24. Chapter Twenty Four
Iwould recognize that annoyingly cheerful tone anywhere.
”Hello?” Fuck this. I’d rather spend the night here than beg for her help. I thrust the phone into the officer”s hand and turn my back on him.
“Sit,” the officer instructs quietly as he points toward a nearby chair.
“Hello, is anyone there?” I hear a voice say through the phone as I shuffle over to take a seat at the nearby desk.
”Hello ma”am, this is the Avery Hill Police Department. I have a Mr. Gabriel Scott here,” the officer says.
I can hear sounds on the other end of the line, but am too far away to make out what”s being said.
”Mr. Scott was arrested for assault. Do you want to post bail? Otherwise, he will have to stay here until Monday,” internally I roll my eyes. This is it. This is when Little Miss Perfect’s gonna get her chance to be a bitch and leave me here to rot all weekend.
“She wants to talk to you,” the officer says as he covers the receiver.
I shake my head defiantly. No way am I gonna talk to her just so she can have me begging for help. Fuck her.
”Unfortunately, he’s currently in processing.” The officer lies. “Yep, that”s correct. If bail isn’t posted, he will be spending the night…” The officer stops to listen for a moment before answering. “It”s $800, and he can leave once bail is paid and the paperwork is completed….It takes about an hour to file.”
The officer hangs up the phone and gives me a strange look.
“Let me guess, the bitch told you to let me rot. She probably laughed and told you I deserved this.”
“Actually,” the officer says, cutting me off,. “She told me to start the paperwork and that she would send your brother here ASAP, although fuck knows why. If you were my brother-in-law, I wouldn”t think twice about making you spend the weekend here. Maybe it would teach you some goddamn manners.”
“What? She”s actually sending Nate to get me?” Where is he getting the money? $800 is a hell of a lot of money to find in the middle of the night. Fuck, what if John has him doing jobs on the side? I’ve worked so hard to keep Nate away from that side of the business. My mind spirals as I”m escorted back to the cell while my paperwork is filed.
Just over forty-five minutes later, the officer comes and escorts me through the station. I expect to see my brother waiting for me on the other side of the door, but am shocked when I see Isabella”s face instead.
”Oh, for fuck”s sake, why is she here?” I snap. Where the fuck is Nate? Did he send her? Is he mad at me? Doesn”t he care? The thoughts run through my mind at hyperspeed.
”I assume she”s here to get your sorry ass out of here,” the officer fires back at me.
”I don”t fucking want her here. Just take me back!” I say feeling angry, hurt, confused, embarrassed and incredibly vulnerable at this moment.
”Well, it”s 4 a.m., and I”ve already maxed out my card to save you. So you might as well come with me,” she sighs, sounding exhausted. Wait? She maxed out her card… to save me? Why?
”Who says I need to be rescued by YOU?” I spit back. As my walls instinctively fly up. What the fuck is going on? Is this some sort of trap? What does she want from me for helping?
”Well, no one, I guess,” she stammers and I can hear it in her voice that she”s either frightened or nervous, ”but I can”t just leave you here,” she says before giving me a timid looking smile. But it makes me uneasy. Not because it seems disingenuous, but because it reminds me so much of the pitiful smile I saw so many times on Nate’s face when we were just kids. The smile he’d give me or Dad when he was trying to be brave, praying that if he was a good boy, Daddy would love him and not hurt him.
”I suggest you leave now before I book you back in,” the officer states coldly.
”Are you sure you”re okay with him, ma”am? It”s not too late to change your mind,” the officer proposes, this time looking directly at me.
”Yes, I”m fine. He”s family,” Isabella says despite the fact it”s clearly a lie. Her words take me back for a moment. So much so that I can”t even reply, instead I just rush ahead, needing a moment alone to process the last thirty seconds.
I hear her fast steps behind me, as she desperately tries to match my fast pace. I stop at the bottom of the steps to give her time to catch up, but I must stop too quickly as I hear her stumble on the last one. I reach my hand out instinctively and catch her by the arm just before she falls.
”Should I call us an Uber?” Isabella mumbles as she steadies herself and looks down at my hand that”s still on her arm.
”Where”s Nate?” I demand as I pull my arm away. God, I wish Riley were here as well.
”Well, he”s taking care of my friend Harper, who”s pretty sick. I got the call and came straight here in an Uber,” Isabella explains and I notice that same shit-eating grin on her face as Nate gets whenever he talks about her, too.
Shit, do I have that stupid face when I think about Riley? Shit, Riley! Does she know about her sister? Is she there with her now? Surely she would have come too, if she were.Again, my mind goes into overdrive as I continue walking.
”Wait! Do you want me to call us an Uber or not?” I hear a distant voice say behind me.
