Trigger warning: this chapter is darker but I felt I needed to bring up these facts to make it clear how life was for Gem.
The next day seemed like just an ordinary day. Gem went to the university and agreed to meet up with John after her lectures. She was exhilarated to spend even more time with him.
Although they saw each other every day, she always wanted to see more of him, to spend some time together maybe just chatting although Gem wouldn't have minded making out either.
However, when she exited the university, John's gorgeous face wasn't the first thing she saw, although it sure was a familiar face. She hadn't seen him in a while, but she would recognize those blond curls and blue eyes anywhere.
After all, they had been friends for years before everything went wrong. Even to this day, she couldn't help but wonder if it was her fault in some way if there was anything she could have done differently.
They didn't leave things off on the friendliest terms, so it was strange for Gem to see him looking at her as if she was someone close to him. Once upon a time, she thought they were close. She thought they were friends, but learning that she was wrong was one of the most painful lessons in her whole life.
She decided to head for the gate, after all, it was a big university, maybe it was a coincidence he was standing there, obviously waiting for someone.
As she headed for the gate, he hurried in her direction before she got the chance to escape. Facing him wasn't something she wanted to do, but it was obvious that it would be something she would have to do.
"What, no hello for your favorite guy?" He said with a smirk that was more evil than anything else.
"What do you want Luke Cane? Don't you remember that we are no longer friends?" Gem said.
"We were never JUST friends," Luke said.
She couldn't believe that he was still under the same delusion that he was at the time. There was never anything between them but a friendship, however, he tried to convince her, well convince would be a mild world, that there was a lot more between them.
As she was staring at the stubborn man she once called her friend, John started approaching them. It was clear that Luke wasn't backing down, and she had no idea what may or may not happen after that.
Long ago, she had concluded that something was wrong in Luke's head, something wasn't working properly, and unfortunately, the focus of his delusion was Gem.
She hadn't seen him in a while, and she hoped he was getting better, but seeing the fire in his eyes as John approached her, she was sure that at that very moment he was at his worst.
"Are you ready to go?" John asked Gem upon reaching her giving only a cursory glance to Luke.
"She is staying here with me!" Luke yelled at John.
"And who are you?" John asked, trying to sound calm although he didn't feel calm at all.
He didn't like the look of the guy, and it was evident he was making Gem uncomfortable.
"I am her boyfriend, of course," Luke said with certainty.
Before Gem or John had time to say anything, stunned as they were, Luke was already closing in on John staring him down in anger.
"Don't think I didn't see what you were doing with MY girlfriend at the river bank. You shouldn't have done that! No one kisses my girlfriend!" Luke yelled with a familiar glimmer of rage in his eyes.
"I am the love of her life! Always have been and always will be!" He said in a challenging voice.
"How could you do that to me?!" He said, turning on her next.
John was so shocked by what he heard that the only thing he could do was stand there and stare at Gem, hoping that she would suddenly start laughing and say it was all a bad joke.
Gem had never seen Luke that angry, and she was starting to get scared, for herself, but most importantly for John.
When Luke was first diagnosed, they gave him some pills, Gem remembered, and after he started taking them he was better. At least that was what Gem thought at the time since there were no further repeats of what happened that Friday night.
Still, she could never see him in the same light. It wasn't the disease that was scaring her but that she was the focus of it.
After what happened, after what he tried to do, she couldn't very well stay friends with him. She still believed he was a good guy, but that didn't make her nightmares any better or her fear of him any lesser.
If he was off his medication, she knew that the situation could escalate quickly, and she no longer knew what he was or wasn't capable of. She never truly knew.
Deciding the best option for her and John would be to play along, she still felt bad for what she was about to do. She realized that whether she wanted to admit it or not, she loved John and her future actions would break his heart. Still, she was hoping that soon enough she would be able to make it up to him.
It was necessary to get Luke home, to his mother, as soon as possible for everyone's safety, especially John's, and after that she would try to mend things with John.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to do that. Luke, I don't know what I was thinking. Will you please forgive me?" She said.
Tears were streaming down her face, and they were there because she could see the betrayed look on John's face that told her that mending fences with him after all the mess was cleaned up wouldn't be an easy task.
John's eyes were wide open in shock, and he just stood there, his heart falling to pieces as he watched the woman he loved begging another guy for forgiveness.
"Was everything we had just a lie? Revenge for something this guy did? Why all that talk about first love and why agree to go out with me if she was taken? Is she that cruel?" John thought.
His thoughts were so erratic that he kept switching from one thought to another. He knew some guys would have fought, yelled, but he just felt empty. As if he was suddenly thrust into the world that no longer made any sense.
When Gem noticed that Luke was softening up, eager to forgive her, she decided it was as good time as any to get him away from John or anyone else he might hurt.
"Why don't we go to your house now, so that we can talk in private? Besides, I missed seeing your mom." She said through tears.
"Y-Yeah, I guess that's fine." He said.
Before they had the chance to leave, Luke suddenly turned to John, and with immense fury looked him over.
"What about this guy?" Luke asked.
Remembering that Luke was the kind of guy who sometimes wore knives with him, she got scared for John and did the cruelest thing ever, to save his life.
"He is nobody. Just someone I was using to make you jealous." She said.
"Come on, let's go, I need a cup of coffee, and your mom makes the best coffee." She said, starting to move away from John.
Her instincts were right, and Luke followed her immediately, forgetting all about John. Even though she knew it was a bad idea, she couldn't help but throw one last glance at John. He looked just the way one would expect someone whose heart had been ripped out and stamped on would look like.
It broke her heart to see him like that, but she didn't want to see him with a knife to his stomach either. With a firm resolve to make all that pain go away as soon as possible, Gem followed Luke to his house.
Once they arrived at the house, his mother was already in front of the house walking up and down nervously.
"Mrs. Cane, lovely to see you again. We came for some of that amazing coffee of yours." Gem said, trying to play it cool.
Shocked as she was to see Gem, Mrs. Cane was able to hide it fairly quickly. Years of experience in dealing with Luke had taught her how to hide her emotions well.
They entered the house, and Gem and Mrs. Cane chattered with each other, trying to sound as cheerful as possible while secretly glancing at Luke. After they thought he had calmed down enough, Mrs. Cane decided it was time to do something about his condition.
"Luke, dear, you forgot to take your meds this morning." She said, trying to sound casual about it.
"I don't like my meds. They make my head all fuzzy." He answered.
"But Luke, you know that the meds can help you feel better. Would you please take them? For me?" Gem said, patting his hand gently.
"Okay, fine, but I still don't like them." He said as he slowly drank all of his meds.
Soon enough, he was dozing off on the couch.
"I gave him some sleeping pills as well." His mother admitted as Gem looked at her with a question in her eyes.
As he was breathing deeply, fast asleep, the two women looked at each other with so many things to say, but for the time being, they just sat there enjoying their coffees thinking about what needed to be done.