Broken (7 page)

Chapter 11

August, 2010; The Present

Gabby had finished her summer semester making her usual 4.0 grade point average. She was thankful for a few days to relax before the fall semester started. She was taking a full load and she had put off most of her least favorite courses for her sophomore year. She knew this semester was likely to kick her tail. It was going to require more effort than usual. She had decided to go to Charleston to spend a few days at the beach and relax with Sam for the weekend. The sisters talked every day, but sometimes it was those moments when they were together, but didn’t say a word that Gabby treasured the most. The moments when they just knew what the other needed and they were just there for the other. Gabby couldn’t wait to be in Sam’s presence.

Freshman year had been one of the best years of her life. It certainly had been better than her senior year. Gabby’s last year of high school had been one of the worst years of her life. In fact, there were only two years that had been worse. The first, she was barely old enough to remember at the young age of five, the one when they had left her father. The second year was her sophomore year of high school. That year had been the year they found out her mother had breast cancer and she had passed away six months later.

The best part of the last year had been being close to Sam again. If it had not been for being close to Sam, she shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to her. She had been in a deep, dark depression and Sam had brought her back into the light. Sam had gotten her into the college nightlife. As much as she had hated parties in high school, she liked the frat parties in college. She loved being able to go to a house with a bunch of strangers and not feel the need to impress anyone. She loved drinking just enough to take the edge off her emotions and forgetting how badly she hurt. There was never a dull moment either at those parties. Most people were so drunk they wouldn’t remember the stupid things they would say or do. Most of all, she loved that she and Sam were best friends. They shopped together, partied together, laughed together, and cried together.

Sam had settled back into their old house in the weeks after the wedding fiasco. Gabby had tried to block Bradley Banks out of her mind. She had spent all of her energy burying her head in her books studying. Sam was the only one who knew what had happened with him and she knew better than to ever bring it up to Gabby. Sam had hoped that Gabby would eventually break down and talk about what had happened, but she never did. She had just run over to Sam and begged her to take her home. She cried the whole way home looking out the window, but never told Sam what he had done to upset her so much. It had been one of those moments where Sam instinctively knew that just being there for her was what she needed.

Sam’s summer had been busy watching television shows on HGTV and TLC on how to update the house on a budget. It was amazing at how the little projects that were so inexpensive could change the cozy beach cottage for the better. They were so thankful they didn’t have to sell their childhood home when Grace had passed away, but it had been yearning for its own TLC in the years since her passing. Emma was kind to come to take care of Gabby, but she had not been the best housekeeper. It had taken Sam all summer to clean the place back up and each weekend she tackled a new DIY project.

The house was only a few blocks from the beach. It was a small house. Their mother had financed it with life insurance money from Sam and Gabby’s grandparents when they were little girls. Grace had always wanted to live near the beach and she knew that the best way to invest her inheritance money was in real estate. The girls had loved growing up close to the water.

The beach had become therapeutic for them. The waves crashing and then receding over and over again, the feel of the warm soft sand beneath their toes, and the way the breeze blew through their hair were all feelings the girls craved when things hurt in their lives or when they just needed some time to reflect and relax. Gabby had walked up and down Folly Beach to the pier and back with a flashlight in her hand the night of the reception, letting her toes sink into the cool wet sand looking for shark’s teeth and trying to think of anything but him. That was the last time she had been to the beach until today.

Gabby had called Sam and asked her to meet her at the beach when she got back in town. Gabby couldn’t wait to sink her toes in the wet sand another minute and to just feel relaxed. She grinned as she fluffed her towel and put it down on the sand, placing her tote bag in the middle. She started to shimmy off her shorts and toss her loose tank top onto her towel. The beach was alive and the sounds of children laughing in the background made her heart warm.

She was on her way to the water when she heard Sam call her name and felt something familiar. Confused at her feeling, she turned around and her jaw dropped. Her eyes met his and she felt tears prick the back of her eyes. She wasn’t sure what emotion had brought those to the surface. Were they angry tears? Were they tears of relief? No, she thought. They can’t be tears of relief. It’s not like there was anything to get over. They were nothing. They were one night of crazy emotions, crazy feelings. What in the world was he doing here? What was he doing with her sister?

Sam had stayed back to give them some space and fireworks went off in Gabby’s body as he approached. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them back up wondering if she was dreaming, but she wasn’t. He was there and he was close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. She looked up into his blazing eyes and spoke softly trying to keep her emotions at bay, “What are you doing here?” her voice cracking as she softly spoke.

Chapter 12

February 2008

Ian and Gabby had taken their seats on the bleachers in the high school gym to watch the pageant next to the Martins. John and Lindsey were the cutest couple and Gabby had been pleasantly surprised at how easy it had been to hang around with John’s family again. She had closed herself off after her mother had passed away and even though she had tried to avoid John, he had been nothing but nice to her. In fact, he had been the closest thing to a brother she had ever known. She couldn’t understand how he was always so nice to her despite her distance to him.

