{unedited}
4 years back.
➰
" we're doing all we can to trace Miss Gabriella De León."
" we'll clearly you're not doing enough." Interjected, Geneva was pissed off at the female police officer who had come out from her office to try and pacify the situation.
Geneva wasn't having any of it anymore. She tracked her mind back to recall the name of the officer who had placed herself in the loud demand for answers Geneva had been asking for. She didn't care that she had collected a number of eyes nor for the small crowd of officers who had gathered around her because of the loud commotion.
Glaring at the supposed protection force before her, two paunched officers- she wondered how they were permitted to hold a gun, let alone their capability to run after a robber; she bet she could outrun them with ease in a heartbeat. A lot of thoughts, biases, and negativity were the farthest thing from worry if being filtered in her mind, and unbeknown to herself, she was beginning to dislike a lot of figures and have little patience for kindness towards a number of categorized alignments of life that irked and tagged at her anger or irritation. It was getting worse by the day.
The other officers stood looking at her with pity in their eyes. Oh, she knew the look so well - it had been one she'd received end on end when news had broken out that her best friend Gabriella had gone missing.
Abducted right beside her.
And the golden hour had long passed. It was coming to a week now - two days plus the very one they were in, and that was an indication of the worst possible conclusions elevating in bland theory as realization.
The hope of finding her best friend unscathed was dwindling to an alarmingly low possibility curve.
" let's take one more picture. Come on ... it's Manhattan for crying out loud, Eva ." Whined Gabriella hanging onto her arm with a continual tag. Gazing down at her with her smoky eyes - a tease laced right behind her alluring gaze, the strands of her honey-blonde mid-back hair were run through with a gentle breeze.
The look never left her best friend's features. She was an effortless attraction that was impossible to turn down. And ever since they had begun their friendship in earnest from the start of high school to date - the both of them, now high school graduates, entered the new year , it had effortlessly augmented.
"Gabriella, I'm tired." Her best friend had made her walk for God knew how long. They had attended a Broadway show, followed by National Geographic, and taken a tour of the Times Square Museum and the Walk of Fame - well, that part turned out to be the most fun, and now they were smack deep in the heart of Times Square.
The tourists that they were had decided to tour at what seemed to be the peak season of tourism, and the crowded mass didn't dwindle to play on her nerves as she tried to move her way through the crowd of thousands on the road. It didn't help that she wasn't bountifully blessed in the height department, Gabriella not so much either, but she was inches taller than her and managed the sight in front of her fairly well.
Five foot six was a far cry from help compared to her own subtracted inches. Her three-inch healed boots gave her an inch above Gabriella's natural height; however, Gabriella herself had on her six-inch leather knee-length Saint Laurent boots accompanied by an in-fashion beige trench coat.
Geneva wished she had worn her higher-healed boots. The extra boost in height would have been a good thing for her current irritation - well, maybe, maybe not. Everything was beginning to get on her nerves. With the noise and flock of people bumping into her, Geneva wanted to end the day and head back to their hotel room.
Gabriella wasn't one to whine in order to get something she wanted done. Geneva tagged the not-so-familiar act with the fact that she was vigilant enough to notice and observe that she was in a special category under Gabriella's list of important persons when it came to matters of the heart and relationships.
Perhaps it was because she'd woken up to her white bedsheets soaked in blood, so much so a squishy sound had most probably escaped immediately after she'd removed the duvet from covering her body because of the heavy menstruation flow that had presented itself at the beginning of the very day.
How lovely for her, indeed.
Geneva had not told Ella about her red monthly visitor as she saw no need to do so. She had taken care of her bedsheet mess effectively like she always did.
Now, as she stood beside her best friends, more acutely aware of the mild headache that was ever persistent, she was beginning to reconsider decisions like - why they were even here in the first place and, if necessary, to begin with.
Truth be told, this was something they had both planned - together.
Geneva turned to face her best friend, taking in her loosely done curls that framed her beautiful features. A heart-shaped face, slim nose, full lips, skin that glazed like rich golden honey, and oh, her sultry, siren brown eyes. They had that effect even she wasn't so immune to given at a certain degree.
Gabriella was the paragon of not your everyday kind of beautiful and sexy at the same time. She was outstanding and intimidating to many but sweet, kind, caring, and funny at the same time.