”No, I”ll walk!” I toss back absentmindedly. I continue walking a few more steps, consumed by my thoughts when it dawns on me - Isabella. Fuck, I can”t leave her out here alone. I glance back and see her shuffling from foot to foot as she looks down at the floor, mumbling something to herself.
”So, you coming or what?” I call out. Deciding it”s the least I can do; to make sure she gets home safe, after all, she did just save me from a weekend in lock-up. I see her head pop up and a grateful little grin forms on her face as she begins running over to me. What the fuck is she wearing? Only now do I take in the fluffy, pink trousers poking out the bottom of her coat. And wait, are those slippers on her feet?
”Nice pajamas,” I tease when she finally catches up to me.
”Oh, I”m so sorry, sir. I should have dressed better for bed, knowing I”d have to bail your belligerent ass out of jail!” she snaps back as she looks down at herself.
”It was a fucking holding cell, not jail,” I grumble. I may be a dick, but I”m not like my father, I don”t deserve to end up in jail.
The thoughts of that bastard, the one I”ve spent years trying to forget invade my mind. I think about the shit he put us through. About what happened when we moved away, what happened when Nate abandoned me to stay with his stupid foster family.
Why couldn”t he have just left with me? I would have taken care of him. But no, his stupid new family and stupid new school were more important. I bet that”s why he didn”t come tonight. He probably hoped I”d stay in the cell and get sent to prison so he’d never have to deal with me again. After all, I”m nothing but a disappointment to him, and everyone who has ever known me.That”s why no one ever stays, not for me. No one cares about me, not really. But then... if he really wanted rid of me, and I”m sure Isabella does too, why did she come tonight?
”Why did you come?” I ask quietly. I see her turn to look at me strangely, like she either didn”t hear or doesn”t understand the question.
”Why... did... you… come?” I repeat slowly.
”What do you mean, why did I come? They called and said you had been arrested. I couldn”t just leave you there to rot,” she says with a confused frown, but so matter of fact, like the answer is obvious.
”Why didn”t you just leave me in there and pretend you didn”t get the call?” I snarl. I just don”t understand this girl. Surely this has got to be a trap. I”ve made her life hell since she started dating Nate. I always thought this nice girl act was just that, an act. Something to make my brother fall in love with her. I was so sure she”d come here to either trick me and watch me squirm, or to demand something in return. But she”s done neither.
”Pretend I didn”t get the call? Why would I do that? You needed help, so I helped you. I really don”t understand the question, Gabe,” Isabella snaps and it”s clear I”ve upset her.
”Well, you”ve already said that Nate doesn”t know I called. Why come? Why not just hang up the phone and let me rot in peace?” I ask desperately trying to understand. When she doesn’t answer right away, I grab her arm a little too forcefully. I don”t wanna hurt her, but I need her to look at me so I can see either the sincerity or the lies in her eyes. If it did nothing else, my childhood made me a human lie detector. I”ve learned to spot deception a mile away.
She winces under my grip before pulling her arm away with fear in her eyes. ”Are you crazy, Gabe? I know you don”t like me very much, but to be honest, I don”t know why. I”ve never been anything but nice to you. You”re practically family. I love your brother and plan on being with him for the rest of my life. So, sorry, bud, but it means you’re stuck with me for the rest of your life,” she says as she rubs at her arm before continuing. “You”re Nate”s big brother, the person he loves the most in the whole world. And whether he asks me to or not, I”ll still come and try to save you. I”d never do anything to hurt him. That’s why I keep trying to repair this stupid rift between us. You”re important to Nate, which means you”re important to me as well. So, just in case it”s not fucking obvious yet, I”ve come to get you and I”m walking the streets at almost five in the morning in my fucking pajamas with no fucking idea where we are or where you”re taking me because I care about you, you goddamn psycho!” she screams before physically covering her mouth. Fuck, she seems like she needed that.
I can”t help but smile at her outburst and the way anger, then shock, then guilt flashes across her face. Why does it seem like she”s just unleashed a lifetime of pent up frustration? And why do I feel oddly amused and proud of her for that?
I see her looking around nervously, and for some reason want to put her at ease. ”I”m taking you home, Princess,” I smirk. I see her face screw up at my choice of word. Which just makes me smirk more. That silly stubborn look on her face reminds me so much of Riley. I guess they are friends after all; but who”d have thought that out of all the big bad people I”ve met over my years, two stubborn little girls, both barely as high as my chest, would be the only ones brave enough to shout at me like this?
”What”s so funny?” Isabella pouts.
”I like your bitchy side. Who knew the cute kitty had claws?” I say with a mischievous tone.
