Chapter 11

A little high, very pissed

Age Sixteen

"Here."

Gabi holds the joint toward me, and I grab it, taking a drag. The smoke enters my throat and I hold it before taking another drag.

The sound of a can cracking grabs my attention, and I turn my head, seeing the beers in Gabi's hands before she hands one to me.

We sit in silence as we watch over the city, just the noise of the cars and people surrounding us. It's quieter than normal since it's later in the evening, and I kind of like it. It's not the usual quiet that's deafening and consumes my brain, but the kind that feels almost peaceful.

Gabi loves this spot. We usually come here on nights when her dad is drunk, and loud, and hates the sight of me, which is more often than not these days.

At this point, sneaking around with her is all I'm used to. Whether it's sneaking into her bed in the middle of the night, or sneaking out of her house. My house is off-fucking-limits, so here it is.

Pouring the can back, I gulp down the alcohol, seeing Gabi shiver from the side. I glance at her. "Are you cold?" She's wearing denim shorts, and a baggy sweatshirt, and her skin is covered in little bumps. She has to be cold.

Gabi blinks, pulling her knees up. "Would you give me your jacket if I was?"

"You know I would," I say without an ounce of hesitation. I'd take the clothes off my body and give them to her, if she needed.

Gabi's lips twitch into a smile, but it disappears when she sighs, and looks out below us. "Nate wouldn't."

My jaw ticks. I hate the sound of his name, especially coming from her. "No?" I ask, although I wish we could stop talking about him for good.

"No," she admits, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I told him I was cold when we were at the bonfire, and he looked at me like I was crazy. Didn't even offer his jacket." She looks at me, and swallows. "But you did."

My teeth grind together. Fucking hate that guy. Hate when she talks about him. Hate seeing them together. Hate how he makes her feel. "Of course I did. He's an idiot for not jumping at the opportunity to see you in his clothes," I admit, because seeing her in my hoodie last week made my heart thump so loudly in my chest I almost called the ambulance.

"Really?" she glances at me with those bright blue eyes that feel like a stab to my throat. The wind blows in her hair, and she looks so beautiful I can't stand it.

I swallow, breathing out a laugh. "You're my best friend. I have to be nice you," I say instead, nudging her on the arm.

She laughs along with me. "Like you wouldn't be lost without me."

That's definitely true.

Without a second thought, I pull off my jacket, and wrap it around her shoulders. The cold air hits my skin, but I couldn't give a fuck right now. Seeing her smile up at me, grateful, like she can't believe anyone would ever do something like that for her makes it all worth it.

I get lost in her eyes, the shape of her lips, the way her dimples pop when she smiles, but Gabi turns her head at the sound of a car pulling up below us. Her face contorts into a frown, and I follow her gaze.

The black Honda Civic I'm used to seeing Gabi in makes me narrow my eyes. "Isn't that—"

"Nate's car," she affirms. "Yeah."

We watch in silence as he puts the car in park, right outside the movie theatre, and steps out of the driver's seat. Yeah, that's him. Same douchey haircut, same ugly ass clothes. Who the fuck wears a button down to the movies?

"I thought you said he was out of town with his parents this weekend?"

She frowns, looking down as Nate rounds the car. "That's what he told me."

He reaches for the door handle, and out walks Taylor in a mini skirt and sneakers, reaching for his hand.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Gabi spits out. I turn my attention to her, seeing her scowl down at them. "She was flirting with you last week, and now she's throwing herself at my boyfriend?"

I should be focused on the last word that makes my skin crawl, but I couldn't care less about hearing her refer to him as her boyfriend. I'm a little too focused on the fact that Gabi noticed Taylor was flirting with me last week.

I shouldn't be thinking about it. It's stupid, and probably means nothing, but… it has to mean something if she noticed it, right?

I shake the thought away when I see Nate lean down, and press his lips to Taylor's.

Fuck.

