Tell me you’re kidding!” Sandy frantically appealed.

“Nooooo....” Gaby softly acknowledged.

“Red!” Bernie volunteered. She was the only one other than Gaby to have actually seen Em.

“Quite red,” Gaby confirmed as everyone now looked at her.

“How can you ‘accidentally' dye your hair?” Darla asked.

“Well…” Gaby explained the chain of events. “…an’ I guess Em thought it was just conditioner.”

They could still hear Em crying in her room.

“I'll sort her out,” Ally stated.

“Try to calm her down and get her back out here,” Sandy suggested.

“Okay!” Ally knocked on Em’s door and without waiting for an answer, went in and shut the door behind her.

“Bummer,” Amy sighed.

“C’mon guys ... she'll be okay. Ally will calm her down. Let’s do our nails!” Britney tried her best to lift the dampened mood.

“Good idea,” Maddy agreed.

By the time Em and Ally re-emerged into the main room Gaby had a ‘French Polish' on her hands as did the majority in attendance. They seemed to think it would look ‘neat’ for the cheer competition next week.

“You okay, Em?” Sandy asked.

“No, she's not!” Ally sharply replied as she shot Gaby a knowing glance.

“Ummm ... Em? You know? Now that I've looked at it, I kinda like it ... that colour really suits you,” Darla confessed. Several of the others confirmed her comment.

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better ... are you?” Em tearfully asked.

“I don’t think so. That colour really does look good on you, Em...” Gaby softly offered.

“We too late for nails?” Ally enthusiastically asked, hoping to change the subject.

“Never!” Sab stated.

“Anyone for cake?” Sandy asked no one in particular.

While the other girls turned their attentions to Em and Ally’s nails, Gaby wandered into the kitchenette to help Sandy.

“I think this is turning out pretty well ... don’t you, Gaby?” Sandy mused as the two girls worked on the food preparation.

“Except for Rrr ... Em's hair,” Gaby agreed. “I guess it hasn’t been that bad, but I wish I could talk to Maddy ... alone."

“Um ... any more ideas?” Gaby asked as she was getting the plates for the cake.

“Dunno Gab ... I've got some games?” Sandy meekly offered.

“Hey ... Gabs!” Britney called out, “We getting that cake before morning?”

“Just pouring the drinks!” Gaby cheerfully answered. As she emptied the last of the soda, a couple of the girls stared at her with the empty bottle in her hand.

“What?” Gaby exclaimed.

“Let’s spin the bottle,” Bernie suggested as she took the bottle from Gaby’s hand and started to wash it out.

“What's that?” Amy asked.

“You know, we all sit round and like … spin a bottle … and whoever it points to has to do something or answer a question or something,” Bern explained.

“So that’s spin the bottle!” Amy grinned.

“An’ yer not even blonde!” Sab sarcastically commented as she shook her head.

“Count me in,” Britney stated.

“Who’s first,” Sandy wondered.

Recalling Anna’s ‘sleepover’, Gaby was just glad it wasn't ‘forfeits’. Moving the coffee table into the middle of Sandy’s living room, all the girls arranged themselves in a circle on the floor. After several turns at the bottle, it was finally Maddy’s turn again.

Whor, whor, whorr, whorrr, whorrrrrr, shrum.

“Gabeee!” Darla exclaimed.

“Damn!” Gaby thought to herself.

“Truth or dare, Gabs?” Maddy mischievously asked.

Gaby thought about her options. Things started innocently enough, but then quickly moved to a new level. First, there was a display of bra removal while keeping their top on, then a confession of love for Brad Pitt and a leg-kissing episode. In her last turn, Maddy took a dare and had to play tonsil-tag with Amy. How Gaby wished she was on the receiving end of that kiss!

“Truth?” Gaby nervously stated.

“Go for it Gabs!” Ally encouraged amidst cheers from the others.

Maddy must have been thinking of a question for a while before because she immediately came back.

“Who would you most like to snog?” she suggestively asked.

“Besides you?” Gaby replied in an equally suggestive manner, to the amusement of Ally and Bernie. Maddy was blushing profusely upon hearing Gaby's answer.

“Is that your answer, Gaby?” Sandy asked.

Gaby looked at her and then quickly back to Maddy. Her blush told Gaby what she really felt about the impromptu answer. However, for appearance’s sake, Gaby shrugged her shoulders and quickly answered, “Angelina Jolie”.

“Ew!” Sab screwed up her face.

“Grow up Sab! I'd even kiss her,” Darla voiced.

“Good one Gabs,” Bernie added.

When she thought about it, Bernie saw Maddy’s question as an attempt to put Gaby on the spot, hoping Drew would keep up appearances and name some hunk, allowing Maddy to cause him some embarrassment. Instead, Gaby answered truthfully and threw it right back at her.