”I”m not a bitch; you”re just an asshole. Besides, you woke me up in the middle of the night. No wonder I”m a little grumpy,” she snaps, crossing her arms like a petulant child. It takes everything in me not to burst out laughing then and there.
”Oh no, did I make the little Baby Princess mad?” I tease, nudging her on the shoulder.
”Fuck you,” she snaps but lacking conviction, before attempting to storm off in frustration. I watch her take a few steps, then look around before turning left and taking a few more steps in completely the wrong direction. Stubborn little shit.
”Wrong way, Princess,” I call out before bursting out in hysterics at the frustrated, yet stubborn look on her face as she turns around and walks back to me like a dog with its tail between its legs.
”How do you even know where we”re going?! Everything looks the same! You”re probably taking me somewhere so you can murder me and bury my body in the woods,” she huffs. She looks so much like she”s having a tantrum that I half expect her to stomp her foot.
”We”re almost there, Princess, and besides, I like this irritable side of you. I”m having too much fun teasing you to kill you just yet. Not to mention, Nate would most likely try to murder me if I let anything happen to his little Bella Boo.” I say in my most playfully mocking tone, before laughing loudly at my own joke.
”Wait! What”s that noise?” she suddenly gasps dramatically as she whips her head all around quickly.
”What? Where?” I demand as I try to listen for whatever she hears. Instinctively the playfulness I felt just a moment ago is gone, and I”m in full defensive mode. Ready to protect myself, and her, from whatever threat is out there.
”Oh, it”s just hell freezing over,” she laughs as she tries to poke me. But instinctively I move. It takes me a minute for my adrenalin to ease. What the fuck is this girl trying to do to me?
”Who knew the big, bad Gabe Scott actually knew how to laugh?” Now that I”m finally calm and I know there is no imminent threat, I can”t help but internally roll my eyes at myself for being so easy to fool.
”It”s pretty hard not to laugh at those stupid, fluffy pajamas. What are those anyway, puppies?” I tease, as I try tugging at the sides of her coat to undo the buttons to get a better look at her stupidly childish pajamas. She squirms around as she desperately tries to hold her coat together while I try to open it. I can”t help but enjoy this playfulness. It takes me back to the few times we used to all have together. Back when I could pretend I was young and carefree.
”You woke me up. I was asleep,” she says as she stomps her feet, ah there it is, trying and failing to sound frustrated. If anything though, she looks like she”s having a toddler tantrum. The way Nate used to whenever I told him he couldn”t follow me to school. Back when mom was still alive and times were better.
”So is that your go-post-bail outfit or your special occasion party wear? Or do you always sleep in cute, little puppy pajamas?” I joke as I lead her out of the clearing just a few feet from Tucker’s house. I feel relaxed, enjoying this rare chance to be playful. For once I don”t feel like I have to hide my emotions. There”s no one here who I need to pretend for, it”s nice.
”It”s a good thing I do, or I would be collecting your ass out of jail naked,” Isabella replies. What the fuck? Did I hear that right? I stop in my tracks genuinely confused. I should have known! Of course this was all just some sort of flirty ruse. How could I have been so fucking stupid!? Of course, all she wanted was to flirt. After all why the fuck would she want to be friends? She turns around to look at me and I fire her a furious look.
”Wait, I didn”t actually mean it,” she lies, as she stumbles over her words. I should have known she was just some dirty whore, just like almost every other girl I”ve met. What makes me angrier is that she”s my brother”s girl. And one of Riley”s best friends. Sure, she may not know that me and Riley are sort of together, but how could she do this to them either way.
”Whatever, I should have known you were just a slut. Go show that shit to my brOTHER,” I snarl viciously as my blood begins to boil.
”Fuck you!” she snaps before the bitch actually swings her hand as if to slap me. ME! When she”s the one who essentially just said she wants me to see her naked. I grab her hand a second before it connects with my cheek. ”That was the first and last time you ever get to touch me,” I hiss through gritted teeth.
”What”s your fucking problem, Gabe?! We were just having fun and then you completely switched. Why?” She lies again as she tries to pull away from me but I just grip her hand tighter.
”I have enough girls to have fun with; I don”t need you,” I say coldly. Fuck her, fuck these pathetic sluts. At least whores like Kelly admit what they want. They don”t lie and try to deceive people like she does. I can”t believe I didn”t realize this side of her sooner. Nate deserves so much better.
She continues trying to pull away from me and not wanting to feel her skin on mine a second longer, I release her. Clearly, a bit too quickly as she immediately slips out of my hand and lands on her ass with a thud. She looks back towards the house, where Nate and all her friends are. What if she tells them? Tries to twist it like I hit her? I”ll lose both Nate and Riley!
”If you tell anyone about this, I”ll tell my brother you tried to fuck me, you whore,” I threaten as I stand over her in an imposing manner.