And she'd stuck by Geneva.
At first, in her mind, she didn't see why Gabriella reasoned to stick by. And maybe to date, it was the same thing. She didn't necessarily see the light that Gabriella saw her in, but their bond had grown enormously ever since they'd started out, and it had blossomed into one that was steadfast and filled with certainty like DNA .
~
The first day they had met had been midway through the beginning of their high school level.
" wow, you're gorgeous ."
Had been the first words out of Gabriella's lips the day they had bumped into each other. Her natural dark brown deep waves tied in a high ponytail.
And they had met the next day, bumping into each other again, Geneva from ballet class and Gabriella rushing to get to class - books spilled during the collision.
Their books had somehow gotten mixed up, and they met yet again the third day. Laughing at the similarity between their meet-ups that had remained unchanged as of yet.
"Third Time's a charm, they say." Had joked Geneva.
Ella had chuckled at the saying, collecting her books in one hip - arts, Geneva had noticed the overall category of the subjects..
" Speaking of," Gabriella lifted her gaze onto Geneva's." We should meet after class sometime. hang out." She shrugged in suggestion.
" I'm not really fun." Geneva joked, smiling shyly yet internally warmed at the fact that Gabriella had wanted to hang out with her.
" you lie too?" Gabriella gasped in shock, nearly too genuinely.
"What?" Geneva let out a laugh, unsure why or what was happening exactly at that time.
By now, Geneva was fully aware Gabriella was equally popular amongst the people like she was. Geneva's popularity was majorly from her art performances in ballet that she had started out immediately after she joined their private high school.
It had been every bit of dramatic, like mean girls.
Being the new girl auditioning for the main role in one of the ballet dance performances happened to be the Princess and the Nutcracker - to receive honest feedback about her performance and personally gauge her standing had been her pure and honest reason for auditioning, and ended up getting the role.
A role that many others who had been there before she had aimed for and knew that they would get - aware of their own competitors. Geneva had come out of nowhere in their eyes, and she understood where the hate from some of the senior females in theatre major had originated from.
The whole fiasco, as time had progressed down the years, had been a factor play in one of the reasons that had led to her anorexia. Her anorexia had begun at the forefront during the pick of her puberty, where her teen years were concerned. And it would have done more damage to not only her body and being but her future had her father not taken her to the side and had the talk with her by 16 as she was soon entering her 17th age.
Like the smell of smoke correlated to smoking addiction, she had battled with keeping her passion for ballet and the width of her body in comparison to the 'common' body type of a 'typical' ballerina body as they had stated for her so blandly.
Her popularity entry had not only struck with the role given to her, but the main male lead had been one of the top males crushed upon in the entire high school - a senior too. And he had made it evident that he fancied her so. Even after she had politely let him know she didn't see him in a romantic light, he had been mature about it and insisted he had no problem if they settled for friends that later became a good friendship that watered down into his influential friend groups.
He had been amongst the many who had apparently appreciated and verbalized their views of her beauty that stretched beyond the eye to an inward one. The latter had been led by him before and also after she had made it clear they could be friends. She knew this because of the third score she had struck with the head cheerleader, who had liked him and had been friends with one of his seniors in ballet class.
Geneva had quickly squashed her curiosity and innocent nature to try out for the cheerleading squad; she knew what would await her there without finding out for herself literally.
She had instead diversified into swimming, gymnastics, archery and running. The latter slowly fazed out, and archery came second after her love for ballet. Swimming then gymnastics also later phased out due to the demanding ballet already exerted on her.
These spots, especially archery, had been an activity that had enabled her to find and escape from all the emotional and mental strain she experienced. At home, it had been the violin and piano. With each rising challenging difficulty and stress, she got better at the spot activities because of her directed energy into them. They had become her release of frustration, and she'd focused and given them her all so they would take her burdens in return - which they did.
Academically, she excelled but not individually, she engaged with others whom she knew were good. Asked where, not sure, learned, and she'd remember.
Three quarters her first year, her name had circulated in a variety of groups, and she'd made a fair number of hi-bye friends. She was amiable with all that approached. But the backslash of her character has hit her already from the start of her ballet class rise that she knew to keep her heart guarded and not trust so easily.