Gaby grabbed the bottle for her turn to spin.

“Ready?”

“Spin it!” Amy prompted. The game continued to about eleven when Sandy suggested they all get changed and figure out the sleeping arrangements.

“Your stuff is in my room, Gabs!” Em cheerfully announced.

“Thanks.”

“If we hurry and change … we can get a good spot to sleep,” Britney suggested.

Gaby found that her host had packed a nightgown and a change of clothes for her, plus a sleeping bag for each of them. Shortly after changing, Britney looked over Sandy’s living room in a halfhearted attempt to pick out her spot.

“We just going to bed?” Maddy inquired.

“As if!” Darla indignantly replied.

Gaby again found herself sandwiched between her ‘protectors’ as they settled down for the mandatory ‘ghost stories'. Maddy had even managed to zip Gaby’s sleeping bag with her own while Gaby was in Em’s room, changing. Sometime after everyone had settled in, Darla took her turn and started a rather unique rendition of “Sleepy Hollow”. While un-noticed by the others, Gaby gave into exhaustion and soon fell asleep.

Early the next morning when she woke up to use the facilities, Gaby surveyed her surroundings and the location of all the sleeping bodies. By the time she left the bathroom, a couple of the other bundles of bedclothes had briefly stirred then retreated under the several layers of blankets.

“Mornin'” a bleary eyed Maddy softly offered as Gaby returned to her bed on the floor, “Wassa time?”

“Um … seven-thirtyish,” Gaby whispered.

“Urgh!” Maddy groaned and started to pull the sleeping bag up as far as it would go.

“Mad? ... You think we can make some time before we get picked up an’ talk ... just the two of us?” Gaby whispered.

“Suppose so ... what ‘bout now?” Maddy quietly replied as she lowered the sleeping bag off her face. Gaby looked around and grimaced at the other bodies scattered around the floor.

“They’re still asleep ... so we’re as good as alone ... besides ... everyone out here knows about you ... us.”

“Not everyone!” Gaby hissed as she made a motion towards Sab. “I know she was in on Gaby’s appearances back in Warsop … but she doesn’t know about us!”

“Okay ... but she’s out like a light. So what’s on your mind?” Maddy softly wondered.

“I know you didn’t accept that dinner date with Sam ... but I still get the feeling you’re hiding sumpthin. All I wanna know is the truth about you an’ Sam ... an’ why you said what you did walking to Erin’s last Saturday. Please Mad? I need to know!” Gaby quietly pleaded.

Maddy suddenly became serious and she hissed, “I told you! Nothing is going on!”

“That’s what you’ve said ... but your reactions to my questions say different!” Gaby hissed her own reply. Maddy glared at her before she rolled over and pretended to go back to sleep, totally ignoring any further attempts by Gaby to talk.

After a few minutes of silence and staring at Maddy’s back, Gaby got out from under the opened sleeping bag and made her way back to the bathroom to wash up after which she then headed to Em’s room to get changed. While Gaby made her way to the bathroom, Ally, who had heard and witnessed the exchange, noticed Maddy open her eyes and traces of a smile break out on her face, before closing them again.

As Gaby quietly crept back down the hall from Em's room, Maddy pretended to stir a second time. She assumed her girlfriend would be returning to bed beside her but instead noticed she was all dressed and had her make-up applied.

“Where you think yer going?” Maddy softly asked as Gaby started down the stairs to Sandy’s main door.

“Out!” Gaby quietly snapped.

“What for?” Maddy questioned in an innocent, yet hushed voice.

“To think!”

“About what?” Gaby sighed then came back up the few steps she had descended and knelt down beside Maddy.

“Us!” she quietly replied.

“Oh...” Maddy sounded like a little girl who’s been caught at some mischief, by her mother.

“I’m starting to get a little fed up with the way you’ve been treating me ... dumping me into things for a quick laugh ... treating me as two people, whenever you find it convenient ... an’ now, how that seems to be most of the time! You seem to forget that I’m your boyfriend ... or so you claim. You’ve also told me over an’ over … Gaby is your girlfriend ... only now, for some unexplained reason ... she’s not! Yet ... you always seem to want her around. Why? Gee ... I dunno ... can you tell me?”

Maddy couldn’t recall when she last saw Gaby so angered.

“Anyway ... you think real hard about it an’ maybe … just maybe … we’ll talk later!” Gaby firmly, but quietly delivered her little speech with no attempt to hide her displeasure.