”I”m not a whore!” she says as her eyes fill up with tears. “I didn”t even mean anything by it. I was just joking around as friends,” she looks up at me as she shuffles backwards in fear. Fuck, this is not how I wanted this to end.
”We are not friends!” I snap before sprinting off.
I hide behind a tree, just long enough to watch her stand up, dust herself off, and make her way to Tucker’s. I stay far enough behind that she doesn”t see me, yet close enough that I can see her and make sure she gets back safely. I hate her right now, but I”d hate myself more, and so would Nate, if anything happened to her because I left her alone in the dark. Once she makes her way through the back gate, I know she”s safe. I run to the nearest pub to drown out the memories of tonight.
When I arrive I realize the door is locked. What the fuck?
I bang on the door, once..twice… on the third knock the door swings open. A very rumpled looking Declan stands in front of me in what appears to be an old t-shirt and plaid pants. Is he in sleep pants? What the fuck is going on?
“What?” Declan snaps. Before he realizes it”s me and his face changes.
“I could have beat your skull in,” Declan says as he lets out a deep breath and lowers the baseball bat I now notice in his left hand.
“Yeah, yeah, I”d like to see you try,” I joke as I push my way past him. Where is everyone?
“We’re closed asshole,” Declan says on a sigh as he shakes his head and locks the door behind me. Is it that late?
“Whiskey, and leave the fucking bottle,” I snap to Declan as I slump down at my usual corner of the bar.
“So, business hours clearly mean fuck all to you then,” he mumbles under his breath as he makes his way around the bar.
“One of these days I”m gonna get to keep a bottle for my actual customers,” Declan jokes as he reaches for the bottle, the one I know he keeps especially for me, on the top shelf.
“Who you kidding, these fuckers...” I say motioning around to the completely empty bar, “...wouldn’t know their Bell’s from their Macallan’s.”
“Well, when you start ordering Macallan’s, I’ll stop complaining,” Declan smirks.
“Fine, I may not be getting drunk on $200 whiskey, but I also refuse to drink the cat piss you serve,” I groan as I snatch the bottle of Glenfiddich out of his hands.
I hear Declan mumble something in response but instead of listening or answering, I simply flip him the middle finger and go back to drowning my sorrows.
I sit drowning my sorrows as Declan scurries around the place, cleaning up and restocking the shelves for tomorrow.
“Who is she?” Declan asks, suddenly appearing right over my shoulder.
“What the fuck, man?” I slur as I try flipping my phone over hoping to hide the picture, even though it”s obviously too late. “Who do you think you are, creeping up on me?”
“Well if you didn”t have your eyes glued to the screen, you”d have noticed me, wouldn”t you, dipshit,” he says, swiping the phone from the bar. I attempt to stop him, but my alcohol fueled reflexes are shit.
“She”s hot.” Declan says, and I don”t miss the way his beady little eyes stare at her. You think I don”t know what your mind is imagining, dickhead!
A possessive growl leaves my lips. “Don”t even think about it,” I say through gritted teeth. I”ve already been in one fight tonight; I don”t need to get in another.
“Woah, not like you to give a fuck. Who is she?” Declan asks as he pulls up a seat beside me.
“Nobody!” I snap feeling my blood boil at the idea of anyone, even Declan, who is an alright guy I guess, looking at my girl like that.
“So does this no one have a number? Maybe I”ll give it a call,” Declan teases. I wish I could wipe that stupid shit-eating grin off his face.
“Relax, tough guy, I”m just joking. No need to try and murder me with your eyes.” Shit, was it that obvious?
“Just felt like testing out a little theory,” he adds, as he looks at me with a raised eyebrow.
Fine, I”ll bite, I guess. “What fucking theory?” I toss out.
“Oh just that you”re actually human after all. For a while I wondered if you were a robot sent here purely to drink and fuck.”
I wish! Life was so much simpler when I had no goddamn emotions. Before Nate came back and before Riley started sending my brain fucking haywire.
“Screw you,” I grumble as I stumble off my chair and make my way towards the back of the bar.
“Where do you think YOU’RE going?” Declan laughs.
“To sleep on your fucking sofa!” I shout back, not even turning to look at him as I make my way towards one of the booths, grabbing a discarded coat off the hook to use as a makeshift pillow.
I hear a chuckle leave his lips, but he makes no attempt to stop me. Over the years I”ve passed out here more times than I can count. Declan doesn’t seem to mind, he just closes up around me and tells me to lock up when I leave the next day. His only rule is that I’m not allowed to invite girls for late night parties or fuck anywhere in the bar, which is fine by me as I have no desire to be stuck at some shitty sleepover anyway.