Not everyone who smiled with her was a friend or a true foe.
She was aware, her father had also impacted her with personality literature on enough occasions, her first year in, she understood so much of the verses and wise quotes - on a personal basis.
Gabriella,
Was well known and liked by the male and female populations. Her cousins at the top of the pyramid were already all boys, or rather, most of the 6.
4 were jocks and famously fanned over. No one could touch her even if they wanted to because of the strong aligned protection behind her, and that had worked out well for her even as she auditioned for the cheerleading squad during the introduction of their friendship.
When Geneva had found out about her cheerleading entry, she subtly distanced herself from the numerous activities she and Gabriella had woven into together. Only then did they realize how numerous activities they did together.
Gabriella had caught on fast - the second time Geneva had tried to evade another activity of theirs.
Geneva had been in her room watching a Love Island update on her own. Something she was supposed to be doing with Gabriella, who usually came over to watch with her and hang out on Saturdays.
Her parents had come to like Gabriella, even more so when her father discovered that he had known Gabriella's late father - they had been business partners and friends during that period of time.
Gabriella's abuela, a healthy one whose beauty explained Gabriella's, had begun to share a found relationship after one invite to her home that Geneva's father had suggested, and the relationship had quickly solidified to one of the family friends in progression.
Pausing the episode to hear the sound by her window properly, Geneva stood up and headed for the glass. Opening the curtain, she pulled up the glass and stuck her head out in observation, only to shriek back in fear at the dark, shadowed figure that had been standing to her right on her balcony.
She watched as a leg in white trainers entered her room and gathered air in her lungs as she was on her butt and on the ground, ready to scream bloody murderer, only to nearly choke on air as she abruptly halted the action when the figure quickly entered her room and turned around in record time.
Gabriela smiled, lips closed as she took in a Geneva on the floor, pocketing her hands in her dark green puffer jacket that stopped above her black leather tights that displayed her curvy figure as she turned her head to her bed and spotted Geneva's open laptop that had been paused on the exact words of intro that read Love Island in its signature landscape in the back.
Geneva stood up, guilt filling up instantly as she now watched Gabriella's side profile.
Gabriella's gaze lingered on the screen for a while before it shifted to her as she took a seat on Genevas's bed.
" you look well." Gabriella pointed out in a neutral tone, still observing her.
And Geneva cringed inwardly.
She had lied about not feeling well and having a cold that Saturday, so she couldn't hang out because she didn't want her to get it either.
Faking a cough, Geneva looked elsewhere as the guilt of being found out continued to claw its way up.
" much better now, for sure."
Her eyes darted back to Gabriella's brown ones that were glued to hers.
Feigning confidence, Geneva made certain to hold her gaze but ended up quivering away from the bold one Gabriella cast her way - unreadable.
" did you climb?" Geneva tried to shift the conversation and asked the obvious, looking out the window.
Of course, she had climbed. How else would she have gotten onto her balcony?
Looking back at Gabriella, she opened her mouth to ask how she had done so but was cut short before she had even begun.
"Are you avoiding me ?" Gabriella's features questioned her as well.
" no."
Too fast.
She answered a little too fast; it was obvious now.
And Gabriella chuckled lightly at the act. She freed her hair from its ponytail and unzipped the puffer jacket before standing up and stalking toward Geneva.
" why?"
She stopped to stand In front of Geneva.
Feeling the heat of her predicament, whether to answer and the fact that she was found out, Geneva looked to the side, away from her direct gaze.
She couldn't possibly tell her that it was because she was on the cheerleading team and that she had people who didn't like her there because of the friendship they shared with some of her ballet seniors.
" is it because of Bianca and her crew?" Gabriella asked, and Geneva's eyes widened as she looked up at her.
" it is huh? And it's also because I am in that very cheerleading team that seems close-knit already. It's inevitable I'll be caught up in that web, no doubt, yes?"
Geneva frowned. " I didn't say -"
" no. You didn't have to say it verbally." Gabriella stated, and Geneva felt worse by the second because it was exactly as she had stated.
"Look, not everyone in the cheerleading squad kisses up to her and her little minions, you know." Gabriella smiled down at her in a teasing manner.