Maddy became very sombre and rolled over while Gaby stood up and quickly resumed her planned exit from Sandy’s flat. At the bottom of the stairs, she pulled on her boots and threw on her quilted jacket. Seeing it was snowing again, she pulled the faux-fur lined hood over her head before going out the door and quietly closing it behind her.
When she heard the door click shut, Ally got out of her own sleeping bag and before going down to Em’s room to get changed she went over and knelt down beside Maddy

“I know you’re awake ... so no use pretending you’re not!” Ally whispered.

Maddy remained still, lying on her back. When it eventually became clear to her that Ally wasn’t going to leave, she reluctantly opened her eyes and looked up at her. Following a heavy sigh, she rolled onto her stomach and propped herself up so she was looking directly at her friend.

“You better think about wot Gaby said … and think real hard, Maddy Peters ... or you’ll soon find yourself all alone. No Drew! ... No Gaby! ... No friends!”

Maddy rolled back over, seemingly unaffected by her friend’s plea but in her mind, she was agonizing over her Gaby’s unexpected stance.

“Please Maddy? Think hard about wot she said. She loves you, you know and you’re only...” Ally pleaded and then seeing her friend’s indifference, went off to get changed.
As Maddy watched Ally step over her and walk down the hall towards Em’s room, a large tear rolled down the side of her face.

Once dressed, Ally hurried out of the bedroom and down the stairs, where she quickly threw on her coat and boots and then quietly went out the front door. Fearing she’d lost track of Gaby, she stood in the glow of Sandy’s porch light, looking around for any fresh footprints in the still falling snow. It wasn’t long before she caught sight of a faint set of prints that led along the front of Sandy’s place, then disappeared into the darkness. As she quietly followed the trail, she heard muffled sobs the closer she got to the corner of the former stables.

“Gaby? Is there anything I can do?” Ally softly asked as she knelt down beside her.

Even as Gaby shook her head, Ally stood up and eased her friend to her feet and then held her in a tight hug. As they stood holding each other, Ally gently pushed Gaby’s head onto her shoulder and let her have a good cry.

“Wh ... (sob) ... why ... (sniff) is Maddy ... Why?”

After several minutes, a more composed Gaby broke the hug and in hushed tones told Ally, “I need to think ... alone ... somewhere I can be me ... no pretending … an’ just think.”

“Think about what?”

“The trip ... everything. I have no friends at school an’ I don’t know why ... the other kids won’t talk to me an’ it’s been like that since our first day! I know they’re talking about me in the corridors an’ everything ... ‘cuz they stop when I look at them ... an’ whenever I do try to talk to them ... they just walk away as if I didn’t exist.” Ally knew there was more, there had to be to upset her friend so.

“That’s not it ... is it, Drew? ... I know you and you wouldn’t let something like that bother you like this. You’re made of sterner stuff! Now what is it, really? C’mon ... talk to me, please ... I want to help.”

With a shrug of the shoulders and a deep sigh, Gaby relented.

“I don’t know why ... but the gang’s changing an' you’re all pushing me away! Why? The odd time we are together, I can't even talk to you guys ... you just carry on among yourselves an' ignore me. Maddy hates me an' even Rhod ... (sigh) ... has gotten his digs in! The only real friends I have left anywhere are the guys I go riding with.”

As Ally listened to Gaby’s plight, her heart sank.

“When I ask her about this Sam, Maddy doesn’t even try to deny anything ... she just sez it’s none of my business an' turns away. Is there sumpthin between those two, Ally?”

“I honestly don’t know, Gabs...” Ally softly whispered.

“...An’ I think Britney’s mum suspects sumpthin ‘cuz I always feel like she’s checking me out ... always telling me what a girl my age likes ... testing me ... an’ making me do those things she thinks a girl my age should do. I never wanted to be here…”

Ally cut in before she could say anything more. “Whaddya mean ... never wanted to be here?”

Gaby was about to mention her mum but thought better of it, instead only mentioning Jocelyn’s decision.

“All week, I never gave Em an answer 'bout coming here ... mainly ‘cuz, I didn’t want to. I thought if I didn’t say anything ... it would just blow over ... but as soon as she opened her big yap and invited all the American kids ... that changed. Brit got all excited an’ her mum thought it was a WONDERFUL idea!”

“Couldn't you have just said you weren't interested?” Ally wondered.

“You have to know Britney's mum. Mrs. W’s always tying to get me to do 'what young girls my age like to do', an' training or cycling isn't one of them. If she had her way, I wouldn't even get on a bike ... an’ she was even less happy about me spending all yesterday with Erin an’ Diane ... so she made Erin promise to bring me here,” a disappointed Gaby explained. With Ally listening to every word, she continued. “I was hoping to at least have some time alone to talk with Maddy, but we both know what happened there.”

“Erin knew I didn’t want to come an’ right up to the time we pulled in here, she was offering to take me for the weekend. If I agreed to stay with her ... she’d have gotten into a lot of trouble. Brit would've make sure her mum knew I wasn’t here an’ I couldn’t do that to Erin.”