I look at Gabi seeing her eyes narrowed. She doesn't even look sad, just… angry, and I can't help that a part of me is glad to see it. I shouldn't be happy that her boyfriend just cheated on her, but I can't help it.

Truth is, I've witnessed Gabi date assholes like him for years, and every time, it breaks me a little inside. It's hard seeing them with her. Kissing her, touching her, holding her when I can't.

Sure, we sleep in the same bed practically every night, and I know a ton more about her than any of those assholes ever bothered to learn, but it's still like a knife directly through my heart.

So, yeah, I'm kind of happy Gabi can see how much Nate doesn't deserve her. He never deserved the luxury to kiss her, or to even lay a finger on her.

And in asshole fashion, Nate grabs a handful of Taylor's ass as he pushes her against the car, and kisses her, right here, in the open.

"Wow," Gabi says with a scoff, slightly shaking her head.

The buzz from the blunt is completely gone and I reach out to pull Gabi into me. "Are you okay?"

She nods, eyebrows tugged together as she looks down at the both of them. "I mean… I was kind of holding out on him for a while," she admits. "It's to be expected, right?"

"No," I reply, clutching her face in my hand. "You should be with someone who respects you no matter if you sleep with them or not, Gabi," I tell her, my heart racing as those bright blue eyes make my chest pound. "You deserve so much fucking better, and I hate that you don't realize that."

Her lips part slightly as she keeps her eyes on me, and my heart beats even harder. She's pressed against me, so she can probably feel the pounding in my chest, but there's nothing I can do to calm it down, not when she looks at me. I'm so fucking in love with her while she's focused on some other asshole.

She'll never see me like I see her.

"Chris," she says, keeping her eyes on mine.

"Yeah?" I breathe out, feeling her soft hair under my palm.

She smirks a little. "Truth or dare?"

I blow out a breath. "Gabi," I say, shaking my head. "I don't think now is the time."

"C'mon," she pleads. "I really need this." I turn my head, seeing her brows knitted together. "Please."

I don't even know what she wants to do right now, but for her, I'd jump head-first into the deepest, murkiest waters.

"Dare."

"This is fucking insane," I tell her, watching as she shakes the can in her hand.

"Come on, live a little," she says, a small smirk on her lips.

"I'll make you eat those words when I get arrested tonight."

She laughs, shaking her head as we climb down the hill. "You won't," she assures me, though I have very little faith in her right now. "I won't let anything happen to you, Chris."

I groan, glancing at Nate's car. "I don't think you can promise me that." When she shakes the spray can in her hand again, I blow out a breath. "How the hell did you get a hold of that, anyway?"

"My sister," she says with a smile. "I kind of threw it in her shopping cart when I was at Redfield with her last month, and she didn't even question it."

I breathe out a laugh. "Of course she didn't."

"Will you keep a look out?" she asks me.

She turns her head, trying to see if anyone is around, and when the coast is clear, she takes a step forward, but I reach for her wrist, halting her. "Gabi." She turns her head to me, eyebrows furrowed. "I know he hurt you, and you deserve to be upset, but—"

"I'm not hurt, Chris."

I frown. "You're not?"

She sighs, shaking her head. "I was going to break up with him."

My frown deepens. "You were?" It's the first I'm hearing of this, and while my heart does a little flip in my chest, I try to keep my cool.

She nods, dropping her hand. "I was going to tell him it was over when he came back from his trip. Truth is, I didn't even like him that much," she admits with a shrug. "I just…"

She doesn't finish her sentence, but I already know.

"Yeah," I reply.

She hates being alone. She dates these stupid guys because she hates being alone, but… Damn it. She's not alone. She sleeps in my arms every goddamn night.

"You're drunk," I tell her with a sigh. "You're not thinking right."

"I'm a little drunk," she admits with a sigh. "A little high, but I'm very fucking pissed," she tells me, making me press my lips together. "He begged and begged and begged until I finally gave in and fucking slept with him, and he doesn't even have the common decency to break up with me before he mauls another girl?" Her nose flares, and she shakes her head. "I'm not just going to sit around and let him off the hook."