Geneva caught onto the memo from Gabriella that not everyone was the same.
"Besides, they merely envy you," Gabriela stated as she looked down at her and then took a step back to observe her openly. " I mean, who wouldn't? You're liked by everyone in school all around because of your personality and affability. Not to add the fact that you are painfully gorgeous, and you don't seem to know it."
Gabriella's gaze left her face and lowered down the length of Geneva's mid-thigh length cream satin Nighty; hovering around her breasts and hips, Geneva found herself blushing beyond her control.
" I don't blame your assumption that I'd join their stupidity, feminism my ass. They funnily approached me about you, and I easily let them have it. They need to back the fuck up where you're associated. I also don't envy you. I admire you and have come to like you much more than you'd like to know at the moment, is my guess." Gabriella's gaze caressed hers after she had put her hands in the pocket of her open jacket that exposed her black cross-strapped crop top.
"Now, can we go back to hanging out, or are there more thoughts running in your mind that you'd like me to rectify." Gabriella patiently waited to hear any of them, and all Geneva could do was bashfully shift her gaze down to her pedicured feet.
It had been so wrong of her to assume, and yet doing that was something she called a fault in what others had done when Geneva had joined and auditioned in ballet . It struck at her conscious that she was no different from those who had been prejudiced against her before they got to know her.
" I hope you're not beating yourself up gauging from that adorable troubled face of yours." Gabriela playfully teased as she stalked closer to her, and Geneva raised her head, remorseful and saddened by her own actions.
" I'm sorry." Geneva began, fighting to look down in shame. " I guess I had assumed wrongly and with bias."
" hey ...." Gabriela's hands ran smoothly down the length of Geneva's arms, and she held both hands in hers .
" I don't blame you. I'd also think the same thing. A lot of people in our school are A-class snobs and bitches." She chucked, and so did Geneva . " but an equally healthy, if not hella, more of us are level-headed. We're all capable, so it's stupid to see another try to one-up the other to the minority."
Gabriela did make a point.
Their high school was as 'snobby'* as it got. By the time one was admitted, it was usually because they were capable. Connection and power could get one in, but the 50-year foundation was owned by a Russian who could care less who donated or didn't for the foundation to survive on its own. Therefore, when it came to cutting off those who didn't make their yearly class expectation report both academically and out of leniency, if not in sports, then it was out with the student and in with the next on the Santa lengthened list of students waiting to join the 'elite' academic institution.
" so Eva ." Gabriella lifted her hands, gazing into her eyes with a twinkle in hers . " personally, you're my go-to for life, is what I've decided. Are we good?"
Geneva laughed and found herself nearly crying because of how everything had played out.
No one outside her family had made her feel this way besides Gabriella's brother, who had been the first to give her Eva as her nickname, and she had quickly taken it up with joy to be adopted as his added baby sister alongside Gabriella.
Being family-zoned before her little crush on her friend's brother could begin to bloom stung a good heap. But she had taken it like a champ - inspiration from her nutcracker and settled for family.
Though it had been a difficult pill to swallow.
It got easier when she took it to literal heart that Dante was her brother figure, and his acting so made it that much easier. She now only saw him as that, and her affection for him grew in that regard and no other.
Nodding her head with teary eyes, Geneva agreed.
"We're good."
And Gabriela pulled her in for a tight embrace as though sealing the deal. No more misunderstanding in that count ever, whatsoever.
" good." Gabriela eventually pulled back, holding Geneva's shoulders with a content smile. " seeing as we're done keeping distance," Gabriela released her and began to remove her jacket, exposing her shapely frame; she held Eva's hand and directed the both of them to the bed.
" no more being weird with me, right?" Her face turned in the direction of Geneva, who faced her right back and nodded.
" right."
" bring me up to date with the current episode." Gabriella smiled, making herself comfortable on the bed after kicking off her trainers and leaning on the headboard. Geneva joined her.
" let's start it from the beginning." Geneva smiled, returning the red dot on the line to the start.
" you were nearly done," Gabriella noted.
" doesn't matter." Geneva disregarded it, and the laptop was placed on the stand for both of them to see effectively. She sat close to Gabriella's side, made herself comfortable, and rested her head on her shoulder. " It's more enjoyable with you anyway."
And she meant it.
~