After hearing about what Gaby had to endure, Ally didn’t know what to say. From talking with the others everyday at school and at lunch, she just assumed that everyone was having a good time like she was. Yet, when she stared at her friend in the early light of a February morning, she felt tears forming in her eyes and a strong urge to hold Gaby and not let go.

“I think I better go now...” Gaby whispered.

“I doubt that Mrs. Walters would come and get you and Brit so early,” Ally replied.

“That’s okay ... I’ll walk,” Gaby quietly stated.

“All the way into town? You crazy?” Ally practically shouted while thrusting her friend out to arm’s length.

“Shhhh ... yes … walk. It’s not that far. I do it on my bike all the time!

“Face it Drew! For you … 60 miles on your bike isn’t far ... but you’re walking … and in case you hadn’t noticed ... it’s snowing!” Ally frantically pointed out.

“Great ... all the more time to myself!” Gaby retorted as she started to walk off the property and onto the county road. “I’ll be okay, Ally ... I promise!”

As Ally stood there watching Gaby round the stone fence at the edge of the Jones’ property and walk onto the road, a few stray tears ran down her cheeks as she quietly called out after her, “I’m still your friend Gabs...”

Wiping the tears from her face, Ally quickly walked back to Sandy’s and after rushing to take off her coat and boots, quickly made her way upstairs to the living room. Seeing Sandy putting on the kettle in the kitchen, Ally first went to Em’s bedroom to get a piece of paper that contained some phone numbers from her purse and then calmly walked up to Sandy.

“Mind if I use your phone, Sandy?” Ally quietly asked so as not to wake any of the other girls.

“Go ahead ... who you gonna call?” Sandy calmly replied.

“I just need to get a hold of Miss Bell ... Gaby’s gone,” Ally casually mentioned.

Gone? Whaddya mean ... gone?!” a frantic Sandy shrieked. By now, the other girls that were still in their sleeping bags on the living room floor, were awake.

“Gone ... as in ... walked off! She’s not on the property,” Ally slowly replied in a calm voice.

“Why would she do that?” Em asked as she crawled out of her sleeping bag.

“Oh ... I dunno ... do you Mad? How ‘bout you Em?” Ally replied with a deeply sarcastic edge to her voice while glaring at both of them in turn. It was clear even to Sandy that Ally had implied that both had somehow played a part in Gaby’s disappearance. Maddy did her best to avoid looking at her accuser, while at the same time trying to become part of Sandy’s couch. Em chose to remain silent under Ally’s piercing glare.

After Ally finished punching in Jessica’s number, it rang several times before she heard someone pick it up at the other end.

“Miss Bell? ... Hi! ... It’s Ally. Sorry if I woke you ... I’m calling from Sandy’s place. I thought you should know that Gaby’s walked off from the sleepover ... yeah … I saw her leave … in fact I spoke to her just before she left. All I know is that she said something about needing some time to think about things … and that she was going to walk back to Grottoes. No … uh uh … Maddy … don’t think so … oh ... maybe ten minutes ago ... yeah. When I last saw her, she was on that road that runs in front of Sandy’s. Uh huh ... she’s wearing a pink ski jacket with a fur-trimmed hood ... no ... a light-brown blouse … blue jeans an’ boots ... no … don’t think I saw her wearing any gloves … okay ... thanks ... bye!

 
 
Comments are gratefully appreciated


 
To Be Continued...
 

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Comments

Week late

I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter posted. I got some of those bad tomatos they've been recalling. On the bright side, I've lost 10 lbs!

KJT

"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather


"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin

You can't be too thin ...

But then there is a Calista Flockheart to burst that bubble.

I'm not as up on all the Gaby as you are, Karen, but the more I read of Maddy Peters, the more I think she is selfish, selfcentered and shallow, even for a girl her age. Oh she suffers and crys "boo hoo" when she thinks Gabi/Drew is upset at her but it is always personal and private. She NEVER says she's sorry, she never offers to talk it over, she never takes the heatand she cointines to deliberatey hurt Gaby, Drew for her ammusment. Maddy is f***king clueless. And Gaby loves this selfish cow?

I must be missing something here. Yes they are in their early teens but why must she make so many mistakes at little or nor real consquence to her yet Drew/gaby suffers frequently at her hands? Even though Maddy does not know all that is hurting her suppposed best friend/boyfriend, she knows enough to know she is being cruel and wrong.

How can Drew/Gaby love such a worthless *thing*?

And Rhod/Em is beyond redemption.

Remarkable chapter PB.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

This Story

Makes me want to cry for Gaby. Thank you P.B. and Karen J for this wonderful story.
May Your Light Forever Shine

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine