Never left me

Chapter 12

The rest of the night was a blur, nothing happened, Steven wouldn't talk to me really, but he still gave me his bed to sleep on for the night. We awoke as we had before, me on his bed, him on his chair next to it. Nothing had really changed. I woke up early again with a light headache then shook Steven's arm gently to wake him.

"Noooo." He grumbled as I pulled on his arm.

"Wake up it's time to get up."

After I finished he proceeded to open his eyes and just look at me. "You're so pretty, and I'm just a mess."

I shook my head as I said. "You're hungover it's the alcohol talking."

He shook his head. "What would you do if I fought Jay?"

"It wouldn't happen." I got up and stretched then began walking out of his room, only to stop at the doorway and say. "You coming?"

He got up and followed me to his kitchen as I began making us both coffee. "But, what if I did fight Jay?"

"But, it wouldn't happen." I said as I stirred some sugar into my coffee.

"Gabriella." He said, begging for me to look at him. "I fought Jay last night."

Part of me wanted to ask why and the other could tell that Jay had done something to lead Steven to get to the point of no return to actually fight him. Was I mad? At the moment, not really.

"Why did you fight him??" I asked astonished.

"Well, you see, I can't tell you." He looked at me, pleading for forgiveness.

"What do you mean you can't tell me. He's my boyfriend and you're my bestfriend." I took a sip of my coffee.

"You wouldn't understand." He said as he took his coffee and took a sip.

"I wouldn't understand??" I began to yell. "Steven you had no reason to fight him!!!" I set my mug down. "You know what, can you just, just bring me home."

Silence filled the room quickly. I couldn't stand to be near Steven much longer, if we didn't have honesty in our friendship, what was there? Nothing.

"Did you hear me?" I asked and dumped out my coffee. "I want to go home."

He nodded and gave me a deer in headlights look then picked up his keys. We got into the car and let the silence take over the area as he drove me home.

When I got home I ran up to my room, and took a shower. Every part of my life seemed questionable, like a question on a test that you know is a trick question and you can't answer correctly. I got ready for a normal day at the hospital, but today I was driving myself. My phone buzzed as I picked it up to leave. Steven texted me, I ignored it. I got in my car and flipped on the radio. Nothing good was on, I shrugged not surprised by the fact that the time I actually wanted to be distracted while driving, my form of distraction was unhelpful. I pulled into the parking garage and parked the car then walked the same daily route I'd typically walk with Steven, alone. I made it up to Maddie's room and couldn't believe my eyes.

"Frosty nips! You finally came to see me!" She yelled from her bed as I stood in the doorway. I was shocked to the point where my legs had forgotten how to move and were gorilla glued to the ground. Sheryl came over to me, she could tell from the expression on my face that I wasn't expecting Maddie to wake up anytime soon.

She hugged me and mumbled to me. "Trust me, I thought we lost her too."

A tear rolled down my cheek as I walked over to Maddie's bed. "Sugar tits, we thought we lost you." I wiped one of my tears as she smiled at me.

"I've been here all along, I wouldn't leave you that soon." She took my hand and held it. "You certainly never left me anywhere."

I felt more tears rush down my face. "Maddie I-"

"You're an emotional mess, god frosty nips, what are you pmsing or something?" She smiled at me.

I laughed. "Shut up I've been coming here all day everyday for the past 3 weeks waiting for you to wake up."

"Girl you should get some sort of social life, come on! Could've let me die here alone."

I laughed, knowing her sense of humor. "She does have a social life, and a very nice guy, Steven!" I heard Maddie's mom say.

"Steven?" Maddie laughed and winked at me.

"Steven is only a friend. Jay, the guy from, you know, we have a thing!" I smiled as Sheryl knew her cue to leave the room.

"What!! You and Jay became a thing?? Gosh I missed so much!!" She grinned.

"3 weeks worth, girly." I smiled and tightened my grip on her hand.

*******

Night after night, week after week, the parties became more often, so did my declining to Jay's invitations. As my partying decreased, Maddie's recovery sped up leading to her making the ultimate and final trip home. I spent hour after hour with her at the hospital until she was released. That's what friends do right? We spent a lot of time talking about everything that had occurred while she was asleep, including my un-official relationship with Jay. Of course wanting to hear from him, we decided to call him that afternoon.

He answered in a raspy tone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jay" I felt a smile arise across my face.

"Hey Gab, why are you calling me so early?"

I looked at the time, 12:30PM "It's 12:30, are you just waking up?"

"Y-Yeah, crazy night at the-" I heard him pull the phone back alittle and mumble a curse word. "Just a crazy night."

"The what?"

"Hmm?" He said very tiredly.

'You said the then changed what you were saying.." I licked my lips.

"Love, no, I didn't mean it that way, I said it because" His voice trailed off a bit.

"Because?"

"I love you?" He said it in such a way that it sounded like a question.

Suddenly, a squeak came across the phone. "Hey, who are you talking to?"

"H-Hello?" I said immediately.

"Babe, it's no one!" I heard him say. "I love you."

"I love you too darling." I heard the sound of lips touching.

At that moment I knew exactly who was there. Jessica. I was speechless, so was Maddie.

I hadn't hung up. I couldn't get myself to."H-Hello?"

"Gabriella, are you still there?" I heard him acknowledge my existence.

"Y-Yeah, I'm here."

"Are you going to the party tonight?"

I looked at Maddie. My need for the alcohol came back, I was almost a week sober. I mouthed I'm sorry to Maddie only to reply to Jay saying. "Yeah."

I left Maddie's house with guilt and psychological need for my drunk self. As I arrived it was the basic party scenario. Man how I had missed it. I hurried my way to the drink table, only to be pushed into Jay. I looked in him the eyes. Little did he know I hadn't read through his facade, I knew he had lied to me but never this bad. He cheated on me, forgot about me openly, to hang out with her, to do her. Her. Even the thought of her had disgusted me. He nodded in reassurance that our splitting wasn't over something that did not happen. I was his fling of the night, he was drunk, so was I. I was a fool. I was hung up over a guy who had never even asked me out.