Stella was sitting next to Gabby on the bleachers and put her arm around her shoulders giving her a warm sideways embrace, “Gabby, darling. I wish you had entered this pageant. There is no doubt that you would have won, but don’t tell John I said that.” Stella winked at their little secret. Gabby laughed, shaking her head disapprovingly, and playfully rolled her eyes. Since the pool party in August, Stella had become more of a second mother than Emma ever could be. Gabby loved Emma, but Emma had lost her husband and her sister in a year. Grace had asked Emma on her death bed if she would move to the beach and take care of Gabby until she finished high school. There was no way Emma could have said no to her sister’s dying wish. But, Emma had been despondent and emotionally detached.

Gabby was sure she was numb, paralyzed by grief. She understood. They had basically spent the year co-existing in the home. Emma made sure Gabby had what she needed, but she was not in a position to provide the emotional support that was necessary for a young girl losing her mother at such an important time in her life. Stella had invited Gabby and Lindsey over for dinner every week at least once a week. The Martins’ large downtown home had started to feel more like home to Gabby this year than her own home had. The Martins’ home was filled with good memories and always smelled of something fresh baked, whether it was bread or cookies, while her home had constant reminders of what she had lost, and lingering scents of things that constantly reminded her of her mother.

Gabby’s thoughts stopped when she heard the older former Miss South Carolina who was MCing the pageant speak into the microphone, “Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” and briefly pausing to nod down to the judges, “and our wonderful judges! We sure do have a special show of beautiful girls for you tonight.” Oh her voice was annoying and Gabby rolled her eyes trying not to laugh thinking how fake this
beauty queen
sounded.
Yes, she was glad she had not entered this ridiculous pageant
, she thought. The MC introduced each judge. They ranged from college professors to local musicians. Each stood and turned to wave at the crowd as their name was called.

Next, terrible techno music started to blare through the sound system in the gym and the contestants walked out wearing their sportswear outfits, strutting across the stage as their names were quickly introduced. They were read by age, the seniors going last. When it was Lindsey’s turn, they all clapped, laughed, and whistled as loud as they could to support her and it made Lindsey giggle as she walked up to her spot, her crystal blue eyes sparkling as the stage lights hit them at just the right spot.

Two hours later, Gabby was trying to contain her boredom. The only times she stopped yawning was when Lindsey was on stage and when she thought about what Ian had planned for her after the pageant. “And, the moment you have all been waiting for. Your 2008 Miss Penn Foster High is...” the pageant was finally over and the girls were all lined up across the stage holding hands in their designer evening gowns, large hair styles, heavy makeup, stilettos, and false eyelashes. The sight made Gabby laugh for a moment until she realized the entire gym was quiet except for her.

To Gabby, the girls holding hands were just another way pageants were so fake. Holding hands as if they were supporting each other,
no,
she knew better. To each their own was the theme in pageants. They were the cattiest, meanest things she had ever heard of and she was proud of herself for not subjecting herself to that extra drama. Besides, it gave her several hours to sit next to Ian holding his hand. The thought of Ian made her smile as they called, “Lindsey Howard!” Gabby dropped Ian’s hand, quickly jumping to her feet bouncing up and down on the bleachers with elation at the announcement that her friend had just won. She gave Ian a quick peck and then Stella grabbed her into an embrace, as they all laughed, proud of their Lindsey!

About twenty minutes later, they had all gathered into the common area to wait on Lindsey to finish her pictures and gather her stuff. “Gabby, Ian. We’re going out to eat tonight to celebrate at Ruby Tuesday. Would you two like to join us,” Mr. Martin asked them as he put his arm around Stella’s shoulders.

“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Martin. I had planned to take Gabby out to eat just the two of us for our five-month anniversary.” Ian looked down at Gabby and smiled a slick smile.

She beamed and felt her face turning red and looked back at Stella. Politely and genuinely, Gabby replied, “Thank you so much for inviting us, though. I, we, appreciate it more than you know.” Stella grabbed Gabby by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, “Gabby, you are most welcome. When are you going to realize that I, we, we all love you as if you were our own? You are very special to us. You’re welcome in our home or out to eat with us anytime, my dear.” Gabby’s smile turned from polite to relief at the sound of Stella’s confession. Even though Stella had given her no reason to feel otherwise, it was nice to hear that she was loved. Yes, Ian had told her he loved her in December around Christmas, but she realized in that moment, that since her mom had died, she had not heard those words from an adult other than Sam. She had not realized just how alone and in fact, unloved, she had felt for the past year and a half.