Saving Garnet

Sticky Situation

If Garnet thought she was being smothered before, she was mistaken. Sean now followed her every move with hawk-like eyes, placed a protective hand on her back whenever they walked outside for any reason, and moved his body as well when she so much as shifted in her seat. 

But she didn't care. She was grateful now, where before she was annoyed.

She laid awake at night, wondering if Mayne had been watching her: if he'd seen her workout; if he'd heard when she answered her cell phone walking from the car to the house after school; if he'd seen her stop by the store for tampons and ice cream (a trip that mortified both her and Sean)... the list went on and on. Sean told her nothing was wrong with her, but she still felt dirty knowing someone was watching her. She felt eyes on her all the time, to the point where she couldn't tell if she was just being paranoid or not.

She was tired and scared, and the police were getting nowhere. Though Mayne was close by, he was practically invisible.

And Garnet wouldn't rest until he was found. 

***

Garnet sat on her bed, working a calculus problem. Sean lounged on the floor, back against the wall by her door, keeping one eye on her and one eye on his laptop. An upbeat pop song came on Garnet's Pandora station, and she quickly closed the app. She reached for her phone and selected her 'Down' playlist. Skinny Love by Bon Iver came on. She set the phone down on her bedside table and picked up her pencil.

She felt Sean's eyes on her.

"What?" she asked.

"Not feeling the upbeat, happy stuff?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not in an upbeat, happy mood," she said venemously.

He raised his eyebrows, surprised at her tone, and she instantly felt guilty.

"Sorry."

He put a hand over his heart. "Do my ears deceive me? Or are you saying sorry?"

She rolled her eyes again, this time fighting a smile. 

"Don't get used to it."

"I don't think I ever will."

She couldn't hold back her smile this time. She grew serious again, though, and apologized.

"I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just a little bit stressed."

He moved his laptop to the side and his face adopted a patient look.

"Tell me about it."

"It's just that...well, I feel dirty. Disgusting. I feel eyes on me all the time. I close all of my curtains, but I still don't stand by windows. I'm terrified all the time that Mayne is watching me. I can't go out and do things because I'm too worried I'll be murdered. I haven't heard from Juliard. I have way too much homework. I have to up my workouts in the winter because of holiday foods, so that takes time. I'm getting maybe four hours of sleep a night and I need nine to function healthily with my diet and exercise routine. Oh, did I mention I could be murdered at any second and I'm being stalked by a psycho?"

Sean looked at her, eyes full of compassion, and shook his head. "I don't even know how to reply to that. I'm sorry, Garnet. I'm sorry this is happening to you." His fists clenched. "I want to kill Mayne so badly for putting you through this."

She clutched her pillow to her chest and he continued.

"You don't deserve this. God, you're the last person who deserves this. I'm so sorry, okay? I'm sorry, and I wish I could make it go away. But I can't."