Guardian Angel

Chapter 3

Aubrey's POV

It's gotten worse. The cutting. I don't want to move. I can't even bare the thought of leaving Gabby all alone. I can't even think about telling her. She'd completely crumble. Mom has been making me pack all my shit and get rid of some old stuff that I don't need. I was just taping up one of the last boxes when there was a knock on the door. I looked through the peep hole to see Gabby standing in the threshold, face red, and tear stained cheeks. I opened the door. "What happened?" I asked, looking down at her red swollen hands.

"I blacked out. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"Gabby, what did you do?"

" I hit her," she said. "Punched. Scratched." She had started to smile.

I was surprised. Impressed actually. Gabby wasn't the type to do such things. She was more of the sit there quietly, and silently kill in her mind type of girl. For the first time in two weeks, I laughed. Gabby started to laugh too, tucking a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear.

I had then realized that I hadn't told her my mothers plan on moving yet. I stopped laughing abruptly and became serious. "I have something to tell you."

Gabby was serious too. Her face fell. We both had forgotten how good it felt to laugh, but with everything that's happened, there wasn't much room for laughing.

"What is it?" She asked. I could tell she was scared.

"My mom decided that enough was enough. She's making me move. I don't know where, but she doesn't want me here anymore."

Gabby's whole demeanor shifted. Her mouth dropped open.

"No. You can't. I can't do this alone, Aubrey. You just can't!"

"I don't want to either but my mom won't change her mind."

Gabby had tears rolling down her cheeks. She had no words. She knew there was no way to stop this.

"So that's that, huh? She's making you just up and leave?"

"Yea."

Her lips quivered. "When?"

"A couple days."

She took a deep, shaggy breath.

I gave her a somber look. "You wanna help me pack?"

She looked at her shoes and kicked the dirt. "I guess so. I'm not ready to go home and explain to my parents why I'm suspended for a week."

We walked down the hall to my room and started packing my bookshelf. I pulled out a big scrapbook, about to toss it in.

"Wait," gabby said, taking the book from my hands. It was labeled "Sophomore."

Gabby walk to my bed and sat down, slowly opening the cover. I sat down next to her and looked. I made this book last year. It had pictures from school dances, our sleepovers, parties, and even just normal days out. I looked at the open book. It was our first day of school. Ally, Gabby, and I all standing with our arms around each other. Ally had her long brown hair in curls and a green sun dress with pink flowers on it. Gabby was wearing bright red skinny jeans and black tank top with a white sequined crop top. Her straight auburn hair was down, makeup making her eyes bright. I was wearing a short, flowing skirt and floral shirt. My blonde hair was tied back in a fishtail braid that came around to the side and rested at my breast bone. We were smiling. Happy. Now Ally was gone and neither Gabby, nor I was happy. We turned the pages, reminiscing on those fun days, and occasionally smiling when we were discussing why the particular pictures were important or funny. This was the best day that I had had since the accident. It almost felt normal. I almost felt alive again. When we had finished looking at the book we put it in the box and taped it up.

•••

The next couple of days went by fast. My mother had found a house and we have started moving our stuff to the new place. Today was my last day in Belmont. There was only a couple boxes left at the house that still needed to be moved. I texted Gabby and told her that I was on my way to spend the day with her. I knocked on her door and was greeted by her mother, Tammy. "Hey Aubrey, how are you?"

I kind of laughed at her in my head. How was I doing? I am the reason one of my best friends was dead. Because of this I constantly feel, or actually am blamed. I've resorted to cutting to feel something other than sadness. Today I am leaving my childhood, home, and the last friend in the world behind.

"Fine," I told her with a fake smile. She opened the door wider for me to come in. To avoid more talking I went straight to Gabby's room. "Hey." She said with a sad, lop-sided smile.

"Hey." I replied. I sat on the edge of her bed and said nothing.

"So... This is it, huh?"

"Yup." I replied in a somber tone.

Gabby went out to the kitchen and made some popcorn. We stayed in her room all day searching movies on Netflix. At 3:00 I got a text from my mom telling me it was time to go. I looked at Gabby, tears forming in my eyes. "I have to go." I told her.

Her lips quivered a little. I got up from her bed and grabbed my sweater. She stood up too and wrapped me in a hug. We hugged for a long time. I didn't want to leave my best friend. The tears in my eyes overflowed. Gabby let out a sob. Just hearing my best friend cry like this makes me feel even worse. I started to sob too. We hugged tighter. After a couple seconds we let go of each other. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and sniffled, suppressing my sobs. I walked towards her door with her right behind me. We entered her living room and she passed me to be held by her mother. "B-ye." I said in between another sob. Gabby cried harder. She lost one friend and now her other friend was moving an hour away. Again, I felt like the one to blame for her misery. I waved her mother goodbye as she held her daughter tighter.