Fuck.

I didn't know that.

My chest boils at the thought of that prick with her, touching her, kissing her and before I know what I'm doing I hold out my hand. "Give it."

"What?" she asks, furrowing her brows.

"Give me the can, Gabi."

She slowly hands me the can, watching me warily. "Are you sure?"

I sigh, grabbing it from her before I pull up my hood. "I already know I'm going to regret this, but yes."

Gabi smiles—fully breaks out into a smile—and shakes her head. "I really love you right now, Chris."

I blow out a breath, my heart breaking at her words. "Yeah."

I turn around and head towards his stupid car, Gabi's words ringing on repeat inside my head. There's no point in giving them a second thought, though. Because I know she doesn't mean it the way I want her to.

I blow out a breath and shake the can once I've reached his car, looking around to make sure no one sees me. The car park is pretty empty and I start to spray the car.

"Fuck." Some of the paint sprays back onto my hoodie, and I step back, spraying a C on the side.

"Hurry," Gabi calls out as I move onto the next letter.

Once I spray the final letter, I step back and feel Gabi slide beside me, staring at his car, the word ‘CHEATER' sprayed in white. It's a little sloppy since I've never done this before but it'll do the job.

"You think he'll get the message?" I joke.

Gabi lets out a laugh. "Loud and fucking clear." Her hand brushes against mine, and I look down to see her grab the can from my hands.

"What are you doing?" I ask her, furrowing my brows. "We need to get out of here before anyone sees us."

She shakes the can and heads toward the back of his car. "I just need to add some final touches."

I watch as she starts to draw a dick on the back of his car. I let out a scoff, crossing my arms as I watch her finish off the other ball.

"Hey!"

I snap my head to the left, seeing Nate running towards us, Taylor standing at the door with wide eyes.

"Oh shit." I quickly grab hold of Gabi's hand and pull her as we race out of there. She lets go of my hand to pull her hoodie over her head, and her steps slow down. "Run," I call out, reaching my hand out. She takes it and I intertwine our fingers together as we book it down the street.

"What the fuck!" Nate yells behind us, slowly coming to a stop as we run away from him.

"Why the hell are they out here already?" I ask, my breath in huffs as we keep running. "They just went in less than an hour ago."

Gabi laughs, out of breath. "Maybe they got bored and wanted to fuck."

I let out a scoff, remembering what we did to his car. "Well, they won't be, now." My guess is, Nate will be too worried about his car to even entertain anything else tonight.

My head turns back when I hear the distant sound of sirens, and I widen my eyes. "Shit."

"He called the cops?" Gabi asks, shocked. "What a fucking pussy."

I want to laugh, I really do, but I currently have the cops on my ass, and I'm shitting it. I quickly turn the corner, heading into an alley that takes us back into our neighborhood, and come to a stop when I hear the sirens blast past us.

"Fuck," I groan, clutching onto my side. "I think my spleen is about to burst." I lift my head, sweat dripping down my face as I look at Gabi. "The things I fucking do for you."

She lets out a laugh, pulling down her hood. "Well, I didn't think he'd call the cops," she says.

"We graffitied the guy's car, Gabi. That's a criminal offense."

She laughs at the reminder of what we did. "Do you think he knew it was us?" she asks.

I groan, slowly lifting up until I no longer feel like I'm about to pass out, and let out a deep breath. "No, I don't think so," I tell her, brushing my hair back. "Though the message we left might give him a clue," I admit with a smirk.

Gabi doesn't seem to find it funny though. Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head. "No. I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you and—"

I quickly clutch her face. "Hey. Calm down. He doesn't have any proof," I assure her, seeing her shoulders relax. "And if he tries to blame you, I'll just tell the cops you were at home with me."

She sucks in a breath, her eyes locking in on mine. "You'd do that for me?"

My lips curl into a smile as I look down at my best friend and the girl that makes my heart beat. "I'd do anything for you, Gabi."